A federal judge has refused to dismiss charges against five Blackwater mercenaries accused in the mass killing of fourteen Iraqis in September 2007. Defense attorneys had contended the US government doesn’t have jurisdiction to bring charges, because the guards were granted immunity. Judge Ricardo Urbina refused to drop the charges but said he thinks the defense argument is “strong” and should be decided by the trial judge or jury. Blackwater recently renamed itself “Xe” in an attempt to repair its image.