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Vietnam-era whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked Pentagon Papers, dies at 92

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:08 GMT

By HILLEL ITALIE (AP National Writer)NEW YORK (AP) — Daniel Ellsberg, the history-making whistleblower who by leaking the Pentagon Papers revealed longtime government doubts and deceit about the Vietnam War and inspired acts of retaliation by President Richard Nixon that helped lead to his resignation, has died. He was 92.Ellsberg, whose actions led to a landmark First Amendment ruling by the Supreme Court, had disclosed in February that he was terminally ill with pancreatic cancer. His family announced his death Friday morning in a letter released by a spokeswoman, Julia Pacetti.“He was not in pain, and was surrounded by loving family,” the letter reads in part. “Thank you, everyone, for your outpouring of love, appreciation and well-wishes to Dan in the previous months. It all warmed his heart at the end of his life.”Until the early 1970s, when he disclosed that he was the source for the stunning media reports on the 47-volume, 7,000-page Defense Depa...

Zach Remillard, in the Chicago White Sox system since 2016, gets his big-league call-up: ‘Always been a dream of mine’

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:08 GMT

Zach Remillard walked into the visiting clubhouse at Dodger Stadium on Thursday as a major-leaguer for the first time.“I don’t know that it’s hit me yet,” Remillard said before the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. “Some things haven’t really settled in.”Remillard moved up from Triple-A Charlotte when the Sox placed Yoan Moncada on the injured list with lower back inflammation.The infielder has been in the Sox organization since 2016, when the team selected him in the 10th round of the draft out of Coastal Carolina.“It means everything,” Remillard said. “You play since you are a kid with a dream in your heart to get to this level and compete at the highest level in the world.“It’s always been a dream of mine and I owe it to a lot of people in my life and my family. It’s been an emotional day. I’m excited to be here.”Remillard’s family was scheduled to join him in Seattle as the Sox be...

Aaron Judge receives second PRP shot, timetable remains unclear

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:08 GMT

BOSTON — Aaron Judge received a second PRP injection on Thursday to address a second bothersome ligament in his right big toe, according to Aaron Boone.“From my understanding, two ligaments intersect, so [the shot is] hitting the other one because that was probably still giving him some problems in advancing,” the manager explained Friday before the Yankees’ series opener against the Red Sox.Judge has been out since June 3 after hurting his toe on a fence-breaking catch at Dodger Stadium.Boone added that Judge and his toe are “doing a lot better today,” but the additional shot means the reigning MVP will go at least another 48 hours without doing baseball activities. When Boone states that Judge is improving, he’s basing that on what the slugger is saying and how he’s moving around.Boone was asked if surgery could be on the table for Judge if the soreness doesn’t subside. The skipper didn’t think so, but noted, “that&...

Mets Notebook: Daniel Vogelbach returns to lineup, Mark Vientos back to the bench

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:08 GMT

Designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach returned to the Mets’ lineup on Friday against the Cardinals at Citi Field after a brief hiatus. The 30-year-old is making his first appearance since the Amazin’s 7-5 loss to the Braves on June 7.The veteran is slashing .203/.343/.297 with two homers and 14 RBI this season. His underwhelming season numbers are a result of a brutal .157/.289/.243 slash line since May 1. However, with Pete Alonso (wrist) out for a bit longer, Buck Showalter is searching for answers to the Mets’ offensive struggles and hopes Vogelbach can be part of the solution.“We were in here yesterday,” said Showalter. “He’s working hard, I’ve seen being the scenes. [I’m] hoping that he’s the productive player that he can be. We could use it, especially with Pete out. You know, it’s been a while [since he’s played] but he’s been working diligently every day as have the people that are working with him.&#...

President Biden renews call for assault weapons ban

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:08 GMT

Highlighting Connecticut’s role as a national leader in gun safety, President Joe Biden traveled Friday to the state to hail the most comprehensive gun law in the past three decades and renew his call for a federal ban on assault weapons.As the marquee speaker at a major national gun summit, Biden celebrated the one-year anniversary of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which he signed into law.More than 600 people gathered in West Hartford at the University of Hartford’s Lincoln Theater, a small venue that was chosen for the invitation-only summit long before Biden was confirmed as the main attraction. All seats were filled, and supporters were standing against the wall on the theatre’s far side.“As a kid, I came out of a different movement — the civil rights movement,” Biden told the enthusiastic crowd.The gun safety movement is on the front lines because of daily violence in the United States, he said.“Every damn day in America,” Biden said, his voice rising. “A lot of you are...

Barricaded suspect prompts SWAT standoff at Hillcrest donut shop

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:08 GMT

SAN DIEGO — San Diego police were in a standoff Friday with a suspect who barricaded themself inside a Hillcrest donut shop.The suspect was barricaded inside Donut Star, located at 601 W Washington Street.The circumstances that led to the standoff, and what time the police activity began are not yet known. A SWAT team has been called out to the scene to assist, according to police.This is a developing story, check back for updates.

On this date: Padres icon, Tony Gwynn, passed

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:08 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- On this date nine years ago, San Diego legend Tony Gwynn passed after fighting a years-long battle against cancer.Nicknamed Mr. Padre, the Hall of Fame outfielder spent 20 seasons with San Diego before his retirement in 2001, during which he earned a name as one of the best and most consistent hitters in baseball history. Gwynn would have turned 63 earlier this year on May 9. A wish come true: 6-year-old slings first pitch at San Diego Padres game "Not a day goes by that we don't miss you, (Mr. Padre)! #19 forever in our hearts," the Padres said in a tweet Friday, remembering the player that has defined the franchise for decades.Gwynn came to the Padres in 1981 as the 58th overall draft pick after playing collegiately at San Diego State University. A dual-sport athlete, he was simultaneously drafted again to play professional basketball in the 10th round by the then-San Diego Clippers.He ultimately signed with the Padres and the rest is history.Three years after arriv...

Despite widespread protest, Reddit CEO says company is ‘not negotiating’ on 3rd-party app charges

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:08 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — If you hopped on Reddit to scroll through your favorite forums this week, you may have encountered “private” or “restricted” messages. That’s because thousands of subreddits chose to go dark in an ongoing protest over the company’s plan to start charging certain third-party developers to access the site’s data. But Reddit’s CEO Steve Huffman told The Associated Press he’s not backing off.“Protest and dissent is important,” Huffman said. “The problem with this one is it’s not going to change anything because we made a business decision that we’re not negotiating on.”Organizers of the protest say Reddit’s new policy threatens to end key ways of historically customizing the platform using an API, or application programming interface, which allows computer programs to communicate with each another. Third-party developers rely on API data to create their apps, which offer access to features that are unavailable in the official Reddit app, p...

The Reddit blackout, explained: Why thousands of subreddits are protesting third-party app charges

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:08 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of Reddit discussion forums have gone dark this week to protest a new policy that will charge some third-party apps to access data on the site, leading to worries about content moderation and accessibility.“Reddit is killing third-party applications (and itself),” multiple subreddits wrote in posts seen on the platform’s homepage this week.The new fees are part of broader changes to Reddit’s API, or application programming interface, that the company announced recently. Organizers of the blackout, which began Monday, say Reddit’s changes threaten to end key ways of historically customizing the platform — which relies heavily on the work of volunteer moderators. Subreddit “mods” often use tools outside of the official app to keep their forums free of spam and hateful content, for example, as well as improve accessibility.Nearly 9,000 subreddits went dark this week and more than 4,000 remained dark on Friday, including communit...

Medical Cannabis Commission pauses license awards due to possible scoring problems

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:08 GMT

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission on Friday pulled back licenses that had been awarded to cultivators, dispensaries and others after discovering potential problems with how applicants were scored.The commission voted during an emergency meeting to indefinitely stay the medical cannabis business licenses that had been awarded Monday for the state’s new medical marijuana program. “The stay is recommended due to the (commission’s) discovery of potential inconsistency in the tabulation of scoring data,” Dr. Steven Stokes, an oncologist who chairs the commission, said during the meeting. Stokes did not elaborate on the problem. Brittany Peters, a spokeswoman for the commission, told The Associated Press that she could not comment further.Stokes said the commission will seek an independent review of all scoring data and will reconsider the issuance of licenses when the stay is lifted. He cast the pause as a temporary setback. “We’re trying t...