FDA flags problems with two Boston Scientific heart devices tied to injuries and deaths

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By MATTHEW PERRONE

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health regulators are warning doctors and patients about safety issues with two separate Boston Scientific heart devices recently linked to injuries and deaths.

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The Food and Drug Administration issued two alerts Wednesday about electrical problems tied to the company’s heart-zapping defibrillator systems and a separate issue with a heart implant used to reduce stroke risk.

The agency said some of the company’s Endotak Reliance defibrillator wires can become calcified, leading to failures in delivering life-saving shocks to the heart, according to the FDA.

Defibrillators are surgically placed in the upper chest, where they monitor irregular heartbeats and use electrical shocks to jolt the heart back to normal.

As of July 24, Boston Scientific has reported 386 serious injuries and 16 deaths associated with this issue, the agency said.

Ten of the deaths were judged to be due to the device failing to function properly, the company said in an email. Four were linked to attempts to surgically remove the devices from patients and two others were deemed unrelated to the implants.

Boston Scientific’s wires were distributed between 2002 and 2021 and are no longer available, the company noted in its letter to doctors. Some patients will need to have the devices replaced, though physicians should weigh the risks of the removal procedure.

In a separate notice, the FDA said Boston Scientific recently updated instructions for implanting its Watchman device, which closes a portion of the heart’s left atrium to reduce the risk of stroke.

In a letter to physicians, the company noted that there is an increased risk of blockages in the bloodstream depending on the level of anesthesia for patients undergoing the initial implantation procedure. Watchman is an alternative to long-term treatment with blood thinners for patients at increased risk of stroke.

As of July 30, the company has reported 120 serious injuries and 17 deaths related to the issue, the FDA said.

A company investigation concluded that the safety issue “is not associated with the design or manufacture of any component of the Watchman system.

Heart devices, including defibrillators and other implants, are Boston Scientific’s largest business, making up two-thirds of its $5 billion in revenue for the most recent quarter.

Shares of Boston Scientific Corp. fell nearly 1.8 percent Wednesday to close at $102.95 in trading.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Man accused of killing Israeli Embassy staffers indicted on federal hate crimes charges

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By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER

WASHINGTON (AP) — The man accused of fatally shooting two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington outside a Jewish museum has been indicted on federal hate crimes charges, according to court documents unsealed Wednesday.

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The indictment, filed in federal court in Washington, charges Elias Rodriguez with nine counts, including a hate crime resulting in death. The indictment also includes notice of special findings, which would allow the Justice Department to potentially pursue the death penalty.

Elias Rodriguez is accused of gunning down Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim as they left an event at the museum in May. He was heard shouting “Free Palestine” as he was led away after his arrest. He told police, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza,” federal authorities have said.

Rodriguez had previously been charged with murder of foreign officials and other crimes, and the hate crimes charges were added after prosecutors brought the case to a grand jury. It means prosecutors will be tasked with proving Rodriguez was motivated by antisemitism when he opened fire on Lischinsky and Milgrim, a young couple who were about to become engaged.

Prosecutors have described the killing as calculated and planned, saying Rodriguez flew to the Washington region from Chicago ahead of the Capital Jewish Museum event with a handgun in his checked luggage. He purchased a ticket for the event about three hours before it started, authorities have said in court papers.

Witnesses described him pacing outside before approaching a group of four people and opening fire. Surveillance video showed Rodriguez advancing closer to Lischinsky and Milgrim as they fell to the ground, leaning over them and firing additional shots. He appeared to reload before jogging off, officials have said.

After the shooting, authorities say Rodriguez went inside the museum and stated that he “did it.”

“I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza, I am unarmed,” he spontaneously said, according to court documents. He also told detectives that he admired an active-duty Air Force member who set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in February 2024, describing the man as “courageous” and a “martyr.”

A new immigrant detention partnership nicknamed after Indiana’s iconic racetrack inspires backlash

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By SOPHIA TAREEN

Top Trump administration officials boast that a new state partnership to expand immigrant detention in Indiana will be the next so-called “ Alligator Alcatraz.”

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However, the agreement is already prompting backlash in the Midwest state, starting with its splashy “Speedway Slammer” moniker.

Here’s a closer look at the agreement, the pushback and Indiana’s role in the Trump agenda to aggressively detain and deport people in the country illegally.

More beds, not new construction

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem trumpeted the deal late Tuesday, saying Indiana would add 1,000 detention beds for immigrants facing deportation under a revived federal program.

On social media, DHS also posted an altered image of a race car emblazoned with “ICE,” short for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The IndyCar-style vehicle is shown rolling past a barbed-wire prison wall.

“If you are in America illegally, you could find yourself in Indiana’s Speedway Slammer,” Noem said, likening it to the controversial facility built in the Florida Everglades. She added the new partnership will “help remove the worst of the worst out of our country.”

However, the Indiana deal doesn’t involve construction.

Federal funds will be used for space at the Miami Correctional Facility in Bunker Hill, roughly 75 miles north of Indianapolis. The prison’s total capacity is 3,100 beds, of which 1,200 are not filled, according to Indiana Department of Correction spokeswoman Annie Goeller.

Officials did not say when the detentions would start. “Details about the partnership and how IDOC can best support those efforts are being determined,” Geoller said.

The deal is part of the decades-old 287(g) program, which Trump has revived and expanded. It delegates immigration enforcement powers to state and local law enforcement agencies. Immigrants, attorneys and advocates have raised a number of concerns about the program, including a lack of oversight.

The Florida detention facility has prompted lawsuits and complaints about poor conditions and violations of detainees’ rights. Authorities have disputed the claims.

Republican Gov. Mike Braun first announced the federal partnership on Friday.

“Indiana is not a safe haven for illegal immigration,” he said. “Indiana will fully partner with federal immigration authorities as they enforce the most fundamental laws of our country.”

Pushback to a borrowed name

The outlandish name quickly drew backlash, notably from the town of Speedway, an Indianapolis suburb which is home to the iconic racetrack that hosts the Indianapolis 500.

“This designation was developed and released independently by the federal agency, without the Town’s involvement or prior notice regarding the use of the name ‘Speedway,’ ” officials with the Indiana town of roughly 14,000 said in a statement. “Our primary focus remains the well-being of our residents, businesses, and visitors.”

IndyCar officials were also caught off guard.

“We were unaware of plans to incorporate our imagery as part of announcement,” IndyCar said, asking that its intellectual property “not be utilized moving forward in relation to this matter.”

The altered image used by DHS featured an IndyCar with the No. 5, the same number as the only Mexican driver in the series.

“I was just a little bit shocked at the coincidences of that and, you know, of what it means,” IndyCar driver Pato O’Ward said Wednesday. “I don’t think it made a lot of people proud, to say the least.”

President Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan said Wednesday that he didn’t name the facility.

“But I’ll say this, the work of ICE, the men and women of ICE, are trying to do their job with integrity and honor,” he told reporters at the White House. “I don’t want these names to detract from that.”

Indiana embraces immigration enforcement

Leaders in the Trump administration have already singled out Indiana as key to their immigration agenda.

Braun, a first-term governor and former U.S. senator, has been a strong Trump supporter. In January, Braun signed an executive order directing law enforcement agencies to “fully cooperate” on immigration enforcement.

The nation’s newest immigration court opened in Indianapolis earlier this year as a way to address the backlog and divert cases from the busy courthouse in Chicago.

Federal and state leaders are also working on plans to use a central Indiana military base, Camp Atterbury, to temporarily house detainees.

“Indiana is taking a comprehensive and collaborative approach to combating illegal immigration and will continue to lead the way among states,” Braun said in a statement Tuesday.

Associated Press writer Will Weissert in Washington contributed to this report.

Trump says he plans to put a 100% tariff on computer chips, likely pushing up cost of electronics

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By JOSH BOAK

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he will impose a 100% tariff on computer chips, likely raising the cost of electronics, autos, household appliances and other goods deemed essential for the digital age.

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“We’ll be putting a tariff on of approximately 100% on chips and semiconductors,” Trump said in the Oval Office while meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook. “But if you’re building in the United States of America, there’s no charge.”

The Republican president said companies that make computer chips in the U.S. would be spared the import tax. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a shortage of computer chips increased the price of autos and contributed to an overall uptick in inflation.

Inquiries sent to chip makers Nvidia and Intel were not immediately answered.

Demand for computer chips has been climbing worldwide, with sales increasing 19.6% in the year-ended in June, according to the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics organization.

Trump’s tariff threats mark a significant break from existing plans to revive computer chip production in the United States. He is choosing an approach that favors the proverbial stick over carrots in order to incentivize more production. Essentially, the president is betting that higher chip costs would force most companies to open factories domestically, despite the risk that tariffs could squeeze corporate profits and push up prices for mobile phones, TVs and refrigerators.

By contrast, the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act signed into law in 2022 by then-President Joe Biden provided more than $50 billion to support new computer chip plants, fund research and train workers for the industry. The mix of funding support, tax credits and other financial incentives were meant to draw in private investment, a strategy that Trump has vocally opposed.