Latest news with #JamesHawkins
Fox News
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Massachusetts bill would force ICE agents to unmask
A new bill in Massachusetts aims to require U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and other federal immigration enforcement officers to unmask. The legislative proposal was introduced Wednesday by Democratic state Rep. James Hawkins. It calls for a new section to the Massachusetts Penal Code that states, "A law enforcement officer shall not wear any mask or personal disguise while interacting with the public in the performance of their duties, except for medical grade masks that are surgical or N95 respirators designed to prevent the transmission of airborne diseases and masks designed to protect against exposure to smoke or toxins during a state of emergency." "A violation of this section shall be punishable as a misdemeanor," the bill, which was co-sponsored by another 10 Democratic state representatives, said. It says the intent of the legislature is to enact legislation "to require law enforcement officers to include their name or badge number on their uniforms," as well as to enact legislation to "ensure that Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team officers can utilize gear necessary to protect their faces from physical harm while they perform their SWAT responsibilities." ICE acting director Todd Lyons defended mask-wearing by his agents during a May press conference announcing an operation had resulted in nearly 1,500 arrests across Massachusetts. "I'm sorry if people are offended by them wearing masks, but I'm not going to let my officers and agents go out there and put their lives on the line, their family on the line, because people don't like what immigration enforcement is," Lyons during a press conference in Boston. "Is that the issue here that we're upset about, the masks? Or is anyone upset about the fact that ICE officers' families were labeled terrorists?" During an operation in Los Angeles weeks prior, Lyons said, ICE agents were "doxed" – having their personal information publicized – and people took photos of agents' names and faces and posted them online "with death threats to their families and to themselves." Most of those arrested in the Massachusetts operation had "significant criminality in the U.S. or abroad" and agents targeted "the most dangerous alien offenders in some of the most crime-infested neighborhoods of Massachusetts," officials said. "If sanctuary cities would change their policies and turn these violent criminal aliens over to us, into our custody, instead of releasing them to the public, we would not have to go out to the communities and do this," Lyons added. "Boston's my hometown, and it really shocks me that officials all over Massachusetts would rather release sex offenders, fentanyl dealers, drug dealers, human traffickers and child rapists back into the neighborhoods." Hawkins cited the March arrest of Tufts University graduate student Rumeysa Ozturk by masked Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents outside of her home in Somerville, Mass. ICE accused the 30-year-old Turkish national of supporting Hamas, and DHS later confirmed her student visa had been revoked. She was subsequently transported to ICE detention centers in New Hampshire, Vermont and Louisiana, until a judge approved her release and return to Massachusetts in May. The bill is only the latest of a series of legislative proposals brought by Democrats seeking to unmask ICE agents. U.S. Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Alex Padilla, D-Calif., introduced the "Visible Identification Standards for Immigration-Based Law Enforcement" or VISIBLE Act this week. They argue the bill would "strengthen oversight, transparency, and accountability for the Trump Administration's indiscriminate and alarming immigration enforcement tactics that have terrorized communities across California and the nation." Reacting to the Senate bill, President Donald Trump noted how demonstrators protesting ICE and other Trump administration policies don masks and other face coverings regularly to hide their identities. "It's sort of funny when people picket in front of Columbia, in front of Harvard, and they have masks on – more than masks. I mean, you can't see anything. Nobody complains about that. But when a patriot who works for ICE or Border Patrol puts a mask on so that they won't recognize him and his family, so they can lead a little bit of a normal life after having worked so hard and so dangerously, there's a problem with that," Trump said Wednesday during a White House meeting with African leaders. "This is the problem with the Democrats. They have a lot of bad things going on in their heads," Trump added. "They've lost their confidence, number one. And they're really – they've become somewhat deranged. I want to do whatever is necessary to protect our great law enforcement people. And they are right at the top of the list." The Justice Department told Fox News Digital on Wednesday it is actively tracking the recent uptick in "targeted assaults" against federal immigration enforcement agents and ICE facilities.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Lucid's strategy to strengthen supply chain means using fewer parts
This story was originally published on Automotive Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Automotive Dive newsletter. NOVI, MICHIGAN — The key to building supply chain resilience may be as simple as using fewer parts to build a finished product, according to Lucid Motors VP of Engineering James Hawkins. 'Doing more with less is efficiency,' Hawkins said during a presentation at AutoTech 2025. 'Doing more with less is at the heart of sustainability and at the heart of resilience.' When designers and engineers were in the initial stages of creating Lucid's first battery electric vehicles, the company considered the needs of potential buyers, including performance, range and passenger comfort. The challenge wasn't determining what had to go, but how to deliver everything, Hawkins said. These traits set the baseline for designing vehicles that not only met perceived consumer expectations, but could also be produced domestically with minimal dependence on components made overseas. An initial step was to construct a 1 million square-foot factory in Casa Grande, Arizona, in 2021, Hawkins said. The plant has since expanded and now boasts 3.9 million square feet of production space, where the company stamps its own body panels and builds vehicles. With production capacity ensured, the company's next focus was securing domestic suppliers. The EV maker recently inked a battery materials deal with Graphite One. It will also procure U.S.-made batteries from Panasonic, Hawkins said. The volatility in the global marketplace, fueled by the Trump administration's tsunami of tariffs, has prioritized domestic sourcing at Lucid. 'The automotive industry has felt an intense and acute vulnerability just this year,' Hawkins said. 'Our response is actually a continuation of our existing strategy, and that is forging partnerships with our supply base for long-term domestic supply, wherever it strategically makes sense.' While Hawkins stressed the importance of procuring as many U.S.-made components as possible, he added that if a finished vehicle had fewer components, it would both resolve potential supply chain issues and aid the company in developing a more spacious passenger cabin. Pausing from his presentation, Hawkins retrieved a Lucid electric motor casing from a carry-on suit case. The motor casing is comparable in size to a small kitchen appliance, but when filled with its internal components capable of propelling a full-sized electric vehicle. Miniaturization of vehicle elements means designers could configure roomier passenger spaces as well as a larger trunk area. 'This is a really obvious example of how we can do more with less,' Hawkins said. In developing its base powertrain, Hawkins said the approach was creating something that could deliver more power, but with fewer parts to reduce costs and eliminate the need to outsource or make additional components. 'There's fewer materials to source, process, deal with the end of life, recycle. Less mass engages in the benevolent cycle of efficiency,' he said. Always seeking opportunities to operate efficiently is a mindset that resonates throughout Lucid, Hawkins said. 'I think what this year has taught us, if nothing else, is that we need to be continuously understanding and evaluating what resiliency means, what the risks to our companies are, [and] what our strategies should be in response,' he said. 'Absolutely, it needs to be continuously and thoroughly examined to make sure that we're covering our bases.' Disclosure: AutoTech2025 is run by Informa, which owns a controlling stake in Informa TechTarget, the publisher behind Automotive Dive. Informa has no influence over Automotive Dive's coverage. Recommended Reading Lucid elects Douglas Grimm to board Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
AU Financial Review
18-06-2025
- Business
- AU Financial Review
Major Santos shareholder L1 Capital backs $36b takeover
One of the largest active investors on the share register of Santos has backed the $36 billion bid for the oil and gas giant by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and US private equity giant Carlyle, but does not rule out the possibility that another bidder may emerge to have a last crack at the company. James Hawkins, partner and head of L1's Catalyst fund, says the investment manager supports the $8.89 a share offer from ADNOC subsidiary XRG, even with Santos about to enjoy a big financial boost as its Barossa project off the coast of Darwin delivers first gas in the September quarter, and from the start-up of the Pikka project in Alaska the following year.
Zawya
27-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Wells Fargo hires for EMEA real estate team: IFR
Wells Fargo has hired James Hawkins in its commercial real estate team for Europe, Middle East and Africa to lead its capital markets efforts, including focusing on structured finance. He is based in London and reports to Nicola Free, head of CRE for EMEA. Hawkins joined from Standard Chartered, where he was in its global credit markets team for almost two years, according to his profile on LinkedIn. He previously spent 11 years at Barclays, including in securitised product solutions and real estate, his profile showed. Source: IFR
