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Speaker McCarthy vows to pass debt bill — with a big ‘if’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:22:25 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy pledged on Monday to pass legislation to raise the nation’s debt ceiling — but on condition of capping future federal spending at 1% — as he lashed out at President Joe Biden for refusing to engage in budget-cutting negotiations to prevent a debt crisis.In a high-profile speech at the New York Stock Exchange, McCarthy, the Republican leader who is marking his 100th day as speaker, said the nation’s debt load is a “ticking time bomb” and Biden is “missing in action” as the deadline nears to raise the debt limit. “Since the president continues to hide, House Republicans will take action,” McCarthy said.“Defaulting on our debt is not an option,” McCarthy said seeking to shift blame for the standoff and draw the White House back into talks. “The longer President Biden waits to be sensible to find an agreement, the more likely it becomes that this administration will bumble into the first default in our nation’s history.”Mc...

Ex-politician known for feces protest killed in South Africa

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:22:25 GMT

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — A former politician who gained notoriety in South Africa for dumping human feces in public places as a protest against the living conditions in some of the country’s poorest townships was fatally shot Monday while meeting with a group of homeless people, police said.Loyiso Nkohla was killed by unknown gunmen, who fled the scene of the shooting near the Philippi Railway Station on the outskirts of Cape Town. Three other people were wounded and were taken to the hospital by bystanders, police said.Police said there was no clear motive for the killing. South African media reported that more than 20 shots were fired, but police didn’t confirm those details.Nkohla, who local media reported was 40 years old, had been addressing people who live in shacks and other informal structures near the railway yard when he was shot. He served as an elected local councilor for the ruling African National Congress party, but later joined numerous other politi...

US brings charges over secret Chinese police outpost in NYC

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:22:25 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Two men have been arrested on charges that they helped establish a secret police outpost in New York City on behalf of the Chinese government, Justice Department officials said Monday.Officials say the case is part of a broader effort by the Justice Department to crack down on Chinese government attempts to harass dissidents and stifle free speech in the United States.Larry Neumeister And Eric Tucker, The Associated Press

The sale of Teck to a foreign buyer would be a loss for Canada, critics say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:22:25 GMT

VANCOUVER — Some industry watchers say a hostile takeover of Canada’s largest diversified mining company by a foreign entity would be bad news for the Canadian economy.Swiss commodities giant Glencore is proposing to buy Vancouver-based mining company Teck Resources Ltd., an offer that Teck’s board has rejected.Some analysts say such a transaction would mean a “hollowing out” of Canada’s mining industry, at a time when the mining sector could be poised for a boom.Economist and former Scotiabank executive Patricia Mohr says she expects copper prices to skyrocket within the next few years, because copper is one of the critical metals used in the manufacturing of electric vehicles.She says Teck is well situated to capitalize on that, with its massive new copper mine project in Chile as well as copper deposits in Canada.Mohr and others say Teck is one of the last remaining big mining companies that is still controlled by Canadians, and losing that domestic ...

MUST-WATCH: One last job for the acting hitman

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:22:25 GMT

The final season of Bill Hader’s masterpiece has entered the MUST-WATCH! Will he slaughter his way to the top spot, or could it go to art’s most famous creature of the night? Perhaps another final season of a critically acclaimed dramedy? You’ll have to keep reading to find out!The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Season 5)Where to watch: Prime VideoLet’s start off with the final season of one of Prime Video’s biggest hits!Rachel Brosnahan in the fifth season of the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, courtesy of Amazon Studios.The end of the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is nigh! When we last left Midge (played by Rachel Brosnahan from House of Cards), she was kicking herself for giving up opening acts and is considering going back to them. She also gets a new job writing for a comedy show, which could help her make it into the big time. Her ex (played by Michael Zegen from Boardwalk Empire) is getting married again and expecting with his new partner. And new this season, the show f...

Chicago O’Hare's airport train breaks...again

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:22:25 GMT

CHICAGO — O’Hare International Airport’s trouble-automated train system broke down again this weekend.  It was out of service for seven hours on Sunday forcing passengers to board buses to move between terminals, remote parking and the rental car facility.“The outage was caused by a mechanical failure on board a train stationed at Terminal 3, and extensive work was required by ATS engineers to remove the train from service and safely restore the system's operations,” according to an airport spokesperson. New air taxi route could get you from O’Hare to Chicago’s Near West Side in 10 minutes WGN Investigates has reported on the train system’s reliability in the year since it fully reopened to the public.Records revealed the train system had to be taken off-line for at least 30 minutes or more 53 times in the first 10 months it had fully reopened.  Some of the outages were for planned maintenance or software upgrades, but the train system unexpectedly failed to function on 17 days du...

Lightfoot: Weekend violence downtown was not 'mayhem'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:22:25 GMT

CHICAGO — When a reporter asked Chicago’s mayor to respond to a weekend that saw hundreds of teens descend on Chicago’s Loop with some jumping on cars, committing acts of vandalism and two people shot, Lori Lightfoot took issue with the reporter’s language: “I’m not going to use your language, which I think is wrong, to say it was ‘mayhem.’”  Lightfoot sought to distinguish between those committing crimes and others who sought a fun night downtown on the first warm weekend of the year.  2 teens shot in the Loop during large disturbance “The vast majority of the young people who came downtown came downtown because it was great weather and an opportunity to enjoy the city. That's absolutely and entirely it,” Lightfoot said.  “There are a few that came with different intentions.  They have and they will be dealt with.”Mayor Lightfoot accused a reporter of “ambushing” her by asking questions about the unrest at a library event after her office had previously issued a press release. Sh...

Calling the IRS? Hold times are way down this tax season

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:22:25 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Taxpayers who called the IRS had an average wait time of four minutes this tax season compared to 27 minutes a year earlier, the agency said Monday.Ahead of the tax filing deadline on Tuesday, the IRS is promoting its improved customer service and giving credit to a big boost in funding provided by the Inflation Reduction Act that Democrats pushed through Congress last year. The federal tax collector on Monday reported a dramatic turnaround for the 2023 tax season from a year ago, when the agency scored its worst customer service marks on record. IRS employees this tax season have answered 2 million more calls, and served 100,000 more taxpayers in-person, it reported. The agency also digitized 80 times more paper forms than in 2022 and cleared the backlog of unprocessed 2022 individual tax returns.New IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel, sworn in earlier this month, promised that to use the new $80 billion infusion of cash over the next 10 years to help the federal tax ...

Ex-congressman says snake hitched ride on his plane from Texas to Illinois

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:22:25 GMT

(The Hill) -- Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger says he had a real-life “Snakes on a Plane” moment after a slithering creature seemingly stowed away aboard his aircraft.The Illinois Republican detailed his close encounter with a scaly, uninvited guest in a Monday tweet.“Yesterday I flew from Texas to Illinois, four hours at 17,500,” wrote Kinzinger, a 45-year-old former Air Force pilot and six-term House member who did not run for reelection last year.“Outside temp at that altitude was -8,” he said.“Landed, taxied in, and when I stopped this boy dropped out of my wheel well." Air National Guardsman faces charges after applying to RentAHitman.com, feds say While there was no Samuel L. Jackson in sight, Kinzinger shared four creepy snapshots of the high-flying reptilian hitchhiker.But Kinzinger, a CNN senior political commentator and fierce critic of former President Trump, joked that dark, venomous forces could be at play with his surprise in-flight companion.“Welcome to ...

'I am Latina and I am Muslim:' West-Side nonprofit provides community for Latino Muslims

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:22:25 GMT

CHICAGO – "Ojala" is a word in Spanish that translates to the idea of hope and it is also the vision of a Muslim nonprofit that gives back to the city for the cause of faith.Ojala Foundation is home to many of Chicago's Latino Muslims and offers a comfort of heritage and community for a cultural minority in a rapidly evolving religion.Christopher Abdulkareem Pavlicek is the group's co-founder.“(We offer people) A place to bring their family and friends, a way of speaking that they are familiar with," he said. "(We) focus on local needs.” From offering prayers in grocery store parking lots to engaging in group clean-ups across the West Side, Ojala looks to nurture the very communities that raised them.“I can give back to my city but still love my faith," Pavlicek said.In 2018, Pavlicek saw a need to bring awareness to the Latino-Muslim community while also fostering positive change. ‘How is Ramadan for Muslim inmates?:’ Religious leader visits inmates during holy month “People wou...