Midday Roundup: Remains of EgyptAir victims prompt bomb speculation

Gruesome clues. Egyptian investigators are downplaying reports that the condition of the human remains found at the site of last week’s EgyptAir crash suggests a bomb brought down the plane. Flight 804 disappeared early Thursday over the Mediterranean Sea with 66 people on board. So far, 23 bags of body parts have been collected, none larger than the palm of a hand. An unnamed Egyptian official said that indicated the likelihood of a midair explosion, but investigators have not found any trace of explosives. French investigators said smoke was detected in the plane shortly before it disappeared from radar, but aviation experts say that doesn’t make a bomb more likely than some kind of technical or structural problem. An Egyptian submarine is looking for the jet’s black boxes, but it’s not clear whether it will be able to detect the signals coming from the data and voice recorders because of the depth of the water. The devices have batteries that are good for 30 days.

Out of work. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) head Peter Neffenger announced yesterday he has fired the agency’s head of security amid a furor over long airport screening lines and $90,000 in bonuses. Kelly Hoggan, who makes $181,500 a year, got the bonus payments even though watchdog tests showed screeners across the country routinely missed banned items—including weapons—at security checkpoints. The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing earlier this month to investigate mismanagement at the agency formed after 9/11 to help thwart terror attacks targeting the airline industry. In recent weeks, travelers have faced unusually long wait times at security checkpoints, adding to the frustration with the TSA. On Sunday, nearly 500 people missed their flights at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport after being stuck for several hours in long lines.

Judgment day. Bill Cosby will find out today whether he will face a trial on three counts of felony indecent assault stemming from a 2004 case. A Pennsylvania judge will determine during today’s pretrial hearing whether prosecutors have enough evidence to proceed with the case against the comedian. Cosby, 78, faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. Andrea Constand, the woman at the center of this case, was the first to accuse Cosby of sexual assault. The Montgomery County district attorney at the time decided he didn't have enough evidence to bring a criminal case, but Cosby settled a civil suit out of court for an undisclosed amount. Since then, more than 50 women have accused Cosby of assault, all telling a similar story of passing out after the entertainer gave them something to drink.

No tie votes here. The U.S. Supreme Court handed down three rulings yesterday, one of which makes it easier for federal workers to file employment discrimination claims after they quit over intolerable work conditions. A second, unanimous ruling said politicians do not have standing to sue when redrawn legislative district maps make re-election more difficult. The ruling leaves intact a Virginia redistricting plan, drawn by a federal court, that turned a Republican-dominated district into a Democratic-leaning one. A third ruling throws out the death penalty conviction of an African-American man convicted of murder in 1987. Timothy Foster’s lawyers obtained the prosecutor’s notes decades later and discovered potential African-American jurors were removed due to race. The 7-1 ruling means Foster may now get a retrial. The Supreme Court ruled in 1986 that potential jurors cannot be excluded based on race.

Brexit vote countdown. British Prime Minister David Cameron is warning of a “do-it-yourself” recession if the country votes to leave the European Union. “The shock to our economy after leaving Europe would tip the country into recession,” he said. “This could be, for the first time in history, a recession brought on ourselves.” Cameron said the decision to leave the EU would result in lower home prices, an increase in public borrowing, and a decrease in wages of nearly 4 to 5 percent—a forecast he warns isn’t the most pessimistic. But many Britons in favor of leaving the EU say Cameron’s warnings are merely propaganda. The British people will cast their votes June 23.

WORLD Radio’s Mary Reichard contributed to this report.