Here is your Thursday midday roundup, with one story from Massachusetts, one from across the United States and one from overseas: the end of a closely watched Boston prosecution of a Harvard scientist, a sharp sell-off in AI stocks on Wall Street, and a huge day of strikes and marches across France.
Massachusetts: Federal charges dropped against Harvard frog-embryo scientist Kseniia Petrova
Federal prosecutors in Boston have dropped all criminal charges against Kseniia Petrova, the Russian-born Harvard Medical School research scientist who was detained after landing at Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, with frog embryo samples for her research. U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley filed a notice Tuesday night asking to dismiss the indictment "with prejudice," which means the charges cannot be brought again, the Boston Globe and Reuters reported. The Associated Press reported that a federal judge has dismissed the case.
Petrova, 31, was stopped at Logan on Feb. 16, 2025, while returning from a trip to France, where she had picked up the samples at a partner lab. She spent about four months in immigration detention and was later indicted on three felony counts: smuggling, concealment of material facts and making a false statement. If convicted, she faced up to 30 years in prison. She has said she did not realize the embryos had to be declared at customs.
In the filing, Foley wrote that Petrova's claims of vindictive and selective prosecution were "meritless," but that an April 2026 court order requiring broad records about comparable traveler cases and Customs and Border Protection procedures would "divert significant time and attention from more substantial federal interests." Petrova's lawyer, William W. Fick, told the Globe the defense was pleased, adding that the case "never should have been brought" against "a talented scientist at Harvard."
United States: AI stocks drag Wall Street to its worst day since April 2025
U.S. stocks fell sharply Thursday as investors dumped companies tied to artificial intelligence and data centers, wiping out all of Wednesday's gains, which had been the market's best day in three months. As of late morning, the S&P 500 was down a little more than 3%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average had dropped more than 1,000 points, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite was off nearly 5%, according to the Associated Press. NBC News reported that the Nasdaq 100 fell as much as 6.2% before recovering part of the loss, putting the S&P 500 on pace for its worst day since President Donald Trump's global tariffs shook markets in April 2025. Figures were still moving as trading continued.
Two disappointing earnings reports from chipmakers Qualcomm and Arm Holdings helped trigger the drop, NBC News said. Memory and chip companies including SanDisk, Western Digital, AMD, Seagate and Micron were among the biggest losers, each down around 15%. Shares of Elon Musk's SpaceX and Tesla each slid close to 10%.
Investors are also weighing Tuesday's Democratic midterm wins. Several winning Democrats have pledged to slow or halt new AI data center construction, and Texas governor-elect Gina Hinojosa has proposed a moratorium on new data center permits, the BBC and CNBC reported. Analysts at Nomura told CNBC that the bigger effect may come from 2028, since much of the capacity due in 2027 is already under construction.
World: Hundreds of thousands strike and march across France over wages and schools
France's Interior Ministry said more than 600,000 people joined rallies across the country Thursday, including in Paris, Lyon and Marseille, as unions and students demanded higher wages and better funding for schools and public services, the Associated Press reported. The CGT union, one of the organizers, put the turnout at nearly 1.6 million, including 350,000 in Paris, according to France 24. The day of action was called by a coalition of unions including the CFDT, CGT, FO, Unsa and FSU, which object to spending cuts in the government's 2027 budget plan, franceinfo reported.
The protests grew out of a high school movement that began in September over poor conditions and teacher shortages, and later widened to include workers and the "yellow vest" movement angry about high prices. Unions want a higher minimum wage, currently 12.31 euros an hour, and higher pensions; CFDT leader Marylise Léon said workers are asking for a net raise of 100 euros a month, according to the BBC. The Education Ministry said about 16% of teachers were on strike, and public transportation was disrupted in some areas.
Most marches were peaceful, but AFP reported that police fired tear gas in some places, including outside a high school in eastern Paris where students tried to block the entrance. The government has tried to ease anger over prices by releasing 10 million barrels of diesel from strategic reserves, the BBC noted, but union leaders say they want immediate answers on pay.
Stay connected
That's the Thursday midday roundup. For community gatherings, talks and family events happening around Massachusetts this week, see the Mass Halal events calendar.