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Dems say some foreign gifts to Trump remain unaccounted for

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:40 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s White House has failed to report more than 100 gifts from foreign nations worth more than a quarter-million dollars, and federal officials have been unable to find a life-size painting of Trump given by the president of El Salvador as well as golf clubs from the prime minister of Japan, according to a report Friday from House Democrats.Among the unreported items are 16 gifts from Saudi Arabia worth more than $45,000 in all, including a dagger valued at up to $24,000, and 17 presents from India that include expensive cufflinks, a vase and a $4,600 model of the Taj Mahal, says the report from Democrats on the House Oversight Committee.Gifts above several hundred dollars that foreign officials give to the president, vice president and their families are required under the Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act to be reported to the State Department. The report from House Democrats, citing State Department records, says the number of gifts reported by T...

New Arizona hotline sees few calls about race-based lessons

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:40 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Only a handful of complaints out of hundreds of calls to a new state hotline for reporting race-based lessons have warranted investigation, Arizona’s top education official said Friday. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne told radio station KTAR News that the Arizona Department of Education found half a dozen complaints to be credible.“The majority at this point are prank calls,” Horne said. “But we’re not going to be dissuaded by that. We’re just going to ignore them.”The Arizona Empower Hotline has been in operation since March 7. It was set up specifically for allegations of teachers teaching so-called critical race theory or any lessons that evoke race and ethnicity. State education officials say the hotline so far has received 2,000 emails and 600 calls and voicemails. There has been a social media campaign to flood the tip line with either prank calls or messages praising teachers.Many education groups have accused Horne of politicizing their jo...

Three dead in apparent stabbings inside Montreal residence, police arrest suspect

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:40 GMT

MONTREAL — A large police investigation was underway on Friday after three people were found stabbed to death inside an east-end Montreal residence. A suspect was taken into custody outside the home and was expected to be questioned by investigators.Orange police tape barricaded a block of Bélanger Street, which features low-rise residential buildings on one side, and the Montreal Heart Institute on the other.Montreal police Const. Julien Lévesque said a 911 call was received at about 9:20 a.m. for a person in need of help. Officers found three bodies inside bearing marks of violence that appeared to be from a sharp object, he said.The police service was calling the three deaths “suspicious.” Lévesque said it was too early release details about the link between the victims and the suspect. The major crimes division is leading the investigation into the crash, he said.An ambulance with lights flashing remained on scene on Friday morning, along with a police mobile command...

Washington turns to Wall Street to help rescue dying bank

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:40 GMT

NEW YORK — The scene was reminiscent of the last financial crisis, nearly 15 years ago: Faced with a blossoming emergency in the banking sector, worried regulators and policymakers in Washington turned to Wall Street for help.The anxiety this week centered on First Republic Bank in San Francisco, which was once the envy of the banking sector, with its wealthy and well-traveled clientele. Now the bank was reeling after some of those customers withdrew billions of dollars.As early as Tuesday, it became clear to policymakers that First Republic needed to be rescued or it could fail, two people briefed on the matter told The Associated Press, speaking anonymously because they were not authorized to discuss details.The result was a swift agreement among the nation’s leading banks to lay aside competitive instincts to come to First Republic’s aid. With Washington greasing the wheels, a coalition of lenders put $30 billion in uninsured deposits into the California-based bank as...

‘I’M BACK!’: Trump returns to Facebook after reinstatement

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:40 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump has returned to Facebook after a more than two-year ban.“I’M BACK!” Trump posted on the site weeks after his personal account was reactivated. He also shared an old video clip in which he said: “Sorry to keep you waiting. Complicated business.”Trump posted the same clip on YouTube, which announced Friday that it, too, was welcoming him back.Facebook parent Meta had said in January that it would be restoring Trump ’s personal account in the coming weeks, ending the suspension it imposed in the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection, when Trump’s supporters violently stormed the U.S. Capitol in a bid to halt the peaceful transition of power.His access was restored to Facebook and Instagram on Feb. 9, the company confirmed.“The public should be able to hear what their politicians are saying — the good, the bad and the ugly — so that they can make informed choices at the ballot box,” Nick Clegg, Meta’s vice president of global affairs, wrote ...

Illinois bill would allow residents to carry digital driver's license

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:40 GMT

CHICAGO -- Illinois drivers may soon not have to carry their physical driver's license with them on the road.House Bill 1110, introduced by Illinois Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) on Jan. 12, would give Illinois residents the option to carry a digital driver's license."Pull up their phone and have all their information right there," Rep. Buckner said. "(I) embraced this idea that Illinois can come once again to the 21st century and our ability to use technological tools at our disposable to make things easier."Rep. Buckner says at least a dozen states have already tested or launched the digital versions of driver's licenses. Bill passes House vote to make drivers on rideshare apps ‘common carriers’ If passed, an individual would not be issued a citation for driving without a physical driver's license if they present a digitized driver's license.Recently elected Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias also has expressed support for the idea of a mobile driver's license and havi...

Illinois lawmakers pushing for legislation to combat fentanyl epidemic

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:40 GMT

PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) – It's a growing problem that is showing no signs of slowing down. State lawmakers said fentanyl-related overdoses are spiking throughout the nation, the state, and it's trickling down to Central Illinois communities. The spiking concern, which is claiming numerous lives, is prompting legislation on the state level. Lawmakers said laced narcotics are leaving a trail of bodies throughout the country. Illinois bill would allow residents to carry digital driver’s license House Republican leader Tony McCombie (Savanna) said drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental deaths among Illinoisans ages 18-49."This is not unusual, it's happening everywhere in every state we're seeing increases of fatal overdoses," Chris Schaffner, program director at JOLT Harm reduction in Peoria, said.Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood said so far five people in Peoria County have died from overdoses this year. This issue killed more than 42 people in Peoria County in 2022.Many of...

Ohio teen accused of attacking Def Leppard drummer at Florida hotel

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:40 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (WJW) — A suburban Cleveland teen is facing criminal charges in Florida for an alleged unprovoked attack on legendary Def Leppard drummer, Rick Allen.Max Hartley, 19, of Avon, faces two counts of battery, four counts of criminal mischief and abusing a disabled adult for the attack on Allen. A cowboy boot on a fence post — what it means Police in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., say Allen and Def Leppard were performing at a casino in South Florida over the weekend. Investigators say Allen was standing outside a hotel smoking a cigarette when he was suddenly attacked by Hartley, who was visiting Florida on spring break.Police say Hartley, a St. Ignatius graduate who played football and lacrosse for the school, knocked Allen to the ground.According to the police report, Allen hit his head on the ground, causing injury. Police say he is then accused of knocking a woman attempting to help Allen to the ground, battering her with his fists. When she tried to escape, police s...

Biden administration tackles gender wage gap through new investments 

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:40 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — The U.S. Department of Labor's Women's Bureau is launching new effort to give more women a leg up in the workforce and try to narrow what data shows is a persistent pay gap between genders."It's a really exciting moment for us and for families across the country," bureau senior adviser S.J. Glynn said.She and Bureau Director Wendy Chun-Hoon said that after Congress passed bills investing billions in infrastructure, manufacturing and clean energy projects, they want to ensure women can snag those jobs, too."To be able to move into a career track like that, which is higher paying, better benefits, opportunity to join a union," Chun-Hoon explained.To make that happen, she said, the Biden administration is pushing manufacturing companies to offer expansive child care programs because studies show access to affordable child care continues to be a barrier for women pursuing employment."We've talk to women all across the country that have been in pre-apprenticeship p...

The legality of shooting dogs in Texas

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:40 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- After Austin Pets Alive! said it was caring for dogs with gunshot wounds, KXAN took a in-depth look at animal cruelty laws in Texas.The basis of the law states that "without the owner's effective consent, kills, administers poison to, or causes serious bodily injury to an animal.""I think shooting and killing a dog should be the last resort," said Eric Torberson, a Central Texas attorney who has worked several cases involving animals.The law states you can shoot a dog if attacks your livestock, your own pets, your children or yourself. "Would a reasonable person think that they need to prevent serious bodily injury to their children or themselves? That will be a factor in whether it's animal cruelty or you're defending yourself," Torberson said. "You can't just kill a dog because it's trespassing onto your property."According to the Austin Police Department (APD), gun laws must also be taken into account in these cases as well - both city ordinances and state law. T...