U.S. to block cotton from China region

The U.S. government announced Wednesday that it will halt imports of cotton and tomatoes from the Uighur region of China in its most sweeping action yet to pressure the Communist Party over its campaign against ethnic minorities.

Officials said Customs and Border Protection will use its authority to block products suspected of being produced with forced labor to keep out cotton, tomatoes and related products from the Xinjiang region of northwest China.

Xinjiang is a major global supplier of cotton, so the order could have significant effects on international commerce.

Former Michigan governor charged

Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder was charged Wednesday with willful neglect of duty stemming from an investigation of ruinous decisions that left Flint with lead-contaminated water and a regional outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease. The charges, shown in an online court record, are misdemeanors punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

The alleged offense date is April 25, 2014, when a Snyder-appointed emergency manager who was running the financially struggling, majority Black city carried out a moneysaving decision to use the Flint River for water while a regional pipeline from Lake Huron was under construction. The corrosive water, however, was not treated properly and released lead from old plumbing into homes in one of the worst manmade environmental disasters in U.S. history.

Huntsville chosen for Space Command HQ

The U.S. Air Force announced Wednesday that the new U.S. Space Command headquarters will be in Huntsville, Ala., after the state was selected over five others competing for the project, including Colorado, where Space Command is provisionally located.

The role of Space Command is to conduct operations such as enabling satellite-based navigation and troop communication and providing warning of missile launches. That is different from the Space Force, which is a distinct military service.