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Two GOP presidential debates are set for Iowa and New Hampshire in January before the voting begins

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:34 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two Republican presidential primary debates have been scheduled in Iowa and New Hampshire in January, not long before each state’s GOP nominating contest.CNN said Thursday it will host a Jan. 10 debate at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, five days before the state’s first-in-the-nation caucuses, and a Jan. 21 debate at St. Anselm College in Goffstown, New Hampshire, two days before that state’s leadoff primary.The announcement came a day after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie met for the fourth debate of the 2024 primary season. Former President Donald Trump, the GOP front-runner for the 2024 nomination, has yet to take part in any debate and has said he doesn’t plan to.The qualifications for candidates to participate in the debates are getting stricter. To qualify for the Iowa debate, candidates must register at least 10% support in...

Judge says ex-Alaska Airlines pilot who tried to cut plane’s engines can be released before trial

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:34 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An ex-Alaska Airlines pilot accused of trying to cut the engines of a passenger flight while off-duty and riding in an extra seat in the cockpit can be released from jail pending trial, an Oregon judge said Thursday.Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Ryan made the decision as Joseph Emerson pleaded not guilty to reduced charges of reckless endangerment; he previously faced attempted murder charges.Emerson, of Pleasant Hill, California, has also pleaded not guilty to a federal charge of interfering with a flight crew, and the judge in that case also agreed that he could be released pending trial.The release conditions agreed to by defense attorneys and prosecutors in the state case include that Emerson post a $50,000 bond, undergo mental health services, stay away from drugs and alcohol, and not come within 30 feet (9 meters) of an operable aircraft.Emerson is accused of trying to cut the engines of a Horizon Air flight from Everett, Washington, to San ...

Adults can now legally possess and grow marijuana in Ohio – but there’s nowhere to buy it

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:34 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohioans woke up Thursday in a land of recreational marijuana limbo, in which adults can legally grow and possess cannabis at home, but cannot legally buy it.That combination of factors related to a citizen-initiated statue voters approved in November “is a recipe for disaster,” Republican Gov. Mike DeWine said Wednesday night. He urged passage of a compromise bill setting parameters for carrying out Issue 2. The 11th-hour deal managed to make it through the Ohio Senate on the eve of the new law’s effective date, but not through the Ohio House, which — insistent there’s no rush— opted to adjourn. DeWine predicted that black market sales would flourish in the state, making fentanyl- or pesticide-laced marijuana products more accessible and endangering Ohioans, including children who could be subjected to second-hand pot smoke at this holiday season’s festivities.One regulator quipped that growing marijuana without being able to legally buy it must req...

New US-Mexico agreement to monitor foreign investments comes as more Chinese money flows into Mexico

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:34 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — As more Chinese money flows into Mexico, the United States and Mexico on Thursday agreed to monitor foreign investments and regularly share information about the screening.The U.S and Mexico “benefit when they work together to guard against foreign investments that pose national security risks,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement. The U.S. wants to prevent Chinese purchases of sensitive American technology that could be accessed through other U.S. trading partners. The U.S.-Mexico agreement may help achieve that goal. “This engagement is further evidence of the close partnership between our two countries, not only on matters of trade but also on critical issues of national security,” Yellen said.The U.S. is Mexico’s top trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching more than $850 billion in 2022. But China has increased its investment into Mexican companies in the past few years and is the fastest-growing source of foreign investment in Mexi...

Best movies of 2023: ‘Oppenheimer,’ ‘Fallen Leaves,’ ‘May December’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:34 GMT

The Associated Press’ Film Writers Lindsey Bahr and Jake Coyle’s picks for the best movies of 2023:LINDSEY BAHR1. “Oppenheimer”Christopher Nolan has had so many major films in a relatively short time, that “ Oppenheimer ” might seem like a given, rather than the triumphant fusion of everything he’s passionate about: Large format film; the tension between humanity and science; the turmoil of a brilliant mind; and the wonder of an exceptional group coming together to make an impossible thing (in this case a nuclear weapon) but also on a meta level, the film.2. “The Zone of Interest”Like “Oppenheimer,” the horror in Jonathan Glazer’s “ The Zone of Interest ” is what is unseen. Depiction bubbled up as a hot topic this year, as though audiences aren’t intelligent enough to imagine the worst. In “The Zone of Interest,” it’s only a wall that separates one Nazi family from the gas chambers of Auschwitz. Glazer’s film is a masterclass in atmosphere: A chilling, artful repre...

Deputy U.S. Marshal charged with entering plane drunk after misconduct report on flight to London

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:34 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A deputy U.S. Marshal was charged in the United Kingdom on Thursday with entering an aircraft while drunk, after being arrested on allegations of misconduct aboard a flight from New York, London police said.Michael Brereton, 39, was arrested when he landed at Heathrow Airport. The flight crew had contacted officers to report onboard disruptions from the federal agent, London police said in a statement. He is expected to appear in court Friday.No court representative was immediately available for him, and a relative declined to comment when reached by phone. The Associated Press left an email message for the union that represents deputies.The Metropolitan Police Service said in a statement that flight crew members reported that the marshal “was disruptive and had sexually assaulted other passengers and crew.” No sexual assault charges have been filed. The British offense of sexual assault is one person intentionally touching another with any body part or an object, ...

Construction of a cable to connect the power grids of Greece and Cyprus is set to start next year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:34 GMT

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Construction of a 1.9 billion-euro ($2.05 billion) section of an electricity cable that will connect the power grids of Greece and Cyprus is slated to begin in the new year, officials said Thursday.An eventual extension of the renamed Great Sea Interconnector is planned to connect Israel’s power grid as well.Manousos Manousakis, president and chief executive officer of Greece’s Independent Power Transmission Operator, told reporters that contracts also are expected to be signed with technology company Siemens next year for the construction of converter stations on the Greek island of Crete and in Cyprus that are key to the flow of electricity through the cable.The Crete-Cyprus section of the Mediterranean Sea cable should be ready by 2029 at the latest, Cyprus Energy Minister George Papanastasiou said.Technical talks on moving ahead with the Cyprus-Israel section are on hiatus because of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, according to Papanastasiou.“We hope that ho...

Lawsuit accuses NY college of negligence for harboring ex-con who abused students

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:34 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York college where ex-convict Lawrence Ray moved into his daughter’s campus housing and began grooming her friends for abuse has been sued by two former students and the sister of one of the students who say they suffered years of abuse because of the college’s negligence.The plaintiffs allege in their lawsuit filed Nov. 21 in Manhattan federal court that Ray made little attempt to hide the fact that he had moved in with his daughter in 2010 and was allowed to remain on the campus of Sarah Lawrence College “while he committed acts of manipulation, grooming, sexual abuse, food deprivation and sleep deprivation.”A college spokesperson said in a statement Thursday, “Larry Ray committed heinous crimes for which he properly has been held responsible, convicted, and sentenced. We hope that sentencing has brought some resolution to Ray’s victims, for whom the College has deep sympathy. We will not comment on any aspect of this litigation, beyond noting t...

California faces record $68 billion budget deficit, nonpartisan legislative analyst says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:34 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California is facing a record $68 billion budget deficit, state officials announced Thursday, a consequence of a cooling economy and delayed tax filings because of last winter’s damaging storms.Californians didn’t have to pay their 2022 taxes until November this year, meaning Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and his legislative allies had to come up with a budget over the summer without knowing how much money the state had to spend.It turns out, they badly misjudged how much taxes people and businesses would pay. The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst Office said tax collections were off by $26 billion, a major driver of the deficit. When combined with the economic slowdown California has been facing since last year, it leads to a predicted deficit of $68 billion.That’s the biggest deficit by dollars in state history. Previous deficits have been larger as a percentage of total state spending. California’s current budget tops $300 billion, t...

Carrie Underwood a headliner for this year's Windy City Smokeout

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:34 GMT

CHICAGO — Chicago's annual Windy City Smokeout, the outdoor country music and BBQ festival, is set to return to the United Center parking lot next summer. Organizers announced Thursday the festival will be held July 11-14, 2024. This year's festival features some of country music's biggest names – highlighted by Carrie Underwood – and up-and-coming talents, along with BBQ and craft beer from around the country.The music lineup was also announced Thursday and was handpicked by Ed Warm, co-founder of the Windy City Smokeout. The festival was named the 2022 "Festival of the Year" at the Academy of Country Music Awards.In addition to Underwood, an eight-time Grammy award winner, this year's Windy City Smokeout lineup includes CMA award-winner Cody Johnson, CMA nominee and ACM's 2022 New Male Artist of the Year Parker McCollum and five-time Grammy Award nominee Thomas Rhett, the opening-night headliner.Each headliner will take the stage at 8:30 p.m. on their respective nights. Here is th...