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The researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur have developed Lanthanides based perovskite nanocomposite catalytic materials for artificial photosynthesis to produce high-purity <keyword id="169046" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="hydrogen" source="Orion">hydrogen</keyword>. "In the patented method, the researchers used natural sunlight to convert water into hydrogen and oxygen using a highly recyclable catalyst based on low-cost, simple transition metal. Dr <keyword id="5600755" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="rakesh-k-sharma" source="Orion">Rakesh K Sharma</keyword>, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, <keyword id="901000" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="iit-jodhpur" source="Orion">IIT Jodhpur</keyword>, is the <keyword id="195201" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="principal-investigator" source="Orion">Principal Investigator</keyword> of this project," as per IIT Jodhpur. "The team has now developed a series of catalysts which can efficiently produce hydrogen under ambient conditions. The end application of this research lies in the industries, automobile and energy sectors" IIT Jodhpur said in a Statement IIT Jodhpur further said in a statement that Hydrogen-based energy is the only viable source for a green and sustainable future. More than 90 per cent of the source of hydrogen is from petroleum feedstock, making it costly and out of reach of the common man. IIT Jodhpur's research team is working to find a viable source of hydrogen generation. The technology developed by the IIT Jodhpur team does not need any external energy source except sunlight. Highlighting the significance of the research, Dr Rakesh <keyword id="3398159" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="k-sharma" source="Orion">K Sharma</keyword>, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, IIT Jodhpur, said, "Development of indigenous sustainable catalyst for large scale green hydrogen production is benchmark innovation for next generation happiness." "The research team has screened more than 100 catalyst combinations to develop five sets of catalysts that give high hydrogen production under sunlight. The catalysts work for wastewater, saline water and brackish water. The catalysts are recyclable and can be used multiple times" he added. Dr Rakesh K Sharma further said that The process used is simple, works on a wide spectrum of sunlight, and does not require any energy source to produce hydrogen. Low cost and high purity could be an essential step towards using hydrogen as a fuel directly in vehicles avoiding fossil fuels and reducing pollution. This novel research is being funded collaboratively by the Department of Science and Technology and IIT Jodhpur. Further, the researchers aim to develop a prototype followed by a scale-up for large-scale hydrogen production for end-user applications. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/covid-hit-mental-health-of-kids-young-people-harder-than-thought/articleshow/95805540.cms">Covid hit mental health of kids, young people harder than thought</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/china-reports-sharp-spike-in-covid-19-cases-amid-protests-against-president-xi-jinping-lockdowns/articleshow/95820309.cms">China reports sharp spike in Covid-19 cases amid protests against President Xi Jinping, lockdowns</a>

IIT Jodhpur researchers develop catalytic materials to produce high-purity hydrogen

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A high school athletics director was arrested after a deepfake of the school's principal was shared online.</li><li>The deepfake recording imitated Eric Eiswert making racist and antisemitic remarks.</li></ul>A Maryland high school athletics director, Dazhon Darien, has been arrested and charged with stalking and theft after an AI <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/tech/what-is-deepfake#what-is-a-deepfake?">deepfake audio recording</a> of the school's principal, which included racist remarks, was shared online.The recording, which was posted on social media in January, was circulated widely, and people were led to believe that it was the voice of Eric Eiswert, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/departments/police/news/2024/04/25/athletic-director-charged-in-pikesville-high-school-ai-case">local police reported.</a>Eiswert is the principal of Pikesville High School in the suburbs of Baltimore.The deepfake audio included a tirade against black students, which led to Eiswert being inundated by threats, per <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/25/technology/deepfake-recording-principal-arrest.html#:~:text=09%20p.m.%20ET-,A%20high%20school%20athletic%20director%20in%20the%20Baltimore%20area%20was,that%20impersonated%20the%20school's%20principal">The New York Times</a>."It's believed Mr. Darien, who was an Athletic Director at Pikesville High School, made the recording to retaliate against Mr. Eiswert who at the time was pursuing an investigation into the potential mishandling of school funds," police said in a statement shared online.Darien faces charges of stalking, theft, disruption of school operations, and retaliation against a witness.He was released on bail of $5,000 after a court appearance Thursday.<h2>AI deepfakes are a growing concern</h2>Police used forensic analysis to determine that the recording was made using AI."Based on an extensive investigation, detectives now have conclusive evidence the recording was not authentic. As part of their investigation, detectives requested a forensic analyst contracted with the FBI to analyze the recording," police said.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur4WoDxnAW4">Authorities said in a news conference</a> that the case is believed to be among the first of its kind in the country. And they are calling for changes to the law to bring it up to date with new technology."It will likely require us to examine laws at both the state and federal levels to ensure that this new technology, and those still yet to come, cannot be used in ways that harm individuals and our communities," Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski said.Deepfakes are becoming more prevalent as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-chat-gpt-2023-1">advancements in AI</a> open up new ways for companies and individuals to be exposed to malicious actors.There are concerns over the new ways these deepfakes can be manipulated in the workplace. One company in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/deepfake-coworkers-video-call-company-loses-millions-employee-ai-2024-2">Hong Kong</a> was tricked out of $25 million after scammers targeted an employee using deepfakes of his senior colleagues. The FBI has also warned that more and more people have used the technology to pose as someone else in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/people-applying-remote-tech-jobs-using-deepfakes-fbi-2022-6">job interviews</a>.There are also fears that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-deepfakes-threaten-havoc-with-the-worlds-year-of-elections-2024-1">AI deepfakes</a> could threaten free and fair elections as it becomes easier for people to spread misinformation. Earlier this year, some <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-hampshire-democrats-received-deep-faked-calls-from-joe-biden-2024-1">New Hampshire</a> voters received deepfake calls from what they thought was Joe Biden telling them not to vote in the presidential primary election. The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/white-house-cryptographically-verify-official-communications-ai-deep-fakes-surge-2024-2">White House</a> wants to "cryptographically verify" videos of Joe Biden so viewers don't mistake real videos for deepfakes.

A high school employee was arrested after a deepfake AI recording imitating the school's principal making racist and antisemitic comments circulated online

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Perry High School Principal Dan Marburger was among those injured in the school shooting in Iowa.</li><li>Marburger's daughter said he tried to distract the gunman to allow other students to escape.</li></ul>After a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/perry-iowa-school-shooting-dead-wounded-2024-1">school shooting in Iowa</a> left two people dead and seven injured, the high school principal's daughter is commending her father's brave actions to distract the gunman.The <a target="_blank" href="https://dps.iowa.gov/update-perry-high-school-shooting-investigation">Iowa Department of Public Safety</a> confirmed the shooter was a 17-year-old who fatally shot eleven-year-old Ahmir Jolliff and injured seven other people before turning a gun on himself on January 4.Among the injured was Perry High School Principal Dan Marburger, who the department said suffered multiple gunshot wounds and went to the hospital in critical condition.Marburger's daughter, Claire, said on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/claire.marburger/posts/pfbid02FXqemazJfTSx96CrvoT65hFrNTJFWriqPsofp3gMYVUjCnc9nnyMGNhx3m1gATgrl">Facebook</a> on January 5 that her father had undergone surgery and was stable. She said her dad would be "devastated about Dylan" Butler, who state authorities confirmed was the deceased shooter.Claire Marburger added that she was unsurprised that her father was a victim in the shooting because she knew he would put himself in danger "for the benefit of the kids and his staff.""It is absolutely zero surprise to hear he tried to approach and talk Dylan down and distract him long enough for some students to get out of the cafeteria. That's just Dad," Claire Marburger's post read.Friday's statement from the state DPS appeared to corroborate Claire Marburger's comments, though details remained limited amid the active investigation."The investigation thus far confirms Principal Marburger acted selflessly and placed himself in harm's way in an apparent effort to protect his students," the department's statement read.Claire Marburger added that her father would joke that "his ugly face is popping up too much online, as he is getting attention as he is a deserving hero.""Please reach out to the other victim's families," she said in the post. "Show grace to the Butler family, as we are not our kid's mistakes and actions or our parent's mistakes and actions. Remember this is something Dylan's family has to live with too, as well as losing their child."

An Iowa school principal talked down the school shooter and tried to distract him so students could escape, his daughter says

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Donald Trump pardoned Jonathan Braun, a convicted drug smuggler, on his last day in office.</li><li>Meanwhile, the DOJ hoped to use Braun in a separate probe into the predatory-lending business.</li></ul>Donald Trump's pardoning of a convicted marijuana smuggler with ties to the Kushner family threw a wrench in the Justice Department's larger probe into the predatory-lending industry, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/26/us/politics/trump-pardon-braun.html">The New York Times</a> reported.On his last day in office, Trump pardoned Jonathan Braun, a Staten Island resident who at the time was serving a 10-year prison sentence for money laundering and running an international marijuana smuggling ring.Braun's pardon came while Trump's Justice Department was working out its own deal with Braun to fast-track his sentence in exchange for his cooperation with a separate DOJ probe into the predatory-lending or <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/cash-advance-vs-payday-loan">merchant-cash-advance industry</a>.In the merchant-cash-advance business, lenders offer cash-strapped borrowers, such as small businesses, financing with high interest rates and fees. These terms can often leave borrowers in a vicious cycle of debt.Braun was convicted of drug smuggling in 2011, but a law-enforcement official told the Times under the condition of anonymity that Braun was released from jail after a year and a half in custody as part of a plea deal to cooperate with investigations into other high-profile <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/heres-how-drugs-are-getting-smuggled-from-south-america-to-the-us-2017-9">drug smugglers</a>.Although he was placed under house arrest, Braun was largely able to live as a free man for reasons still unknown, the Times reported. He spent nearly the next decade leading a predatory-lending operation as a "principal" of Richmond Capital group, prosecutors said in <a target="_blank" href="https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/verified_petition_0.pdf">court documents</a> seen by Business Insider. Prosecutors accused Braun of harassing and sending threats to his clients. Braun, for example, told one merchant not to "fuck with him" and threatened, "I know where you live. I know where mother lives," prosecutors said.In eight years, Braun advanced about $80 million, targeting desperate small-business owners and setting interest rates often higher than 1,000% yearly, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2022-02-10/trump-freed-jon-braun-from-prison-now-loan-shark-is-back-in-business">Bloomberg</a> reported.In a telephone interview with the Times, Braun denied any wrongdoing as a lender.Years after his 2011 drug-smuggling conviction, Braun was sentenced to 10 years in a New York prison despite cooperating with investigators. He began his sentence in 2020, according to the <a target="_blank" href="https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2020/attorney-general-james-sues-predatory-lender-threatened-violence-and-kidnapping">NY attorney general</a>.But Braun's hand in the lending industry made him a valuable asset to the Justice Department since the US attorney's office in Manhattan was investigating the wider <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/how-one-ex-predatory-lender-has-turned-his-life-around-to-help-businesses-find-relief-from-merchant-cash-debt-and-avoid-bankruptcy-1029917616">predatory-lending business</a>, the Times reported.With Braun's experience, the DOJ hoped to cut out a deal with the convicted smuggler by commuting his sentence in exchange for providing information on other predatory lenders and possibly wearing a wire, the Times reported.That deal would fall apart after <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-calls-for-death-penalty-drug-dealers-despite-pardoning-some-2022-9">Trump pardoned Braun</a> in January 2021.Key to gaining his clemency, The Times reported, was Braun's connection to the family of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/who-is-jared-kushner-2018-1">Jared Kushner</a>, Ivanka Trump's husband and a senior White House advisor during the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-biggest-accomplishments-and-failures-heading-into-2020-2019-12">Trump Administration</a>.Braun was a member of the inaugural class of the Kushner Yeshiva High School in Livingston, New Jersey, which the Kushner family funded, the report said.As a member of the first freshman class, Braun was classmates with Jared Kushner's youngest sister, Nicole, the Times reported.One merchant-cash-advance dealer told the Times that Braun's cousin, Isaac Wolf, told him Braun's father sought help from Kushner's father, Charles, to secure a pardon.On his last day in office, Trump pardoned Braun, releasing a statement that misspelled Braun's first name, despite calling for <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-calls-for-death-penalty-drug-dealers-despite-pardoning-some-2022-9">drug dealers to receive the death penalty</a> a year later at a Pennsylvania rally."Every pardon application went through a vigorous vetting and review process overseen by the Office of the Pardon Attorney and various White House departments, including the counsel's office," a Trump spokesperson said in an email to Insider. "President Trump acted upon their recommendations that were based off each individuals' circumstances."The Braun family also retained <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/alan-dershowitz-lawyers-dont-want-to-defend-trump-get-canceled-2022-8">Alan Dershowitz</a>, a member of Trump's legal counsel, during the impeachment proceedings in 2020.Dershowitz told the Times that Braun's father regularly called him, saying he was "so upset my son is still in prison" and asked what the attorney could do to help.The lawyer told the publication he could not recall what he did for Braun but that his involvement could have just been a phone call."I believe God made it happen for me because I'm a good person, and I was treated unfairly," Braun told the Times, adding that his supporters sought several avenues to get him out of prison.A spokesperson for the US Attorney's Office in Manhattan could not be reached for comment during the weekend.

Trump's pardoning of a Kushner-linked drug smuggler undercut a larger DOJ investigation

<keyword id="4990697" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Burda-Principal-Investments" source="Orion">Burda Principal Investments</keyword>, one of the leading investors in Singapore-based fashion startup <keyword id="3131383" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Zilingo" source="Orion">Zilingo</keyword>, has backed the action against its founder and CEO <keyword id="1341941" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ankiti-Bose" source="Orion">Ankiti Bose</keyword>, hinting that legal action against the ousted founder may be on the anvil. Burda Principal Investments (BPI), a division of Europe-based Hubert Media Group, said in a statement that "signficiant irregularities in reporting to investors" led to Zilingo's failure. "Kroll Inc was jointly hired by the main investors to examine this case and the investigations on financial irregularities have been completed," said the investment firm. Hinting at impending legal action, Burda added: "As the investors are still considering options for legal action, please consider we cannot comment on any details from the report or share any further information at the moment." The statement came in the wake of a report by leading startup coverage portal Inc42 last week, revealing fresh explosive revelations around the financial wrongdoings undertaken by Bose including $10 million (Rs 80 crore) dubious and unexplained payments, submitting conflicting revenue figures to shareholders and a 10x increase in her salary without Board approval. Bose has also filed a $100 million defamation suit in Bombay High Court against prominent investor and co-founder of Seedfind, Mahesh Murthy, for an article he wrote in a leading business magazine. Bose was quoted as saying that the $100 million lawsuit was filed taking into account her balance of equity in Zilingo and "the losses that statements like this can affect future endeavours." The lawsuit is currently in the pre-admission stage, according to reports. Earlier, Singapore's state-owned investment fund Temasek had backed the action against the founder, saying "We expect our portfolio companies to abide by the sound corporate governance and codes of conduct and ethics. We are, therefore, in support of the board's investigation into the complaint as a part of good governance to safeguard the interests of the company." During the period of investigation, the Board of Zilingo had issued a statement stating, "Contrary to claims that have been circulating in the media, this decision (suspension) was taken jointly by the Board and the relevant shareholders pursuant to pre-agreed shareholder voting rights, and does not reflect the decision of a single shareholder." In March last year, Zilingo suspended 30-year-old CEO Bose over complaints about alleged financial irregularities. Following an investigation led by an independent forensics firm, the startup had decided to terminate Bose's employment. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/news/filmfare-awards-2023-gangubai-kathiawadi-makes-a-clean-sweep/slidelist/99833037.cms">Filmfare Awards 2023: Gangubai Kathiawadi makes a clean sweep</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/these-qualifications-will-help-you-snag-the-best-tech-jobs/slidelist/99838842.cms">These qualifications will help you snag the best paying tech jobs in BFSI sector</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/indian-smartphone-shipments-decline-by-19-in-q1-2023-5g-smartphones-share-increases/articleshow/99815120.cms">Three out of five smartphones sold above ₹45,000 in India were iPhones between Jan-March: Counterpoint</a>

Significant irregularities in reporting to investors led to Zilingo's failure: Investor Burda

<ul class="summary-list"><li>China Evergrande shares surged as much as 42% on Tuesday after trade in the stock resumed.</li><li>The stock was suspended last Thursday following news its chairman has been put under police surveillance.</li></ul>Shares of embattled Chinese real-estate developer Evergrande surged as much as 42% in 15 minutes after the stock resumed trading on Tuesday.<a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/china-evergrande-shares-suspended-chairman-police-property-debt-crisis-economy-2023-9">Trading in the Hong Kong-listed shares</a> was suspended last Thursday after <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-09-27/evergrande-s-billionaire-chairman-hui-is-under-police-surveillance" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Bloomberg</a> reported that Hui Ka Yan, the company's founder and chairman, had been put under police surveillance.<a href="https://www1.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/sehk/2023/0928/2023092801875.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Evergrande said on Thursday</a> that Hui has been subject to "mandatory measures" relating to "suspicion of illegal crimes."Late on Monday, <a href="https://www1.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/sehk/2023/1002/2023100200149.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Evergrande said</a> there is no other inside information relating to the company that needs to be disclosed.Evergrande's share prices <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/china-economy-markets-property-real-estate-evergrande-share-price-2023-9?utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_source=markets&amp;utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_source=markets" rel="">have been massively volatile</a> even before Tuesday. The stock had resumed trading on the Hong Kong stock exchange in August following a 17-month suspension since March 2022.The real-estate giant had over $300 billion worth of liabilities at the end of 2022 and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-economy-evergrande-property-developer-chapter-15-bankruptcy-protection-2023-8?utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_source=markets&amp;utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_source=markets" rel="">filed for bankruptcy protection in the US</a> on August 17.But the debt-laden company's troubles had only been deepening.In late September, Evergrande canceled <a href="https://www1.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/sehk/2023/0922/2023092201562.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">key creditor meetings</a> as part of its debt-restructuring exercise and announced it would be <a href="https://www1.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/sehk/2023/0924/2023092400033.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unable to issue new debt.</a> Evergrande's main domestic unit, <a href="http://www.szse.cn/disclosure/listed/bulletinDetail/index.html?fb3ce2b0-08ee-4784-bbab-81851c90153b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hengda Real Estate Group</a>, also announced it failed to make payments on the principal and interest for a 4 billion Chinese yuan, or $547 million, bond due on September 25.China Evergrande shares surged as much as 42% in early trade. They have pared gains and were 17% higher at 38 Hong Kong cents at 11.06 a.m. Hong Kong time on Tuesday.

Evergrande shares jumped 42% within 15 minutes of resuming trade amid investigation woes

<ul class="summary-list"><li>California teachers suspended after giving first graders a lesson on "genocide in Palestine."</li><li>Citizens of the World Charter School hosts its classes at a local synagogue.</li></ul>A charter school in Los Angeles with classes inside a Jewish synagogue is investigating two teachers who posted online about giving lessons to first graders on the "genocide in Palestine."Citizens of the World Charter School announced on Friday that it had suspended both teachers due to the lesson and other points of conflict, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://ktla.com/news/local-news/2-charter-school-teachers-ousted-for-teaching-1st-graders-about-genocide-in-palestine/">KTLA</a>, a television station in Los Angeles.Executive director Melissa Kaplan said in a statement that the school "unequivocally condemns" the teachers' social media posts about the lesson, including the use of "genocide" to describe Israel's response to Hamas' October 7 attacks.Adat Ari El Synagogue senior rabbi Brian Schuldenfrei said at a news conference that the synagogue hung Israeli flags around its building — where the school holds classes — after Hamas launched attacks inside Israel, KTLA reported.Schuldenfrei said he became aware of the lesson after the school's principal emailed him asking if the synagogue could take down the flags, the report says."After the lesson, one of the teachers proudly shared on Instagram, and I quote, 'LOL but I did a lesson on the genocide in Palestine today w my first graders,'" Schuldenfrei said. "The teacher went on to boast: 'My fav was a kid who was like 'What if they just gave the land back to Palestine and find somewhere else to live."Citizens of the World did not immediately return a request for comment from Insider, but the school told <a target="_blank" href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-11-11/two-teachers-at-valley-village-charter-school-placed-on-leave-after-lesson-related-to-israel-hamas-war">The Los Angeles Times</a> that it is still investigating the content of the lesson, and if the teachers are reinstated, they will work at a different campus.Principal Hye-Won Gehring is also taking a two-week leave to undergo sensitivity training, according to The Times.The war between Israel and Hamas has become a controversial topic in schools and colleges in the United States since the Hamas attack, which killed 1,200 people.In response, Israel launched air attacks and a ground invasion in Gaza that have so far killed more than 10,000 Palestinians, thousands of whom are believed to be children, according to the Hamas-led Palestinian Health Ministry.A growing pro-Palestinian movement in the United States has been met with resistance at schools and colleges around the country.On October 18, billionaire hedge fund manager <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/university-of-pennsylvania-major-donors-pulling-funding-israel-hamas-war-2023-10">Clifford Asness joined a chorus</a> of megadonors who have pulled funding from the University of Pennsylvania for holding its Palestine Writes Literary Festival, which he described as an "antisemitic Burning Man."Omega Advisors CEO Leon Cooperman, who has given more than $25 million to Columbia University, also <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/columbia-donor-threatens-to-pull-funding-over-anti-israel-students-2023-10">threatened to pull his funding</a> for the university if it does not publicly support Israel.Cooperman's comments followed a walkout at Columbia on October 11, when students left their classes to support Palestinians facing worsening violence in Gaza.Hedge fund billionaire <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-ackman-calls-for-suspensions-at-harvard-israel-gaza-conflict-2023-11">Bill Ackman</a>, meanwhile, has pressured Harvard to suspend students for both antisemitic and pro-Palestinian actions on campus.

First-grade teachers in LA suspended and now under investigation after giving students a lesson about the 'genocide in Palestine'

Rosemead High senior Xitlalic Palacios knew that she had to speak up. It had been two days since Insider <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rosemead-high-eric-burgess-sexual-misconduct-investigation">published a story</a> about <keyword id="14099984" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="eric-burgess" source="Orion">Eric Burgess</keyword>, her former journalism teacher, and she'd barely slept.For the past three years, Palacios had served as editor-in-chief of the student newspaper, which Burgess oversaw before school officials removed him from the classroom and investigated his sexual relationships with teenage girls. As Palacios prepared for what would be her final meeting as the sole student representative of the school board, she grappled with what to say. Many on campus were seething at the superintendent's response to the revelations, saying that the school was "dedicated to creating a safe, secure environment" for students. But Palacios wasn't sure if what she wanted to say – that she could relate to the survivors Burgess had abused because she could have become one herself – was what her peers or the adults charged with ensuring their safety at school needed to hear in this moment of crisis. So she kept that part to herself, just as she'd done so many times before.That didn't mean Palacios would stay silent, though. Far from it."My job has always been to serve the students. My job was never to correct the wrongs of grown adults," Palacios said at the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xUeOFx4Jag">May 18 meeting</a>, filling a moment when school district officials expected her to thank them. "But I'm not sure I have much of a choice as I sit here with you today."<h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rosemead-high-eric-burgess-sexual-misconduct-investigation">Read more: He was my high school journalism teacher. Then I investigated his relationships with teenage girls.</a></h3>The tension in the room was palpable even through the meeting's livestream. Palacios thought of the 8,000 students she was speaking for in the El Monte Union High School District. She thought of her parents, who worried about the consequences that could meet their daughter for speaking out. And of her brother, who assured her that yes, she had to say what others were too afraid to acknowledge.<div type="image" title="Xitlalic Palacios speaking" height="1569" width="2092" msid="91969665" hostid="261"></div>"I think the public is owed an explanation or an apology," Palacios said to the five adult school board members who sat beside her, silent. "I hope our district and my school campus – and any school campus at that – makes an effort to adequately combat these issues. I hope they genuinely work to create safety protocols. I hope our students' firsthand accounts are valued. I hope, I hope, I hope. But it shouldn't come down to hope. Because hope and luck isn't a saving grace. Hope and luck isn't what I or any student should be betting on. Our students deserve better, and I demand that you all do better. Because if this is your best, your best efforts haven't been good enough."Rosemead High's community has been in a state of turmoil since Insider detailed how former English teacher and one-time "Golden Boy" Eric Burgess groomed students for sex for decades. Despite student complaints and obvious red flags, school and district officials missed repeated opportunities to put a stop to Burgess' behavior. Rosemead's reckoning has taken a toll on students and faculty, interviews with 57 people connected to the school show, with a tense distrust dominating the final days of the school year.The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department has opened an investigation into Burgess' relationships with former students as well as possible abuse by other Rosemead High <keyword id="11930605" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="teachers" source="Orion">teachers</keyword>, Sgt. Robert Leyba said. Leyba and another deputy assigned to Rosemead told Insider that the department was surprised to learn of Burgess' departure from the school by reading Insider's reporting, rather than hearing from school officials.Leyba said that district officials first contacted the sheriff's department in April 2019, when they opened their investigation of Burgess' sexual relationships with former students. At the time, district officials had no cooperating victims, so deputies instructed them to keep the department apprised of what they found.The Sheriff's Department never heard back from the district, Leyba said."For us to move forward with our special victims bureau, we have to have a victim," Leyba said. If former students come forward to the department now, he said, it could "open a lot of other things," including the possibility of criminal charges or civil suits being filed. In 2019, <keyword id="11892889" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="california" source="Orion">California</keyword> extended the statute of limitations for cases of sexual abuse involving minors. Survivors now have until the age of 40 to file a civil lawsuit, or five years after the discovery of the abuse, whichever is later. The amended law also opened a three-year window for adults to file civil claims that were previously barred by the statute of limitations; that window closes December 31, 2022.<div type="image" title="Rosemead high school marquee" height="2000" width="3000" msid="91969667" hostid="261"></div>Community members and alumni have called for <keyword id="14099985" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="rosemead-high-school" source="Orion">Rosemead High School</keyword> and district officials to resign in recent days. Back on campus, hundreds of Rosemead students walked out of class in protest, demanding that school officials take steps to ensure their safety. Anger among students boiled over last week, when two allegedly vandalized the Rosemead High campus—including the classroom door where Burgess was once caught having sex with a student who had graduated just weeks prior. Many students expected an apology from school officials in response to Insider's reporting, and were dismayed when they were told that staff had done all they could to address abusive behavior by teachers."They need to recognize what happened and not just send out these pathetic excuses," said junior Zachery Larson, who led the May 20 student walkout. "This is a problem and it can no longer be ignored. I hope they can at least acknowledge that by the end of the school year."<div type="image" title="The classroom where Eric Burgess was caught having sex with a student who'd graduated just weeks before" height="3295" width="2471" msid="91969669" hostid="261"></div>Larson and other students are scheduled to meet with Rosemead principal Brian Bristol on Friday to discuss allegations of misconduct against other teachers. The dark mood on campus has been punctuated in recent days with fresh allegations regarding a current Rosemead High teacher who has been absent from school; Bristol declined to comment.School staff, meanwhile, are openly questioning whether the school is doing enough to prevent the predatory grooming behavior that Burgess excelled at for so long. "We aren't doing enough to protect our kids," Rosemead High psychologist Alexi Adams told Insider, calling for more <keyword id="11897808" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="education" source="Orion">education</keyword> and training of staff and students alike. "Kids can't protect themselves if they don't know what to look for. The groomers are so charismatic and charming that the kids do not know what is happening; they are easy victims."<div type="image" title="Rosemead High School panthers sign" height="2000" width="3000" msid="91969671" hostid="261"></div>As the campus community continues to search for answers, questions have intensified around Bristol's initial handling of an explosive whistleblower memo about Burgess' behavior.The document, which the principal received in April 2018, documented in stark detail sexual relationships that Burgess had had with female students going back 20 years. The memo included dates, ID numbers of students who were aware of Burgess' inappropriate behavior, and the names of five former students with whom he'd allegedly had sexual relationships.Bristol sat on the information for a year.It wasn't until the following spring, when screenshots of sexually explicit messages Burgess had exchanged with a former student were posted to social media, that Bristol took action and removed Burgess from the classroom. District officials then notified the Sheriff's Department.Felipe Ibarra, a former assistant superintendent who oversaw the district's investigation of Burgess, told Insider that Bristol initially "insisted he had provided me the memo via e-mail, however from a search of our email trails, it was clearly evident that he had not. He subsequently apologized and explained why he thought he had sent the memo."Ibarra said that the district's outside law firm, Olivarez Madruga Lemieux O'Neill, selected the private investigative firm that used the memo as a jumping off point for the district's probe. District officials were unaware of the <a href="https://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/2018/09/05/redlands-unified-failed-to-report-student-sexual-harassment-complaints-against-kevin-kirkland-to-police-attorney-says/">numerous complaints</a> that parents and staff in neighboring school districts <a href="https://voiceofoc.org/2012/12/parents-angry-about-outcome-of-student-abuse-probe/">had made</a> regarding other investigations involving the firm, Nicole Miller &amp; Associates, Ibarra said.Ibarra said investigators interviewed many of the students named in the memo, including Burgess' ex-wife, and that "none gave him up." Those closest to Burgess, Ibarra said, "protected him well."As Insider previously reported, it was Burgess's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rosemead-high-eric-burgess-sexual-misconduct-investigation">documented efforts</a> to obstruct the district's investigation of his relationship with a former student, rather than the relationship itself, that cost him his job.<div type="image" title="Former Rosemead High English teacher Eric Burgess" height="1024" width="821" msid="91969673" hostid="261"></div>Neither Bristol nor Zuniga responded to detailed questions for this story, including why Zuniga claimed recently that school officials "promptly removed" Burgess from the classroom upon learning of his relationships with teenage girls.After he was forced out of Rosemead High in December 2019, Burgess went on to do recruiting work, ultimately landing a job with Meta (formerly known as Facebook), Insider has learned. The day after Insider's investigation was published, Burgess lost his job at Meta, multiple company employees confirmed; spokesman Joe Osborne declined to comment. Burgess didn't respond to requests for comment.The time it took for school officials to act on credible tips about Burgess — as well as the numerous other red flags about the teacher's behavior that were either ignored or not thoroughly investigated during his 20-year career — became a focal point of a student walk-out at Rosemead High last month.<div type="image" title="Rosemead High students walk out of class in a protest sparked by Insider's reporting." height="902" width="1200" msid="91969676" hostid="261"></div>"Enough is enough," a flier advertising the protest read. "Why did it take 20 years?" read one sign. "Sexual misconduct between students &amp; teachers should NOT be normalized or ignored," read another.The week of the walkout, district officials diverted psychological services from other schools in the district to Rosemead High, internal emails reviewed by Insider show. Many longtime school employees said they'd never seen anything like it."These kids are tired of being dismissed," one longtime employee said, recalling how in the past when students have come forward with allegations of abuse, they were disregarded by administrators. "We need to heal as a school. So many kids are broken." A group of concerned alumni, meanwhile, are demanding that the district take steps to ensure more students aren't abused. They are drafting a petition to send to district officials, said Cynthia Amezcua, an alum who is organizing the effort."We are owed a meeting with Rosemead High administrators," said Amezcua, who urged officials to address Rosemead's culture of secrecy during an emotional <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xUeOFx4Jag">public comment</a> at the recent school board meeting. After listening to her and others call for accountability, a lawyer for the district ignored the remarks and read a prepared statement."It's nonsense for them to hide behind these legal counsel statements," Amezcua said. "They think that will get us to calm down, and that's not going to happen."<div type="image" title="Rosemead High School" height="2000" width="3000" msid="91969679" hostid="261"></div>Xitlalic Palacios was desperate to find community when she arrived at Rosemead High as a freshman in the fall of 2018. Most of her friends had gone to nearby El Monte High; the only people she knew at Rosemead were her older brother and Burgess, whom she'd met in summer school.Typically, freshmen aren't allowed to enroll in the student newspaper. But Burgess made an exception for Palacios, telling her to let her counselor know he'd given permission for her to join the staff, emails between Burgess and Palacios show.Palacios loved to write. In Burgess, she thought she'd found a mentor, both for journalism and for the academic decathlon team she hoped to join, which he'd led to numerous state competitions. Palacios remembers her first day in Burgess' classroom, her eyes scanning the trophies that lined his desk.Palacios pictured her name on one of them and claimed a seat in the front row, directly in front of her teacher's desk."He made me feel like I had a place where I belonged," Palacios told me.Even though she was the youngest member of the newspaper staff, Palacios recalled, Burgess would tell other students that she was the "best journalist here" and would be his editor-in-chief someday. Palacios remembers eavesdropping on a conversation Burgess had with the leader of the academic decathlon team.Palacios recalled that when he finished, Burgess fist-bumped the student and walked over to her desk, where he kneeled down — "uncomfortably close," she said — and explained that she would be spending a lot of time in his class over the next four years and she would need to make it a priority. Burgess urged her to consider dropping her other extracurricular activities, including the Associated Student Body and volunteer work, to make time for the newspaper and the academic decathlon team. When Palacios told him that her other activities were also important to her, Burgess said that his classes would help her "more.""His personality shifted based on who you were," Palacios said. "He could be really hard on students. But with me, I never got that experience. He never asked me questions that I couldn't answer."Like other students who grew close to Burgess, Palacios befriended his son, a child Burgess raised with a former student and who was a senior during Palacios' freshman year. When Burgess was pulled from the classroom the following spring, his son told Palacios what school officials still have never publicly acknowledged: Burgess became sexually involved with a female student weeks after she'd graduated."My first reaction was denial," Palacios said. "I thought, 'There's no way. This is someone I trust.'"The truth didn't register with Palacios until a classmate on the academic decathlon team told her that he'd personally seen the sexually explicit messages from Burgess to his student that kids had been gossiping about. The rumors about their teacher, he told Palacios, were true. "We were both at a loss," Palacios said. "We both looked up to him." Palacios downplayed what was going on at school with her parents. "I was scared to admit there was something weird happening," she told me. "I felt kind of foolish and embarrassed." The first time she told her parents how close she'd grown to Burgess was the day Insider published <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rosemead-high-eric-burgess-sexual-misconduct-investigation">its investigation</a>. Reading the story made Palacios feel ill; she stayed home from school the next day."My dad kept saying, 'It could have been you,'" Palacios told Insider. "'It could have been you.'"<div type="image" title="Rosemead High &quot;Panther Pride&quot;" height="2000" width="3000" msid="91969681" hostid="261"></div>Palacios graduates from Rosemead High this week, leaving behind a school in crisis. She's spent her final days on campus encouraging her peers to demand action to ensure their safety. She heads to UCLA this fall to study political science.Looking back on the months she spent in Burgess' classroom, Palacios is reminded of all that she had going for her. She benefited from the presence of other adults who looked out for her and celebrated her success."If I wasn't able to get the protection when I had all these connections, all these people who claimed they cared about me, I can only imagine how these girls who didn't have that support felt," Palacios said, her mind going back to the students who came before her whom she now knows Burgess abused. "If they couldn't protect me, how could they protect anyone?"Palacios feels manipulated and used by Burgess, echoing what many other former Burgess students have told Insider in recent days. She also feels guilty for unwittingly being a part of the image Burgess cultivated on campus for so long. But more than anything else, Palacios is grateful that the incoming class of freshmen will never know her former teacher."I feel like the last one who has any connection to Eric Burgess on this campus. And that's comforting to me," Palacios said. "I can only imagine if there were more students who felt the damage that I feel."<h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/eric-burgess-rosemead-high-sexual-misconduct-district-failures-2022-5">Read more: How a southern California high-school shielded a beloved teacher who groomed students for sex</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rosemead-high-eric-burgess-sexual-misconduct-investigation"></a></h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/matt-drange">Matt Drange</a> graduated from Rosemead High in 2007. If you have a tip, contact Matt by email, at mdrange[at]insider[dot]com, or by phone, at 626-233-1063.The LA Sheriff's Department team investigating sexual abuse at Rosemead High can be reached through Sgt. Robert Leyba at the Temple City station by calling 626-285-7171 ext. 3361.

Decades of sexual abuse of students at Rosemead High has left teens and parents feeling pain, anger and disgust

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Robb Elementary School's principal, Mandy Gutierrez, has been put on paid leave, her attorney said.</li><li>A mass shooting killed 21 people in the school after entering a classroom that had a faulty lock.</li></ul>The principal of Robb Elementary School, the Texas school where a mass shooter killed 19 children and two teachers earlier this year, has been suspended from her job.Mandy Gutierrez was placed on paid administrative leave by the Uvalde school district, her attorney Ricardo Cedillo told <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/video/robb-elementary-school-principal-suspended-87412475">ABC News</a> and the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/principal-of-school-where-massacre-occurred-placed-on-leave/2022/07/25/64eafe36-0c80-11ed-88e8-c58dc3dbaee2_story.html">Associated Press</a>, without giving any further detail.A report by a Texas House of Representatives investigative committee <a href="https://www.kxan.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2022/07/Robb-Elementary-Investigative-Committee-Report-Fullsize.pdf">published</a> on July 17 found that a <a href="https://www.insider.com/broken-lock-robb-elementary-shooting-suspect-classroom-report-says-2022-7">lock to the classroom</a> where the students and teachers were killed had been broken.According to the report, Gutierrez testified that the school administration was aware it was broken. But the investigative committee said it was never fixed.Law-enforcement bodies have also been heavily criticized for their response to the shooting. Uvalde's <a href="https://www.insider.com/uvalde-police-chief-suspended-after-report-on-police-shooting-response-2022-7">acting police chief, Lt. Mariano Pargas</a>, and <a href="https://www.insider.com/uvalde-police-chief-pete-arredondo-on-leave-school-district-force-2022-6">school district police chief, Pete Arredondo</a>, were both suspended following damning reports into how officers failed to deal with the mass shooter.Last month, Uvalde's mayor also announced that the Robb Elementary School campus would be <a href="https://www.insider.com/robb-elementary-will-be-demolished-uvalde-mayor-says-2022-6">torn down</a> in light of the shooting.

Robb Elementary School principal suspended after being blamed for not fixing a faulty classroom lock that the shooter likely exploited

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Caroline Ellison hired Stephanie Avakian and law firm WilmerHale to represent her in the FTX investigation, per Bloomberg. </li><li>Avakian was a top regulator at the SEC, where she increased oversight of cryptocurrency. </li></ul><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/caroline-ellison-alameda-ftx-sbf-controversial-online-quotes-2022-11">Alameda Research ex-CEO Caroline Ellison</a> has retained a former top cryptocurrency regulator for the US Securities and Exchange Commission as the federal investigation into the downfall of FTX continues. <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-12-10/caroline-ellison-hires-sec-s-former-top-crypto-cop-for-ftx-probe">Bloomberg first reported</a> that Ellison hired Stephanie Avakian, chair of the securities and financial services department at law firm WilmerHale and the SEC's former enforcement director. Sources close to the matter told Bloomberg that Avakian, as well as fellow WilmerHale lawyers, will represent Ellison. During her <a href="https://www.sec.gov/news/public-statement/farewell-statement-stephanie-avakian-director-division-enforcement">tenure at the SEC </a>from 2016 to 2022, Akavian led a team that worked on several high-profile cases against major companies and notable figures. They include <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/theranos-founder-ceo-elizabeth-holmes-life-story-bio-2018-4">Elizabeth Holmes</a> for making fraudlent claims to investors to raise $700 million for Theranos, Elon Musk for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/teslas-elon-musk-settles-with-sec-must-step-down-as-chairman-2018-9">tweeting misleading statements</a> about a plan to take Tesla private, and Facebook for misleading investors about the risks of <a href="https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2019-140">misusing user data</a>.Akavian was also instrumental in increasing cryptocurrency regulation while at the SEC, leading cases against companies like Robinhood and Ripple Lab.Avakian and WilmerHale will represent Ellison during the federal probe into her former company, Alameda Research, the trading firm and corporate sibling of fallen cryptocurrency exchange, FTX.Prior to FTX filing for bankruptcy in November, <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/ftx-news-alameda-research-lent-sbf-33-billion-cryptos-hodl-2022-11">Alameda borrowed $3.3 billion</a> worth of funds from the cryptocurrency exchange and lent them to FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried and companies he controlled to cover losses and make risky bets, according to court documents. Ellison has remained an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/alameda-research-ceo-caroline-ellison-sent-text-expressing-anxiety-ftx-2022-11">elusive figure in the collapse of FTX</a>, staying mum and largely unreachable during its downfall. As noted by Bloomberg, while Bankman-Fried has publicly placed blame on Alameda in numerous interviews, Ellison has stayed silent. Some have speculated she may be cutting a deal and cooperating with authorities, according to <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/12/could-caroline-ellison-be-cutting-a-deal-with-the-feds.html">New York magazine</a>. <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/sam-bankman-fried-subpoena-ftx-bankruptcy-senate-banking-committee-2022-12">The Senate Banking Committee said</a> earlier this week that if Bankman-Fried does not appear before lawmakers next week to testify, he will be subpoenaed. "As the Founder and CEO of FTX Trading Ltd. at the time of its collapse and the founder, principal owner, and former CEO of Alameda Research, you must answer for the failure of both entities that was caused, at least in part, by the clear misuse of client funds and wiped out billions of dollars owed to over a million creditors," Senate Banking Chairman Sherrod Brow, said in a public statement to the former billionaire on Tuesday.

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