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DeSantis enlists help to make closing case to Iowans – and to undercut Haley in the Hawkeye State

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:53 GMT

(CNN) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is enlisting new help in Iowa as he scrambles to ward off mounting interest in the rival presidential candidacy of former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley: One of her former constituents.South Carolina state Sen. Josh Kimbrell, a deeply conservative lawmaker who has pushed a legislative agenda in his state similar to contentious laws championed by DeSantis in Florida, will join the Republican governor for stops in Iowa on Thursday and Friday, where he intends to share a perspective from the Palmetto State on its former leader, he told CNN.“I know Governor Haley, and I have no personal ill will against her, but I can’t point to any significant conservative accomplishment in her tenure as governor and I have found it difficult to nail down where she stands on positions,” Kimbrell said in a phone interview Wednesday. “I know what she actually did versus what she said she did.”Kimbrell’s arrival in a state about 1,000 miles from his own further...

Denver Broncos to bench quarterback Russell Wilson for the remainder of the 2023 NFL season

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:53 GMT

(CNN) — The Denver Broncos are benching quarterback Russell Wilson for the remainder of the 2023 NFL season, team head coach Sean Payton told reporters on Wednesday.“Rather than get into the specifics — because I think that would be unfair today — it’s more about what we weren’t doing effectively enough offensively,” Payton said.“When we were getting two or three turnovers, that’s one thing. Ultimately, our job is to get the ball in the end zone, and we have to be more efficient doing that — all of us.”Payton said Jarrett Stidham will start the final two games of the season. Stidham, a former fourth-round draft pick of the New England Patriots in 2019 out of Auburn University, was signed as a free agent this past offseason.Payton added that the decision was not an indictment on only Wilson but the offense as a whole.“I can’t replace the entire offensive line,” Payton said. “I can’t bring in five new receivers. If it continues over a period of time, there wil...

Teenage star Luke Littler, 16, makes history as ‘unbelievable’ run at World Darts Championship continues

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:53 GMT

(CNN) — Teenage darts sensation Luke Littler continued his unlikely run at the PDC World Darts Championship as he secured a 4-1 win against Matt Campbell in the third round on Wednesday.The 16-year-old, fresh out of school, has been the breakthrough star at this year’s tournament and is now the youngest player to ever reach the last 16. He will face either Jim Williams or darts great Raymond van Barneveld in the next round.“Unbelievable, I only wanted to win one game and I’ve won three. I’ve battled through it but I’m so happy,” Littler told Sky Sports in his post-match interview on stage.“Everyone on social media [saying] … he’s this age, he’s this. I’m 16, I’ll let my darts do the talking.”Since making his debut at the tournament this year, Littler has become a firm favourite with fans at Alexandra Palace in north London, who chanted his name throughout an emotional night for the teenager.Talking to CNN Sport before his match, Littler said he had been enjoying his n...

US applications for jobless benefits rise but labor market remains solid

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:53 GMT

By MATT OTT (AP Business Writer)More Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, but not enough to raise concern about the labor market or broader economy.Jobless claims rose to 218,000 for the week ending Dec. 23, an increase of 12,000 from the previous week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The four-week average of claims, which smooths out week-to-week ups and downs, fell by 250 to 212,000.Overall, 1.88 million Americans were collecting jobless benefits during the week that ended Dec. 16, an increase of 14,000 from the previous week.Weekly unemployment claims are a proxy for layoffs. They have remained at extraordinarily low levels in the face of high interest rates.The Federal Reserve started raising interest rates early last year to try to beat down the inflation that surged after an unusually strong economic rebound from the COVID-19 recession of 2020. The Fed has raised its benchmark rate 11 times since March of 2022.Inflation has eased, but remains slightly...

Resident anthem singer for the Chicago Cubs returns to Blue Island to perform

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:53 GMT

Less than six months after debuting at The Lyric Theater singer John Vincent is back at the Blue Island venue, which he calls one of his favorite places to perform.An Evening with John Vincent on Jan. 5, 2024, includes stories about the native of Chicago’s South Side as well as covers of Louis Armstrong, Johnny Cash and Frank Sinatra songs.“I talk a lot about the experiences I had in my life — the good and the bad. I talk about what I think is important and that’s spreading kindness especially now,” said Vincent who lives in Chicago’s North Park community.“It’s always a good time to do that especially when it seems like everybody is feeling crazy, feeling scared, feeling alone. This is the time to make a difference.“I was bullied when I was a kid and suffer from mental illness. My father has Lewy body Parkinson’s. It’s been hard on my family. I just try to keep (it) real with some laughter, with some tears, with some ...

After 17 years, deported Veteran who helped others like him, finally returns home to U.S.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:53 GMT

SAN DIEGO (Border Report) -- Hector Lopez raised his arms and smiled triumphantly as he walked out of the San Ysidro Port of Entry Wednesday morning, finally setting foot in California -- something he had not been able to do in 17 years.Lopez, who grew up in California's Central Valley, served six years in the U.S. Army.After leaving the military, Lopez admitted he had a hard time coping and turned to alcohol and controlled substances. He was deported to Tijuana after being convicted of drug possession."To finally have the stigma of being deported behind me, it feels so awesome,” said Lopez. "Stepping on United States soil, it’s such an awesome feeling. It’s a bit overwhelming right now." After lobbying trip to D.C., advocates hopeful deported veterans may soon be allowed back to US The Army vet admitted making a big mistake but believes he should have never been sent to Mexico, a country he barely knew.Hector Lopez spent 17 years in Mexico after beind deported for a drug offense....

An ‘almost naked’ party of Russian elites brings on jail time, a lawsuit and apologies

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:53 GMT

The nightlife of Russia’s elite has long been famously rakish but a recent party crossed an invisible line and provoked a public scandal. One pop star ended up in jail and several others issued public apologies while an ensuing lawsuit demanded a fortune in reparations. The scandal erupted after TV presenter and actress Anastasia Ivleeva hosted a bash at a Moscow nightclub with the stated dress code of “almost naked.” Soon after, photos from the party began circulating on social media — including those of rapper Vacio seen wearing only a sock on his genitalia. Conservative legislators, bloggers and others unleashed a storm of criticism, contending the images were unseemly, even unpatriotic, for a country embroiled in war. Some of the criticism reflected the fiercely conservative sentiment in Russia amid President Vladimir Putin’s repeated denunciation of the West for trying to undermine “traditional values” and the nationalism intensified by Russia’s war in Ukraine.̶...

Suspect sought in subway station sex assault

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:53 GMT

Toronto police have released images of a suspect wanted in connection to a sexual assault at St. George Subway Station in November.Investigators say it happened on Tuesday, November 7 at around 10:10 p.m.In a release, police said the suspect walked closely behind the victim as they boarded a train at the station. The suspect then sexually assaulted the victim before exiting the train, police allege.The suspect was last seen standing on the subway platform.He’s described as 40 to 50 years old with black hair and a black beard.He was last seen wearing a dark coloured zip-up sweater, black hooded winter jacket, light blue jeans, and white and black slip-on shoes.In a separate investigation police are looking for a suspect after reports of a sexual assault at Davisville Subway Station on August 17, 2023 at around 3:10 p.m.

Independent lawyers begin prosecuting cases of sexual assault and other crimes in the US military

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:53 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military on Thursday opened a new chapter in how it investigates and prosecutes cases of sexual assault and other major crimes, putting independent lawyers in charge of those decisions and sidelining commanders after years of pressure from Congress.The change, long resisted by Pentagon leaders, was finally forced by frustrated members of Congress who believed that too often commanders would fail to take victims’ complaints seriously or would try to protect alleged perpetrators in their units. The new law was fueled by a persistent increase in sexual assaults and harassment across the military. The Air Force, the Marine Corps and the Navy all saw reported sexual assaults go up last year, but a sharp 9% drop in reports from the Army — the largest military service — drove the overall number down. In 2021, reported assaults spiked by 13%.Under the law, new special counsels will have the authority to make prosecution decisions on a number of major crimes,...

George Stroumboulopoulos, NYT journalist, dairy CEO among 78 named to Order of Canada

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:53 GMT

OTTAWA — When George Stroumboulopoulos thinks back on his TV career, it’s his time hosting The NewMusic in the early 2000s that resonates most.Many Canadians remember how the gregarious host introduced them to bands and musicians on the MuchMusic program, and those years are part of the reason he is now being appointed to the Order of Canada.“It was this golden era of television that I don’t think could ever be created again,” he told The Canadian Press in an interview.Stroumboulopoulos went on to host his own show on CBC for a decade, followed by a stint on Hockey Night in Canada from 2014 to 2016. He has interviewed everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Hilary Clinton to Snoop Dogg — but he said he never changed along the way. “With very rare exceptions, I have been 100 per cent myself the whole way,” he said.Stroumboulopoulos is one of 78 Canadians being awarded one of the country’s highest honours. The list of new officers of the Order of Canada prov...