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ISP said a semitrailer truck had been carrying 37 cows at the time of the crash and all were recovered, but five had to be euthanized due to t… | https://pantagraph.com/jasper/article_1bfaafee-ad38-5219-b964-96cab9fd1a83.html | 2023-07-29T10:17:03 | 1 | https://pantagraph.com/jasper/article_1bfaafee-ad38-5219-b964-96cab9fd1a83.html |
NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA told teams Friday that Damian Lillard and his agent confirmed that the All-Star guard would honor his contract in any potential trade, despite the agent saying Lillard only wanted to be dealt to the Miami Heat.
A memo sent to general managers and obtained by The Associated Press also warned that Lillard would be subject to discipline by the league if he or Aaron Goodwin make additional comments suggesting he won’t fully perform the requirements of his contract in the event of a trade.
Lillard told the Portland Trail Blazers earlier this month he wanted to be traded and Goodwin subsequently made clear his preference was Miami.
“Dame’s position won’t change,” Goodwin told AP on July 6. “This entire situation was about building an opportunity for Portland to win or giving him another opportunity that he wants, which is Miami.”
The league said it interviewed Lillard and Goodwin, along with several teams with whom Goodwin spoke. Goodwin denied telling teams that Lillard would refuse to play for them and the teams provided descriptions that were “mostly, though not entirely, consistent with Goodwin’s statements to us.”
Players are not allowed to publicly request trades. The league also stated in the memo that it told the Players Association that further comments such as Goodwin’s will be subject to discipline.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.koin.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-nba-tells-teams-lillard-would-honor-contract-in-any-trade-warns-of-discipline-for-saying-otherwise/ | 2023-07-29T10:17:03 | 1 | https://www.koin.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-nba-tells-teams-lillard-would-honor-contract-in-any-trade-warns-of-discipline-for-saying-otherwise/ |
AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — United States midfielder Savannah DeMelo can speak some Portuguese and may be able to put it to use in the Women’s World Cup.
The U.S. plays Portugal on Tuesday to wrap up the tournament’s group stage, and a fter a disappointing 1-1 draw against the Netherlands, the Americans needs a win. At stake is both the top spot in Group E and also a much-needed boost to team confidence.
That’s where DeMelo can help.
The 25-year-old’s dad, Robert, is from Portugal and had a successful career as a player in that country before becoming a coach. DeMelo has dual citizenship and understands Portuguese.
“I’ll definitely be listening for it,” she laughed.
DeMelo made her first international start for the United States against Vietnam in the group opener, a 3-0 victory for the Americans.
Prior to the World Cup, DeMelo had played in only one other match for the United States: she was a substitute in the team’s send-off match against Wales in San Jose in early July. DeMelo, who plays for Racing Louisville FC in the National Women’s Soccer League, was the first U.S. player since Shannon Boxx in 2003 and third overall to be named to the World Cup roster without any previous appearances for the national team.
U.S. coach Vlatko Andonovski started DeMelo in the both of the American’s World Cup matches. She played both opening halves before being subbed off for veteran Rose Lavelle, who has been playing limited minutes for the United States because of a knee injury suffered in April.
The journey from being named to the team to getting a start in the World Cup has “been a crazy roller coaster of emotions,” said DeMelo.
“But I think I’ve had a lot of great people, including the girls on the team, who have been super helpful with getting me acclimated to the team,” she said. “And I’m just super grateful to be here.”
The United States may need to switch up its tactics against Portugal.
The Americans are tied on points with the Netherlands in Group E and have an advantage over the Dutch on goal difference. The top two teams in the group advance to the knockout round.
But the results haven’t been as emphatic as they were in 2019, when the U.S. opened with a 13-0 victory over Thailand and went on to win their second straight World Cup title, and fourth overall.
The United States trailed the Netherlands by a goal in the first half before Lindsey Horan scored a game-tying header in the 62nd minute.
One reason for the less-than-dominant play could be inexperience. DeMelo is among 14 U.S. players appearing in their first World Cup.
Fellow midfielder Andi Sullivan, who is also making her tournament debut, said it takes some adjustment to play together as newcomers.
“That’s definitely a challenge that we’re going through, is that we just kind of came together,” Sullivan said. “It’s not like a team that you’re training with all year round, constantly. You’re in and out all the time. So I think you’re constantly adjusting.
“But the way that you get in sync is we watch a lot of stuff together, we communicate constantly. We’re very direct when something’s not going the way we want it to go,” Sullivan added. “You have to be direct and clear and honest and loud.”
DeMelo is also among six players at the World Cup who play for Racing Louisville. Among the Racing Louisville representatives are Ary Borges, who scored a hat trick for Brazil in its 4-0 victory over Panama to start the tournament.
DeMelo, who said her father never pushed her into soccer growing up, could have played for Portugal at the senior level.
“It could have been an option,” she said, “but I think my heart was always with the United States.”
___
AP Women’s World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-womens-world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://phl17.com/sports/ap-savannah-demelos-ability-to-speak-portuguese-may-help-us-in-critical-womens-world-cup-match/ | 2023-07-29T10:17:04 | 1 | https://phl17.com/sports/ap-savannah-demelos-ability-to-speak-portuguese-may-help-us-in-critical-womens-world-cup-match/ |
TORONTO (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit his major league-leading 39th home run for the Angels before leaving with leg cramps as the Toronto Blue Jays slugged three solo homers and rallied to beat Los Angeles 4-1 on Friday night.
Ohtani was replaced by pinch-hitter Michael Stefanic when his at-bat came up with the bases loaded in the ninth inning. Ohtani was lifted because of cramping in both of his calves, Angels manager Phil Nevin said.
“We’ll evaluate it tomorrow when he gets up,” Nevin said. “It’s just cramping right now. It’s kind of in both legs. He’s done a lot of work the last two days and wasn’t able to go.”
A day earlier, Ohtani left the second game of a doubleheader at Detroit because of cramps. The two-way superstar threw a one-hitter in the opener Thursday for his first career MLB shutout, then homered twice in the second game.
Nevin said Ohtani’s soreness developed after he grounded out to begin the eighth.
“He came in and was trying to get some work done and just kept cramping up,” Nevin said.
Stefanic struck out looking at a 3-2 pitch from right-hander Jordan Romano as Toronto ended the Angels’ four-game winning streak.
After the game, an angry Nevin was seen holding up a tablet computer and yelling at plate umpire Mike Estabrook as the crew left the field.
“I just explained to him that I thought the pitch to Stefanic was outside,” Nevin said.
Matt Chapman, Danny Jansen and Whit Merrifield homered for the Blue Jays, who are 24-11 when they hit two or more home runs.
“Our team has been playing a good brand of baseball for a while now,” Chapman said. “I think maybe we’re just starting to find ways to come out on top of some of those close games.”
Chapman hit a two-out drive in the second, his 14th of the season. Jansen homered to lead off the third, his 14th. Both home runs came off right-hander Lucas Giolito, who made his first start for the Angels since being acquired from the White Sox earlier this week.
Giolito (6-7) allowed three runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out five.
“I felt relatively sharp, throwing a lot of strikes, but they hammered my mistakes pretty good,” Giolito said.
Bo Bichette hit an RBI double off Giolito in the sixth and Merrifield made it 4-1 with a two-out homer off José Soriano in the seventh, his eighth. Merrifield finished 3 for 4 and has six home runs in his last 17 games. He hit a three-run homer in Thursday’s road win over the Dodgers.
The Blue Jays began the day in the third AL wild-card spot, three games ahead of the Angels. Los Angeles trails Boston and the New York Yankees in the postseason race.
After being greeted with a loud ovation from the sellout crowd of 42,106, Ohtani homered on the first pitch he faced, going deep in three straight at-bats over two games.
Ohtani’s 397-foot drive came off Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman. Ohtani homered in consecutive games for the ninth time this season.
Ohtani’s streak of homers ended when he struck out swinging on a 2-2 pitch from Gausman in the third. Ohtani singled in the sixth and grounded out against left-hander Tim Mayza in the eighth.
Gausman (8-5) allowed one run and five hits in six-plus innings to win for the first time since June 21 at Miami. Gausman walked three and struck out nine, increasing his AL-leading total to 171.
Erik Swanson relieved Gausman after the Angels loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh. Swanson struck out Trey Cabbage and pinch-hitter Eduardo Escobar, then retired Luis Rengifo on a fly ball.
“Not getting one across, that hurts,” Nevin said.
Mayza worked one inning and Romano got two outs in the ninth before Yimi García finished for his third save in six chances. Romano was pitching for the fifth time since leaving the July 11 All-Star game because of a sore back.
“He’s doing alright,” manager John Schneider said of Romano. “Just lower back discomfort, it kind of locked up on him a little bit. Just kind of wanted to play it safe there.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Angels: Before the game, Nevin said Ohtani would get an extra day of rest before his next start, which was scheduled for next Thursday’s home game against Seattle. … SS Zach Neto (sore back) was scratched from the starting lineup and replaced by Andrew Velazquez. Rengifo took over in the leadoff spot.
Blue Jays: LHP Hyun Jin Ryu (Tommy John surgery) will start on Tuesday against Baltimore, Schneider said. With the Blue Jays beginning a stretch of 17 games in 17 days Friday, Schneider said Ryu will be part of a six-man rotation. … RHP Chad Green (Tommy John surgery) will make a rehab appearance with Class-A Dunedin Saturday, his third.
ANGRY WORDS
Cameras caught Chapman yelling at Schneider in the dugout after the top of the first.
“That’s just everybody being competitive, wanting to win baseball games,” Chapman said. “Just a heat-of-the-moment kind of thing. What was said and what it’s about, I’m just going to keep between us.”
NEW-LOOK LINEUP
Blue Jays OF George Springer, who came in stuck in an 0-for-16 slump, was dropped from the leadoff spot to fifth. Springer finished 0 for 4. Merrifield moved up to hit leadoff.
ROSTER MOVES
The Angels optioned RHP Gerardo Reyes to Triple-A Salt Lake to make room on the roster for Giolito.
UP NEXT
RHP Alek Manoah (2-8, 6.10 ERA) starts for the Blue Jays on Saturday afternoon. LHP Reid Detmers (2-7, 4.38) goes for the Angels.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.koin.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-ohtani-hits-majors-best-39th-hr-before-leaving-with-leg-cramps-in-angels-4-1-loss-to-blue-jays/ | 2023-07-29T10:17:07 | 0 | https://www.koin.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-ohtani-hits-majors-best-39th-hr-before-leaving-with-leg-cramps-in-angels-4-1-loss-to-blue-jays/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Friday for the first time publicly acknowledged his seventh grandchild, a 4-year-old girl fathered by his son Hunter with an Arkansas woman, Lunden Roberts, in 2018.
“Our son Hunter and Navy’s mother, Lunden, are working together to foster a relationship that is in the best interests of their daughter, preserving her privacy as much as possible going forward,” Biden said in a statement. It was his first acknowledgement of the child.
“This is not a political issue, it’s a family matter,” he said. “Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy.”
Hunter Biden’s paternity was established by DNA testing after Roberts sued for child support, and the two parties recently resolved outstanding child support issues. The president’s son wrote about his encounter with Roberts in his 2021 memoir, saying it came while he was deep in addiction to alcohol and drugs, including crack cocaine.
“I had no recollection of our encounter,” he wrote. “That’s how little connection I had with anyone. I was a mess, but a mess I’ve taken responsibility for.”
An attorney for Roberts did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The president, who has made a commitment to family central to his public persona, has faced increasing criticism from political rivals and pundits for failing to acknowledge the granddaughter. According to a person familiar with the matter, he was taking the cue from his son while the legal proceedings played out. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private matters.
Hunter Biden has four other children, including a son, Beau, born to his wife Melissa Cohen in 2020. He was named after the president’s late son who died of cancer in 2015, leaving behind two children.
Biden’s grandchildren have played a distinctive role in his presidency, often accompanying the president or first lady on trips and making regular visits to the White House. The president has also credited his grandchildren with persuading him to challenge then-President Donald Trump for the White House in 2020.
Biden’s statement was first reported by People Magazine. | https://phl17.com/us-news/ap-us-news/ap-biden-openly-acknowledges-7th-grandchild-the-daughter-of-son-hunter-and-an-arkansas-woman/ | 2023-07-29T10:17:10 | 1 | https://phl17.com/us-news/ap-us-news/ap-biden-openly-acknowledges-7th-grandchild-the-daughter-of-son-hunter-and-an-arkansas-woman/ |
Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, and new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors and musicians, and often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week:
Colson Whitehead channels the paranoia and fear of 1970s NYC in 'Crook Manifesto': "My early '70s New York is dingy and grimy," the Pulitzer Prize-winning author says. Whitehead's sequel to Harlem Shuffle centers on crime at every level, from small-time crooks to Harlem's elite.
Crime writer S.A. Cosby loves the South — and is haunted by it: Cosby's novel All the Sinners Bleed centers on a Black sheriff in a small Southeast Virginia county. The novel was inspired by his own experiences growing up in the shadow of the Confederacy.
You can listen to the original interviews and review here:
Colson Whitehead channels the paranoia and fear of 1970s NYC in 'Crook Manifesto'
Crime writer S.A. Cosby loves the South — and is haunted by it
Copyright 2023 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air. | https://www.wqcs.org/2023-07-29/fresh-air-weekend-colson-whitehead-s-a-cosby | 2023-07-29T10:17:12 | 0 | https://www.wqcs.org/2023-07-29/fresh-air-weekend-colson-whitehead-s-a-cosby |
TORONTO (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit his major league-leading 39th home run — for a streak of three homers in three at-bats over two games — before being sidelined due to cramping for a second consecutive game.
Ohtani was replaced by pinch-hitter Michael Stefanic when his at-bat came up with the bases loaded in the ninth inning due to leg cramps. The Blue Jays beat the Angels 4-1 Friday.
Los Angeles manager Phil Nevin said Ohtani was removed because of cramping in both of his calves.
“We’ll evaluate it tomorrow when he gets up,” Nevin said. “It’s just cramping right now. It’s kind of in both legs. He’s done a lot of work the last two days and wasn’t able to go.”
Ohtani homered twice in the second game of a doubleheader at Detroit on Thursday before leaving with cramps. He threw an eight-strikeout, one-hitter in the opener for his first career MLB shutout.
The two-way superstar became the first player to throw a shutout in one game of a doubleheader and hit one homer — much less two — in the other.
Thursday’s performance against the Tigers came hours after the team confirmed Ohtani will stay with the Angels for the rest of the season before he becomes a free agent.
Nevin said Ohtani’s soreness developed after he grounded out to begin the eighth inning.
“He came in and was trying to get some work done and just kept cramping up,” Nevin said.
Stefanic struck out looking at a 3-2 pitch from right-hander Jordan Romano as Toronto ended the Angels’ four-game winning streak.
On Friday, Ohtani homered on the first pitch he faced, going deep in three straight at-bats. His drive to right came off Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman and traveled 397 feet.
Ohtani streak of homers ended when he struck out swinging on a 2-2 pitch from Gausman in the third. He singled off Gausman in the sixth and grounded out to shortstop against left-hander Tim Mayza in the eighth, slowing up as he approached first base.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.koin.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-ohtani-hits-majors-leading-39th-home-run-against-blue-jays-extends-hr-streak-to-3-at-bats/ | 2023-07-29T10:17:13 | 1 | https://www.koin.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-ohtani-hits-majors-leading-39th-home-run-against-blue-jays-extends-hr-streak-to-3-at-bats/ |
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ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Pope Francis urged governments to do more to fight climate change and protect “our common home” as improving weather conditions Friday helped firefighters contain wildfires in Greece, Italy and other countries in southern Europe.
Francis, who has been outspoken on environmental issues, sent a telegram of condolences to Greece, where wildfires killed five people over the past week, including the pilots of a water-dropping aircraft.
The pope noted that successive heat waves have exacerbated the dangers of the summer fire season. He offered his prayers for firefighters and emergency personnel in particular.
“(I hope) that the risks to our common home, exacerbated by the present climate crisis, will spur all people to renew their efforts to care for the gift of creation, for the sake of future generations,” Francis said.
Fueled by the heat waves and strong gusts of wind, wildfires in Europe’s Mediterranean region have kept travelers and residents on alert. In Greece, fires scorched hundreds of square kilometers of land outside Athens, on the island of Rhodes and elsewhere this month.
As the situation improved considerably on Friday, Greece’s minister for the police unexpectedly stepped down, citing “personal grounds.” Greek media said Notis Mitarachi’s resignation was requested after it emerged he had been on a family holiday during the wildfire crisis.
The main opposition Syriza party issued a statement accusing the center-right government of using “personal grounds” as a euphemism for “(Mitarachi’s) holidays while the country was burning from end to end.”
In central Greece, authorities maintained an exclusion zone around one of the country’s largest air force bases after a wildfire triggered powerful explosions at a nearby ammunition depot Thursday. Fighter jets stationed at the 111th Combat Wing base were moved to other facilities.
The depot blasts near the central city of Volos shattered windows in nearby towns and prompted the evacuation of more than 2,000 people. Local news broadcasts showed a ground-shaking fireball erupting.
Residents were rushed onto private boats mobilized by the coast guard and taken to a conference center in Volos, some 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) from the weapons storage site. A civilian traffic ban and evacuation order remained in effect Friday within a 3-kilometer (2-mile) radius of the depot.
The explosions did not affect flights at Volos international airport, officials told The Associated Press.
A drop in temperatures and calmer winds helped firefighters get a handle on the blazes in Greece and all major fires were contained by midday Friday, Greek Fire Service officials said.
Conditions also improved elsewhere in Europe’s Mediterranean regions thanks to cooler temperatures, allowing firefighters to contain wildfires along the Croatian coast and in Sicily.
Firefighting teams in Turkey also brought a wildfire burning close to the southern Mediterranean resort of Kemer under control, four days after it erupted, Ibrahim Yumakli, the country’s forestry minister, said.
The governments of the countries hit by heat waves and fires have steered public debate away from the potential impact on tourism. Rhodes, where a fire last weekend required about 19,000 people to be evacuated from several locations on the island, was promised state support Friday for its international advertising campaign.
In Germany, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach sought Friday to address Italian irritation over a mid-July social media post in which he described the heat wave he encountered on a visit to Italy as “spectacular” and added that “if it goes on like this, these vacation destinations will have no future in the long term.”
Lauterbach told reporters in Berlin that he wasn’t warning against vacations in southern Europe and plans to visit Italy again himself.
“Of course, it is more difficult now for the southern countries to organize heat protection in such a way that it is also accessible for every tourist, but I think those countries will know exactly what they have to do,” he said.
Vassilis Kikilias, the Greek minister for climate change and civil protection, said fires had burned 400 square kilometers (155 square miles) of land in the country in July alone, while the recent average is 500 square kilometers (nearly 200 square miles) in a year.
“Is the situation any better in other countries bordering the Mediterranean? It’s a fair question … but the answer is no,” Kikilias said.
“The climate crisis that brought us this unprecedented heat wave is here. It’s not a theory. It is our actual experience,” he said. “This is not something that will just occur this year. It will last and we have to face the consequences of what that means.”
___
Winfield reported from Rome. Jovana Gec in Belgrade, Serbia, Geir Moulson in Berlin, and Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey contributed.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of climate issues at https://apnews.com/climate-and-environment | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-international/ap-exclusion-zone-set-up-around-greek-military-base-after-wildfires-trigger-powerful-explosions/ | 2023-07-29T10:17:19 | 1 | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-international/ap-exclusion-zone-set-up-around-greek-military-base-after-wildfires-trigger-powerful-explosions/ |
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BENGALURU, India (AP) — The final meeting of climate and environment ministers from the world’s largest economies ended without an agreement or joint statement Friday despite pleas from leading figures for nations to show a united front on climate change as weather records shatter across the globe.
In a gathering in Chennai in India, ministers from the Group of 20 countries — who emit around 80% of the world’s planet-warming gases — failed to agree on four of 68 points of discussion.
A document published by the group shows countries did not agree on aiming to peak emissions by 2025, moving to clean energy and a tax on carbon as a way to reduce emissions.
“We couldn’t get a consensus but we agreed on a lot,” said Canada’s climate minister Steven Guilbeault at a virtual press conference after the meeting.
The ministers’ decisions will now be passed on to country leaders ahead of a summit in New Delhi in September this year. It will be the group’s last chance to issue a joint statement on climate this year.
On Thursday, the president of the upcoming United Nations climate talks Sultan al-Jaber and the U.N. climate chief Simon Stiell attended the Chennai meeting to urge countries to issue an ambitious statement that will make sure the world is on track to keep global warming within the agreed temperature limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit).
The world has currently warmed around 1.2 degrees Celsius (2.2 Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times and effects are already being felt all over the world, with hosts India especially vulnerable. Earlier this year, more than 100 people died during a heat wave in the center of the country and last week at least 27 people died in western India due to landslides triggered by heavy rains.
Since India took over the G-20 presidency last December, none of the meetings that deal with various policy areas like foreign affairs, finance, energy and climate change have come out with a joint communique but their announcements may form part of a final document released at the leaders’ summit in September.
Earlier this month, a meeting of finance chiefs and central bank governors of the G-20 leading economies ended in Gandhinagar in the western state of Gujarat without a consensus because of differences between countries over the war in Ukraine.
Similarly, a meeting of energy ministers in Goa last week ended unsuccessfully with the final summary failing to mention a phase down of fossil fuels and ministers did not agree to raise ambition to treble renewable energy targets.
The meeting in Chennai was the last of four meetings of G-20 climate ministers. They had earlier met in Bengaluru, Gandhinagar in Gujarat and Mumbai.
___
Follow Sibi Arasu on Twitter at @sibi123
___
Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content. | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-international/ap-g20-ministers-reach-agreement-on-most-but-not-all-climate-issues/ | 2023-07-29T10:17:26 | 0 | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-international/ap-g20-ministers-reach-agreement-on-most-but-not-all-climate-issues/ |
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Colorado’s return to the Big 12 in 2024 fits right into Deion Sanders’ recruiting blueprint, allowing him to get an even better foothold in the teeming Texas and Florida markets.
“I think Colorado is already an exciting team on the recruiting trail with Coach Prime and his experienced staff full of college coaches who have been around for a while and a lot of guys with NFL pedigree,” said Steve Wiltfong, national recruiting director for 247Sports. “So I think more than anything it adds to the excitement because it’s moving to what is certainly a more stable conference and one that just had a football team (TCU) in the playoff.”
Athletic director Rick George said he kept basketball coaches Tad Boyle and JR Payne in the loop along with Sanders, who’s entering his first season in Boulder, before the CU board of regents rubber-stamped Colorado’s return to the Big 12 on Thursday.
“I think all of them felt like: Whatever you think’s best for us, we’re going to play whomever you ask us to play,” George said. “I will tell you, there are tremendous benefits for being in the Big 12 for the direction that Coach Prime’s going as it relates to recruiting, being able to play in Orlando against UCF, where he’s recruiting very heavily (and) the state of Texas has always been a priority for us.”
The newfangled Big 12 isn’t the same league the Buffs left in 2011 during the initial rounds of conference realigment when Texas A&M, Missouri and Nebraska also left. Texas and Oklahoma are leaving next year for the Big Ten. TCU and West Virginia came on board a decade ago and Cincinnati, Houston, BYU and Central Florida were added this year.
Sanders, who’s overseen the biggest roster overhaul in the nation since his hiring this spring, already has strong roots in Florida and Texas.
He was born in Fort Myers and starred at Florida State before embarking on a dual sports career as an NFL defensive back and a Major League outfielder. Some of his best years came during his half decade with the Cowboys from 1995-99 and he still has a home in the Dallas area.
When the Buffaloes return to the Big 12 next year, they will have four conference opponents in the Lone Star State in TCU, Texas Tech, Baylor and Houston, which features one of the nation’s largest television markets.
“Houston has always been a favorable market for us in recruiting,” said George, who then mentioned a few players from CU’s heyday in the late 1980s and early ’90s. “You think back to Alfred Williams, Kanavis McGhee and Chris Hudson. That area — the fifth-largest market in the country — also was a factor” in Colorado’s decision to return to the Big 12.
“Colorado recruits Texas hard because it’s an obvious state to go recruit,” Wiltfong said, “and now being in the Big 12, with all those Texas teams, it gives them one more inch to say, ’Hey, we’re going to be coming to the Lone Star State a lot throughout your career to play some big games.’”
Wiltfong expects Sanders to compete with the big boys when it comes to the recruiting trails of Texas.
“Deion’s lived in Texas, right? Deion is going to go where the players are. He’s going to recruit nationally because his name is electric,” Wiltfong said.
Colorado is the third school to leave the Pac-12 in the last year, joining UCLA and USC, which are going to the Big Ten next year. The moves coincide with the expiration of current media rights deals with ESPN and Fox.
Colorado is expected to get $31.7 million in annual TV revenue in the Big 12, which last year came to an agreement with ESPN and Fox on a six-year extension worth more than $2 billion that runs through 2030-31.
After Colorado’s vote to leave, the Pac-12 issued a statement that read, “We are focused on concluding our media rights deal and securing our continued success and growth. Immediately following the conclusion of our media rights deal, we will embrace expansion opportunities and bring new fans, markets, excitement and value to the Pac-12.”
___
AP College Football Writer Eric Olson contributed to this report.
___
AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/ap_top25 Sign up for the AP Top 25 newsletter here: https://link.apnews.com/join/6nr/morning-wire-newsletter-footer-internal-ads | https://www.koin.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-prime-real-estate-colorados-return-to-big-12-fits-deion-sanders-football-recruiting-blueprint/ | 2023-07-29T10:17:27 | 0 | https://www.koin.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-prime-real-estate-colorados-return-to-big-12-fits-deion-sanders-football-recruiting-blueprint/ |
BERLIN (AP) — A leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany on Friday urged members of the country’s main opposition conservative bloc to break down a “firewall” meant to isolate his party, which is at record levels in polls.
The 10-year-old Alternative for Germany, or AfD, gathered in the eastern city of Magdeburg for a convention stretching over the next two weekends at which it plans to choose candidates and set its policy platform for next June’s European Parliament election.
Recent polls put support for AfD at 19-22%, behind only the main conservative opposition bloc. Earlier this week, the latter’s main leader, Friedrich Merz, insisted that there would be no cooperation even at the local level between his Christian Democratic Union and AfD, after his apparent suggestion that they might work together prompted criticism from fellow conservatives.
AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla told delegates that “polls aren’t results” and they should view recent surveys with “humility.” But he pointed to his party’s prospects of winning three state elections in eastern regions next year, and said that “we could take on government responsibility.”
The first AfD candidates recently won elections in eastern Germany to lead a county administration and become the full-time mayor of a municipality.
Chrupalla mocked Merz, who recently described his conservative bloc as an “alternative for Germany with substance.” He said that “we are the original,” and argued that Merz has recognized “it was wrong to put up a firewall against our party.”
“I call on all patriots in the CDU: tear down this … wall,” he said.
Chrupalla spent large parts of his speech assailing the environmentalist Green party, part of the center-left coalition of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and also underlined his party’s opposition to weapons deliveries to Ukraine and sanctions against Russia. He asserted that today’s European Union is “responsible for a disastrous migration policy, with sanctions policies that are harmful to the economy.”
The AfD convention will, probably several days in, address the party’s position on the EU and whether Germany should leave. The party’s other co-leader, Alice Weidel, told ZDF television Friday that it favors a dismantling of EU areas of responsibility, but didn’t specify whether the bloc should be dissolved. | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-international/ap-german-far-right-leader-urges-conservatives-to-break-down-firewall-against-his-party/ | 2023-07-29T10:17:33 | 1 | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-international/ap-german-far-right-leader-urges-conservatives-to-break-down-firewall-against-his-party/ |
BALTIMORE (AP) — Anthony Santander said it felt like a playoff game at Camden Yards.
A few more performances like this, and the Baltimore Orioles will be there.
Santander homered off Tommy Kahnle in the ninth inning to give the Orioles a 1-0 victory over New York on Friday night, spoiling Aaron Judge’s return for the Yankees. Judge walked three times in his first game back from a toe injury, but the Orioles kept New York off the scoreboard with a spectacular defensive effort.
In the eighth inning alone, Santander made a lunging, sliding catch in right field, and second baseman Adam Frazier made a diving stop on Anthony Rizzo’s grounder with a man on second.
“Great defense, great pitching, that’s how we win baseball games,” Santander said.
Orioles rookie Grayson Rodriguez pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings, going toe to toe with New York’s Gerrit Cole, who went seven. Félix Bautista (6-1) struck out two in a scoreless ninth. Kahnle (1-1) couldn’t match that in the bottom half, allowing Santander’s one-out drive that went well beyond the fence in right-center field.
The Orioles remained 1 1/2 games ahead of Tampa Bay atop the AL East, and they now lead the last-place Yankees by nine.
The game was delayed 2 hours, 32 minutes by rain, but that did little to dampen the enthusiasm of a crowd that included a mix of Yankees fans cheering Judge and Orioles fans embracing their first-place team.
“Right before the start of the game, it felt like a playoff game,” Santander said. “That’s good to have those fans to support us. Hopefully they can continue to do that.”
Judge lined out to right field on the first pitch to him in the first, but he reached base the other three times he came up.
Anthony Volpe was robbed twice by stellar Baltimore defense. Third baseman Ramón Urías made a diving stop on his one-hopper in the fifth. In the eighth, Volpe led off with a fly to right that Santander reached out and caught before sliding on his stomach across the grass.
New York eventually had two on and two out that inning when Rizzo’s grounder looked headed to right field. Frazier’s diving play prevented that.
“Defense won us the game,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “Adam Frazier, diving play off Rizz. Santander with a great diving catch. We turned some double plays.”
Each team had only four hits. Rodriguez was one of Baltimore’s prized prospects, and after being sent back to the minors for a bit, he may be finding a groove.
“I just love his delivery right now and the tempo of his delivery,” Hyde said. “Just really, really competitive.”
DEADLINE OUTLOOK
Orioles general manager Mike Elias said it’s no secret that the Orioles are working on potentially adding pitching upgrades at the trade deadline. He said the team has the wherewithal to make “good baseball trades” even if it means adding payroll.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Orioles: Elias said he hopes OFs Cedric Mullins (right adductor groin strain) and Aaron Hicks (left hamstring strain) can return and play a large part of August. … Elias said LHP John Means (left elbow UCL surgery) and RHP Mychal Givens (right shoulder inflammation) will probably be pitching in games in the Florida Complex League in the early part of August.
UP NEXT
Baltimore’s Tyler Wells (7-5) takes the mound against New York’s Clarke Schmidt (6-6) on Saturday night. Schmidt will be on extended rest, having last pitched July 21.
___
Follow Noah Trister at https://twitter.com/noahtrister
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.koin.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-santander-hits-9th-inning-homer-to-give-orioles-1-0-win-over-yankees-and-spoil-judges-return/ | 2023-07-29T10:17:34 | 0 | https://www.koin.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-santander-hits-9th-inning-homer-to-give-orioles-1-0-win-over-yankees-and-spoil-judges-return/ |
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MIAMI (AP) — A federal judge in Miami on Friday criticized prosecutors for an apparent attempt to undercut a court order and take control of a oceanside condo belonging to a former Republican congressman ahead of a high-profile trial connected to a $50 million consulting contract with Venezuela’s socialist government.
When David Rivera and an associate were charged last November with money laundering and acting as unregistered foreign agents for President Nicolás Maduro’s government, prosecutors obtained a judge’s order freezing several banking and brokerage accounts as well as Florida properties that they said were the product of some $24 million in ill-gotten gains.
Prosecutors also blocked eight more properties belonging to Rivera and his associate in Florida and Georgia that, while unrelated to criminal activity, would likely be seized if the two are found guilty.
This month, in a harshly worded ruling, Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres said that the government had no right to take the “innocent” Florida assets without a conviction. Rather than lift the restraining order, the government then asked the court to reconsider and said that it had since determined that three of the properties — including a condo that Rivera and his wife purchased in 2019 for $301,000 in New Smyrna Beach, Florida — could also be traced to the defendants’ alleged lobbying on behalf of Maduro’s government.
Judge Darrin Gayles on Friday expressed frustration with the government’s change in strategy.
“This reeks of gamesmanship,” said Gayles, who reversed his own sealed order of a week ago granting prosecutors’ request that the real estate properties once again be frozen. “It seems like the government simply filed this because it lost.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nalina Sombuntham said prosecutors first learned from investigators that the property could be directly “tainted” by Rivera’s consulting work with Venezuela in May or June but didn’t alert the court until July 14 — a week after Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres issued his 23-page order freeing up the properties.
Gayles, who is overseeing the criminal case, was unimpressed. “It seems like you’re wasting the court’s time,” he said.
Rivera has been marred by scandals stretching back to his days in Congress from 2011 to 2013. He was arrested late last year on an eight-count criminal indictment alleging that at the start of the Trump administration he was part of a conspiracy to lobby on behalf of Venezuela to lower tensions with the U.S., resolve a legal dispute with a U.S. oil company and end U.S. sanctions against the South American nation — all without registering as a foreign agent.
As part of that effort, he arranged meetings in Washington, New York and Dallas for allies of Maduro with U.S. lawmakers and a top aide to former President Donald Trump, according to the indictment. To hide the sensitive nature of his work, prosecutors allege Rivera referred to Maduro in chat messages as the “bus driver,” a congressman as “Sombrero” and millions of dollars as “melons.”
Court records show Rivera’s consulting work was closely coordinated with Raúl Gorrín, a Venezuelan insider and media tycoon who has himself been sanctioned and indicted in the U.S. on money laundering charges. Part of the more than $20 million that Rivera was alleged to have received from Venezuela was used to pay maintenance on one of Gorrin’s yachts, according to prosecutors.
Rivera maintains that Gorrín was his attorney in Venezuela and that all of his work was conducted on behalf of PDV USA — a Delaware-based affiliate of Venezuelan-owned Citgo — and didn’t require he register as a foreign agent.
The dispute over Rivera’s assets has slowed the government’s prosecution of the high-profile case. Eight months after being charged, Rivera has yet to be formally arraigned — normally a routine procedural step — because he said he needs access to the disputed assets to pay his attorneys.
Rivera’s attorneys in filings have accused prosecutors of waging a “scorched earth attack” against the south Florida GOP stalwart who once shared an apartment in Tallahassee with now Sen. Marco Rubio when both were state lawmakers.
“They lost, they got caught and they came to this court and it is wrong,” David Oscar Markus, an attorney for Rivera’s co-defendant Esther Nuhfer said.
Rivera was triumphant following Friday’s hearing, accusing the prosecutors of “misconduct.” Judge Gayles was more restrained, making no such finding of wrongdoing even as he questioned prosecutors’ actions.
“Today’s decision shows that there are still honorable judges in America who will not tolerate misconduct from dishonest government prosecutors,” Rivera wrote The Associated Press in a text message. “Another victory for truth and justice.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Florida didn’t immediately comment.
___
Joshua Goodman on Twitter: @APJoshGoodman | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-international/ap-judge-blasts-prosecutors-handling-of-venezuela-case-against-ex-miami-congressman/ | 2023-07-29T10:17:40 | 1 | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-international/ap-judge-blasts-prosecutors-handling-of-venezuela-case-against-ex-miami-congressman/ |
AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — United States midfielder Savannah DeMelo can speak some Portuguese and may be able to put it to use in the Women’s World Cup.
The U.S. plays Portugal on Tuesday to wrap up the tournament’s group stage, and a fter a disappointing 1-1 draw against the Netherlands, the Americans needs a win. At stake is both the top spot in Group E and also a much-needed boost to team confidence.
That’s where DeMelo can help.
The 25-year-old’s dad, Robert, is from Portugal and had a successful career as a player in that country before becoming a coach. DeMelo has dual citizenship and understands Portuguese.
“I’ll definitely be listening for it,” she laughed.
DeMelo made her first international start for the United States against Vietnam in the group opener, a 3-0 victory for the Americans.
Prior to the World Cup, DeMelo had played in only one other match for the United States: she was a substitute in the team’s send-off match against Wales in San Jose in early July. DeMelo, who plays for Racing Louisville FC in the National Women’s Soccer League, was the first U.S. player since Shannon Boxx in 2003 and third overall to be named to the World Cup roster without any previous appearances for the national team.
U.S. coach Vlatko Andonovski started DeMelo in the both of the American’s World Cup matches. She played both opening halves before being subbed off for veteran Rose Lavelle, who has been playing limited minutes for the United States because of a knee injury suffered in April.
The journey from being named to the team to getting a start in the World Cup has “been a crazy roller coaster of emotions,” said DeMelo.
“But I think I’ve had a lot of great people, including the girls on the team, who have been super helpful with getting me acclimated to the team,” she said. “And I’m just super grateful to be here.”
The United States may need to switch up its tactics against Portugal.
The Americans are tied on points with the Netherlands in Group E and have an advantage over the Dutch on goal difference. The top two teams in the group advance to the knockout round.
But the results haven’t been as emphatic as they were in 2019, when the U.S. opened with a 13-0 victory over Thailand and went on to win their second straight World Cup title, and fourth overall.
The United States trailed the Netherlands by a goal in the first half before Lindsey Horan scored a game-tying header in the 62nd minute.
One reason for the less-than-dominant play could be inexperience. DeMelo is among 14 U.S. players appearing in their first World Cup.
Fellow midfielder Andi Sullivan, who is also making her tournament debut, said it takes some adjustment to play together as newcomers.
“That’s definitely a challenge that we’re going through, is that we just kind of came together,” Sullivan said. “It’s not like a team that you’re training with all year round, constantly. You’re in and out all the time. So I think you’re constantly adjusting.
“But the way that you get in sync is we watch a lot of stuff together, we communicate constantly. We’re very direct when something’s not going the way we want it to go,” Sullivan added. “You have to be direct and clear and honest and loud.”
DeMelo is also among six players at the World Cup who play for Racing Louisville. Among the Racing Louisville representatives are Ary Borges, who scored a hat trick for Brazil in its 4-0 victory over Panama to start the tournament.
DeMelo, who said her father never pushed her into soccer growing up, could have played for Portugal at the senior level.
“It could have been an option,” she said, “but I think my heart was always with the United States.”
___
AP Women’s World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-womens-world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.koin.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-savannah-demelos-ability-to-speak-portuguese-may-help-us-in-critical-womens-world-cup-match/ | 2023-07-29T10:17:42 | 0 | https://www.koin.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-savannah-demelos-ability-to-speak-portuguese-may-help-us-in-critical-womens-world-cup-match/ |
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MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s navy located the boat of a missing American sailor off the country’s southern coast, but the Maryland man who had been piloting it solo wasn’t found, authorities said Friday.
Donald Lawson’s capsized trimaran was found Thursday night by a patrol boat involved in the search 356 nautical miles (about 410 miles or 660 kilometers) southwest of the resort city of Acapulco, according to the navy’s press office.
The navy said that it would continue its search for Lawson, 41, an experienced sailor.
A plane had reported spotting a boat similar to the description of Lawson’s on July 23 about 320 nautical miles (370 miles or 595 kilometers) south of Acapulco. The navy sent boats to the area, but it wasn’t until Thursday night that they found it.
Port authorities in Acapulco said that Lawson had arrived on Jan. 26 for repairs to a motor and hull of the boat. After the repairs were completed, Lawson left Acapulco on July 5, headed for the Panama Canal, where he planned to cross to the Caribbean Sea and continue north to Baltimore, Maryland.
His wife, Jacqueline Lawson, told local media outlets that on July 9, he had sent her a message saying he was having mechanical problems and the motor was losing power. Three days later, he told her a storm had knocked out his wind generator and he would try to return to Acapulco. The last satellite positioning message received for the Defiant was July 13.
Lawson, who is Black, grew up in Baltimore and from his first sailing opportunity at age 9, set his sights on making it his career.
“From that day forward, that was my goal – become a professional sailor,” Lawson said in a profile published by U.S. Sailing last year.
He started out cleaning boats, folding sails and stowing gear in Annapolis. Later, he and his wife founded the Dark Seas Project, an effort to increase diversity in the sport of sailing. He is the chairman of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee for U.S. Sailing.
Lawson was working toward challenging records for circumnavigating the globe solo. | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-international/ap-mexicos-navy-finds-boat-but-not-missing-us-sailor/ | 2023-07-29T10:17:46 | 1 | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-international/ap-mexicos-navy-finds-boat-but-not-missing-us-sailor/ |
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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Broncos coach Sean Payton said Friday he regrets disparaging his predecessor in an interview in which he called the work Nathaniel Hackett and his staff did in Denver last season “one of the worst coaching jobs in the NFL” and said there were “20 dirty hands” around Russell Wilson’s career-worst season.
“Listen, I had one of those moments where I still had my Fox hat on and not my coaching hat,” said Payton, who’s returning to the sideline this season after a year’s sabbatical during which he worked as a studio football analyst for Fox Sports following a 15-year stint with the New Orleans Saints.
Payton’s comments in an interview with USA Today’s Jarrett Bell rocked the NFL because he broke the coaches code in which they refrain from publicly lambasting one another and because he spent his first six months on the job admonishing his players not to look back at last year’s dismal season and to ignore “outside noise.”
“I said this to the team in the meeting yesterday: we’ve had a great offseason relative to that, you know, and I’ve been preaching that message and here I am the veteran” doing just that, Payton said during a lengthy mea culpa in his first comments since he ignited the firestorm.
“It was a learning experience for me. It was a mistake. Obviously, I needed a little bit more filter … I needed a little bit more restraint. And I regret that,” Payton continued.
Payton said he’s usually pretty media savvy “and I just had one of those moments. Jarrett’s a good friend, real good at his job. And two lattes in the morning, first one I see and 40 minutes later, I’m regretting it.”
In the interview, Payton also took potshots at the Jets, who hired Hackett as their offensive coordinator this year, and criticized Broncos general manager George Paton and team President Damani Leech for allowing Hackett and his staff to give Wilson so much free rein, including having his personal quarterback coach with him at team headquarters.
That was one of many unconventional allowances — another was having his own office upstairs next to the coaches — that drew heavy scrutiny when Wilson looked nothing like the star he’d been in Seattle or like a QB who deserved the $245 million extension he signed last summer.
Payton’s criticisms were part of a spirited defense of Wilson, whom he expects to have a big comeback this year and help the Broncos end a seven-year playoff drought.
“Listen, I’m not afraid of the expectation,” Payton said Friday. “I’ve talked with several people about, you know, being used to contending for the postseason. You don’t take it for granted. But that mindset needs to be present here. And so yeah, I see this as a team that has that ability.”
Payton didn’t specifically apologize for his critical comments but he did say he’ll reach out to Hackett and Jets head coach Robert Saleh “at the right time” to do so.
The Broncos host the Jets on Oct. 8, and the row he started “certainly will bring more interest to the game when we play them,” Payton said. “But that seems like years from now.”
Closer to home, Payton has some damage control to do with his GM and the team president who came on board late last summer.
“The front office and the ownership are the two reasons I came here,” Paton said. “So, George and I are close. He was one of the big attractions, he and ownership. My point was it was across the board organizationally, it wasn’t just one person” responsible for Wilson’s dismal season.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL | https://www.koin.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-sean-payton-says-he-regrets-criticizing-predecessor-nathaniel-hackett-and-his-own-general-manager/ | 2023-07-29T10:17:49 | 1 | https://www.koin.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-sean-payton-says-he-regrets-criticizing-predecessor-nathaniel-hackett-and-his-own-general-manager/ |
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Millions of Shiite Muslims in Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and around the world on Friday commemorated Ashoura, a remembrance of the 7th-century martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Hussein, that gave birth to their faith.
In Afghanistan, the Taliban cut mobile phone services in key cities holding commemorations for fear of militants targeting Shiites, whom Sunni extremists consider heretics. Security forces in neighboring Pakistan as well stood on high alert as the commemorations there have seen attacks in the past.
Not all Shiites, however, were to mark the day Friday. Iraq, Lebanon and Syria planned their remembrances for Saturday, which will see a major suburb of Beirut shut down and the faithful descend on the Iraqi city of Karbala, where Hussein is entombed in a gold-domed shrine.
Shiites represent over 10% of the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims and view Hussein as the rightful successor to the Prophet Muhammad. Hussein’s death in battle at the hands of Sunnis at Karbala, south of Baghdad, ingrained a deep rift in Islam and continues to this day to play a key role in shaping Shiite identity.
Over 1,340 years after Hussein’s martyrdom, Baghdad, Tehran, Islamabad and other major capitals in the Middle East were adorned with symbols of Shiite piety and repentance: red flags for Hussein’s blood, symbolic black funeral tents and black dress for mourning, processions of men and boys expressing fervor in the ritual of chest-beating and self-flagellation with chains.
In Iran, where the theocratic government views itself as the protector of Shiites worldwide, the story of Hussein’s martyrdom takes on political connotations amid its tensions with the West over its advancing nuclear program.
Iranian state television aired images of commemorations across the Islamic Republic, tying the event to criticizing the West, Israel and the U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in 2020. Anchor Wesam Bahrani on Iran’s state-run English-language broadcaster Press TV referred to America as the “biggest opponent of Islam” and criticized Muslim countries allied with the U.S.
Men wore black, rhythmically beating their chests in mourning or using flails to strike their backs. Some wore red headbands, as black and red banners bore Hussein’s name. Some sprayed water over the mourners in the intense heat.
“Every year everyone joins hands in solidarity,” said 23-year-old Mohammad Hajatmand, who took part in a processional in Tehran. Hussein “was martyred very brutally and when anyone hears the story of Ashoura, regardless of their religion, their hearts will be broken and they will sympathize with him.”
The commemoration in Iran also comes as Tehran prepares for the one-year anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini. Her death launched protests nationwide in Iran that reportedly saw more than 500 protesters killed and some 20,000 others detained. Authorities have begun stepping up their enforcement of mandatory hijab, or headscarf, laws for women in recent weeks.
In the suburb of Sayida Zeinab near Syria’s capital, Damascus, security forces guarded checkpoints after a bomb hidden in a motorcycle exploded Thursday, killing at least six people and wounding dozens more. On Tuesday, another bomb in a motorcycle wounded two people. The suburb is home to a shrine to Zeinab, the daughter of the first Shiite imam, Ali, and granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad.
Local resident Mustafa Semaan, 41, said the area had seen a resurgence of religious tourism after security stabilized amid Syria’s ongoing war and the worst of the coronavirus pandemic.
“I don’t believe the religious observances will be affected (by the recent bombings), but the economic situation as a result of visitors coming from outside Syria may be affected,” Semaan said. “If this continues, if there were a third attack, there might be a very negative impact.”
Iraq will see the main observance of the Ashoura on Saturday in Karbala, where hundreds of thousands are expected and many will rush toward the shrine to symbolize their desire to answer Hussein’s last cries for help in battle. Convoys of the faithful already had begun to arrive there.
Those marking the commemoration in Kabul, Afghanistan, beat their backs bloody with chains and knives in ritual bloodletting known as “tatbir,” meant to recreate the blood flowing from the slain Hussein. The practice has become debated among Shiite clerics in recent decades.
“We have only one problem that (the Taliban) are preventing us to raise our flags and enter (the city) with the flags,” said Karbalayee Rashid, an organizer of the Kabul commemoration. “Thank God the security has been taken care. It is OK, but there are more limits in this country this year than last year.”
In Pakistan, authorities stepped up security as an Interior Ministry alert warned that “terrorists” could target Ashoura processions in major cities. Security was tight in the capital, Islamabad, where police were deployed at a key Shiite place of worship.
The main Ashoura processions also got underway in the eastern city of Lahore in the Punjab province, where thousands of police officers have been deployed. Processions in Karachi and elsewhere were also starting. There was no immediate report of any violence.
“The Imam’s lesson is … hold on to patience,” said Anam Batool, a mourner who took part in a commemoration in Islamabad. “After that, resist falsehood, stand with the truth. Where you must raise your voice against oppression, raise your voice there.”
___
Associated Press writers Abby Sewell in Baghdad; Anmar Khalil in Karbala, Iraq; Munir Ahmed in Islamabad; and Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report. | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-international/ap-millions-of-shiite-muslims-across-the-world-commemorate-the-mourning-day-of-ashoura/ | 2023-07-29T10:17:53 | 0 | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-international/ap-millions-of-shiite-muslims-across-the-world-commemorate-the-mourning-day-of-ashoura/ |
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WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Christine Sinclair. Megan Rapinoe. Sarina Bolden.
Like many players in the Women’s World Cup, all three stars built their skills at the U.S. collegiate level.
Of the 736 players competing at this year’s Women’s World Cup, 137 have roots in American college-level soccer, according to the NCAA. The total includes 16 players who currently compete for Division I schools or lower divisions.
Across the 32 teams that qualified for the group stage, more than one in every six players has had a career stop at an American school.
Not all the NCAA athletes in the tournament are tied to the United States.
Canada has 22 of 23 athletes who played or still play on U.S. college teams, most of any team in the tournament. That includes Sinclair, the the all-time leader in international goals for men and women, who played at the University of Portland.
The United States ranks second with 20 players. Rapinoe also played at Portland, but Alyssa Thompson, Trinity Rodman, and Lindsey Horan all turned professional without playing a college match. Horan also did not play for a high school team.
More than 70 U.S. schools are represented in the 2023 tournament, with Florida State the leader with eight current or former players competing. Stanford and North Carolina each have six, Penn State has five and four universities have four former players.
Even schools with lesser-known soccer programs have players competing in New Zealand and Australia. Hilary Jaen of Panama plays for Jones County Community College in Mississippi, Carleigh Frilles of the Philippines plays for Coastal Carolina and Chiara Singarella of Argentina plays for South Alabama. Erin Nayler of New Zealand previously played at Purdue Fort Wayne in Indiana.
TITLE IX
The success of American college soccer can trace its roots back just over 50 years, with the introduction of Title IX. As the U.S. government required universities to establish equal opportunities for men and women in education, those protections – and funding – spread to college athletics.
“The U.S. was providing one of the only games in town so to speak, in terms of opportunities for women to get some kind of compensation,” said Ellen Staurowsky, a professor in sports media at Ithaca College.
Title IX drew female athletes from outside the United States to American schools. Since the passage of Title IX, the number of female athletes competing in NCAA athletics has increased seven-fold and currently represents 44% of all university athletes, according to the National Women’s Law Center.
NCAA TRENDS
In 2021, there were 1,464 international student-athletes playing in NCAA Division I and Division II women’s soccer.
Traditional soccer powerhouses such as Germany and Sweden are sending significant numbers of players to college soccer, even though they have developmental programs of their own. There were 114 from Sweden and 128 from Germany in 2021.
In that same year, NCAA teams had 38 players from New Zealand, 35 players from the Netherlands, 16 players from Japan, and 5 players from South Africa.
“Then you would see those women going back to their own countries, taking what they learned with them,” Staurowsky said. “And you can begin to see how the sport begins to expand out.”
Penn State women’s soccer coach Erica Dambach has seen the collegiate process up close for some time. She’s coached at the Division I level since 1997, won the national title in 2015, and worked as an assistant coach for the U.S. women’s national teams at both the youth and senior levels.
“Until these players are making millions, I think an education is going to be the most important thing for these young women,” Dambach said. “I don’t think it’s for everyone, you have to be invested in getting your education.”
THE AMERICAN SYSTEM
That can be easier than it sounds.
“Educational systems around the globe are so different that our international students really don’t know how to navigate the (U.S.) system,” said Nicole LaVoi, a former collegiate tennis coach and the director of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport at the University of Minnesota.
Coumba Sow, a Swiss midfielder, attended Monroe Community College in Rochester, New York, for two years before transferring to play Division I soccer at Oklahoma State.
“I didn’t understand the system. I was in a rush to just go to the States,” Sow said. “I wanted to keep on learning a language and studying and also play soccer. It’s a lot of paperwork, so I just looked at the facility. I was like, ‘Oh, New York,’ and I went. Then I got there I was like, ‘OK, maybe I should have checked it out better.’”
For New Zealand forward Gabi Rennie, taking the pathway to Division I soccer was an easy decision after watching others succeed. Rennie is entering her final year of NCAA eligibility at Arizona State after spending two seasons at Indiana.
“I wasn’t too sure what to do. But obviously, the college circuit was a really good option,” Rennie said. “Being able to kind of look to the likes of Ali Riley and Katie Bowen and the likes of those girls that had done the college circuit was cool, and just opened those doors for me.”
A PROVING GROUND
Katrina Guillou, a starting forward for the Philippines, spent four years at North Carolina–Wilmington. Her time playing soccer in Wilmington was pivotal to her career.
“The way the season is, with everything so condensed into the three-month span, playing two games every week, I think it really helps build the stamina that’s needed,” Guillou said. “And coming to this level, I think I’ve been able to build on top of that.”
Like many others, Sow saw her experience with American teams impact her style of play.
“Before I went to the U.S., I wasn’t really a physical player,” said Sow. “I learned how to fight in the U.S. because it’s a lot, a lot of long balls. You have to fight for the second ball. And before, I was just a technical player.”
Jody Brown of Jamaica was named the best young players in CONCACAF at the age of 16 and now plays for Florida State.
“The coaches helped us,” said Brown of Florida State. “I feel like college also prepared me for this moment and I’m just so grateful for that and the work that I’ve put in to get to this point because it’s all paid off right now.”
___
Joe Lister is a student in John Curley Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State.
___
Contributing reporters included Luke Vargas in Hamilton and Max Ralph in Auckland, students in John Curley Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State; and Clay Witt in Sydney, a student at the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.
___
AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-womens-world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.koin.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-several-stars-at-the-womens-world-cup-honed-their-skills-with-us-collegiate-teams/ | 2023-07-29T10:17:56 | 0 | https://www.koin.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-several-stars-at-the-womens-world-cup-honed-their-skills-with-us-collegiate-teams/ |
Westminster officials are asking residents to use less water, echoing a similar July 13 request from Carroll County officials, and one from the Maryland Department of the Environment July 10.
The state request was for residents of Carroll County and other parts of Central and Western Maryland.
“We’re asking folks to conserve water, to help reduce consumption across the board,” Westminster Mayor Mona Becker said. “I would hope that in a few weeks we’ll get some rainfall and that will help us out.”
Carroll County residents have been asked to reduce water use by 5-10%. Becker said this is voluntary, and the request would remain in effect until the county receives more rain.
Officials suggested that residents can reduce water usage by taking short showers, turning off faucets when not in use, not prewashing dishes, only running dishwashing and laundry machines when necessary, fixing any plumbing leaks and using water-efficient appliances. Outdoor water use can be reduced by turning off lawn sprinklers, watering plants during cooler parts of the day so less water evaporates, and cleaning surfaces by sweeping rather than hosing.
Becker said the city is doing its part and has reduced watering of municipal plants, among other measures.
Becker said conserving water is a good idea, even in times of surplus, but Westminster has received less rain in recent weeks than any other Carroll County municipality. The city’s request for water conservation goes out to residents and nonresidents who receive water from Westminster.
“Every drop counts when we talk about water conservation,” Becker said. “It’s an unusually dry summer at this point, and we need to be mindful of the amount of water that we use.” | https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll/news/cc-westminster-water-conservation-carroll-maryland-20230729-ogdxyz5ppnhfvbaho6nqq7y2ni-story.html | 2023-07-29T10:18:00 | 1 | https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll/news/cc-westminster-water-conservation-carroll-maryland-20230729-ogdxyz5ppnhfvbaho6nqq7y2ni-story.html |
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian military says it shot down a Ukrainian missile over a southern Russian city, accuses Kyiv of a “terror attack.”
Russian military says it shot down a Ukrainian missile over a southern Russian city, accuses Kyiv of a “terror attack.”
by: AP
Posted:
Updated: | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-international/ap-russian-military-says-it-shot-down-a-ukrainian-missile-over-a-southern-russian-city-accuses-kyiv-of-a-terror-attack/ | 2023-07-29T10:18:00 | 0 | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-international/ap-russian-military-says-it-shot-down-a-ukrainian-missile-over-a-southern-russian-city-accuses-kyiv-of-a-terror-attack/ |
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ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid watched his team work out in pads for the first time since their Super Bowl triumph last February and saw his players’ energy rise.
“Naturally it does that,” Reid said. “But I like the way they did it, how they got after each other.”
The defending champions ratcheted up the competition for an hour, 40 minutes in sweltering conditions as the heat index soared into the mid-90s.
The air wasn’t all that was hot, like when cornerback Dicaprio Bootle continued hacking at the football in the grasp of tight end Travis Kelce after a play. Cornerback Lamar Jackson raised eyebrows when he delivered a late hit on receiver Kekoa Crawford out of bounds.
Reid doesn’t mind trash-talking and spirited play as long as players keep their wits about them.
“They’re going to jaw,” Reid said. “It’s hot, humid, they’re going to jaw a little bit. As long as there are no punches thrown we’re all right.”
The Chiefs dug in during practice for three separate periods of 11-on-11, along with a nine-on-seven run session.
However, the most anticipated session in Friday’s practice focused on offensive and defensive linemen facing off in pass-rushing scenarios.
“It’s you mano a mano,” guard Trey Smith said. “All the technical details, every little piece matters. Being able to lock in those little seconds and get your job done.”
Linebacker Willie Gay said the hard, hot practice was tailor made for Reid. Although it was grueling, “I told the guys, as long as we continue to get better, it’s going to make the games and preseason even easier, and we’ll start winning,” he continued.
There’s rust to knock off whenever the pads first come on.
“You have some things that you got to clean up, some things you can be a little tighter technique-wise, but it’s always good to put the pads back on,” Smith said. “It’s always good knowing the season’s around the corner.”
Off the field, defensive tackle Chris Jones held out for seventh day and Reid, who hasn’t communicated with Jones recently, didn’t know when the holdout would end.
“We’re moving fast and furious even though he’s not here,” Reid said.
The 29-year-old-Jones is set to earn $19.5 million in base salary this season in the final year of a four-year extension signed in 2020. The All-Pro is seeking an extension that would make him the league’s second-highest-paid defensive tackle behind Los Angeles Rams star Aaron Donald, whose contract sports an annual average value of $31.67 million.
Jones has been fined $50,000 fine for each missed day of training camp missed, a total that’s grown to $350,000 00 so far. If Jones doesn’t report by Aug. 13, he will be assessed an additional fine of $1.147 for missing the team’s preseason opener against New Orleans.
NOTES: Linebacker Nick Bolton returned to practice Friday following a brief illness, but fellow linebacker Drue Tranquill exited practice early due to a sprained neck. Defensive end Mike Danna left with a strained calf while tight end Jody Fortson is undergoing further examination on a shoulder injury. Wide receiver Kadarius Toney expects to miss the remainder of training camp after surgery Tuesday for a torn meniscus.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL | https://www.koin.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-super-bowl-champion-chiefs-hold-hot-tough-practice-in-1st-day-of-pads/ | 2023-07-29T10:18:03 | 1 | https://www.koin.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-super-bowl-champion-chiefs-hold-hot-tough-practice-in-1st-day-of-pads/ |
Last season, the Ravens’ defense gave up the third-fewest points of any team in the NFL, an impressive figure.
But dig a little deeper and Baltimore had some concerning weak spots that were perhaps masked by the simplicity of that statistic.
The Ravens also gave up the seventh-most completions in the league. They were eighth-worst in total air yards surrendered. So it’s little wonder that they gave up several big plays and blew multiple leads.
It’s no surprise that’s been a point of emphasis for second-year defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald through the first three days of training camp.
So far, the Ravens’ new up-tempo, supposedly more explosive offense has been limited when it’s come to big plays.
To that point, safety Kyle Hamilton had an easy interception on a deep ball to speedy rookie Zay Flowers on Thursday and has been disruptive throughout camp. Safety Marcus Williams also had a nice strip (or breakup, depending on the call) on tight end Mark Andrews. And cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis has improved “mentally” and been “attacking every day,” Macdonald said.
Closer to the line, David Ojabo and Odafe Oweh have broken through with some pass rushes on Jackson, while linebackers Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen have showcased their speed in running down plays underneath.
“That’s a huge emphasis for us,” Macdonald said Friday of limiting big plays. “We want to take the ball away, and we want to limit explosive [plays]. So far, we’ve done a good job of that. But again, one is too many. You’re always attacking it and always trying to stay ahead.
“Up to this point, the best thing I can say is each day has been a continual improvement.”
Yet, it’s a process, and the defense is still in the early stages of where it needs to get to. On the first day of camp, backup tight end Charlie Kolar made a 30-yard grab down the sideline.
But Macdonald has also liked what he has seen out of several key players, especially leaders Hamilton and Smith and the young but unproven duo of Oweh and Ojabo.
“The game’s slowing down for [Hamilton],” Macdonald said of the second-year safety Hamilton, a first-round pick in 2022. “He’s taken a definitely commanding presence back there with making calls.”
In the middle, Smith, who arrived in a trade from the Chicago Bears halfway through last season, has settled in with a full offseason program with Baltimore under his belt.
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“He’s obviously an incredible player, great personality and he’s one of our top leaders,” Macdonald said. “The guys gravitate towards him and it’s fun to talk football with the guy. He wants to talk about what we’re seeing, he talks about what he sees. It’s just a constant communication about what we’re asking him to do, how he sees it and just building how we want to play things.”
Smith, who in January received a five-year deal worth a reported $100 million, is looking forward to his first full season with Macdonald.
“I think when you are just surrounded by playmakers and everybody is doing their job to the best of their ability ... I think good things are going to happen,” Smith said. “We’re just more focused on that.”
As for Oweh and and Ojabo, they’ve been able to take advantage of more reps with Tyus Bowser sidelined on the non-football injury list.
“They’re attacking it right now,” Macdonald said. “There’s things that we’ll mess up from time to time, but they’re not error repeaters, and it’s just a great attitude right now.”
Still, it’s not even August. Macdonald is optimistic, but there’s still a long way to go.
“There’s things we need to fix, so we’ll go attack those things,” he said. “But right now, I think we’re on the right track.” | https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/bs-sp-ravens-defense-emphasis-mike-macdonald-20230729-x3a2rbygtffs5f26ebfao6e6qm-story.html | 2023-07-29T10:18:06 | 1 | https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/bs-sp-ravens-defense-emphasis-mike-macdonald-20230729-x3a2rbygtffs5f26ebfao6e6qm-story.html |
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Salvage crews dealing with a cargo ship loaded with cars that has been burning for more than two days off the northern Dutch coast boarded the vessel for the first time Friday as heat, flames and smoke eased, the Netherlands’ coast guard said.
“In the course of the morning, after measurements by the recovery companies, it turned out that the temperature on board the Fremantle Highway had dropped sharply. The fire is still raging but decreasing. The smoke is also decreasing,” the coast guard said in a statement.
Salvage workers boarded the ship and established “a new more robust towing connection,” the agency added. “This makes it easier to move the ship and keep it under control.”
Government officials are now “looking at various scenarios to determine the next steps,” the coast guard said.
One crew member died and others were injured after the blaze started. The entire crew was evacuated from the ship in the early hours of Wednesday, with some leaping into the sea and being picked up by a lifeboat. The cause of the fire hasn’t been established.
The Fremantle Highway was 23 kilometers (14 miles) north of the island of Terschelling on Friday afternoon, close to busy North Sea shipping lanes and an internationally renowned migratory bird habitat.
K Line, the company that chartered the ship, said Friday that it was carrying far more electric vehicles than initially reported by the coast guard.
Company spokesman Pat Adamson said the ship was carrying a total of 3,783 new vehicles, including 498 electric vehicles. The coast guard, citing an early freight list, had said it was carrying 2,857 cars, including 25 electric cars.
Adamson said K Line didn’t know the source of the initial lower number.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board has warned about the possible dangers of electric vehicle battery fires, a hazard that stems from thermal runaway, a chemical reaction that causes uncontrolled battery temperature and pressure increases.
The burning vessel was close to the shallow Wadden Sea, a World Heritage-listed area that is considered one of the world’s most significant habitats for migratory birds. It’s also close to the Netherlands’ border with Germany, whose environment minister, Steffi Lemke, said Thursday that if the ship were to sink, it “could turn into an environmental catastrophe of unknown proportions.”
Earlier this month in Newark, New Jersey, firefighters took nearly a week to extinguish a similar blaze in a car transport ship. Two firefighters were killed and five others were injured battling the flames. | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-international/ap-salvage-crews-board-a-cargo-ship-burning-off-the-netherlands-the-smoke-and-flames-are-easing/ | 2023-07-29T10:18:07 | 0 | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-international/ap-salvage-crews-board-a-cargo-ship-burning-off-the-netherlands-the-smoke-and-flames-are-easing/ |
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — As Bronny James continues to recover after going into cardiac arrest, his Southern California teammates have been at practice to prepare for a 10-day exhibition tour of Greece and Croatia that begins next week.
The tour will run from from Aug. 5-15 and see the Trojans visit Athens and Mykonos, Greece, and Dubrovnik, Croatia. Teams are allowed to go on a foreign tour once every four years under NCAA rules.
James was discharged from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Thursday and is resting at home, according to a statement from the hospital. His father, Lakers superstar LeBron James, also posted on social media that his family is “safe and healthy.”
Bronny James will continue to undergo tests to determine the cause of his cardiac arrest, which occurred Monday morning during a workout at USC’s Galen Center.
Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart abruptly stops beating, because of a problem with its electrical activity. While uncommon in young people, sudden cardiac arrest is the leading medical cause of death in young athletes. Some studies have estimated one sudden cardiac death in 50,000 to 80,000 young athletes each year.
No information has been made public about what may have caused Bronny James’ cardiac arrest. But one of the most common causes in young athletes is an underlying problem with the heart’s structure, such as a genetic condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy that leads to a thickened heart muscle more prone to irregular electrical activity. A more rare cause is commotio cordis, which occurs when someone receives a sharp blow to the chest during a specific part of the heartbeat’s cycle — what happened to Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin earlier this year.
James was the second high-profile USC basketball recruit to go into cardiac arrest in the last year. Vincent Iwuchuwku also was stricken during a workout last July, but the 7-foot-1 center returned to the court six months later and appeared in 14 games.
It’s too soon to know how James’ playing career could be affected, especially without a lot of information being made public. Various experts point to James’ quick move out of intensive care and being released three days later as encouraging.
The upcoming trip is important for the Trojans as James recovers. USC had the nation’s fourth-ranked recruiting class, including the top-rated player in guard Isaiah Collier.
James committed to the Trojans in May after the 6-foot-3 18-year-old became one of the nation’s top prospects as a two-way point guard for Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth, California.
He is the sixth McDonald’s All-American to come to USC since Andy Enfield became coach in 2013.
With his family fame and huge social media following, Bronny James also has the top name, image and likeness valuation in sports at $6.3 million, as estimated by On3.com. He is the oldest of LeBron and Savannah James’ three children.
___
AP Sports Writer Greg Beacham and AP Health & Science Writer Lauran Neergard contributed to this report.
___
AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/lebron-james | https://www.koin.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-usc-still-preparing-for-a-european-tour-as-bronny-james-recovers-at-home-after-cardiac-arrest/ | 2023-07-29T10:18:10 | 0 | https://www.koin.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-usc-still-preparing-for-a-european-tour-as-bronny-james-recovers-at-home-after-cardiac-arrest/ |
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Typhoon Doksuri weakened into a tropical storm late Friday night after bringing heavy winds and rain that left more than a million people without power in southern China.
After making landfall Friday morning in southern Fujian province, where at least 400,000 people were evacuated, the storm flooded streets and toppled electric transmission towers in the province. Over a million households were left without power, according to the state-backed Xiamen Evening News.
The typhoon was downgraded to a tropical storm at 11 p.m. Friday night, China’s state-owned broadcaster CCTV announced.
Businesses and summer school classes had been ordered suspended and the public was urged to stay indoors. In the city of Quanzhou by China’s southern coast, authorities reported some 50 individuals sustained minor injuries. Residents shared photos on social media showing downed trees with roots fully out of the ground Saturday morning.
The tropical storm is expected to move its way farther inland in China, bringing heavy rains to the capital, Beijing.
Earlier in the week, the storm grazed past Taiwan’s main island after hitting the Philippines ‘ main island of Luzon, where it produced landslides, flooding and downed trees. The storm displaced thousands and caused 41 deaths — including 27 killed in the capsizing of a passenger ship. About 20 others remained missing, including four coast guard personnel whose boat overturned while on a rescue mission in hard-hit Cagayan province, officials said Saturday, adding that they were monitoring another approaching storm. | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-international/ap-typhoon-doksuri-is-downgraded-to-tropical-storm-status-as-it-leaves-southern-china/ | 2023-07-29T10:18:14 | 0 | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-international/ap-typhoon-doksuri-is-downgraded-to-tropical-storm-status-as-it-leaves-southern-china/ |
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UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations has been forced to cut food, cash payments and assistance to millions of people in many countries because of “a crippling funding crisis” that has seen its donations plummet by about half as acute hunger is hitting record levels, a top official said Friday.
Carl Skau, deputy executive director of the World Food Program, told a news conference that at least 38 of the 86 countries where WFP operates have already seen cuts or plan to cut assistance soon — including Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and West Africa.
He said WFP’s operating requirement is $20 billion to deliver aid to everyone in need, but it was aiming for between $10 billion and $14 billion, which was what the agency had received in the past few years.
“We’re still aiming at that, but we have only so far this year gotten to about half of that, around $5 billion,” Skau said.
He said humanitarian needs were “going through the roof” in 2021 and 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine and its global implications. “Those needs continue to grow, those drivers are still there,” he said, “but the funding is drying up. So we’re looking at 2024 (being) even more dire.”
“The largest food and nutrition crisis in history today persists,” Skau said. “This year, 345 million people continue to be acutely food insecure while hundreds of millions of people are at risk of worsening hunger.”
Skau said conflict and insecurity remain the primary drivers of acute hunger around the world, along with climate change, unrelenting disasters, persistent food price inflation and mounting debt stress — all during a slowdown in the global economy.
WFP is looking to diversify its funding base, but he also urged the agency’s traditional donors to “step up and support us through this very difficult time.”
Asked why funding was drying up, Skau said to ask the donors.
“But it’s clear that aid budgets, humanitarian budgets, both in Europe and the United States, (are) not where they were in 2021-2022,” he said.
Skau said that in March, WFP was forced to cut rations from 75% to 50% for communities in Afghanistan facing emergency levels of hunger, and in May it was forced to cut food for 8 million people — 66% of the people it was assisting. Now, it is helping just 5 million people, he said. In Syria, 5.5 million people who relied on WFP for food were already on 50% rations, Skau said, and in July the agency cut all rations to 2.5 million of them. In the Palestinian territories, WFP cut its cash assistance by 20% in May and in June. It cut its caseload by 60%, or 200,000 people. And in Yemen, he said, a huge funding gap will force WFP to cut aid to 7 million people as early as August.
In West Africa, where acute hunger is on the rise, Skau said, most countries are facing extensive ration cuts, particularly WFP’s seven largest crisis operations: Burkina Faso, Mali, Chad, Central African Republic, Nigeria, Niger and Cameroon.
He said cutting aid to people who are only at the hunger level of crisis to help save those literally starving or in the category of catastrophic hunger means that those dropped will rapidly fall into the emergency and catastrophe categories, “and so we will have an additional humanitarian emergency on our hands down the road.”
“Ration cuts are clearly not the way to go forward,” Skau said.
He urged world leaders to prioritize humanitarian funding and invest in long-tern solutions to conflicts, poverty, development and other root causes of the current crisis. | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-international/ap-un-says-its-forced-to-cut-food-aid-to-millions-globally-because-of-a-funding-crisis/ | 2023-07-29T10:18:20 | 1 | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-international/ap-un-says-its-forced-to-cut-food-aid-to-millions-globally-because-of-a-funding-crisis/ |
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CHICAGO — Illinois residents will be required to make appointments to renew driver’s licenses or deal with state ID business at 44 of the busi…
ISP said a semitrailer truck had been carrying 37 cows at the time of the crash and all were recovered, but five had to be euthanized due to t… | https://pantagraph.com/mrs-claus/article_d716edbd-b11f-52ce-b924-b63bb11fbb1c.html | 2023-07-29T10:18:26 | 0 | https://pantagraph.com/mrs-claus/article_d716edbd-b11f-52ce-b924-b63bb11fbb1c.html |
A University of Notre Dame professor has filed a defamation lawsuit against a student-run publication over news coverage of her abortion-rights work. The case is raising questions about press freedom and academic freedom at one of the nation’s preeminent Catholic universities.
Tamara Kay’s suit, filed in May, alleges falsehoods in two articles published by The Irish Rover in the past academic year. The Rover defended its reporting as true in a motion filed earlier this month to dismiss the case, under a law meant to protect people from frivolous lawsuits over matters of public concern.
Kay, a professor of global affairs and sociology, asks for unspecified punitive damages after she “has been harassed, threatened, and experienced damage to her residential property” and “continues to experience mental anguish” because of the two articles.
Published in October and March after public events in which Kay participated, the articles cover her remarks about her support for abortion rights. The lawsuit alleges that the articles contained “false and defamatory” information, arguing that they misinterpreted a sign on her door about helping students access healthcare and denying two quotes about academic freedom and her work at a Catholic institution.
“The note on my door referenced sexual assault, and the inadequate resources and support for student survivors at Notre Dame,” Kay told The Associated Press via email.
She added that she had asked the Rover’s faculty advisors to retract or correct the story, and that Notre Dame officials refused to intervene on her behalf.
“All of this is utterly devastating,” Kay said. She said her public writing and public speech “are all fair game for reporting and critique, as long as that reporting is accurate. It has not been.”
Notre Dame’s Office of Media Relations didn’t answer repeated requests for comment from the AP. Neither did Kay’s attorney in the lawsuit.
In the motion filed under Indiana’s anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) law, the Irish Rover argued that – as an “independent, non-profit, student publication ‘devoted to preserving the Catholic identity of Notre Dame’” – its coverage of a Notre Dame professor’s public statements and actions about abortion qualify under the law’s public interest and free speech criteria.
The motion added that the stories were “at least substantially true” and “did not contain defamatory imputation.” Exhibits include a transcript of the March event and since-deleted tweets by Kay last fall referring Notre Dame colleagues to websites with information on where to find abortion providers and how to procure abortion pills.
That “targeted advocacy” — just as Indiana’s abortion ban first went briefly into effect — motivated Notre Dame student W. Joseph DeReuil, 21, to seek comments from Kay and write a news story, he told the AP.
DeReuil, the Rover’s editor-in-chief during the last academic year, said he is a practicing Catholic and believes the Church’s teaching that life starts at conception and thus abortion is intentional killing.
“I do wish at times that, I guess, Notre Dame would take, as an institution, a stronger stance in favor of the Catholic position on some of these issues,” he said.
He added that he condemned harassment of abortion rights advocates and specifically the threats mentioned in the lawsuit by Kay.
DeReuil said he was confident his reporting was factually correct and hoped the suit would be dismissed, instead of consuming his senior year.
“You’ll face pushback, but you can still be a normal, cheerful, happy student,” he said. “It’s not going to affect you negatively in the long term if you’re standing up for what you believe is true.”
The Rover’s attorney, James Bopp, Jr., said lawsuits like this can create a chilling effect.
“If we fail, it will send the message that if you speak out about the abortion issue, then you risk punishment through the legal system, and particularly if you speak out on the pro-life side,” said Bopp, who has worked on major national cases on behalf of anti-abortion and free speech causes.
While the Church’s position on abortion is unwavering, not all Catholics agree with it. Some oppose it based on their sense of Catholic teachings about individual conscience or social justice, said professor Samira Mehta, an expert on gender and religion at the University of Colorado.
It’s rare to have faculty sue students for libel over an issue broaching “diametrically opposed worldviews,” said Jonathan Gaston-Falk, an attorney with the Student Press Law Center. The organization defends press freedom rights for high school and college journalists and their advisors; it is not involved in this litigation.
“Libel can be boiled down to a false statement of fact that harms somebody’s reputation” – and is published with knowledge of that falsity and malice if the person is a public figure, Gaston-Falk added.
According to Indiana law, courts have six months to rule on an anti-SLAPP motion.
Indiana was the first state to enact sweeping abortion restrictions after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022.
___
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-a-notre-dame-professor-sues-a-student-publication-over-its-coverage-of-her-abortion-rights-work/ | 2023-07-29T10:18:26 | 1 | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-a-notre-dame-professor-sues-a-student-publication-over-its-coverage-of-her-abortion-rights-work/ |
HAVRE, Mont. (AP) — When Alicia Navarro disappeared in 2019 from her home in a Phoenix suburb days before her 15th birthday, she left a signed note for her family promising she would return.
“I will be back, I swear,” the note read. “I’m sorry.”
Believing she would keep her promise, Jessica Nunez never stopped searching for her daughter.
She paid for a billboard ad in Mexico that featured a photo of her daughter for a year. She bought 10 more ads in Las Vegas. She spoke at events and gave media interviews to raise awareness. She left flyers all around Glendale — at salons, truck stops, parks.
Nunez’s yearslong search came to an end Sunday when her daughter, now 18, walked into a small-town Montana police station near the Canadian border and identified herself as the missing teenager.
Police said Navarro told them she hadn’t been harmed, wasn’t being held, and could come and go as she pleased. She does not face any criminal charges, they added.
Investigators are now trying to determine what happened to Navarro after she disappeared and how she ended up in Havre, Montana, more than 1,300 miles (2,090 kilometers) from her home.
A spokesperson for the Glendale police said Friday that no one has been taken into custody in Navarro’s disappearance. Officer Gina Winn declined to say whether investigators know how long Navarro was in Montana.
Glendale police Lt. Scott Waite said at a news conference Wednesday they were looking into all the possible scenarios that could have led to Navarro’s disappearance, including kidnapping.
Over the years, Nunez had raised concerns that Navarro, who was diagnosed with autism, may have been lured away by someone she met online.
In Havre — a town of about 9,200 people surrounded by farmland and north of the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation — Navarro’s story had residents buzzing even though most had never seen or heard of her. It also piqued interest when a team of heavily armed law enforcement officers entered an apartment and took a man into custody just a few blocks from the Havre police station Wednesday night, witnesses told The Associated Press.
As many as 10 uniformed and undercover officers showed up at about 8 p.m. and took him away in handcuffs. The man had been living in the apartment, said Rick Lieberg, who lives across the street.
A young woman later emerged from the apartment — one of six units in an aging building in a residential neighborhood — who Lieberg said he had not previously seen. The woman resembled a photograph of Navarro that was released by police, he said.
Jonathan Michaelson, who lives next door, said he was questioned Wednesday night by a plainclothes police officer from Arizona who asked whether he had ever seen a girl at the apartment next door. He said he had not.
“If she was in that apartment, I’m surprised I never saw her,” Michaelson said.
A person who works at the Dollar Tree in Havre, Jeff Hummert, said he saw a young woman resembling a photograph of Navarro last year in a city park just up the street from the apartment raided by police Wednesday. She was walking alone and carrying a plastic Walmart bag, Hummert said.
Theories about how Navarro came to be in Montana topped the conversation Friday among the regulars at a coffee shop inside Gary & Leo’s IGA, a grocery store in downtown Havre. With scant details from authorities, most of the talk — about Navarro’s possible destination and whether she was being coerced — was conjecture, said former county Coroner Steve Sapp, who joined the discussion.
“When you’re in law enforcement, all these different stories about what happened make it hard to tell which story is really true,” Sapp said. “I would really like to know more.”
Nunez declined an interview request. But for years, she had documented her efforts to find her daughter on a Facebook page titled “Finding Alicia” and an audio podcast. In an emotional video viewed more than 200,000 times since it was posted Wednesday, Nunez told her tens of thousands of followers: “For everyone who has missing loved ones, I want you to use this case as an example. Miracles do exist. Never lose hope and always fight.”
Nunez had amassed a loyal following on social media throughout the years while sharing inspirational quotes, photos of Navarro as a young child and posts addressed directly to her daughter.
“Alicia I know you will fulfill what you promised,” Nunez wrote in one post. “You will be back.”
People across the U.S. reached out to the Arizona mother to ask how they could help, creating an informal network of volunteers. They shared photos and information through the Facebook page.
Glendale police said this week that they received thousands of tips over the years.
In a short video clip that Glendale police said was taken shortly after Navarro arrived at the Montana police station, she can be heard telling authorities, “No one hurt me.” In another short video, Navarro thanked the police.
“Thank you for offering help to me,” she said.
___
Yamat reported from Las Vegas. | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-arizona-mom-never-stopped-looking-for-her-missing-daughter-she-showed-up-4-years-later-in-montana/ | 2023-07-29T10:18:33 | 0 | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-arizona-mom-never-stopped-looking-for-her-missing-daughter-she-showed-up-4-years-later-in-montana/ |
SPRINGFIELD — Illinois' Attorney General is asking Congress to give Black World War II veterans government benefits they were denied.
Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined 23 other attorneys general to call for passage of the Sgt. Isaac Woodard Jr. and Sgt. Joseph H. Maddox GI Bill Restoration Act of 2023.
The bill would extend eligibility for Veterans Affairs housing loan and Post-9/11 GI Bill educational assistance programs to Black World War II veterans and their families and descendants if the veteran can prove they were denied GI Bill benefits on the basis of race. It would also create an accountability office to monitor how many veterans received benefits from the bill and a panel to study inequalities in how women and minority veterans are given benefits.
After returning home from World War II, many Black veterans found they could not access the same benefits from the GI Bill that white veterans could.
"These discriminatory policies affected generations of African American families, greatly limiting their access to the economic benefits of home ownership, including denying access to the middle class for Black veterans and their families," Raoul said.
The new bill is named for two Black World War II veterans. Woodard was beaten and blinded by South Carolina police in 1946. Maddox was accepted into Harvard University, but Veterans Affairs denied him financial assistance.
Raoul was joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.
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Photos: Pritzker sworn in for second term
Former Secretary of State Jesse White is applauded Monday after Gov. J.B. Pritzker thanked him for his years of service and lauded his legacy.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Gov. J.B. Pritzker claps during his address to the crowd at the Bank of Springfield Center after taking the oath of office for his second term as governor of Illinois on Monday.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Gov. J.B. Pritzker claps during his address to the crowd at the Bank of Springfield Center after taking the oath of office for his second term as governor of Illinois on Monday.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks to the crowd at the Bank of Springfield Center after taking the oath of office for his second term as governor Monday, Jan. 9
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Gov. J.B. Pritzker embraces his family after he is sworn in for his second term on Monday at Bank of Springfield Center, 1 Convention Center Plaza, Springfield. The oath was administered by Mary Jane Theis, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois, left.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Surrounded by his family, Gov. J.B. Pritzker shakes hands with Mary Jane Theis, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois, after taking the oath of office for his second term as governor on Monday at the Bank of Springfield Center, 1 Convention Center Plaza, Springfield.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis swears in Gov. J.B. Pritzker for his second term as governor of Illinois on Monday at the Bank of Springfield Center, 1 Convention Center Plaza, Springfield.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Gov. J.B. Pritzker takes the oath of office for his second term as governor of Illinois on Monday, Jan. 9 at the Bank of Springfield Center, 1 Convention Center Plaza, Springfield.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Gov. J.B. Pritzker takes the oath of office for his second term as governor with his family beside him on Monday at Bank of Springfield Center, 1 Convention Center Plaza, Springfield. He is sworn in by Mary Jane Theis, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Tiffany Mathis sings "Lift Every Voice and Sing" before Governor J.B. Pritzker takes the oath of office for his second term on Monday at Bank of Springfield Center, 1 Convention Center Plaza, Springfield.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Mary Jane Theis, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois, swears in Gov. J.B. Pritzker for his second term as governor of Illinois on Monday, Jan. 9 at the Bank of Springfield Center, 1 Convention Center Plaza, Springfield.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is joined on stage by his wife M.K. Pritzker and two children before taking the oath of office for his second term as governor of Illinois on Monday. Inauguration events were held at the Bank of Springfield Center, 1 Convention Center Plaza, Springfield.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton walks on stage, waving to the crowd at the Bank of Springfield Center on Monday, before taking the oath of office for her second term.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton speaks to the crowd after taking the oath of office for her second term on Monday, Jan. 9 at Bank of Springfield Center, 1 Convention Center Plaza, Springfield.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias speaks Jan. 1 after he was sworn in, becoming the first person to hold the office after Jesse White's 24-year run.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias points to former Secretary of State Jesse White on Monday at Bank of Springfield Center, 1 Convention Center Plaza, Springfield, after Giannoulias was sworn in.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs speaks on Monday at Bank of Springfield Center, 1 Convention Center Plaza, Springfield after his third inauguration.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Gov. J.B. Pritzker and his wife enjoy a dance at Pritzker's second inaugural ball.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Gov. J.B. Pritzker and his wife enjoy a dance at Pritzker's second inaugural ball.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Gov. J.B. Pritzker and his wife enjoy a dance at Pritzker's second inaugural ball.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Gov. J.B. Pritzker and his wife enjoy a dance at Pritzker's second inaugural ball.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Gov. J.B. Pritzker and his wife enjoy a dance at Pritzker's second inaugural ball.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Gov. J.B. Pritzker and his wife enjoy a dance at Pritzker's second inaugural ball.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Gov. J.B. Pritzker dances with his wife, M.K. Pritzker, during the governor's inauguration celebration at the Exposition Building, Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Gov. J.B. Pritzker dances with his wife, M.K. Pritzker, during the governor's inauguration celebration at the Exposition Building, Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Gov. J.B. Pritzker dances with his wife, M.K. Pritzker, during the governor's inauguration celebration at the Exposition Building, Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Gov. J.B. Pritzker dances with his wife, M.K. Pritzker, during the governor's inauguration celebration at the Exposition Building, Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Gov. J.B. Pritzker dances with his wife, M.K. Pritzker, during the first dance on Monday during the governor's inauguration celebration at the Exposition Building, Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Gov. J.B. Pritzker dances with his wife, M.K. Pritzker, during the first dance on Monday during the governor's inauguration celebration at the Exposition Building, Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Gov. J.B. Pritzker and his wife, M.K. Pritzker, wave to supporters during the governor's inauguration celebration at the Exposition Building, Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Friday for the first time publicly acknowledged his seventh grandchild, a 4-year-old girl fathered by his son Hunter with an Arkansas woman, Lunden Roberts, in 2018.
“Our son Hunter and Navy’s mother, Lunden, are working together to foster a relationship that is in the best interests of their daughter, preserving her privacy as much as possible going forward,” Biden said in a statement. It was his first acknowledgement of the child.
“This is not a political issue, it’s a family matter,” he said. “Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy.”
Hunter Biden’s paternity was established by DNA testing after Roberts sued for child support, and the two parties recently resolved outstanding child support issues. The president’s son wrote about his encounter with Roberts in his 2021 memoir, saying it came while he was deep in addiction to alcohol and drugs, including crack cocaine.
“I had no recollection of our encounter,” he wrote. “That’s how little connection I had with anyone. I was a mess, but a mess I’ve taken responsibility for.”
An attorney for Roberts did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The president, who has made a commitment to family central to his public persona, has faced increasing criticism from political rivals and pundits for failing to acknowledge the granddaughter. According to a person familiar with the matter, he was taking the cue from his son while the legal proceedings played out. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private matters.
Hunter Biden has four other children, including a son, Beau, born to his wife Melissa Cohen in 2020. He was named after the president’s late son who died of cancer in 2015, leaving behind two children.
Biden’s grandchildren have played a distinctive role in his presidency, often accompanying the president or first lady on trips and making regular visits to the White House. The president has also credited his grandchildren with persuading him to challenge then-President Donald Trump for the White House in 2020.
Biden’s statement was first reported by People Magazine. | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-biden-openly-acknowledges-7th-grandchild-the-daughter-of-son-hunter-and-an-arkansas-woman/ | 2023-07-29T10:18:39 | 0 | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-biden-openly-acknowledges-7th-grandchild-the-daughter-of-son-hunter-and-an-arkansas-woman/ |
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At the end of a lengthy hearing Monday, Chief Judge Casey Costigan sentenced 44-year-old Michael Bakana of Normal to 110 years in the Departme…
Police are investigating a report of gunfire in east Bloomington over the weekend.
Drivers who need to renew their license at a secretary of state facility will likely have to make an appointment starting this fall.
CHICAGO — Illinois residents will be required to make appointments to renew driver’s licenses or deal with state ID business at 44 of the busi…
ISP said a semitrailer truck had been carrying 37 cows at the time of the crash and all were recovered, but five had to be euthanized due to t… | https://pantagraph.com/oatmeal/article_dd25ffd6-8026-5a42-805b-50505cd3e81c.html | 2023-07-29T10:18:39 | 1 | https://pantagraph.com/oatmeal/article_dd25ffd6-8026-5a42-805b-50505cd3e81c.html |
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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The new prosecutor in Oklahoma’s biggest county announced Friday she’s dropping criminal charges against seven police officers in three separate fatal shootings from 2020, including one in which five officers were charged with killing a 15-year-old boy outside a convenience store.
District Attorney Vicki Behenna’s predecessor and fellow Democrat, David Prater, had filed criminal charges against the police officers before leaving office. Behenna said she hired a use-of-force expert to examine the evidence, and her office spent hundreds of hours reviewing the three cases.
“Under Oklahoma law, these shootings were justified,” Behenna said at a news conference.
“This was not just a quick, spur-of-the-moment decision. This was a very difficult, very fact-intensive decision and review,” she said.
The charges were dismissed with prejudice, which means they are permanently dismissed and can’t be refiled, she said.
A former federal prosecutor and defense attorney from the suburb of Edmond, Behenna is the first woman elected top prosecutor in the state’s most populous county. She defeated conservative Republican Kevin Calvey last year to win a four-year term.
The most high-profile case dismissed Friday involved five Oklahoma City officers charged with first-degree manslaughter in the shooting death of Stavian Rodriguez. The teen was shot on Nov. 23, 2020, by officers responding to reports of an attempted armed robbery at a convenience store.
TV news reports of the shooting showed video of the boy dropping a gun then reaching toward his waist before being shot.
Willard Paige, the investigator for the previous district attorney, said the officers fired live rounds “unnecessarily,” and that an autopsy determined Rodriguez suffered 13 gunshot wounds.
Initially charged in the shooting were officers Bethany Sears, Jared Barton, Corey Adams, John Skuta and Brad Pemberton. All five have been on paid administrative leave since the shooting.
The teen’s mother, Cameo Holland, said in a statement that she intends to work to change the law to make it easier for police to be criminally charged.
“When the district attorney of Oklahoma County apologizes to your face for the justice system failing you, it’s clear we need changes in the law,” Holland said.
Behenna said Friday that she does not take these decisions lightly.
“These families are grieving,” she said. “No matter what this office does or says, these families are forever changed.”
Holland has a pending civil rights excessive force lawsuit against Oklahoma City and the five officers in federal court.
In another Oklahoma City case, Sgt. Clifford Holman was charged with first-degree manslaughter in the shooting death of 60-year-old Bennie Edward.
Holman, who is white, had responded to a call of a Black man harassing customers at a business in north Oklahoma City, according to a police affidavit by homicide detective Bryn Carter. When he arrived at the scene, Holman encountered Edwards, who was holding a knife and refusing officers’ commands to drop it, the affidavit states.
The shooting sparked days of protests and demonstrations by Black Lives Matter groups and other activists.
The third case involved The Village officer Chance Avery, who was charged with second-degree murder in the July 2020 shooting death of Christopher Pool.
Avery was called to the home by Pool’s wife, who was retrieving personal belongings, when Pool ran inside carrying a bat and was shot by Avery after refusing to drop it, police said.
Gary James, an attorney for Avery and Adams, one of the officers charged in the Rodriguez shooting, said he was “ecstatic” about Behenna’s decision.
“We’ve got seven police officers who were just doing their duty, and were placed in a position by all three of the deceased that they had to use deadly force,” James said.
Although criminal charges against police officers are not common, previous district attorney Prater — himself an ex-cop who served 16 years as the county’s top prosecutor — had secured criminal convictions against officers before.
In 2013, Del City police Capt. Randy Harrison was sentenced to four years in prison for second-degree manslaughter after shooting an unarmed teenager in the back as he ran away following a scuffle.
In 2019, another Oklahoma City police sergeant, Keith Sweeney, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after a jury convicted him of second-degree murder in the shooting death of an unarmed, suicidal man.
Behenna said that in future cases involving police shootings, she will present evidence to a multi-county grand jury to make a decision on whether to file criminal charges, rather than making that decision herself.
Oklahoma City Police Chief Wade Gourley said the department has implemented “significant changes” since the fatal shootings, such as creating a training unit that has worked with every officer on de-escalation strategies. The chief’s statement Friday said officers are also provided with additional less-lethal equipment, like stun guns and weapons that deploy bean bags, as well as crisis-intervention training. | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-charges-dropped-against-7-oklahoma-police-officers-in-3-separate-fatal-shootings/ | 2023-07-29T10:18:45 | 0 | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-charges-dropped-against-7-oklahoma-police-officers-in-3-separate-fatal-shootings/ |
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PITTSBURGH (AP) — A federal trial for the man who fatally shot 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue approached its conclusion Friday as the defense, trying to persuade a jury to spare his life, pressed its case that mental illness spurred the nation’s deadliest antisemitic attack.
Robert Bowers, a 50 year-old truck driver from suburban Baldwin, was convicted in June on 63 criminal counts for the 2018 massacre at Tree of Life synagogue. The jury has been hearing testimony in the penalty phase of the trial and will decide whether Bowers will receive the death penalty or life in prison without parole.
Prosecutors have presented evidence that Bowers was motivated by his hatred of Jewish people when he opened fire at the synagogue on Oct. 27, 2018, killing members of three congregations gathered for Sabbath worship and study. The defense argues Bowers has schizophrenia and acted out of a delusional belief that Jews were participating in a genocide of white people.
On Friday, a defense psychiatrist who met with Bowers 10 times for nearly 40 hours said Bowers saw himself as a soldier of God in a war in which Satan was trying to use Jewish people to bring about the end of the world. Dr. George Corvin, of Raleigh, N.C., said it was a delusion brought on by psychosis.
Corvin said Bowers continues to express delusional beliefs about Jews — “disgustingly so” — and that he is incapable of remorse. He said Bowers should be on anti-psychotic medication.
Bowers “has a belief that we’re at the end of a war that’s been going on for thousands of years,” Corvin testified. “He still envisions what he did as an unfortunate act of violence at the direction of God — that it will save lives. He believes he’s a tool for God. I know it sounds absurd. It’s psychotic.”
Corvin continued: “This is the result of a mental illness.”
Corvin was one of several defense experts who diagnosed Bowers with schizophrenia, a serious brain disorder whose symptoms include delusions and hallucinations. A neurologist testifying for the prosecution disputed that Bowers has schizophrenia, saying Bowers has a personality disorder but is not delusional, and that mental illness did not appear to play a role in the attack. Prosecutors have noted Bowers spent six months planning the shooting.
Also testifying Friday were Bowers’ aunt and uncle.
The uncle, Clyde Munger, said he visited with Bowers in prison because “he is my nephew and I love him.” He said he prays for Bowers every morning.
The aunt, Patricia Fine, was expected to the final defense witness. She said Bowers had a difficult childhood from infancy, describing the house where he lived as unsafe. She said he was a sad child and that she “was convinced” he would take his own life. A defense expert previously described Bowers’ early life as deeply unstable and said he attempted suicide several times in his teens.
Fine’s testimony was scheduled to resume Monday, with closing arguments and jury deliberations expected to follow. | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-defense-presses-case-that-mental-illness-spurred-pittsburgh-synagogue-massacre/ | 2023-07-29T10:18:51 | 1 | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-defense-presses-case-that-mental-illness-spurred-pittsburgh-synagogue-massacre/ |
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ROLLING FORK, Miss. (AP) — Many were not just killed at home. They were killed by their homes.
Angela Eason had visited Brenda Odoms’ tidy mobile home before. It was a place where Odoms, who had many tragedies in her life, felt safe.
In March, a tornado ripped through this small Mississippi town and people in mobile or manufactured homes were hit the hardest. Inside a mobile morgue, Eason, the county coroner, examined Odoms’ gaping fatal head wound. Odoms was found just outside of her collapsed mobile home that was tossed around by a tornado. Blunt force trauma killed her.
“The one place she felt safe she was not,” Eason said. Fourteen people died in that Rolling Fork tornado, nine of them, including Odoms, were in uprooted manufactured or mobile homes.
Tornadoes in the United States are disproportionately killing more people in mobile or manufactured homes, especially in the South, often victimizing some of the most socially and economically vulnerable residents. Since 1996, tornadoes have killed 815 people in mobile or manufactured homes, representing 53% of all the people killed at home during a tornado, according to an Associated Press data analysis of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tornado deaths. Meanwhile, less than 6% of America’s housing units are manufactured homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
While the dangers of tornadoes to mobile homes have long been known, and there are ways to mitigate the risk, the percentage of total tornado deaths that happen in mobile homes has been increasing. Part of the problem is that federal housing rules that call for tougher manufactured home standards, including anchoring, only apply in hurricane zones, which is most of Florida and then several counties along the coast. Those are not the areas where tornadoes usually hit.
Auburn University engineering professor David Roueche called manufactured homes in non-coastal places “death traps compared to most permanent homes” when it comes to tornadoes.
A DEADLY YEAR
The first tornado deaths this year were in Alabama in January, killing seven people, all in mobile homes. All but one were thrown at least 1,000 feet from their homes, with the seventh person thrown at least 500 feet, said Ernie Baggett, the former emergency management chief for Autauga County, Alabama. Less than 100 yards from where four of those people died was a permanent home that had little more than shingle damage, he said.
When the wind hits the mobile homes, “it’s like a house of cards. They just crumble,” Baggett said.
So far this year, at least 45 of the 74 people killed in the U.S. by tornadoes were in some form of manufactured housing when they died, according to NOAA data. Nine others died in site homes and the rest were killed in other places, such as in vehicles.
The manufactured housing industry — which disputes that there’s any disproportionate danger — insists on calling the structures manufactured homes if they are built after hurricane-based federal standards in 1976 and mobile homes if they are built before, saying age of the home matters. Federal housing officials use the term manufactured housing. Other people, including many researchers and residents, use the terms interchangeably.
More than 70% of the 8 million manufactured homes in America were built after 1976. Because a big chunk were built in the 1980s and early 1990s, 60% of all those homes were installed before increased federal standards were adopted in 1994, the industry’s trade group, Manufactured Housing Institute said.
TORNADOES DON’T HAVE TO BE DEADLY
Tornado experts say most tornadoes should be survivable.
“You just have to be in some structure that’s attached to the ground. And then no matter what the tornado throws at you, you have really good odds,” said NOAA social scientist Kim Klockow-McClain.
But in manufactured homes, even the weakest tornadoes are killing people in large numbers when they shouldn’t be, more than a dozen experts in meteorology, disasters and engineering told The AP.
More than 240 people in mobile homes in the past 28 years have died in tornadoes with winds of 135 mph or less, the three weakest of the six categories of twisters, the AP analysis found. That’s 79% of the deaths at home in the weaker tornadoes. It’s only in storms with winds higher than 165 mph where most of the at home deaths are in more permanent structures.
Auburn’s Roueche not only studies what happens in mobile homes during tornadoes, he grew up in one. What he sees over and over are mobile homes that fail from the bottom up because they are not secured enough to the ground, like permanent homes are.
WHAT HAPPENS IN A TORNADO
“The whole structure is rolling or flying through air. You’ve got dressers falling on top of you. You’ve got the entire structure that’s trying to crush you,” said Roueche.
That March evening in Rolling Fork, when the tornado roared through Ida Cartlidge remembered the air blowing so powerfully that she couldn’t breathe, the sounds of windows shattering and then utter mayhem.
“The only thing that’s holding a mobile home down are the little straps in the ground,” Cartlidge said. “It picked up the home one time, set it down. It picked it up again, set it down. It picked it up a third time, and we were in the air.”
The tornado hit Mildred Joyner’s mobile home so hard she felt the mobile home shake, heard the cracking sound of what she figured was her home coming apart and then she woke up in the hospital and her mother who was in the mobile home with her ended up paralyzed from the waist down.
The problem is worsening in the South because tornadoes have been moving more from the Great Plains to the mid-South in recent decades and will likely to continue to do so with climate change a possible factor, studies show. Alabama has the most tornado deaths by far.
Unlike the rest of the country, which usually has most manufactured housing in parks, the South has mobile homes scattered about the countryside in ones and twos, making central tornado shelters less effective and likely to be built, said Villanova University tornado expert Stephen Strader and Northern Illinois meteorology professor Walker Ashley.
THE IMPORTANCE OF ANCHORING
One thing scientists, emergency managers and the manufactured housing industry agree on is that anchoring mobile homes to the ground is key.
That requires expensive concrete or expensive tie down systems, said former Alabama emergency official Jonathan Gaddy, now a professor at Idaho State University.
“Why does that matter? Well, it explains why we haven’t fixed the problem with anchoring because nobody can fix the problem and still make money. That’s the bottom line,” Gaddy said.
“Anchoring matters and has been shown to be the difference between life or death,” Villanova’s Strader said in an email. “However, the MH industry seems disinterested in addressing this because it would make their homes more expensive.”
Manufactured Home Institute Chief Executive Officer Lesli Gooch said the industry is “very clear” about the importance of anchoring. “We also talk about making sure that a professional checks your anchoring systems on your manufactured home, especially on mobile homes built prior to (19)76,” she said.
“We’re very focused on making sure that there are minimum installation standards in the states,” Gooch said.
Northern Illinois’ Ashley said lack of state regulations and inspections, especially in much of the South, is a big problem.
Improvements in federal codes that went into effect in 1976, 1994 and 2008 make a big difference, Gooch said, arguing that the NOAA data the AP analyzed and that scientists use lump different ages of manufactured homes together and tar them with the problems of the oldest ones.
“I wouldn’t want your readers to misinterpret your data to suggest that living in a manufactured home is somehow more deadly than living in a site-built home because I would tell you that I don’t think that the data bears that out,” Gooch said.
Gooch pointed to manufactured homes in Florida, where tighter federal Housing and Urban Development safety rules apply because it is a hurricane wind zone. “Homes in Florida that are manufactured homes are performing better than what you see in the site-built world,” she said.
IT’S NOT GETTING BETTER
Several scientists and engineers said data, and history, show the situation has not improved.
“This is more of the handwaving- and misdirection-type statements that has come to represent the manufactured housing industry’s take on tornado and manufactured home safety,” Villanova’s Strader said in an email, with Northern Illinois’ Ashley agreeing.
“Our study of the Lee County Alabama EF4 tornado found that 19 of the 23 deaths were in manufactured homes (all built after 1994),” Strader said. “All of those deaths were due to a lack of anchoring or a floor-to-wall connection. There have been many prior studies that have illustrated that these homes are failing at lower wind loads than permanent homes.”
If Gooch were right, the percentage of tornado deaths in mobile homes would be going down with time and they are not, NOAA National Severe Storms Lab tornado scientist Harold Brooks said, presenting data that goes back to 1975. His data showed mobile home deaths between 1975 and 1984 were 43.6% of all at-home tornado deaths and the same figure was 63.2% for the past ten years through the end of May.
A contributing factor, Strader, Ashley and Roueche said, is that federal rules for anchoring only apply in hurricane zones, mostly in Florida. Those are not the areas where tornadoes usually hit. Instead, they hit inland where the weakest federal standards are, they said. Most of tornado-prone areas, including almost all of Alabama, Oklahoma, Missouri, Texas and Mississippi are in “Zone 1,” where safety and anchoring of mobile homes have the most lax standards.
“People are dying in new and old Zone 1 manufactured homes,” Roueche said in response to Gooch’s comments. Tornado homes throughout the country would be much safer if the coastal federal requirements applied everywhere, he said.
HURTING POOR PEOPLE MORE
One of the issues with mobile homes and tornadoes is that it is an intersection of risk and “different social vulnerability factors like poverty, even some issues pertaining to race, ethnicity, age,” NOAA’s Klockow said.
And it makes it harder for people to leave their mobile homes and head for a permanent shelter.
“I always think about the single mother who’s living in a manufactured home. It’s the middle of the night. She has three kids. Her car’s not starting correctly and all of a sudden here comes a tornado,” Strader said in an interview.
Officials tell her “to get to a storm shelter because our manufactured home isn’t safe,” Strader said. “Well, the problem there is that there’s all these factors up against them.”
Tornadoes pop down rapidly, which doesn’t allow meteorologists to give much warning, maybe 10 to 15 minutes. In many cases, the National Weather Service warns days in advance that the conditions are ripe for tornadoes, but that isn’t the same as warning that one has touched down.
University of Oklahoma social scientist Justin Sharpe, who studies disaster warnings, said with poor and disabled residents the key is to avoid warnings that simply say “get out now” and nothing else.
Instead, a couple hours before a tornado is possible, meteorologists should warn people to be packed up and ready to go at a moment’s notice later, Sharpe and Klockow-McClain said.
FINDING SAFER PLACES
A relatively new law in Alabama could help provide more shelters and be a model for other states. The law gives liability protection to buildings like churches and stores that open up in an emergency as a shelter if specifically-built shelters aren’t available.
When this year’s first deadly tornado struck just outside Montgomery, Alabama, Autauga County had about 30 minutes warning but no “safer places” to send people, the then-emergency chief, Baggett said. Seven people in mobile homes died.
The tornado continued into neighboring Elmore County, which had already set off its 30 warning sirens, used a mass notification system to make 16,772 calls to phones in the danger area and opened up 16 churches and other safer places.
People went into the temporary shelters. Homes were destroyed, but no one died.
___
Associated Press photographer Gerald Herbert and video journalist Stephen Smith contributed to this report. Borenstein reported from Washington and Fassett from Seattle.
___
Follow AP’s climate and environment coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment
___
Follow Seth Borenstein, Camille Fasset and Michael Goldberg on Twitter at @borenbears, @camfassett and @mikergoldberg.
___
Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content. | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-homes-that-become-deadly-tornadoes-kill-disproportionately-more-in-mobile-homes-ap-analysis-finds/ | 2023-07-29T10:18:57 | 1 | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-homes-that-become-deadly-tornadoes-kill-disproportionately-more-in-mobile-homes-ap-analysis-finds/ |
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Samuel Alito says Congress lacks the power to impose a code of ethics on the Supreme Court, making him the first member of the court to take a public stand against proposals in Congress to toughen ethics rules for justices in response to increased scrutiny of their activities beyond the bench.
“I know this is a controversial view, but I’m willing to say it. No provision in the Constitution gives them the authority to regulate the Supreme Court—period,” Alito said in an interview he gave to the Wall Street Journal opinion pages. An account of the interview, which the paper said took place in New York in early July, was published Friday.
Democrats last week pushed Supreme Court ethics legislation through a Senate committee, though the bill’s prospects in the full Senate are dim.
All federal judges other than the justices already adhere to an ethics code that was developed by the federal judiciary. But the Supreme Court’s unique status — it’s the only federal court created by the Constitution — puts it outside the reach of those standards that apply to other federal jurists.
Democrats first sought to address that after ProPublica reported earlier this year that Justice Clarence Thomas participated in lavish vacations and a real estate deal with a top Republican donor — and after Chief Justice John Roberts declined to testify before the committee about the ethics of the court.
Since then, ProPublica also revealed that Alito had taken a luxury vacation in Alaska with a Republican donor who had business interests before the court. The Associated Press reported in early July that Justice Sonia Sotomayor, aided by her staff, has advanced sales of her books through college visits over the past decade.
The 73-year-old Alito, who joined the court in 2006, has rejected the idea that he should have disclosed the Alaska trip or stepped away from cases involving the donor, hedge fund owner Paul Singer. Alito penned his own Wall Street Journal op-ed, which was published hours before ProPublica posted its story.
Alito said that he is unwilling to leave allegations unanswered, though he acknowledged judges and justices typically don’t respond to their critics.
“And so at a certain point I’ve said to myself, nobody else is going to do this, so I have to defend myself,” he said in the newest column.
While no other justice has spoken so definitively about ethics legislation, Roberts has raised questions about Congress’ authority to oversee the high court.
In his year-end report in 2011, Roberts wrote that the justices comply with legislation that requires annual financial disclosures and limits their outside earned income. “The Court has never addressed whether Congress may impose those requirements on the Supreme Court. The Justices nevertheless comply with those provisions,” Roberts wrote.
The justices have so far resisted adopting an ethics code on their own, although Roberts said in May that there is more the court can do to “adhere to the highest standards” of ethical conduct, without providing specifics.
The column is co-written by James Taranto, the paper’s editorial features editor, and David Rivkin, a Washington lawyer. Rivkin represents Leonard Leo, the onetime leader of the conservative legal group The Federalist Society, in his dealings with Senate Democrats who want details of Leo’s dealings with the justices. Leo helped arrange Alito’s trip to Alaska.
Rivkin, in a letter Tuesday to leading Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the request was politically motivated and violates Leo’s constitutional rights. Rivkin also wrote that a congressionally imposed ethics code for the Supreme Court would falter on constitutional grounds. Separately, Rivkin represents a couple whose tax case will be argued before the court in the fall.
Alito talked with the Taranto and Rivkin for four hours in interviews in April and July, they wrote. They published an account of the earlier interview in April. | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-justice-alito-says-congress-lacks-the-power-to-impose-an-ethics-code-on-the-supreme-court/ | 2023-07-29T10:19:04 | 0 | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-justice-alito-says-congress-lacks-the-power-to-impose-an-ethics-code-on-the-supreme-court/ |
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Federal investigators renewed their recommendation that major freight railroads equip every locomotive with the kind of autonomous sensors that could have caught the track flaws that caused a fatal 2021 Amtrak derailment in northern Montana.
But installing the sensors on the tens of thousands of locomotives in the fleet could be cost prohibitive, and it’s not entirely clear if one would have caught the combination of rail flaws that the National Transportation Safety Board said caused the crash near Joplin, Montana, that killed three people and injured 49 others. And rail unions caution that no technology should be a substitute for human inspectors.
The NTSB report laid blame in part on BNSF railroad, which owns the tracks, and “a shortcoming in its safety culture.” But it noted that even if track inspections had been more frequent, the severity of the problems may not have been noticed the day of the crash without devices and technology designed to enhance the inspections.
“It is unlikely that the track deviations would have been detected through the current track inspection process,” the board concluded in the report released Thursday. But “autonomous monitoring systems … have the ability to monitor track conditions and provide real-time condition monitoring that could be used for early identification and mitigation of unsafe track conditions.”
BNSF defends its safety record and said it already employs a number of the sensors that the NTSB is recommending, but spokeswoman Lena Kent said the Fort Worth, Texas-based railroad will review the report for any additional lessons and ways to improve safety.
But track problems have long been a safety concern for the NTSB, which can recommend but not mandate changes. In a 2021 report on the Joplin derailment, it attributed 592 U.S. derailments over a decade-long timespan to “track geometry,” which includes the distance between the rails and their horizontal and vertical alignment. Those issues were the second-leading cause of derailment in 2021.
Railroad safety expert Dave Clarke, the former director of University of Tennesse’s Center for Transportation Research, said it is important to remember that the NTSB doesn’t do any kind of cost-benefit analysis on its recommendations.
“If they think something is a good idea for safety they put it out there. In the real world there may be no way to economically or practically do everything NTSB recommends,” Clarke said.
Clarke said it’s also not clear that these sensors would have definitely caught the problems that caused the Montana derailment because none of the individual factors was severe enough to be considered a defect under Federal Railroad Administration rules. The NTSB said it was the combination of all those factors that caused the derailment.
The major freight railroads have more than 23,000 locomotives in their fleets, including thousands that have been put into storage in recent years as the railroads have overhauled their operations to rely more on longer trains that don’t need as many locomotives.
It would require a major investment to add detectors to every locomotive, although the Association of American Railroads trade group couldn’t immediately provide an estimate of how much each sensor costs. BNSF and the five other major U.S. freight railroads already spend roughly $23 billion every year on improving and maintaining their networks and investing in new equipment.
But attorney Jeff Goodman, who represented family members of the three passengers who died in the derailment, said he believes his clients would have lived if trains that had passed through the area before the Amtrak train had been equipped with these sensors.
Tracks will always bend or get out of sync because they’re exposed to the elements, but monitoring allows trains to know when to slow down and prevent accidents, he said.
“If the recommendations that the NTSB issued today were implemented prior to this tragedy, Zach Scheider and Don and Marjorie Varnadoe would all be alive today,” he said, naming the deceased family members of his clients.
Railroads have long resisted new regulations, Although there aren’t any rules requiring these automated inspection sensors or the thousands of trackside detectors they employ, railroads have spent millions developing the technology and installed them voluntarily to improve safety. But regulators are considering drafting rules for them in the wake of recent derailments.
An AAR trade group spokeswoman said that the type of sensors the NTSB singled out measure the force a locomotive exerts on the track and hasn’t proven as useful as other kinds of sensors railroads have developed.
“This technology has been difficult to maintain in real-world operations and lacks a strong correlation to track geometry defects,” Jessica Kahanek said.
Railroads are experimenting with a variety of technologies to find the best way to spot problems.
Another kind of autonomous sensor that can be installed on locomotives as well as the trucks inspectors use to ride along the rails can spot problems like misaligned track and wear on the rails by testing the track continuously.
Vehicle track interaction systems, like the ones the NTSB singled out, must be mounted on locomotives because they measure the force a train puts on the tracks.
Both kinds of sensors can help identify areas of concern for a human inspector to follow up on after computers analyze the data they generate. But the VTI sensors tend to be so sensitive that they flag areas where there aren’t true defects.
Kent said BNSF’s use of both kinds of sensors allows the railroad to check its track network multiple times — more than 450,000 miles (720,000 kilometers) of track each year — and that the technology has helped the railroad reduce the rate of defects that it finds by 82% over the past five years.
In the past, BNSF and other railroads have even petitioned the Federal Railroad Administration to get a waiver releasing them from some inspection requirements because they believe the track geometry sensors provide enough information that the frequency of human inspections can be safely reduced.
Federal officials approved a waiver allowing BNSF to reduce inspections on a couple of areas of its more than 30,000-mile (48,000-kilometer) network after the railroad successfully tested the devices for several years, but later declined to let the railroad expand that practice, including its tracks that cross Montana. BNSF took the FRA to court over that decision and the dispute is still pending.
Rail unions have opposed the waivers. They argue that while the new technology is helpful, it shouldn’t replace human inspections. Even with an interest in preserving jobs, they say safety is their primary concern.
Already, the unions say the widespread job cuts the major railroads have made — eliminating nearly one-third of all rail jobs over the past six years — have made it difficult for employees to keep up with inspection demands and meet all FRA requirements. The NTSB pointed out that the inspector responsible for the territory where the Montana derailment happened had worked an average of 13 hours a day in the four weeks prior to the crash.
Former NTSB director Bob Chipkevich, who spent years investigating rail crashes, said it often takes multiple derailments to force railroads to implement new safety technology.
One of the biggest recent advances in rail safety came after a commuter train collided head-on with a freight train near Los Angeles in 2008, killing 25 people and injuring more than 100. Congress mandated a $15 billion automatic braking system that stops trains when they’re in danger of colliding, derailing and other situations — but it took 12 years to complete.
“When there are safety issues that have been raised after multiple accidents that occurred again and again, the question is to the industry,” Chipkevich said. “Why haven’t you done it after all these years?”
___
Funk reported from Omaha, Nebraska, and Metz reported from Salt Lake City.
___
Follow Josh Funk on Twitter at www.twitter.com/funkwrite | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-montana-train-derailment-report-renews-calls-for-automated-systems-to-detect-track-problems/ | 2023-07-29T10:19:10 | 0 | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-montana-train-derailment-report-renews-calls-for-automated-systems-to-detect-track-problems/ |
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DENVER (AP) — A Colorado police officer who put a handcuffed woman in a parked police vehicle that was hit by a freight train was found guilty of reckless endangerment and assault but was acquitted of a third charge of criminal attempt to commit manslaughter during a trial Friday.
Jordan Steinke was the first of two officers to go to trial over the Sept. 16, 2022, crash that left Yareni Rios-Gonzalez seriously injured.
“There’s no reasonable doubt that placing a handcuffed person in the back of a patrol car, parked on railroad tracks, creates a substantial and unjustifiable risk of harm by the train,” said Judge Timothy Kerns.
But the evidence didn’t convince Kerns that Steinke “knowingly intended to harm Ms. Rios-Gonzalez,” and he added that Stienke had shown “shock and remorse.”
Steinke testified that she did not know that the patrol car of another officer she was helping was parked on the tracks even though they can be seen on her body camera footage along with two railroad crossing signs. Steinke said she was focused on the threat that could come from Rios-Gonzalez and her pickup truck, not the ground.
Steinke said she put Rios-Gonzalez in the other officer’s vehicle because it was the nearest spot to temporarily hold her. She said she didn’t know the train was coming until just before it hit.
The judge found that Steinke observed the tracks, but failed to “appreciate the risk.”
There was no jury in Steinke’s trial, which started Monday. Instead, Kerns listened to the evidence and issued the verdict. Mallory Revel, Steinke’s attorney, didn’t immediately respond to requests by phone and email for comment.
Steinke, who was working for the Fort Lupton Police Department at the time of the crash, was charged with criminal attempt to commit manslaughter, a felony; and reckless endangerment and third-degree assault, both misdemeanors.
The other officer, Pablo Vazquez, who worked for the police department in nearby Platteville, is being prosecuted for misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment and traffic offenses. He hasn’t entered a plea yet. His lawyer, Reid Elkus, didn’t immediately respond to a request by phone for comment.
Vazquez pulled over Rios-Gonzalez on a rural road that intersects U.S. Highway 85 after she was accused of pointing a gun at another driver. Trains pass on tracks that parallel the highway about a dozen times a day, prosecutors said, and the sound of their horns is common in the area north of Denver.
Rios-Gonzalez, who suffered a traumatic brain injury, is suing over her treatment. She later pleaded no contest to misdemeanor menacing, said one of her lawyers, Chris Ponce, who was in court to watch the trial. Rios-Gonzalez did not testify or attend herself.
Steinke said she placed Rios-Gonzalez in the other police car temporarily because it was the nearest place to keep her secure, a move that is standard practice for high-risk traffic stops, said defense expert witness Steve Ijames. He also testified that in dangerous situations officers can become hyperfocused on particular threats and overlook things that turn out to be important in hindsight.
Steinke, who drove at around 100 mph (161 kph) at times on her way to backup Vazquez, testified that she was surprised to see him sitting in his vehicle when she arrived, rather than pointing a gun at Rios-Gonzalez’s truck. She said she quickly parked her patrol vehicle behind his and got out because it was the quickest way “to get a gun in the fight.”
Steinke also said she did not notice the tracks or the ground when she squatted down to arrest a kneeling Rios-Gonzalez along the tracks after the suspect was ordered out of her pickup truck.
When pressed by Deputy District Attorney Christopher Jewkes, Steinke replied, “I am sure I saw the tracks sir, but I did not perceive them.” She said she was focused on the suspect and the potential threat she posed and was “fairly certain” that the traffic stop would end in gunfire.
“I never in a million years thought a train was going to come plowing through my scene,” Steinke said.
The Weld County District Attorney’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request by phone for comment.
___
This story has been updated to correct that the officer was acquitted of the charge of criminal attempt to commit manslaughter, not manslaughter.
___
Bedayn is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-officer-who-put-suspect-in-car-hit-by-train-found-guilty-of-reckless-endangerment/ | 2023-07-29T10:19:17 | 0 | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-officer-who-put-suspect-in-car-hit-by-train-found-guilty-of-reckless-endangerment/ |
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France vs. Brazil: How to Watch FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 Game Live From Anywhere
The Seleção take on Les Bleus in the pick of this weekend's matches at the Women's World Cup.
Two of the strongest sides in this year's Women's World Cup go head to head on Saturday, as France take on Brazil in this Group F clash.
The French will be going in search of their first win, having been held to a surprise goalless draw by Jamaica in their opening match of the tournament.
Table-toppers Brazil, meanwhile, underlined their status as one of the front-runners to lift the trophy next month after delivering a dominant 4-0 victory over Panama. Star player Ary Borges hit a hat-trick and assisted another -- maybe the most Brazil goal ever.
Below, we'll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch France vs. Brazil no matter where you are in the world.
France vs. Brazil: When and where?
This Group F clash takes place at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Saturday, July 29.
Kick-off is set for 8 p.m. AEST local time in Australia, which makes it a 6 a.m. ET or 3 a.m. PT start in the US and Canada, and an 11 a.m. BST kick-off in the UK.
How to watch the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 online from anywhere using a VPN
If you find yourself unable to view the tournament locally, you may need a different way to watch this match -- that's where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic, and it's also a great idea if you're traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.
With a VPN, you're able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. Most VPNs, like our Editors' Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.
Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Australia, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you're streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.
Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals taking place right now.
ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It's normally $13 per month, and you can sign up for ExpressVPN and save 49% plus get three months of access for free -- the equivalent of $6.67 per month -- if you get an annual subscription.
Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Livestream France vs. Brazil in the US
Women's World Cup matches are being broadcast on Fox in the US. If you're already a subscriber, you can livestream games via the Fox website. if you're not, you'll need a live TV streaming service that carries Fox, the least expensive being Sling TV Blue.
Among the live TV streaming services that carry local Fox stations, the cheapest is Sling TV Blue at $40 per month.
One important caveat: Fox local affiliates will only be available if your billing address is in one of the 18 metropolitan areas covered in Sling's agreement. If you're outside of one of these areas, you're probably better off going with one of the alternate services listed below.
Numerous other live TV streaming services carry local Fox stations as well, namely YouTube TV, Hulu Plus Live TV, DirecTV Stream and Fubo. They all cost more than Sling TV, but they also carry more channels. Check out our live TV streaming channel guide for details.
NBC-owned Telemundo, meanwhile, offers all the games in Spanish, and can also be viewed via NBC's streaming platform Peacock Premium.
NBC's streaming service Peacock offers live Spanish-language coverage of matches of the 2023 Women's World Cup. You'll need to be signed up with a Peacock Premium or Premium Plus account to stream games live.
One further option in the US for watching matches comes with Tubi TV, which is offering full-length replays of the games in English minutes after they end on the free ad-supported streaming service. You'll have to sign up for a Tubi account in order to get the games, but you won't need a credit card or subscription.
Watch France vs. Brazil for free in the UK
Football fans in the UK are among the luckiest in the world, as all matches of the FIFA Women's World Cup being shown live on free-to-air channels, with the BBC and ITV sharing broadcast duties. This game will be shown live on BBC1, which means viewers in the UK will be able to stream the game for free on BBC iPlayer. Coverage starts at 10:45 a.m. BST on Saturday morning.
BBC iPlayer has dedicated apps available for Android and Apple mobile devices, as well as a vast array of smart TVs and streaming boxes. All you need is a valid UK TV license to stream the tournament.
Stream France vs. Brazil in Canada
Comprehensive live coverage of the 2023 Women's World Cup will be available in Canada via TSN. Cord cutters can watch via the network's streaming service TSN Plus.
TSN Plus is a new direct streaming service, boasting exclusive coverage of PGA Tour Live golf, NFL games, F1, Nascar and the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments. Ideal for cord-cutters, the service is priced at CA$20 a month or CA$200 per year.
Stream France vs. Brazil for free in New Zealand
Live coverage of 2023 Women's World Cup for the co-host nation is with free-to-air channel Prime. Kick-off for this match is at 10 p.m. NZST.
You can watch every game of the tournament for free in New Zealand on terrestrial channel Prime.
That also means you'll be able to livestream games via the channel's website -- you just need to provide your name, ZIP code and email address.
Quick tips for streaming the 2023 Women's World Cup using a VPN
- With four variables at play -- your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN -- your experience and success when streaming the Women's World Cup action live may vary.
- If you don't see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the "search for city or country" option.
- If you're having trouble getting the game after you've turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs -- like Roku -- don't have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you'll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you're using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
- All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network's sports app, you'll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.
- And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you're using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave. | https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/france-vs-brazil-how-to-watch-fifa-womens-world-cup-2023-game-live-from-anywhere/ | 2023-07-29T10:19:21 | 1 | https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/france-vs-brazil-how-to-watch-fifa-womens-world-cup-2023-game-live-from-anywhere/ |
CANBERRA, Australia — Four air crew members were missing after an Australian army helicopter ditched into waters off the Queensland state coast during joint military exercises with the United States, officials said Saturday.
The MRH-90 Taipan helicopter went down near Lindeman Island, a Great Barrier Reef tourist resort, at about 11 p.m. Friday, exercise director Australian Army Brigadier Damian Hill said.
A search involving U.S., Canadian and Australian personnel was underway to find the crew who are all Australian men, officials said.
Debris that appeared to be from a helicopter had been recovered, Queensland Police Assistant Commissioner Douglas McDonald said.
The Taipan was taking part in Talisman Sabre, a biennial joint U.S.-Australian military exercise that is largely based in Queensland. This year's exercise involves 13 nations and more than 30,000 military personnel.
Defense Minister Richard Marles said the helicopter ditched, which refers to an emergency landing on water.
"Defense exercises, which are so necessary for the readiness of our defense force, are serious. They carry risk," Marles told reporters in Brisbane. "As we desperately hope for better news during the course of this day we are reminded about the gravity of the act which comes with wearing our nation's uniform."
Hill said the exercise was postponed on Saturday morning but had restarted limited activity later in the day. Australia had grounded its Taipan fleet as a precaution, Hill said.
It was the second emergency involving an Australian Taipan this year, after one ditched into the sea off the New South Wales state coast in March. That helicopter was taking part in a nighttime counterterrorism training exercise when it ran into trouble. All 10 passengers and crew members were rescued.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was in Brisbane for a meeting on Saturday and is due to travel with Marles to north Queensland on Sunday to see the exercise.
Austin and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken paid tribute to the missing air crew at the outset of a meeting with their Australian counterparts, Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
"It's always tough when you have accidents in training, but ... the reason that we train to such high standards is so that we can be successful and we can protect lives when we are called to answer any kind of crisis," Austin said.
"Our guys tend to make this look easy and they make it look easy because they're so well exercised and rehearsed and trained, and this is unfortunately a part of that, what it takes to get them to where we need them to be," Austin added.
Blinken said, "We're so grateful to them for their dedication, for their service, for everything they've been doing to stand up for the freedom that we share and that is what unites us more than anything else."
Marles thanked the United States for their contribution to the search and rescue effort.
The missing helicopter had just dropped off two Australian commandos before it hit the water, Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported.
Australia announced in January that its army and navy would stop flying the European-built Taipans by December 2024, 13 years earlier than originally planned, because they had proven unreliable. They will be replaced by 40 U.S. Black Hawks. Marles said at the time the Lockheed Martin-designed Black Hawks "have a really good proven track record in terms of their reliability."
Australia's Taipans had been plagued by problems since the first helicopter arrived in the country in 2007.
Australia's entire fleet of 47 Taipans was grounded in 2019 to fix a problem with their tail rotor blades. A year later, 27 Taipans were grounded because of a problem with doors.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.kunm.org/npr-news/2023-07-29/4-air-crew-members-are-missing-after-an-australian-army-helicopter-ditched-off-coast | 2023-07-29T10:19:21 | 0 | https://www.kunm.org/npr-news/2023-07-29/4-air-crew-members-are-missing-after-an-australian-army-helicopter-ditched-off-coast |
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JEFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The nation’s top health official implored states to do more to keep lower-income residents enrolled in Medicaid, as the Biden administration released figures Friday confirming that many who had health coverage during the coronavirus pandemic are now losing it.
Though a decline in Medicaid coverage was expected, health officials are raising concerns about the large numbers of people being dropped from the rolls for failing to return forms or follow procedures.
In 18 states that began a post-pandemic review of their Medicaid rolls in April, health coverage was continued for about 1 million recipients and terminated for 715,000. Of those dropped, 4 in 5 were for procedural reasons, according to newly released data from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra sent a letter Friday to all governors encouraging them to bolster efforts to retain people on Medicaid. He particularly encouraged them to use electronic information from other federal programs, such as food stamps, to automatically confirm people’s eligibility for Medicaid. That would avert the need to mail and return documents.
“I am deeply concerned about high rates of procedural terminations due to ‘red tape’ and other paperwork issues,” Becerra told governors.
During the pandemic, states were prohibited from ending people’s Medicaid coverage. As a result, Medicaid enrollment swelled by nearly one-third, from 71 million people in February 2020 to 93 million in February 2023. The prohibition on trimming rolls ended in April, and states now have resumed annual eligibility redeterminations that had been required before the pandemic.
The new federal data captures only the first month of state Medicaid reviews from states that acted the most expeditiously. Since then, additional states also have submitted reports on those renewed and dropped from Medicaid in May and June.
Though the federal government hasn’t released data from the most recent reports, information gathered by The Associated Press and health care advocacy groups show that about 3.7 million people already have lost Medicaid coverage. That includes about 500,000 in Texas, around 400,000 in Florida and 225,000 in California. Of those who lost coverage, 89% were for procedural reasons in California, 81% in Texas and 59% in Florida, according to the AP’s data.
Many of those people may have still been eligible for Medicaid, “but they’re caught in a bureaucratic nightmare of confusing forms, notices sent to wrong addresses and other errors,” said Michelle Levander, founding director of the Center for Health Journalism at the University of Southern California,
Top CMS officials said they have worked with several states to pause Medicaid removals and improve procedures for determining eligibility.
South Carolina is one state that voluntarily slowed down. It reported renewing Medicaid coverage for about 27,000 people in May while removing 118,000. Of those dropped, 95% were for procedural reasons. In a recent report to the federal government, South Carolina said it removed no one from Medicaid in June because it extended the eligibility renewal deadline from 60 days to 90 days.
Michigan reported renewing more than 103,000 Medicaid recipients in June and removing just 12,000. It told the federal government that the state opted to delay terminations for those who failed to respond to renewal requests while instead making additional outreach attempts. As a result, the state reported more than 100,000 people whose June eligibility cases remained incomplete.
People who are dropped from Medicaid can regain coverage retroactively if they submit information within 90 days proving their eligibility. But some advocacy groups say that still poses a challenge.
“State government is not necessarily nimble,” said Keesa Smith, executive director of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. “When individuals are being disenrolled, the biggest concern … is that there is not a fast track to get those individuals back on the rolls.”
Arkansas officials have been at the forefront of defending Medicaid cuts. They contend that many people likely don’t return forms because they no longer need Medicaid.
People are “transitioning off of Medicaid” because “they are working, making more money, and have access to health care through their employers or the federal marketplace,” Arkansas Medicaid Director Janet Mann said earlier this month. “This should be celebrated, not criticized.”
Insurance companies that run Medicaid programs for states said they are trying to reduce procedural terminations and enroll people in new plans.
The Blue Cross-Blue Shield insurer Elevance Health lost 130,000 Medicaid customers during the recently completed second quarter, as Medicaid eligibility redeterminations began. Chief Financial Officer John Gallina said earlier this month that many people lost Medicaid coverage for administrative reasons but are likely to reenroll in the near future.
Leaders of the insurer Molina Healthcare told analysts Thursday that the company lost about 93,000 Medicaid customers in the recently completed second quarter, mostly due to eligibility redeterminations. Molina officials said they are trying to switch people who no longer qualify for Medicaid to one of the individual insurance plans they sell through state-based marketplaces.
Federal data for April indicates that some states did a better job than others at handling a crush of questions from people about their Medicaid coverage.
In 19 states and the District of Columbia, the average Medicaid call center wait time was one minute or less in April. But in Idaho, the average caller to the state’s Medicaid help line waited 51 minutes. In Missouri, the average wait was 44 minutes, and in Florida 40 minutes.
___
Associated Press writer Tom Murphy in Indianapolis contributed to this report. | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-paperwork-problems-drive-surge-in-people-losing-medicaid-health-coverage/ | 2023-07-29T10:19:23 | 1 | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-paperwork-problems-drive-surge-in-people-losing-medicaid-health-coverage/ |
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From the outside, the tall white building looks like any other hip, new Brooklyn living space. But about a thousand migrant men sleep here every night and there's room for hundreds more. It's a sort of mega shelter, poised to become one of New York City's largest.
It's been open for just a few weeks, and it's already riddled with accusations of abuse.
For months, Mayor Eric Adams has been issuing warnings that the New York City shelter system simply cannot handle the deluge of over 90,000 people it has received in the last year or so. "We have no more room in the city," he cautioned at a recent press conference. "We need help from the federal government."
The Adams administration is challenging New York's right to shelter law in court: That's the law that for decades has assured that the city provide a safe haven to anyone in need, regardless of immigration status.
Adams also recently announced several unusual measures including distribution of fliers to asylum-seekers at the border in order to discourage migrants from coming to New York City. Single adults will only be able to stay in shelters for 60 days before having to reapply.
Activists say it's in keeping with this policy shift that the new shelter site — located in Brooklyn's posh Clinton Hill neighborhood — is being referred to as an "emergency respite center," rather than a shelter. It's been touted as a temporary humanitarian aid solution.
NPR spent several days speaking to asylum seekers who say conditions in the building are dire. Many described zones of 80 to 90 people sharing two bathrooms. A 26-year-old man named Deivy says he's fleeing armed conflict in Colombia and that he's been living in the shelter for over a week.
He asked that his last name be withheld for fear of retaliation. Deivy says fighting over use of the bathroom facilities is common and showering is an odyssey. Parked outside, two trailers with showers serve the entire building.
"It's bad in there," says one Mauritanian man named Neimar, who also asked that his last name be withheld for fear he'd be in trouble with shelter authorities. Sitting listlessly on a nearby park bench, Neimar describes the experience as a sort of limbo. "We had no life where we came from, but here we have no luck here. No clothing. No food. Nothing."
Lack of access to food is one of the most common complaints. On a recent day shelter occupants say lunch consists of a bag of chips and a water. Often the food has gone bad.
What troubles many people here the most is the security guards. "They treat us like animals," says Neimar. "As if we were not people."
In interviews with more than two dozen people, nearly everyone recounted experiencing physical harassment and verbal slights at the shelter. "I understand enough English to know I'm being insulted," says Deivy.
NPR reached out to the New York City government multiple times for comment on these accusations without response.
Advocates say shelters like this one are disheartening, especially given that New York has long been seen as a beacon for immigrants. "For at least 40 years, New York City has provided a right to shelter to all people — regardless of their immigration status — who need a place to stay for the night," says Columbia University Professor Elora Mukherjee, who studies immigration and law. She called the shift in policy "devastating."
For many migrants and asylum seekers, this Brooklyn location is not the first encounter with the New York shelter system. But it does feel like the last straw. Several described the situation at this new site so dire, they would rather sleep under a nearby highway overpass. Others have no choice but to join a homeless camp of nearly 20 men.
Among them is Jose Antonio. He says he left Venezuela to escape government harassment. "Eighty people using two bathrooms?" he says. "It's a health hazard." When he arrived at the shelter a few weeks ago, it was under construction, still lacking lights. After an altercation over bathroom access in the morning, he says, he was asked to leave. He now he sleeps outside. During the day, he works odd landscaping gigs.
The motto down here: stay working.
But the question of work and who is allowed to do it is where the federal immigration bureaucracy labyrinth gets even more complicated. The soonest an asylum seeker can get a work permit is six months after they apply for asylum. That's a process that can in turn take years.
"The Mayor does make a good point when he says that the city needs help. And that help should take various forms," said Professor Elora Mukherjee. The city, she says, needs the federal government to lend their authority. "First and foremost: the federal government should authorize asylum seekers to receive their lawful work organization as soon as they enter the United States and fill out the relevant paperwork."
There's no indication that this will happen anytime soon. Instead, many men rent scooters in order to work for food delivery apps. By noon on a recent day, the dinging sound of orders start echoing under the bridge.
The men head out.
It's a dystopian scene: asylum seekers, staying in a shelter and under a bridge, delivering pricey meals throughout New York.
A few days later, the police sweep the camp. For several hours the men say they are driven around the city on a bus and taken to two different shelters where they are turned away.
Eventually, the bus drops them off in Brooklyn again. The men walk back to the highway overpass and to the camp where they find many of their belongings are now missing. One man reports his immigration papers, cellphone, and clothing all gone.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.kunm.org/npr-news/2023-07-29/as-nyc-limits-access-to-migrants-and-asylum-seekers-many-are-left-homeless | 2023-07-29T10:19:27 | 0 | https://www.kunm.org/npr-news/2023-07-29/as-nyc-limits-access-to-migrants-and-asylum-seekers-many-are-left-homeless |
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The rapper G Herbo pleaded guilty Friday to his role in a scheme that used stolen credit card information to pay for a lavish lifestyle including private jets, exotic car rentals, a luxury vacation rental and even expensive designer puppies.
Under a deal with prosecutors, the 27-year-old Chicago rapper, whose real name is Herbert Wright III, entered a guilty plea in federal court in Springfield, Massachusetts, to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and making false statements. In exchange, prosecutors dismissed several counts of aggravated identity theft.
He also agreed to forfeit nearly $140,000, the amount he benefited from what prosecutors have said was a $1.5 million scheme that involved several other people.
“Mr. Wright used stolen account information as his very own unlimited funding source, using victims’ payment cards to finance an extravagant lifestyle and advance his career,” acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy said in a statement.
Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 7, and he faces a maximum of 25 years in prison. A voicemail seeking comment was left with his attorney.
From at least March 2017 until November 2018, G Herbo and his promoter, Antonio Strong, used text messages, social media messages and emails to share account information taken from dark websites, authorities said.
On one occasion, the stolen account information was used to pay for a chartered jet to fly the rapper and members of his entourage from Chicago to Austin, Texas, authorities said. On another, a stolen account was used to pay nearly $15,000 for Wright and seven others to stay several days in a six-bedroom Jamaican villa.
In court documents, prosecutors said G Herbo “used the proceeds of these frauds to travel to various concert venues and to advance his career by posting photographs and/or videos of himself on the private jets, in the exotic cars, and at the Jamaican villa.”
G Herbo also helped Strong order two designer Yorkshire terrier puppies from a Michigan pet shop using a stolen credit card and a fake Washington state driver’s license, according to the indictment. The total cost was more than $10,000, prosecutors said.
When the pet shop’s owner asked to confirm the purchase with G Herbo, Strong directed her to do so through an Instagram message, and G Herbo confirmed he was buying the puppies, authorities said.
Because the stolen credit card information was authentic, the transactions went through and it wasn’t until later that the real credit card holders noticed and reported the fraud.
G Herbo was also charged in May 2021 with lying to investigators by denying that he had any ties to Strong when in fact the two had worked together since at least 2016, prosecutors said.
Strong has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.
G Herbo’s music is centered on his experiences growing up on the East Side of Chicago in a neighborhood dubbed Terror Town, including gang and gun violence.
He released his debut mix tapes “Welcome to Fazoland” and “Pistol P Project” in 2014, both named for friends who had been killed in the city. His first album was 2017’s “Humble Beast,” and his latest is “Survivor’s Remorse,” released last year.
His 2020 album “PTSD” debuted at number 7 on the Billboard 200.
G Herbo also started a program in Chicago called Swervin’ Through Stress, aimed at giving urban youths tools to navigate mental health crises, after publicly acknowledging his own struggle with PTSD. In 2021 he was named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 music list. | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-rapper-g-herbo-pleads-guilty-in-credit-card-fraud-that-paid-for-private-jets-and-designer-puppies/ | 2023-07-29T10:19:29 | 1 | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-rapper-g-herbo-pleads-guilty-in-credit-card-fraud-that-paid-for-private-jets-and-designer-puppies/ |
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LIMA, Peru — Although the top tourist destination in Peru is the ancient Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, high in the Andes Mountains, the capital Lima also holds a treasure trove of ancient ruins — so many, in fact, that authorities can't take care of them all.
The city is home to more than 400 known pyramids, temples and burial sites, many of which predate the Incas and and are known in Spanish as "huacas." They sit next to modern shopping centers, hotels and highways or rise up in the middle of neighborhoods in this city of 11 million people. Meanwhile, archaeologists keep digging up new sites.
Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, a former Peruvian president who lives across the street from a pyramid called Huallamarca, built around 1,800 years ago, says with a smile: "I know where I am when I wake up in the morning. I'm in Peru!"
Due mostly to budget limitations, Huallamarca is one of only 27 sites in Lima that have been excavated, restored and opened to visitors, according to archaeologists who spoke with NPR.
Many other sites are deteriorating. Squatters have occupied some, and others have become de facto garbage dumps or gathering spots for drug users and homeless people.
"Everywhere you dig, you will find something — because Lima was home to great civilizations," says Micaela Álvarez, director of the museum at Pucllana, a massive pyramid in Lima's business district of Miraflores. "But it's impossible to save everything in a poor country."
Pucllana is one of the exceptions.
Thought to be about 1,500 years old, the pyramid was a ceremonial site for the Lima Indigenous group that gave this city its name. Excavations began in 1981 and continue today.
On a recent morning, workers scraped sand and dirt from part of the site that archaeologists are beginning to explore for the first time. Nearby, guides pointed to the intricate brickwork, which has withstood earthquakes, and then led visitors to the top of the 82-foot-tall pyramid for views of the Pacific Ocean.
Among the visitors was Manuel Larrabure, a professor at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania who was born and raised in Lima but had never been to Pucllana.
"It's very impressive," he said. "The tendency is to look outside of Lima for interesting things, but it's good to look inside and to appreciate our own culture. People are still getting to know these sites."
Before it was restored following the start of excavations some 40 years ago, Pucllana was routinely looted and abused. At one point, a factory was using Pucllana's sand and clay to make bricks. Tour guide Blanca Arista says the pyramid also served as a neighborhood playground — and a motocross track.
"It's unbelievable, but several groups were practicing motocross," she said. "So, imagine different groups riding motorcycles, riding bikes."
Indeed, Lima's ancient Indigenous sites have, more often, been desecrated instead of safeguarded, says Giancarlo Marcone, a Peruvian archaeologist and professor at the University of Engineering and Technology in Lima.
Some were bulldozed to make way for apartment blocks and streets amid a wave of migration from the countryside that began in the 1950s.
"That put a lot of pressure on the city, and we didn't have good planning," Marcone says. "Until recently, we didn't really care about what we had."
Attitudes shifted as Peruvians became more sensitive to their cultural heritage and the country's ancient sites began to attract more international tourists. Janie Gómez, who until April was deputy culture minister, said the government of President Dina Boluarte is committed to preserving these sites.
"Their recovery will prevent them from deteriorating and being invaded," she told the state-run Andina news agency in January. "The millennial history over which Lima was built must not be lost."
However, Peru is struggling to reduce poverty and improve hospitals and schools, Marcone says. Thus, governments have been unable or unwilling to finance robust excavations or to turn more than a few sites into tourist attractions. The result is that many have been left in limbo.
Rosa María Barillas, a Peruvian archaeology student who recently completed fieldwork at an ancient temple on the outskirts of Lima, recalls looters prowling the area.
"I had to chase them away," she says.
Other sites have been colonized by squatters. The archaeological complex at Mateo Salado, near Lima's international airport, features a beautifully restored 1,000-year-old pyramid, but is also home to several modern houses. Until 2013, when major restoration work began, farmers used the site to cultivate roses and neighborhood kids played soccer there.
In the working-class neighborhood of Los Olivos, a dusty, dun-colored archaeological site called Infantas I is hemmed in by streets and houses. Ashes from a campfire are smoldering while trash piles up in several areas. Three youths are smoking crack, and a shirtless man is digging up sand and putting it in sacks. The area is part of a series of temples, but has yet to be excavated.
Benito Trejo, who heads the neighborhood committee, calls Infantas I a headache.
"It's not a good thing, because these sites are ignored by the government which is supposed to look after them," he says.
There was no response to NPR's requests for comment from the Culture Ministry.
For now, archaeologists say that surrounding communities must get more involved in preserving and promoting the sites. Pucllana, for example, has been used for art exhibits, while other sites have hosted film screenings.
At Mateo Salado, fifth graders were recently visiting the site and drawing pictures of the ruins, which are part of their school logo.
"We shouldn't look at these sites simply as relics of the past," says Andrés Ramírez, one of the instructors. "They should be part of everyday society. That's what we are trying to promote."
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.kunm.org/npr-news/2023-07-29/in-peru-discovery-of-ancient-ruins-outpaces-authorities-ability-to-care-for-them | 2023-07-29T10:19:33 | 0 | https://www.kunm.org/npr-news/2023-07-29/in-peru-discovery-of-ancient-ruins-outpaces-authorities-ability-to-care-for-them |
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A New York man who stole a badge and radio from a police officer brutally beaten by other rioters during the attack on the U.S. Capitol was sentenced on Friday to more than four years in prison.
Thomas Sibick, of Buffalo, pleaded guilty in March for his role in the attack on Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone, who has described fighting for his life to defend the Capitol as lawmakers inside fled from the angry mob on Jan. 6, 2021.
In a letter to the judge, Sibick, 37, called the trauma Fanone experienced “undeniably sickening” and said he takes full responsibility for his “uncivilized display of reckless behavior.”
“It was an attack on the institutions of our democracy and not as some would make you believe legitimate political discourse. The attack was far from peaceful, my actions played a role that will follow me for the rest of my life,” Sibick wrote.
Judge Amy Berman Jackson sentenced him to 50 months in prison during a hearing in Washington’s federal court.
Sibick’s attorney Stephen Brennwald did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Following his arrest, Sibick spent eight months behind bars but was released on home confinement in October 2021 after his lawyer pressed the judge to free him while his case played out.
Sibick’s attorney had asked for a sentence of home confinement, writing in court papers that a mental health misdiagnosis resulted in his client taking medication on Jan. 6 that “severely and negatively impacted him.” Sibick’s attorney said, unlike other rioters, his client did not physically assault Fanone, and their interaction was limited to Sibick grabbing Fanone’s radio and badge.
“Mr. Sibick has made a remarkable change in his life since he received his correct mental health diagnosis and has begun cognitive behavioral therapy,” Brennwald wrote. “Because he sees January 6 for what it was, he is not a threat to re-offend in the future.”
Rioters kicked, punched, grabbed and shocked Fanone with a stun gun after pulling him away from other officers who were guarding a tunnel entrance on the Capitol’s Lower West Terrace. Another rioter threatened to take Fanone’s gun and kill him. Fanone said the attack gave him a heart attack and a traumatic brain injury and ultimately cost him his career.
Fanone’s body camera captured Sibick removing the officer’s badge and radio from his tactical vest, according to a court filing accompanying his guilty plea.
Others in the crowd escorted Fanone back to the police line. Before FBI agents showed Sibick the body camera video, he initially claimed that he tried in vain to pull the officer away from his attackers.
Sibick said he buried Fanone’s badge in his backyard after returning home to Buffalo. He returned the badge, but Fanone’s $5,500 radio hasn’t been recovered.
Other rioters have been charged with attacking Fanone, who lost consciousness and was taken to an emergency room.
Albuquerque Cosper Head, a Tennessee man who dragged Fanone into the crowd, was sentenced in October 2022 to seven years and six months in prison. Another man, Daniel Rodriguez of California, was sentenced last month to more than 12 years in prison for driving a stun gun into Fanone’s neck as the officer screamed out in pain. | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-rioter-who-stole-badge-radio-from-beaten-officer-on-jan-6-gets-more-than-4-years-in-prison/ | 2023-07-29T10:19:35 | 0 | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-rioter-who-stole-badge-radio-from-beaten-officer-on-jan-6-gets-more-than-4-years-in-prison/ |
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Ron DeSantis was involved in a traffic accident while in Chattanooga, Tenn., this week raising money for his presidential bid. The candidate was not injured, which may have been the single best piece of news the campaign has had in a while.
The other kind of news for the Florida Republican seemed to be everywhere and all at once. His campaign announced it was shedding a third of its staff and "retooling" its fundraising amid reports of donor desertion. The Associated Press referred to the campaign as "stalled," Rich Lowry of National Review used the words "faltering" and "diminished" in a piece for Politico. The Wall Street Journal editorial page, often a cheerleader for the governor, noted "the headlines say [the campaign] is in an unrecoverable dive."
The media critiques went beyond DeSantis' problems with staffing and fundraising to question his performance on the stump. Stories told of DeSantis "scolding" students at one event for wearing masks and snapping at reporters at a news conference.
Most troubling of all may have been DeSantis' problems with messaging. He has defended his administration's new Florida history curriculum, which alludes to "benefits" that enslaved people may have derived from their life in bondage – such as blacksmithing skills. That drew a rebuke from rival candidate Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who's Black, who said there had been no "silver lining in slavery."
DeSantis may have been expected to stand by his state's curriculum changes, but it was harder to understand why he reached for controversy by saying he might appoint Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as head of the FDA or the CDC. Kennedy, a Democrat, is also a candidate for president, and famous as a vaccine conspiracy theorist, harshly critical of the scientists who lead the federal health agencies.
Most candidates would not consider either slavery or RFK Jr. an issue to emphasize, much less the hill they would choose to die on.
Perceptions prompt comparison to former presidential hopeful Rick Perry
Perceptions of DeSantis have changed greatly since he won reelection in November 2022 by 20 points. In January he was seen as the foremost threat to Donald Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination, trailing the former president by just two percentage points in the 538.com average of national polls. As of this week, that gap has widened to 37 percentage points. DeSantis poll numbers have fallen by more than half as other candidates have entered the fray and taken a share. And that trendline has prompted comparisons to the recent history of another Sun Belt governor who had his eyes on the White House, Rick Perry of Texas.
A dozen years ago, Perry entered the GOP lists for the 2012 nomination against incumbent President Barack Obama. Having been elected and reelected in the nation's second most populous state, Perry had a gaudy list of endorsements and wealthy backers. His TV ads were impressive.
But Perry's in-person campaigning did not match expectations. After the first candidate debates of 2007 the buzz was all about his lackluster performances. Vowing to fight on, Perry pointed to a November debate where he hoped to turn things around. That was when he pledged to eliminate three cabinet level departments of the federal government if elected – Education, Commerce ... and he could not remember the third. After a fumbling pause he said: "Oops."
Needless to say, things did not get better after that. Crushed in the 2012 Iowa caucuses, Perry all but ignored New Hampshire to concentrate on South Carolina. But when his poll numbers there also sagged, he dropped out. In 2016, having just retired as the longest-tenured governor in Texas history, he tried again. But in a field of more than 15 candidates dominated by Trump, Perry barely registered. He dropped out before the Iowa caucuses.
Needless to say, no candidate for president wants to be compared to Rick Perry. But on Fox News on June 28, DeSantis told a Fox News host he would eliminate the same three departments as Perry — Education, Commerce and, as Perry had eventually remembered, Energy (which wound up being the department where Perry served as secretary under Trump). DeSantis threw in the IRS, too, which gave him a longer list than Perry's.
Throughout the agonizing train wreck that was the Perry campaign, the candidate seemed unable to understand that the persona and priorities that had lifted him to such success in Texas were not working the same on the national stage.
Can this campaign be saved?
DeSantis' campaign has reached the point where some observers wonder if it's too late to turn his fortunes around. They note that Trump's growing advantage over DeSantis in polls has been driven less by improving numbers for Trump than by deteriorating support for the Floridian.
But there are positives in this picture for the Florida governor. First, it is early — or at least relatively early — in the campaign season. The first voting activity leading to actual delegates being chosen does not happen until January 15, when Iowa holds its caucuses. That gives DeSantis and other candidates still seeking traction more than five months to find it. If the right formula can be found, there is time to follow it.
Second, the field is in some senses still unsettled. While half the Republican electorate may be satisfied with Trump, there is still the other half. And if the ever-mounting legal woes of the former president finally begin to erode the bedrock of his support, it may be possible for a single strong challenger to consolidate the opposition.
Third, there are beacons of hope for troubled candidates in recent presidential campaign history. By choosing to call the latest phase of his effort an "insurgency," DeSantis has acknowledged that he is battling the odds. Of course, when he adopted the campaign motto "The Great American Comeback," he was not expecting it to apply to his campaign.
The term "comeback" has long been associated with the first presidential push of a young Arkansas governor named Bill Clinton. Then 45, Clinton was seeking the Democratic nomination against the sitting president George H.W. Bush in 1992. Bush had been so popular following the success of the Persian Gulf War in 1991 that many ambitious Democrats in Washington thought it better to wait for the 1996 cycle to run. Clinton looked strong in the preliminary phase of the campaign but was on the ropes as the primaries began, battered by two potentially fatal blows.
Newspaper stories had highlighted steps he took to avoid the draft during the Vietnam War, and in a woman he had known in Arkansas named Gennifer Flowers told a supermarket tabloid the two had had a years-long affair. She repeated her story in a televised news conference.
Clinton stumbled to a distant third-place showing in the Iowa caucuses (won by a favorite son candidate, Tom Harkin) and fell far behind in New Hampshire. But on that state's primary night in February, Clinton in second place had closed the gap to single digits and won half the available delegates.
He went on TV to thank New Hampshire for making "Bill Clinton the comeback kid." The national media coverage largely followed that line, much to the distress of the primary's first-place winner, Sen. Paul Tsongas of neighboring Massachusetts. A few weeks later, on Super Tuesday, Clinton won most of the big state primaries, many of them in the South, and the lion's share of the delegates. He was soon cruising to the nomination.
McCain turned his ship around
More directly comparable to DeSantis' situation, and closer to his political home, was the turnaround achieved 16 years later by the campaign of Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain. A former POW in Vietnam who had made many friends in his time in the Senate, McCain was well known for his spirited "Straight Talk Express" campaign challenging George W. Bush for the GOP nomination in 2000. McCain came up short that time, but his profile was elevated in the Senate and he retained much of his appeal for independents.
But when it came to running another campaign, McCain quickly ran aground. The national agenda had changed over the two terms of the second President Bush, which included the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks and subsequent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The man who had been New York City mayor during those attacks, Rudy Giuliani, was now running for president as "America's Mayor" and leading in national polls for a time.
Other notables in the field in 2007 included Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (now a senator from Utah) and Mike Huckabee, a former governor of Arkansas. McCain's standing in Iowa had suffered with his opposition to ethanol subsidies and he trailed Romney in polling in New Hampshire.
In the summer of 2007, with his early money drying up and fundraising slowed, McCain saw many news accounts of his flagging campaign. Some were ready to write him off. But that July he revamped his campaign from top to bottom and let go some longtime aides, including close friends, to begin anew. He seemed ready to do whatever it took, including altering his positions on key issues such as immigration.
By the time the campaign reached the voters in January 2008, the McCain operation had righted itself. After conceding Iowa to his rivals, McCain stormed back into contention with a smashing win in New Hampshire that netted him most of the delegates at stake.
As for one-time front-runner Giuliani, he had decided he did not need to go hard at Iowa and New Hampshire and concentrated instead on the late January primary in Florida. Giuliani finished third there, winning no delegates, and withdrew from the race the next day.
The following week brought Super Tuesday and a favorable mix of states for McCain, who won nine states to Romney's seven and Huckabee's five and pocketed most of the delegates. Romney then left the race and urged the other candidates and the party to unite behind McCain.
At such times in the past, struggling campaigns have rescued themselves with the right moves and a dose of luck. At other times, it has taken major missteps by front-running candidates to open the door. In DeSantis' case, it might well require both.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.kunm.org/npr-news/2023-07-29/presidential-primaries-have-seen-dramatic-comebacks-could-desantis-24-be-next | 2023-07-29T10:19:39 | 0 | https://www.kunm.org/npr-news/2023-07-29/presidential-primaries-have-seen-dramatic-comebacks-could-desantis-24-be-next |
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court ruling that upended President Joe Biden’s plan to forgive student loan debt changed his budget math, modestly lowering the projected deficit for this year, his budget office reported Friday.
The White House expects to pare back $259 billion in spending that otherwise would have gone to erasing student loans. This contributed to lowering expected red ink this year under Biden’s budget plans from $1.569 trillion to $1.543 trillion.
The Office of Management and Budget’s Mid-Session Review represents the administration’s first recalculations of the loan program since the court’s June decision, which will affect millions of borrowers.
The court decision initially was expected to reduce the deficit by $400 billion. But a portion of that money will instead be used to pay for a smaller income-driven loan repayment program that goes into effect this summer, according to the report.
Millions of Americans with student loans will be able to enroll in the new SAVE repayment plan that offers some of the most lenient terms the government has ever offered borrowers.
Looking ahead to 2024, the report projects that inflation will continue to decline and the unemployment rate will average 3.8% for the rest of the year. Unemployment is expected to hit 4.4 % in 2024, then decline over the rest of the 10-year budget window to an annual average of 3.8%.
The new forecast comes as Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell earlier this week said staff economists no longer foresee a recession.
“There is clear evidence that the President’s economic plan — Bidenomics — is growing our economy from the middle out and bottom up, not the top down,” said Biden’s budget director Shalanda Young in a statement accompanying the report.
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The Mount Lemmon Lodge is now open in Summerhaven north of Tucson. The 16-room lodge features a Beyond Bread cafe, lounge, Swedish sauna and more. | https://tucson.com/cece/article_bf4d1237-ba72-5b3e-aa1a-eb9bba689f75.html | 2023-07-29T10:19:43 | 1 | https://tucson.com/cece/article_bf4d1237-ba72-5b3e-aa1a-eb9bba689f75.html |
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Political instability in Niger resulting from a military takeover that deposed the president this week threatens the economic support provided by Washington to the African nation, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Saturday.
Members of the Niger military announced on Wednesday they had deposed democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum and on Friday named Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani as the country’s new leader, adding Niger to a growing list of military regimes in West Africa’s Sahel region.
Blinken, who is in Australia as part of a Pacific tour, said the continued security and economic arrangements that Niger has with the U.S. hinged on the release of Bazoum and “the immediate restoration of the democratic order in Niger.”
“Our economic and security partnership with Niger — which is significant, hundreds of millions of dollars — depends on the continuation of the democratic governance and constitutional order that has been disrupted by the actions in the last few days,” Blinken said. “So that assistance, that support, is in clear jeopardy as a result of these actions, which is another reason why they need to be immediately reversed.”
Blinken stopped short of calling the military actions in Niger a coup, a designation that could result in the African country losing millions of dollars of military aid and assistance.
Speaking in Brisbane, Blinken said he had spoken with President Bazoum on Saturday but did not provide details. He cited the support of the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States and other regional entities in trying to bring an end to the unrest.
“The very significant assistance that we have in place that’s making a material difference in the lives of the people of Niger is clearly in jeopardy and we’ve communicated that as clearly as we possibly can to those responsible for disrupting the constitutional order and Niger’s democracy,” Blinken said.
Blinken said the U.S. Embassy in Niger had accounted for the safety of all staff members and their families, while issuing a security alert advising U.S. citizens in the country to limit unnecessary movements and avoid areas impacted by the coup.
The military group that conducted the coup, calling itself the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Country, said its members remained committed to engaging with the international and national community.
“This is as a result of the continuing degradation of the security situation, the bad economic and social governance,” air force Col. Major Amadou Abdramane said in the video released by the coup leaders Wednesday. He said aerial and land borders were closed and a curfew was in place until the situation stabilized.
Bazoum was elected two years ago in Niger’s first peaceful, democratic transfer of power since independence from France.
Niger is seen as the last reliable partner for the West in efforts to battle jihadis linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group in Africa’s Sahel region, where Russia and Western countries have vied for influence in the fight against extremism.
France has 1,500 soldiers in the country who conduct joint operations with Niger’s military, while the U.S. and other European countries have helped train the nation’s troops.
___
Hannon reported from Bangkok. | https://www.wivb.com/news/ap-blinken-says-us-economic-support-for-niger-is-at-risk-as-military-takeover-threatens-stability/ | 2023-07-29T10:19:45 | 0 | https://www.wivb.com/news/ap-blinken-says-us-economic-support-for-niger-is-at-risk-as-military-takeover-threatens-stability/ |
Bridging the AI language gap in Africa and beyond
AI tools like ChatGPT offer amazing opportunities — if you happen to speak a language they support.
But according to Mekdes Gebrewold, founder of Ashagari consultancy in Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, even machine translations are impossible in her language. "Tools like Google Translate are not well-constructed for Amharic," she told DW. "So we pay professionals instead."
Billions of people like Mekdes Gebrewold are unable to take advantage of AI-powered tools due to their language. This applies not only to generative AI like ChatGPT or translation services like Google Translate, but also a range of other tools — autocomplete, transcription services, voice assistants and content moderation on social media.
But some are working to change that.
Why do AI tools not work in many languages?
Modern AI tools are, in essence, advanced autocomplete tools that predict the most likely answer based on the input they get. These predictions rely on vast amounts of "training data" – digital collections of content that AI engineers use to build their models.
One important source of training data is the so-called Common Crawl, an openly available dataset consisting of billions of web pages from the internet. About 60% of the examples used to train ChatGPT's version 3.5 come from this collection.
However, because of the reliance on this training data, AI tools don't work when data in a particular language is scarce. This is an issue since the internet is dominated by only a few languages — none more so than English, which alone accounts for almost half of all pages in the Common Crawl.
Amharic, along with all other African, American, and Oceanian languages, make up less than 0.1% of the Common Crawl. It's known as a low-resource language with little digital data available.
Around the world, billions of people speak these low-resource languages, a category that includes even major languages like Hindi, Arabic, and Bengali.
There is a clear pattern that shows which languages are left behind. European languages are vastly overrepresented compared to most Asian and all African ones.
Dutch, for example, is spoken as a first language by just over 20 million people, similar to Amharic. Yet Dutch appears almost 700 times more in the Common Crawl dataset, and hundreds of times more than even Hindi with its over 300 million native speakers.
There are ways around this lack of data, though. Beyond the tech giants of Silicon Valley, machine-learning researchers all over the world are developing AI-powered tools for their own languages.
How to bridge AI's language gap
Asmelash Teka Hadgu cofounded Lesan, a startup that creates machine translation and speech technology for Ethiopian languages Amharic and Tigrinya. Without vast amounts of online resources, his team works directly with their community and finds creative ways to collect data.
"We work mainly with students who just love their language," he told DW. "When we tell them we're building this thing, they are inspired and want to contribute. So we set out tasks to gather content in our language. And we assist, and reward them financially."
This requires a lot of manual labor. Contributors first identify high-quality datasets, such as trustworthy books or newspapers, then digitize and translate them into the target languages. Finally, they align the original and translated versions sentence by sentence to guide the machine learning process.
With this approach, companies like Lesan cannot hope to rival the billions of pages of English content available, but they might not need to. Lesan, for instance, already outperforms Google Translate in both Amharic and Tigrinya.
"We've shown that you can build useful models by using small, carefully curated data sets," said Asmelash Teka Hadgu. "We understand its limitations and capabilities. Meanwhile, Microsoft or Google usually build a single, gigantic model for all languages, so it's almost impossible to audit."
More languages need digital support
Lesan's approach is not unique. Similar projects are being successfully implemented all over the world, even for languages with smaller digital footprints.
Ethnologue, a global database of languages run by Christian NGO SIL International, lists Amharic among the languages with "Vital" language support. This means that there are at least some machine translation tools, spellcheck, and speech processing available.
Thousands of languages worldwide, including many with more than a million users, have even less content and fewer digital tools on offer.
Asmelash Teka Hadgu is part of a network of African AI pioneers. He is a research fellow at the Distributed AI Research Institute (DAIR), a group of researchers from Africa, Europe, and North America. He is also in regular contact with groups like GhanaNLP and the African grassroots collective Masakhane.
"We're enabling ownership of these technologies by African founders," he told DW. "This is being built and served by people from these communities. So the financial rewards will also go directly back to them."
Outside of Africa as well, researchers around the world are working on other languages including Jamaican Patois, Catalan, Sudanese, and Māori.
And while tech giants like ChatGPT’s OpenAI keep their models secret and inscrutable, initiatives like the global AI collective Hugging Face have been sharing insights and AI models freely. This makes it easier for any researcher to create solutions for their languages.
"Talent is everywhere, opportunity is not," said Asmelash Teka Hadgu. "If you want to create the best kind of machine translation technology, say, for a Ghanaian language, there will be a Ghanaian who feels passionately and can do it well. Let's empower that."
Edited by: Davis VanOpdorp
For data, code and methodology behind this analysis, see this repository. You can find more data-driven stories by DW here. | https://www.dw.com/en/bridging-the-ai-language-gap-in-africa-and-beyond/a-66331763 | 2023-07-29T10:19:45 | 0 | https://www.dw.com/en/bridging-the-ai-language-gap-in-africa-and-beyond/a-66331763 |
The numbers are in and things look surprisingly rosy for the U.S. economy:
The Federal Reserve is still cautious, but big brands – including Coca-Cola, Hilton and Visa — are singing praises to shoppers seemingly undeterred by companies' raising prices. What's more, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Barbie are enticing people to part with their money, bolstering local businesses.
Financial reports by corporations and government data have been painting a picture this month of insatiable American shoppers making companies positively exuberant.
This week, GDP or gross domestic product – considered the measure of economic growth – showed the U.S. economy grew at a rate of 2.4%, much higher than expected. What's fueling it is — you guessed it — spending. Brand after brand this week boosted their earnings forecasts for the year, calling consumers "resilient" in the face of higher prices.
The 'she-conomy' takes center stage
Americans have been scaling back in some categories, including clothing and furniture, but we're splurging on travel. We're also going out to eat, and see concerts and movies. You could call it the Barbie bump.
Plus, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé have been moving markets, quite literally. The Federal Reserve has tracked the striking effect of Taylor Swift's tour on host cities. One analysis estimates it could generate almost $5 billion in global revenue. When Beyoncé comes to town, hotels, hair stylists and bartenders all get a boost, according to Yelp.
Southwest Airlines this week reported record revenue. Hilton executives said people were spending more across all its hotels, from the humbler Garden Inn to the upscale Waldorf Astoria, with business travel picking up and overall demand exceeding available rooms. Hotel prices have been setting records too.
"Not to be a Pollyanna at all, it all feels pretty good. ... I think the rest of this year's going to be very solid," Hilton CEO Chris Nassetta told analysts on Wednesday. "And I think next year will be a darn good year."
Companies test price limits in a 'Hot Profit Summer'
Higher prices showed up as good news in corporate reports across the board. Among them was Hershey (whose brands include Reese's and Skinny Pop). The company said people were buying slightly fewer snacks and candies, but its profits rose almost 30% anyway. A similar thing happened at Procter & Gamble (which makes Tide detergent and Crest toothpaste) and Colgate-Palmolive.
Coca-Cola, like rival Pepsi, reported that shoppers remained loyal to brand-name soda despite several rounds of price hikes.
Corporate execs offered many explanations for those hikes, including higher wages and other costs, such as sugar and corn syrup. Chipotle said it was still spending more on beef, tortillas, salsa, beans and rice, and did not rule out additional price hikes later in the year.
Is a spending hangover on the way?
So how are shoppers paying for all of this? Part of it is going on credit cards; the Federal Reserve Bank of New York saying credit card debt is at a record high. Banks report families are dipping into or even draining their pandemic-era savings.
But there's more to the story: A lot of workers have gotten raises recently. For the first time in months, our wages are outpacing inflation, as employers continue to compete for workers. This, in fact, raises the specter of the notorious wage-price spiral, with companies citing higher labor costs as a major cause of higher prices, and then workers pointing to those rising prices as proof they need higher pay.
Still, it seems like the pace of those raises is slowing down, which could signal that the labor market is softening. This is good news for inflation – which is now at 3% versus last year's 9% – but not enough for the Fed to ease up. It raised interest rates again this week, to a 22-year high.
"Inflation has moderated somewhat since the middle of last year," Fed Chair Jerome Powell told reporters, explaining the decision. "Nonetheless, the process of getting inflation back down to 2% has a long way to go."
While the economy has remained strong amid months of interest rate hikes — and the unemployment rate near a record low at 3.6% — the effects of the Fed's actions could still be coming.
If they can cool off the economy just enough to stop companies from raising prices, but not so much that they lay off workers, the Fed will have achieved what economists call a soft landing.
"We're not there yet," said KPMG Chief Economist Diane Swonk. "The hope is certainly high that we could get there."
NPR's David Gura contributed to this report.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.kunm.org/npr-news/2023-07-29/what-recession-its-a-summer-of-splurging-profits-and-girl-power | 2023-07-29T10:19:45 | 0 | https://www.kunm.org/npr-news/2023-07-29/what-recession-its-a-summer-of-splurging-profits-and-girl-power |
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PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A teenager recalled Friday how she helped save a girl who was severely wounded during a Michigan school shooting in 2021, telling a judge that she moved her to an empty classroom, applied pressure to stop the bleeding and prayed with her.
“I asked her if she knew who God was. She said, ‘Not really,’” Heidi Allen, 17, recalled.
“I think I’m supposed to be here right now,” she said, describing how she felt at the time. “Because there’s no other reason that I’m OK, that I’m in this hallway, completely untouched.”
Heidi testified at a hearing to determine whether Ethan Crumbley, 17, will get a life prison sentence, or a shorter term with an opportunity for parole, for killing four students and wounding seven other people at Oxford High School.
She said she recognized him as soon as he exited a bathroom and brandished a gun.
“It fired,” Heidi recalled. “Everything kind of slowed down for me. It was all slow motion. I had covered my head. I dropped down. … It sounded like a balloon popping or a locker slamming. It was very loud.
“I just prayed and covered my head,” she said. “I didn’t know if those were my last moments.”
Heidi wasn’t shot but others were. She said she took a girl into a classroom, installed a portable lock on the door and applied pressure to the girl’s wounds. The victim survived.
“I just kept reassuring her she was going to be OK. She was crying,” Heidi testified. “I don’t fully remember what she was saying. I was trying to stay calm.”
The shooter, who was 15 at the time, pleaded guilty to murder, terrorism and other crimes. But a life sentence for minors isn’t automatic after a series of decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court and Michigan’s top court.
Defense attorneys are arguing that he can be rehabilitated in prison and eventually released. They said the shooting followed years of a turbulent family life, grossly negligent parents and untreated mental illness.
A former warden, Ken Romanowski, testified about a variety of programs available in prison, such as mental health therapy, anger management, education and trade skills.
“Honestly, I think everybody has the potential for change. But he has to be the one who makes that choice,” Romanowski said, appearing for the defense.
A psychiatrist, Dr. Fariha Qadir, said Crumbley discussed having depression, hallucinations and hearing voices when they first met after his arrest. She has talked to him more than 100 times while in jail and prescribed medication for depression, mood and sleep.
James and Jennifer Crumbley are separately charged with involuntary manslaughter. They’re accused of buying a gun for their son and ignoring his mental health needs.
Earlier Friday, Judge Kwame Rowe denied a request by the shooter’s lawyers to stop students from testifying. They argued that it’s irrelevant when applying key factors set by the U.S. Supreme Court when determining a sentence for a minor.
“I’m able to discern what’s relevant to the… factors and what’s not relevant,” the judge said.
Prosecutors presented other witnesses Friday. An assistant principal, Kristy Gibson-Marshall, tearfully described how she tried to revive Tate Myre, a student whom she had known since he was 3 years old. He died.
“It was crushing. I had to help him,” Gibson-Marshall testified. “I could feel the entrance wound in the back of his head. … I just kept talking to him, that I love him, that I needed him to hang with me.”
It took “months to get the taste of Tate’s blood out of me,” she said.
Gibson-Marshall also knew the shooter, who passed by but didn’t harm her.
Separately, a 16-year-old boy explained how he hid in a bathroom with another student, Justin Shilling, who was killed by the shooter. Keegan Gregory said he suddenly found an opportunity to run behind the shooter’s back and escape.
“I realized if I stayed I was going to die,” said Keegan, who now wears a tattoo to honor the victims. “I just kept running as fast as I could, making turns so if he chased me I’d lose him.”
The hearing will resume Tuesday.
If the shooter doesn’t get a life sentence, he would be given a minimum prison sentence somewhere from 25 years to 40 years. He would then be eligible for parole, though the parole board has much discretion to keep a prisoner in custody.
There were opportunities to possibly prevent the shooting earlier that day. The boy and his parents met with school staff after a teacher was troubled by drawings that included a gun pointing at the words: “The thoughts won’t stop. Help me.”
The teen was allowed to stay in school, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) north of Detroit, though his backpack was not checked for weapons.
___
Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwritez | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-teen-says-she-just-prayed-while-saving-girl-in-michigan-school-shooting/ | 2023-07-29T10:19:49 | 1 | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-teen-says-she-just-prayed-while-saving-girl-in-michigan-school-shooting/ |
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President Biden publicly acknowledged his seventh grandchild, a 4-year-old named Navy Joan Roberts, for the first time on Friday, capping a month of questions about why he had seemingly excluded the little girl from his tight family circle.
Roberts is the daughter of Hunter Biden and Lunden Roberts, an Arkansas woman who filed a paternity lawsuit against her child's father in 2019.
"Our son Hunter and Navy's mother, Lunden, are working together to foster a relationship that is in the best interests of their daughter, preserving her privacy as much as possible going forward," President Biden said in a statement to People magazine published on Friday evening.
President Biden Speaks Out on Hunter’s Daughter, 4, with Ark. Woman: ‘Jill and I Only Want What’s Best’ (Exclusive) https://t.co/9qlHMZXH7E
— People (@people) July 28, 2023
"This is not a political issue, it's a family matter," Biden said in the statement. "Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy."
President Biden is known for often speaking about his love of his family and grandchildren. Last year, Hunter Biden's eldest child, Naomi, was married at the White House in what was a lavish affair.
In early July, the New York Times profiled Navy, her mother, and some of the details of their child support settlement. The story drew attention to the fact that the president had never recognized his 4-year-old granddaughter.
Some GOP presidential contenders like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley made jabs at the president for the omission.
Hunter Biden recently settled a lawsuit over his daughter
Hunter Biden has struggled with addiction. In his 2021 memoir, he blamed his addictions for his court battle over his daughter's paternity.
"It's why I would later challenge in court the woman from Arkansas who had a baby in 2018 and claimed the child was mine — I had no recollection of our encounter. That's how little connection I had with anyone," he wrote in his memoir. "I was a mess, but a mess I've taken responsibility for."
Hunter Biden was proven to be the child's father through a DNA test. He has recently settled a lawsuit for child support.
He has three older children, now in their 20s, as well as a 3-year-old son named Beau, who is often seen at the White House.
Hunter Biden has been the target of Republican attacks on the president because of his business dealings and legal issues.
He recently agreed to plead guilty to tax and gun charges in a deal that would allow him to avoid future prosecution. But that plea deal fell apart when the judge said she needed more information and wasn't ready to accept the deal he struck with the Justice Department.
The White House has refused to comment on whether Hunter Biden's legal troubles are a political liability for the president, describing them as personal matters, and saying only that the president loves his son and supports him as he tries to rebuild his life.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.kunm.org/npr-news/npr-news/2023-07-28/biden-has-a-7th-grandchild-but-hes-never-acknowledged-her-until-now | 2023-07-29T10:19:52 | 1 | https://www.kunm.org/npr-news/npr-news/2023-07-28/biden-has-a-7th-grandchild-but-hes-never-acknowledged-her-until-now |
EU rejects Niger coup authorities, cuts aid
The European Union will not recognize the military leaders of Niger, it said on Saturday.
It also suspended all security cooperation with the country with immediate effect.
Niger saw a coup earlier this week, with General Abdourahamane Tchiani declaring himself the leader on Friday after removing the democratically-elected President Mohamed Bazoum.
What is the latest?
Bazoum, who was elected in 2021 in Niger's first peaceful transfer of power since its independence from France in 1960, is currently held by members of his presidential guard at the presidential palace.
Bazoum is seen as a key ally of Western efforts to battle Islamist insurgency in the Sahel region, and Niger is a major recipient of foreign aid.
The European Union allocated €503 million ($554 million) to improve governance, education and sustainable growth in Niger between 2021 and 2024, according to information on the website.
Plus, French President Emmanuel Macron is set to preside over a defense and national security council meeting in Paris later Saturday afternoon to discuss developments in Niger, the presidential palace said Friday.
Wagner chief Prigozhin praises coup, offers support
France has 1,500 soldiers in the West African country who conduct joint operations with Nigerien troops in their fight against jihadist insurgents.
Niamey's importance has increased since coups in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso led to the exit of Western forces and the entry of Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group in recent years.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group who led a short-lived armed rebellion against the Russian military last month, hailed the coup as good news and offered his fighers' service to bring order.
rm/wd (Reuters) | https://www.dw.com/en/eu-rejects-niger-coup-authorities-cuts-aid/a-66382869 | 2023-07-29T10:19:52 | 0 | https://www.dw.com/en/eu-rejects-niger-coup-authorities-cuts-aid/a-66382869 |
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PHOENIX (AP) — The backup Uber driver for a self-driving vehicle that killed a pedestrian in suburban Phoenix in 2018 pleaded guilty Friday to endangerment in the first fatal collision involving a fully autonomous car.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge David Garbarino, who accepted the plea agreement, sentenced Rafaela Vasquez, 49, to three years of supervised probation for the crash that killed 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg. Vasquez told police that Herzberg “came out of nowhere” and that she didn’t see Herzberg before the March 18, 2018, collision on a darkened Tempe street.
Vasquez had been charged with negligent homicide, a felony. She pleaded guilty to an undesignated felony, meaning it could be reclassified as a misdemeanor if she completes probation.
Authorities say Vasquez was streaming the television show “The Voice” on a phone and looking down in the moments before Uber’s Volvo XC-90 SUV struck Herzberg, who was crossing with her bicycle.
Vasquez’s attorneys said she was was looking at a messaging program used by Uber employees on a work cellphone that was on her right knee. They said the TV show was playing on her personal cellphone, which was on the passenger seat.
Defense attorney Albert Jaynes Morrison told Garbarino that Uber should share some blame for the collision as he asked the judge to sentence Vasquez to six months of unsupervised probation.
“There were steps that Uber failed to take,” he said. By putting Vasquez in the vehicle without a second employee, he said. “It was not a question of if but when it was going to happen.”
Prosecutors previously declined to file criminal charges against Uber, as a corporation. The National Transportation Safety Board concluded Vasquez’s failure to monitor the road was the main cause of the crash.
“The defendant had one job and one job only,” prosecutor Tiffany Brady told the judge. “And that was to keep her eyes in the road.”
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in a statement after the hearing that her office believes the sentence was appropriate “based on the mitigating and aggravating factors.”
The contributing factors cited by the NTSB included Uber’s inadequate safety procedures and ineffective oversight of its drivers, Herzberg’s decision to cross the street outside of a crosswalk and the Arizona Department of Transportation’s insufficient oversight of autonomous vehicle testing.
The board also concluded Uber’s deactivation of its automatic emergency braking system increased the risks associated with testing automated vehicles on public roads. Instead of the system, Uber relied on the human backup driver to intervene.
It was not the first crash involving an Uber autonomous test vehicle. In March 2017, an Uber SUV flipped onto its side, also in Tempe when it collided with another vehicle. No serious injuries were reported, and the driver of the other car was cited for a violation.
Herzberg’s death was the first involving an autonomous test vehicle but not the first in a car with some self-driving features. The driver of a Tesla Model S was killed in 2016 when his car, operating on its Autopilot system, crashed into a semitrailer in Florida.
Nine months after Herzberg’s death, in December 2019, two people were killed in California when a Tesla on Autopilot ran a red light, slammed into another car. That driver was charged in 2022 with vehicular manslaughter in what was believed to be the first felony case against a motorist who was using a partially automated driving system.
In Arizona, the Uber system detected Herzberg 5.6 seconds before the crash. But it failed to determine whether she was a bicyclist, pedestrian or unknown object, or that she was headed into the vehicle’s path, the board said.
The backup driver was there to take over the vehicle if systems failed.
The death reverberated throughout the auto industry and Silicon Valley and forced other companies to slow what had been a fast march toward autonomous ride-hailing services. Uber pulled its self-driving cars out of Arizona, and then-Gov. Doug Ducey prohibited the company from continuing its tests of self-driving cars.
Vasquez had previously spent more than four years in prison for two felony convictions — making false statements when obtaining unemployment benefits and attempted armed robbery — before starting work as an Uber driver, according to court records. | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-the-backup-driver-in-the-1st-death-by-a-fully-autonomous-car-pleads-guilty-to-endangerment/ | 2023-07-29T10:19:55 | 1 | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-the-backup-driver-in-the-1st-death-by-a-fully-autonomous-car-pleads-guilty-to-endangerment/ |
Germany and speed: An exhibition on a special relationship
Germany is synonymous with speed . From autobahns to automats (vending machines), Germans have no time to waste.
Even the language tells you they don't have time for excess: Verschlimmbesserung (which is when you try to improve something, with good intentions, but actually end up making it worse). Why use 16 words when one will do?
And in 1886 when Carl Benz applied for a patent for his "vehicle powered by a gas engine," the German entrepreneur began a reputation that has only gathered pace since, with almost one million people employed within the car industry across Europe's largest economy.
Now, in all its forms, the concept of speed — or "tempo" in the German language — is being expanded upon via artworks in exhibitions running concurrently under the title "Tempo. Tempo! Tempo?" across three museums in central Germany.
Three is the magic number
The perspectives are showcased through three different lenses at a contemporary art museum, a historical museum and a technical museum respectively, with each presenting overlapping, individual exhibitions on the topic of speed.
The exhibition was one year in the making, the spokesperson for the PS. Speicher Museum in Einbeck, Stephan Richter, told DW.
"The inspiration came between the CEO of our museum — Lothar Meyer-Mertel — and the manager of the museum in Hannover — Professor Doctor Katja Lembke," Richter says. "The two of them wanted to do an exhibition together, and with a third museum. Each museum looks at the topic of speed from their specific point of view. In PS Speicher we look at it from the technological side, the Kunst Museum in Derneburg from the art point of view, and the museum in Hannover from the viewpoint of archaeology and ethnology, with the history of speed and what it has meant for mankind."
Even the title has three viewpoints at its heart, with the use of the full stop, the exclamation mark and the question mark, illustrating the different angles of the exhibition, Richter explains.
Human evolution and art also focal points
Across the trilogy of exhibitions, speed is explored from both outside and inside the box. Meaning, cars and motorbikes, of course. A hare too. But also in art form, looking at evolutionary theory and new media, as the race from A to B shows no signs of easing up.
The Art Museum in the Derneburg Castle, for instance, is presenting contemporary works by artists in the fields of sculpture, painting, installation and new media, who explore the concept of speed from angles such as evolutionary theory and technology.
The Landesmuseum in Hannover, meanwhile, looks at speed from a perspective of natural and cultural history. Finally, the exhibition in Einbeck focuses mainly on technical aspects of speed.
Upon arrival in Einbeck, you are struck immediately by the "eye-catching" Lockheed F-104 Starfighter jet from the United States, which had the capability to reach twice the speed of sound.
Also on display is a Bugatti Veyron which in 2010 set a land speed record of 431, 072 km per hour (268 mph).
First ever speeding ticket
The German theme is apparent throughout the museum with the more obvious examples of a Volkswagen Nardo and a BMW motorcycle, to the more surprising example of what is believed to be the first speeding ticket issued in Germany.
"It's just a piece of paper," Richter explains. "But it's the oldest traffic ticket in Germany, a warning about speed from 1894. You can see it in our exhibition for the first time. In those days, there were no street signs or ways of measuring speed. But the vehicle drove nearly 30 kilometers per hour, so not really fast. But the story goes that it drove nearby a restaurant and caused the curtains to flutter, indicating that it was going too fast."
Not just a German affair
But the exhibitions are not exclusively about Germany's relationship with speed. Pictures of highways in California, artwork from Bahrain, a Shuttle Ejection Escape Suit from NASA, and a kangaroo from Australia, are all prominent features across the trio of displays, with even a reindeer sleigh from Lapland on display.
Tempo. Tempo! Tempo? began in June and will run through February 4, 2024, in Hannover, Derneburg and Einbeck, all located within the state of Lower Saxony. | https://www.dw.com/en/germany-and-speed-an-exhibition-on-a-special-relationship/a-66372493 | 2023-07-29T10:19:58 | 0 | https://www.dw.com/en/germany-and-speed-an-exhibition-on-a-special-relationship/a-66372493 |
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Artist friends go viral on TikTok for realistic portraits made entirely out of dice
Some projects use upwards of 300,000 dice and take 50 plus hours to build
You may be familiar with art mediums like paint, drawing, sculpting and photography, but have you seen art in the form of dice?
This is how two pals have chosen to display their work as seen on their viral TikTok account called Dice Ideas — while garnering 1.8 million followers and upwards of 1.4 billion searches.
"Our aim was to create a fun project for ourselves during the 2020 COVID lockdown in the UK," Ben Hoblyn, co-creator of Dice Ideas and resident Derby, England, shared with Fox News Digital.
"We started planning the concept and wanted to make much larger pieces," he added.
Hoblyn, 32, and his friend Ross Montgomery, 32, said they draw inspiration from mosaic artists who select offbeat mediums to create art — including Rubik's Cubes, pennies and even smaller dice projects, Hoblyn told Fox News Digital.
It became a major hit with thousands of views swelling to millions.
"Once we started sharing the pieces online, we felt inspired by people’s comments to create many more," Hoblyn added.
The subjects behind Hoblyn and Montgomery vary from Hollywood’s biggest stars to some of the world’s greatest athletes.
@diceideas Replying to @Ahmed Mido I hope you like it! Super excited to see Messi play in a few days at the Qatar World Cup. #GOAT #leomessi #messi #worldcup #qatar #qatar2022 #argentina #psg #legend #football #diceart #artist #fifa ♬ Einaudi: Experience - Ludovico Einaudi & Daniel Hope & I Virtuosi Italiani
Each individual design features thousands of dice and can take upwards of 50 plus hours to complete over several weeks.
Hoblyn and Montgomery use the different faces of the dice to shade the subjects. A six is used for the lightest areas of the portrait and a one for the darkest areas.
The basis for each piece is grounded in their own creative ideas and passions along with whatever is relevant or popular at the time.
Dice Ideas videos have reached upwards of 45.5 million views on TikTok.
"We hoped that we would be able to get some attention with our videos and possibly make a few commission sales, however we never anticipated that we would reach millions with our content," Hoblyn shared
Dice Ideas hit one million followers in June 2022, a goal content creators can only hope to achieve.
STUDENT'S STUNNING PAINTINGS ON BOOK EDGES GO VIRAL ON TIKTOK
"These numbers are very difficult to really comprehend. However, it is worth saying that the view and follower count is not something that we specifically focus on," Hoblyn commented.
"Instead, we try to create better quality designs and content that we like ourselves, and hope that others feel the same, he added.
Some favorite designs include a large portrait of LeBron James, the first design the duo every created.
Another piece that brings the duo great pride is their largest image today — a tiger that was created for a gym in London and measures in at 95 inches x 95 inches and weighs around 330 pounds, Hoblyn added.
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While the viral attention is an exciting achievement for the creatives, they continue to create and produce new art because they love it, they said.
"The response from viewers has been incredible," Hoblyn stated.
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"It has certainly made us believe that there are more opportunities out there to keep creating our dice artworks!" he said. | https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/artist-friends-viral-tiktok-realistic-portraits-made-entirely-dice | 2023-07-29T10:20:01 | 1 | https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/artist-friends-viral-tiktok-realistic-portraits-made-entirely-dice |
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ANKENY, Iowa (AP) — U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina has criticized fellow Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for supporting new standards that require teachers to instruct middle school students that slaves developed skills that “could be applied for their personal benefit.”
“What slavery was really about was separating families, about mutilating humans and even raping their wives. It was just devastating,” Scott, the sole Black Republican in the Senate, told reporters on Thursday after a town hall in Ankeny. “So I would hope that every person in our country — and certainly running for president — would appreciate that.”
“People have bad days,” Scott added. “Sometimes they regret what they say. And we should ask them again to clarify their positions.”
DeSantis has been facing criticism from Florida teachers, civil rights leaders, President Joe Biden’s White House and even Black Republicans on the school standards. Vice President Kamala Harris, the nation’s first Black vice president, traveled to Florida last week to condemn the curriculum.
DeSantis fired back on Friday, saying that “part of the reason our country has struggled is because D.C. Republicans all too often accept false narratives, accept lies that are perpetrated by the left.”
Campaigning in Iowa, he added that he was “defending” Florida “against false accusations and against lies. And we’re going to continue to speak the truth.”
The back-and-forth marked a shift in campaign styles for both DeSantis and Scott, who have not directly critiqued each other and have instead focused much of their antagonism toward President Joe Biden. It also comes as DeSantis’ effort has endured a mid-campaign reset, making staffing cuts to accommodate campaign expenses.
Another Black Republican presidential candidate, former Rep. Will Hurd of Texas, has also criticized DeSantis over the curriculum, as have Reps. Byron Donalds of Florida, Wesley Hunt of Texas and John James of Michigan, Trump allies who are among a handful of Black Republicans in Congress.
Scott’s comments came as he and DeSantis stumped in Iowa before the state Republican Party’s Lincoln Day Dinner. At that gathering, 13 candidates in the GOP presidential primary field, including front-runner Donald Trump, will be addressing an expected 1,200 activists on Friday. Scott, part of the GOP’s most diverse presidential field ever, was asked for his opinion on the standards hours after DeSantis defended them to reporters.
“At the end of the day, you got to choose: Are you going to side with Kamala Harris and liberal media outlets or are you going to side with the state of Florida?” DeSantis said, citing Democrats’ criticism of the wording on slavery. “I think it’s very clear that these guys did a good job on those standards. It wasn’t anything that was politically motivated.”
Responding on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, to reporters’ posts of Scott’s video, a super PAC supporting DeSantis on Thursday night called the posts “incredibly sloppy or intentionally disingenuous,” reposting video of DeSantis’ defense of the curriculum earlier in the day.
___
Kinnard reported from Columbia, S.C., and can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP. | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-tim-scott-criticizes-ron-desantis-over-floridas-new-slavery-curriculum/ | 2023-07-29T10:20:02 | 0 | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-tim-scott-criticizes-ron-desantis-over-floridas-new-slavery-curriculum/ |
Migraine: how it starts and how to treat it
Anyone who's had a migraine knows how debilitating it can be. It begins with your head throbbing from the inside, the pain spreading like frozen iron from behind one eye to the next. You keep your head down, avoiding bright lights and loud sounds. Nausea begins to rise.
If you're lucky you can retreat to bed before it gets any worse, where the migraine pins you down for anything between a few hours and a couple of days.
Migraine is not just a bad headache. It can debilitate you in ways that head pain cannot. For many, those with chronic migraine, more than half of your days each month are spent in this state.
One in two people suffer from a headache disorder, while around 15% of people globally suffer from migraines.
Migraine is caused by a hypersensitive brain
Migraine is a disease of hypersensitivity: The migraine brain has abnormally sensitive neuronal connections.
Compared to people who don't get migraines, this leaves migraineurs more likely to respond to small changes in the environment, which can result in headaches or more serious migraine attacks.
Migraine attacks are thought to originate from abnormal electrical excitability in sensory neurons in the meninges, layers of membrane that protect the brain.
When sensitized, these neurons send signals to the brain which trigger headache pain, photophobia, and other migraine symptoms. These neurons are also close to blood vessels, which is why headaches can feel like they pulse along with your heartbeat.
According to Paul Durham, a migraine researcher at Missouri State University, US, migraine is a disease which primarily affects the brain, but also involves the whole body.
"Other systems such as the immune, digestive and cardiovascular system contribute to migraine. That means if you only target one aspect of migraine with analgesics [pain-relief], then it is not likely to alleviate all symptoms and improve the patient's quality of life," he said.
What triggers migraine?
There are a huge range of migraine triggers and each person's triggers can differ from the next. The most common triggers are:
- Bright lights and loud sounds.
- Strong smells like perfume, smoke, or certain smelly foods.
- Lack of sleep, poor quality sleep, or jet lag.
- Hunger or dehydration.
- Too much caffeine.
- Alcohol, especially red wine.
- Hormone fluctuations, such as before or during periods, pregnancy, or menopause.
- Foods and diet, especially diets containing ultra-processed foods and processed sugars.
- Stress.
Durham said that stress is the key binding factor here:
"These factors promote a hyperexcitable nervous system that is more susceptible to migraine triggers. Stress is a major factor in modern society," he said.
Ways to help alleviate migraine symptoms
There are ways you can help to alleviate the severity of a migraine, or prevent a headache becoming a full-blown migraine.
Drinking plenty of fluids or placing an icepack on your forehead can help, as can resting in a quiet, dark room to ease environmental stressors.
Many patients learn to get migraine relief from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). It's unlikely to treat the disease, but it can teach you thought actions to cope with pain and understand migraine triggers.
There are claims that mindfulness can also help, however studies are finding little evidence it has a robust impact on headache or migraine symptoms in the long run.
How do you treat migraine?
Here are some of the most clinically successful migraine medications:
- Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) monoclonal antibodies: These new migraine medications block the action of a protein called CGRP. CGRP plays an important role in the development of migraine symptoms, sensitizing neurons in the meninges.
- Triptans: A class of medications which bind to certain types of serotonin receptors in the body and causes pain-relieving effects.
- Analgesics like paracetamol or aspirin can be effective in reducing headache pain, but don't tend to help reducing chronic migraine symptoms.
The evidence for CGRP antibodies and Triptans as migraine treatments is particularly robust, with patients having dramatic improvements of life quality after taking the drugs. However, the drugs don't work in all patients, meaning not all patients can get migraine relief from medication.
Another issue is that treatments tend to focus on alleviating headache pain, which means other symptoms like nausea, light sensitivity and tiredness can remain.
Migraine treatments in development
Researchers are working hard to solve these treatment gaps and there are promising candidates being investigated:
- Neuromodulation devices: e-TNS (external trigeminal nerve stimulation) is a treatment which gives low power electrical stimulation to facial nerves. Clinical trials are showing clinical success in treating migraine, but it is not yet approved for patient use.
- Oxytocin: oxytocin hormonal nasal sprays could be effective and safe at reducing migraine incidence, especially in women.
- Certain foods or dietary supplementation treatments: Paul Durham's research shows grape seed extract, cacao, or chicken broth can help reduce migraine incidence in some people.
"I don't think nutraceuticals should ever replace medications, but they could provide another option for managing migraine. I like what Hippocrates said: 'Let food by thy medicine', " he said.
For the time being, these latest approaches have only been tested on small numbers of patients, meaning they currently lack sufficient evidence to be recommended to patients. However, all three candidates look promising, and clinical testing is underway to see if could be used as safe and effective migraine treatments.
Edited by: Jane Paulick. | https://www.dw.com/en/migraine-how-it-starts-and-how-to-treat-it/a-66377018 | 2023-07-29T10:20:05 | 0 | https://www.dw.com/en/migraine-how-it-starts-and-how-to-treat-it/a-66377018 |
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Criminals taking ‘full advantage’ of lax sentencing as retail, violent crime increases: ‘becoming more brazen’
Experts blamed bail reform, the anti-police movement, and DAs 'shirking' their responsibilities for recent crime waves
As major U.S. cities continue to deal with crime waves, experts are blaming anti-police rhetoric and liberal district attorneys for policies that fail to keep the public safe.
Each era has had its fair share of heinous crimes. Yet, Nancy Grace, who hosts Fox Nation’s "Crime Stories with Nancy Grace," admitted that she’s seen enough to convince her that today’s criminals are more brazen than ever. She chalked it up to lax sentencing and the anti-police movement.
"There was a time when I would have said, I don't think crime is worse per capita than it was in the past, where there are just greater populations and therefore a commensurate greater population of criminals," Grace told Fox News Digital.
"They are more brazen, and I now believe there are more of them per capita, more criminals per capita," she said. "Why? The decline in police numbers, the anti-police movement."
Soaring retail theft has been reported across the country in recent months. Nordstrom and Whole Foods, for example, were among the large chains abandoning San Francisco partly due to employee safety. The latter's location on Market Street was hit with nearly 600 calls of violence, drugs, and vagrants before shutting its doors, according to reports. Meanwhile, organized retail crime was on track to cost Target $500 million in profits, CEO Brian Cornell warned in May.
"Violent incidents are increasing" at Target, and throughout the retail industry, Cornell said.
Washington, D.C., is experiencing a 30 percent increase in violent crime in 2023 compared to last year, other reports have found. One hundred and twenty-five people have been shot and killed this year, a 17 percent increase from last year as the city struggles with a police staffing crisis. The city's police budget was cut roughly $23 million by the city council in 2020 amid the George Floyd rioting and nationwide calls to defund the police.
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Criminal defense attorney Joseph Gutheinz, a certified fraud examiner for 33 years told Fox News Digital the criminal justice system has it backwards by focusing on the needs of criminals.
"Our criminal justice system has largely transitioned from focusing on the needs of the victims of crime to the needs of defendants," he told Fox News Digital. "The police are concerned about being ridiculed, prosecuted or fired for enforcing the law and are backing off stopping, interviewing and arresting wrongdoers."
Prosecutors, especially in big cities, are rubber-stamping the plea deals offered by defense attorneys, such as myself, and judges, especially in big cities, are more and more appearing as social workers rather than jurists."
The Manhattan Institute's Rafael Mangual also sensed that the system has been moving in a dire direction.
"That direction is to make crime less costly, to commit and to make the law more costly to enforce," he told Fox Digital. "Every single significant policy level that's been pulled does one of the following things that either limits police power, it curbs prosecutor discretion, or it just significantly lowers the transaction cost of criminal behavior for defendants by making penalties less likely, less severe, etc."
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He cited bail reform as an example, which stirred controversy in cities like New York and Los Angeles. Some officials adopted zero bail during the COVID-19 pandemic in an attempt to reduce crowding in prisons, dropping bail to as low as $0 for suspects accused of misdemeanors and non-violent felonies. When Los Angeles decided to reinstate the policy in July, high profile figures spoke out.
"LA is finished watch how bad it gets out there.SMH [shaking my head]," rapper 50 Cent tweeted of the move.
A study published by the Yolo County District Attorney's Office found that suspects released without bail reoffended 70 percent more often than those who posted bail, and were rearrested on 163 percent more charges. Suspects released without bail were also accused of three times as many violent crimes.
But bail reform advocates say the current system disproportionately affects minorities and the poor, leaving many to sit behind bars simply because they cannot afford to pay their bail.
"The way that lots of jurisdictions have gone about this in practice is to basically make it so that it's nearly impossible for the vast majority of criminal defendants to end up in pretrial detention because cash bail is taken off the table," Mangual said.
"Any criminal on the street can tell you they will walk right into the jailhouse, they'll give a fingerprint and right back out," Grace agreed. "There's nothing to fear. Nobody is going to stay in jail. They'll just be a minor inconvenience to shuffle papers and then they'll walk right back out to re-offend. I know it's a bleak picture, but it's true. And cops, district attorneys, prosecutors, law enforcement across the board are struggling under the weight of the ‘bail reform.’"
"There's no fear of apprehension," Grace said. "And once one is apprehended, a criminal will immediately walk straight out of jail. There's nothing to fear."
The experts also agreed that a factor playing into criminals' hands are district attorneys who are "shirking" their responsibilities by failing to prosecute some crimes.
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"I get about 20 percent of my cases dismissed outright, and many of those cases are meritorious," Gutheinz said. "Certain sex, theft and assault cases are routinely dismissed. It is my job to win my cases for my clients, but as a citizen myself, with a large family, I would like it if the prosecutors would at least pretend to care about the victims of crime."
"They don't state up front how lax their offices and their administration will be and their true feelings about crime and putting criminals behind bars and keeping them behind bars," Grace said of some DAs. "And then once they get in, they have an ‘awakening’ and they go - I hate this phrase it's so overused - 'woke.' Lax. It's really just simply not doing your job. They don't have the backbone to get in and try to lose it, or they don't want this stain on their record of losing. I'm not sure what their motivation is, but they are not protecting the people they're sworn to defend."
Non-law abiding citizens are well aware of the struggling system and are taking "full advantage" of the cracks in it, some of these same experts say.
"I think it's absolutely the case that a significant subset of chronic offenders are 100 percent aware of what's going on in the criminal justice system, and they're taking full advantage," Mangual said. "I don't think it's it is it comes as a surprise that we have seen, for example, a massive uptick in retail theft at a time in which, you know, the criminal justice system has been moving in the direction of prioritizing enforcement for retail theft."
Mangual called for revisiting the idea of a "modified version of three strikes," in which individuals are being taken off the street for repeated criminal conduct. Because, he said, there are a group of offenders that has "no intention of abiding by societal norms." He also lobbied for "truth in sentencing," which would require "hamstringing the ability of irresponsible parole boards to release people who are not ready to be released." Finally, he said, criminal data needs to be made more widely available to the public, which will in turn provide communities a more sober sense of reality and would prevent the criminal justice reform movement to mislead the public into "misguided" policy decisions.
With an environment that has allegedly made communities ripe for the picking for criminals, one might think that criminal justice professionals have lost faith in society. But that wasn't the case for the majority of experts and judges who spoke to Fox Digital.
Although the trio of judges on Amazon Freevee's "Tribunal Justice" have witnessed their share of "horrible" behavior in courtrooms as litigants lie, shout, curse or worse, each of them said not all hope was lost.
"To be sure, I have seen a lot of people do and say horrible things to one another, not just in the courtroom, but a lot of these cases end up in our forum and in other fora because people can just be horrible," Judge Tanya Acker, who served as Temporary Judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, told Fox News Digital. "I mean, they can be horrible and sometimes no standards, no manners, no morals, like nothing. There are some people who seem to be completely bereft of any redeeming quality. However, that's not most people. And even for those people who are only seeing a small sliver of who they are, I have also seen much more compassion. I have seen much more of people willing to step up and do the right thing, than I have the contrary."
"I have much more hope than not," Acker said, while admitting it's easy to get discouraged.
"Just speaking for me, I can sometimes be very discouraged by the conduct and the behaviors and the things that you see and the things that even give rise to litigation and lawsuits," she continued. "People are just so much better than that. They're so much better than they sometimes appear to be in a courtroom. And I think that I certainly think that on the whole, I know we've got some dark moments, but on the whole, we're on the upswing. If you look at the totality of our circumstances, we're on the upswing. Much, much work to do. Many litigants who may need to be reminded that you couldn't show up in court and act out. But on the whole, I think we're moving in the right direction."
"I don't think you can lose hope for society," Judge Patricia DiMango, a former New York State Supreme Court Justice who previously served with Acker on "Hot Bench," agreed. "I think that there is a more than a glimmer of hope for society. I think the problem is, however, that we need to get back to center. I think it happens a lot... You go all the way out, but you've got to kind of come back in. You've got to be able to have a discourse, a civil discourse with people so that people can hear one another."
Judge Adam Levy, a former district attorney in New York’s Putnam County and the son of Judge Judith Sheindlin, better known to fans as Judge Judy, was just as adamant that the good eggs outnumber the bad apples.
"There is a glimmer of hope," Levy told Fox Digital. "There are good people out there. There are way more good people than there are bad people. Way more good than bad. It's how we deal with the bad ones, though. When you get a bad one and it's your job as the judge, as a prosecutor, as a police officer to do your job, to hold them accountable, you need to do that with fairness and without fear or favor. Without fear or favor. And if you can do that and if you can affect just those that small number of the bad apples, then we'd all be much better off. But I have hope."
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"I have great hope," Nancy Grace said. "Because, even with all the cases I cover, good people by far outweigh the number of bad people. And even if they didn't, as long as there's something good to believe in, to fight for, to protect, I'm willing to keep fighting."
The interviews with Levy, Acker and DiMango were completed prior to the commencement of the SAG-AFTRA strike.
Fox News' Nikolas Lanum, Andrew Mark Miller and Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
For more Culture, Media, Education, Opinion, and channel coverage, visit foxnews.com/media. | https://www.foxnews.com/media/criminals-taking-full-advantage-lax-sentencing-retail-violent-crime-increases-becoming-more-brazen | 2023-07-29T10:20:07 | 0 | https://www.foxnews.com/media/criminals-taking-full-advantage-lax-sentencing-retail-violent-crime-increases-becoming-more-brazen |
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The Mount Lemmon Lodge is now open in Summerhaven north of Tucson. The 16-room lodge features a Beyond Bread cafe, lounge, Swedish sauna and more. | https://tucson.com/dusty/article_fffe52e4-3d1e-572f-8a3e-5cb304e4df4c.html | 2023-07-29T10:20:08 | 1 | https://tucson.com/dusty/article_fffe52e4-3d1e-572f-8a3e-5cb304e4df4c.html |
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Tom Durden, the Georgia district attorney who kick-started the prosecution of Ahmaud Arbery’s killing by calling in state investigators to take over the languishing case, has died at age 66.
The Atlantic Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office, which Durden led for 24 years before stepping down last year, confirmed Durden’s death in a Facebook post Friday. No cause of death was given.
During his career of nearly four decades, Durden served briefly as the second outside prosecutor overseeing the investigation into the February 2020 killing of Arbery. The 25-year-old Black man was fatally shot as he ran from white men in pickup trucks who chased him through their Georgia neighborhood. The shooter said he fired in self-defense.
The case stalled without charges for more than two months before Durden asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to take over from local police. GBI agents rapidly made arrests that led to three murder convictions. Durden stepped aside soon after the arrests, saying the case needed a DA with a larger staff.
“He played a significant role, as we know the others before him did nothing,” said Thea Brooks, one of Arbery’s aunts. “No matter how long he had it on his desk, he did the right thing.”
Following Arbery’s killing outside the port city of Brunswick in 2020, the local district attorney recused herself and the first outside prosecutor assigned, George Barnhill, opposed bringing criminal charges before he stepped aside.
Georgia’s attorney general then appointed Durden, who had the case for roughly a month amid a growing outcry for arrests. Durden asked the GBI to get involved after cellphone video of the killing leaked online May 5, 2020.
Father and son Greg and Travis McMichael were arrested on murder charges the day after GBI agents arrived in Brunswick. A neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, was charged soon after.
“The fact that he sent it to the GBI was a positive turn in the case for us, and I think he deserves credit for it,” said the Rev. John Perry, who led Brunswick’s NAACP chapter at the time Arbery was killed.
The job of prosecuting the McMichaels and Bryan was passed to the district attorney for Cobb County in metro Atlanta. All three men were ultimately convicted of murder in 2021 and sentenced to life in prison.
Durden joined the district attorney’s office as an assistant prosecutor in 1984, two years after earning his law degree from Mercer University. He was elected DA after his predecessor retired in 1998.
Durden prosecuted hundreds of criminal cases in the Atlantic Circuit, which covers six southeast Georgia counties outside Savannah.
“Mr. Durden was a true public servant to the State of Georgia for close to 40 years,” Pete Skandalakis, executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, said in a statement. “My sincerest condolences to Tom’s family.”
In 1998, Durden successfully prosecuted four family members and a friend in the killing of Thurmon Martin, a case that would become known as Georgia’s infamous “tomato patch” murder.
Martin, 64, was shot while sleeping in May 1997 and buried behind his home in rural Ludowici. The case gained notoriety for the tomato plants growing atop Martin’s grave, as well as the defendants’ harrowing courtroom accounts of being abused by the slain man. | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-tom-durden-georgia-da-who-ordered-takeover-of-stalled-ahmaud-arbery-investigation-dies-at-66/ | 2023-07-29T10:20:09 | 1 | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-tom-durden-georgia-da-who-ordered-takeover-of-stalled-ahmaud-arbery-investigation-dies-at-66/ |
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US pledges to help Australia make guided missiles by 2025
The United States will help Australia produce guided missile systems within the next two years, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Saturday during a visit to the eastern Australian city of Brisbane.
The announcement comes as Australia seeks to overhaul its military capacity and develop long-range strike capacities amid a range of regional security threats, such as China's increased assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.
At the same time, the US is looking to bolster its own shrinking arms stockpiles, which have been strained by deliveries to Ukrainian armed forces fighting an invasion by Russia.
What did US and Australian officials say?
"We are pursuing several mutually beneficial initiatives with Australia's defense industry, and these include a commitment to help Australia produce guided multiple launch rocket systems ... by 2025," Austin told a press conference.
He said that Washington was also expediting Australia's access to priority munitions.
In response, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said Canberra was "really pleased with the steps that we are taking in respect of establishing a guided weapons and explosive ordnance enterprise in this country."
Marles said the bilateral engagement with the US would also mean that there would be an "increased tempo of visits from American nuclear-powered submarines to our waters."
Increasing military cooperation
The project that has been announced would see Australia develop guided multiple launch rocket systems, or so-called GMLRS.
The announcement followed a meeting of Austin and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken with Marles and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong as part of the Australia-US Ministerial (AUSMIN) dialogue. The otherwise annual talks were put on hold for two years in 2020 and 2021 owing to the coronavirus pandemic.
The discussions took place as Australian and US forces are conducting Talisman Sabre war games along with 11 other nations. The games, however, were suspended after an Australian military helicopter crashed into the ocean, with at least four people onboard feared dead.
Australia and the US are stepping up military cooperation particularly in view of the security risk posed by China's massive military buildup in recent years
tj/wd (Reuters, AFP) | https://www.dw.com/en/us-pledges-to-help-australia-make-guided-missiles-by-2025/a-66382316 | 2023-07-29T10:20:11 | 0 | https://www.dw.com/en/us-pledges-to-help-australia-make-guided-missiles-by-2025/a-66382316 |
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ROLLING FORK, Miss. (AP) — Streams of air whirled by Ida Cartlidge in every direction, but she couldn’t breathe.
Between the thin walls and above the shaky foundation of a mobile home, Cartlidge, 32, miraculously survived a March tornado that carved a path of destruction through Rolling Fork, Mississippi. Mobile home residents in the path of a twister’s fury often don’t live to recount the experience.
“It sounded like a real loud train coming through,” Cartlidge said. “And I could feel the wind, it was so powerful you couldn’t even breathe while you were in the air.”
Cartlidge and her husband, Charles Jones, 59, had forged a quiet life in Rolling Fork with their three sons. She worked in customer service for an appliance company and Jones for a local auto parts shop. They viewed Rolling Fork as a refuge from city life and an ideal place to raise kids. The family lived in a mobile home park behind Chuck’s Dairy Bar, a diner that had long been a nexus of local life for Rolling Fork residents.
Then the tornado tore through the park, making it a point of misery.
Most of the 14 people who died in Rolling Fork when the March 24 tornado hit the Mississippi Delta lived in the mobile home park, with large families crowding into one or two-bedroom units. Such living arrangements have been a way to offset the financial strain endemic to the Mississippi Delta, where poverty is prevalent and stable jobs are scarce.
Tornadoes in the United States are disproportionately killing more people in mobile or manufactured homes, especially in the South. Since 1996, tornadoes have killed 815 people in mobile or manufactured homes. That’s 53% of all the people killed in their homes during a tornado, according to an Associated Press data analysis of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tornado deaths.
Cramped living arrangements forced mobile home inhabitants to shelter just as they lived: with little space between them.
“The only thing I could tell them to do was get on the floor,” said Charles Jones, Cartlidge’s husband. “And I got on top. I got on top of my family.”
Just seconds before Cartlidge found herself burrowed beneath her husband on the mobile home’s living room floor, her father had called her. He had been watching the news and saw that a tornado had touched down in Rolling Fork.
Cartlidge heard car windows shattering outside. The home’s windows shattered next. She scooped up her 1-year-old son and dove to the floor, with her 11- and 12-year-old sons next to her and Jones atop them. They didn’t know the incoming winds had reached 200 mph (320 kph). The storm’s force was instead measured by the fear it induced.
“The only thing that’s holding a mobile home down are the little straps in the ground,” Cartlidge said. “It picked up the home one time, set it down. It picked it up again, set it down. It picked it up a third time, and we were in the air.”
Her future was suspended in the air alongside her home. “You don’t know what’s happening next, whether you’re going to live it through it or not,” she said.
The next thing Cartlidge remembers is lying with her back on the ground and the baby resting on her chest. He was the only member of the family who made it through the storm unscathed.
Her fear didn’t subside. “All you could hear were people screaming and hollering for help,” she recalled.
Cartlidge propped herself up with a piece of wood and walked to the highway. She could feel her bones shifting with every step.
She suffered a crushed pelvis bone and broken shoulder. One of her sons punctured a lung and had shattered bones in his spine and shoulder blade. Jones injured his ribs and spine.
Since returning from the hospital, the family has been living in a motel room only minutes down the highway from where their mobile home used to be. Rain storms still make Cartlidge and Jones anxious, as they experienced the raw force of twister first-hand.
“The tornado’s going to win every time,” Jones said. “It’s just like when a nail meets a tire.”
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Michael Goldberg is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/mikergoldberg.
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Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content. | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-we-were-in-the-air-mississippi-family-recounts-surviving-tornado-that-tore-mobile-home-apart/ | 2023-07-29T10:20:16 | 0 | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-we-were-in-the-air-mississippi-family-recounts-surviving-tornado-that-tore-mobile-home-apart/ |