News Brief March 11-15

International

Conspiracies have formed after Princess Kate Middleton released a photo of her and her children for British Mother’s Day. The photo is said to have been altered too much for redistribution.

The Associated Press sent out a kill notice to redact the photo from circulation. It was the first photo released of Princess Kate since her abdominal surgery in January. Princess Kate has not been seen in public since Christmas Day, 2023, which has led to public speculation about her whereabouts. 

The Princess of Wales made a post on X to settle the uncertainty around the manipulated photo.

Gossip columns have festered reports comparing Princess Kate to Dutchess Meghan Markle saying, “This isn’t a mistake that Meghan would ever make … she has a keen eye and freakish attention to detail.” A spokesperson for Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Foundation said they did not authorize this opinion to surface.

Princess Kate is supposed to resume her royal duties on Easter, a date set before she went in for surgery in January. Despite this fact, rumors about the royals have been spreading across the internet. Spectators will be waiting patiently for her public appearance, which will either put the rumors to rest or revive them. 

National

Boeing is under fire for the safety issues of its aircrafts, which have led to severe injuries and deaths for passengers in a string of plane crashes. The company has been tightlipped about its investigations and attempts to resolve the safety concerns.

This week, a whistleblower at the company was found dead at a hotel. The cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head. Former Boeing quality manager John Barnett was in Charleston, South Carolina, for a deposition in his lawsuit against Boeing. 

The detectives and coroner are still conducting an investigation, though police said the wound appeared to be “self-inflicted.” 

Barnett had raised several vital safety concerns about the quality of Boeing’s planes. 

“As a quality manager at Boeing, you’re the last line of defense before a defect makes it out to the flying public,” Barnett told the New York Times. “And I haven’t seen a plane out of Charleston yet that I’d put my name on saying it’s safe and airworthy.”

The police issued a statement about their investigation:

“We understand the global attention this case has garnered, and it is our priority to ensure that the investigation is not influenced by speculation but is led by facts and evidence,” the department added. “Given the sensitive nature of the investigation, we are unable to participate in media interviews at this time. This stance is not unique to this case but is a standard procedure we adhere to in order to preserve the integrity of active investigations. Public disclosure will follow the investigation’s conclusion.”

Boeing also responded to the news of his death, “We are saddened by Mr. Barnett’s passing, and our thoughts are with his family and friends.”

Local

The Oklahoma Senate has passed a bill to raise the state’s age of consent from 16 to 18. 

SB615 states, “No person can be convicted of rape or rape by instrumentation on account of an act of sexual intercourse with anyone over the age of fourteen (14) years and under the age of eighteen (18) years, with his or her consent, unless such person was more than four (4) years older than the other person at the time of such act.”

Consenting teens between the ages of 14 and 18 are legal, but once one party reaches their 19th birthday, convictions of statutory rape are on the table when having intercourse with a minor. 

SB615 passed the Senate with 41 for and 0 against. 

The bill will land in the House next. If it passes there, the Governor can sign it into law, and it would become effective immediately due to the emergency clause in the bill. 

“Currently right now, a 36-year-old can consummate a relationship with a 16-year-old and it’s legal and so this bill attempts to close that loophole and stop these predators from preying on Oklahoma’s children,” Sen. Hamilton said.