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Federal judge nixes Donald Trump’s bid to move hush-money criminal case, keeping it in state court

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:47 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump can’t make a federal case out of this one.U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein on Wednesday rejected the former president’s bid to move his hush-money criminal case from New York state court to federal court, ruling that Trump’s lawyers had failed to meet a high legal bar for changing jurisdiction.Hellerstein found that the allegations pertained to Trump’s personal life, not presidential duties that would have merited a move to federal court.“The evidence overwhelmingly suggests that the matter was a purely a personal item of the President — a cover-up of an embarrassing event,” Hellerstein wrote in a 25-page ruling. “Hush money paid to an adult film star is not related to a President’s official acts. It does not reflect in any way the color of the President’s official duties.”Hellerstein’s decision sets the stage for Trump to stand trial in state court in Manhattan as early as next spring, overlapping with the 2024 presidential primary s...

‘Cracks’ visible in Putin’s leadership, senior U.K. officials say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:47 GMT

ASPEN, Colo. — Russian President Vladimir Putin is under pressure as “cracks” have formed in his power structure following the Wagner Group’s munity, two senior British officials said in separate events Tuesday.Richard Moore, the head of MI6, assessed in a rare public address that the Yevgeny Prigozhin-led revolt against the Kremlin served as one of the greatest challenges to the autocrat’s two-decade rule.“I think he probably feels under some pressure. Prigozhin was his creature, utterly created by Putin, and yet he turned on him,” Moore said in Prague during a POLITICO event. “He really didn’t fight back against Prigozhin. He cut a deal to save his skin using the good offices of the leader of Belarus.”Hours later, U.K. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly told reporters on the sidelines of the Aspen Security Forum audience that “an attempted coup is never a good look because there’s no way that Putin can spin this as business as usual or good news.”“What we’re seeing is that the ...

Police raid MEP’s house as Qatargate corruption probe widens

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:47 GMT

BRUSSELS — Police raided the house of Belgian Socialist MEP Maria Arena on Wednesday as part of the Qatargate investigation — a corruption scandal that has centered on the European Parliament.Several lawmakers from Arena’s center-left Socialists & Democrats grouping have been caught up in the probe but, to date, Arena was not charged or even questioned by Belgian prosecutors.She was, however, mentioned in an arrest warrant earlier this year naming a group of MEPs who would allegedly do former MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri’s bidding to alleviate Qatar’s influence in Brussels.She has denied any involvement in the scandal. Arena has carried on performing her duties as an MEP since the scandal erupted last December. She stepped down as chair of the subcommittee for human rights — a position she inherited from Panzeri, after POLITICO revealed she had failed to declare a subsidized trip to Qatar in line with Parliament’s rules.She is the fourth sitting MEP to be impl...

University of Vermont fires men’s hockey coach over ‘inappropriate’ text messages

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:47 GMT

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Vermont has fired men’s hockey coach Todd Woodcroft over what were described as inappropriate text messages with a student.Woodcroft was fired Tuesday following an internal investigation by the university’s Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity, athletic director Jeff Schulman said in a statement.“The specific conduct leading to the investigation involved inappropriate text messages with a UVM student on multiple occasions that failed to maintain professional boundaries,” the statement said.A voicemail was left with a listed number for Woodcroft.His attorney disputed the investigation’s findings.“We vehemently disagree with the process and the findings of a proceeding that lacked fundamental fairness and due process,” Andrew Miltenberg said in an email. “We strongly believe the University’s decision was contrary to the facts and the law. We intend to pursue justice for Mr. Woodcroft, who has been an outstanding coach and communit...

Maynard police locate missing 4-year-old child

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:47 GMT

UPDATE: Police in Maynard say a 4-year-old girl who was reported missing Wednesday afternoon has been located.Within an hour of first posting an alert around 2 p.m., the Maynard Police Department said the child named “Ruthie” was found following a search effort in the area of Wood Lane.The department thanked all who assisted with the search effort.—Originally posted on Wednesday, July 19, at 2:05 p.m.Police in Maynard are requesting the public’s help as they work to find a 4-year-old child.The Maynard Police Department said on Wednesday that they were looking for a child named Ruthie in the area of Wood Lane, near the center of town.Anyone who may have seen the child is asked to call the Maynard Police Department immediately at (978) 897-1011.In the meantime, authorities ask that members of the public avoid the area of Wood Lane as police work there with multiple agencies and a K9 unit to try and locate the child.

How Colson Whitehead’s childhood helped inspire crime novel ‘Crook Manifesto’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:47 GMT

Colson Whitehead starts laughing when he hears the first question.Because the first question for the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “The Underground Railroad” and “The Nickel Boys” – and recent recipient of the National Humanities Medal – is about the films of low-budget movie producer Samuel Z. Arkoff, whose American International Pictures produced tons of successful, schlocky films in the ‘60s and ‘70s – from “Beach Party” and “Blacula” to the double-headers “The Thing With Two Heads” and “The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant.” Arkoff gets a nod in “Crook Manifesto,” Whitehead’s latest Harlem saga novel, set in the 1970s.“I was definitely raised on B-movies and TV. And as a young Black kid growing up in the late ‘70s, early ‘80s, there weren’t a lot of Black films where you saw yourself reflected,” Whitehead says during a recent phone interview. “Definitely, my love for pop culture comes from my youth – and part of that is incredibly terrible B-movies.”Related: Sign up ...

Mayo Clinic expert weighs in on WHO labeling aspartame sweetener as low, but possible, cancer risk

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:47 GMT

DeeDee Stiepan | (TNS) Mayo Clinic News NetworkA popular artificial sweetener that’s widely found in sugar-free foods and beverages is being labeled as a possible cancer risk by the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO’s cancer research agency, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), determined aspartame to be a possible carcinogen after reviewing and assessing the potential carcinogenic effect of the sweetener, but says it’s safe to consume in limited amounts.Dr. Donald Hensrud, a Mayo Clinic physician specializing in nutrition and the editor of “The Mayo Clinic Diet,” explains what this new classification means and why the risk is low.“This new decision of declaring aspartame a possible carcinogen is going to add some confusion. First of all, the level of risk is low, but consuming something over many years, even in a low amount, may possibly add to the risk,” says Dr. Hensrud.The four classifications of carcinogensA carcinogen...

Ocean Beach Pier reopens as maintenance continues

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:47 GMT

SAN DIEGO — The Ocean Beach Pier reopened Wednesday after closing on Monday for maintenance to the structure, the City of San Diego announced in a tweet.Crews have been working to repair the pier’s pump station the last two days, which was damaged during winter storms that battered San Diego.Though now reopened, the city says pier maintenance will continue into Wednesday. Officials hope to have water and sewer services restored by the end of the day. Defiantly delicious: New seafood eatery opens on Oceanside Pier This comes after the popular pier was closed for nearly six-months ahead of July. City officials closed the pier to visitors out of an abundance of caution until an assessment could be conducted following the blustery storm conditions. The city says only minor surface-level damage had been identified by a consultant during the inspection, specifically along on the pier’s railings, buildings and sewer pumps. The pump station is what crews are now working on repairing. The...

Iraqis are furious over their government’s demolition of a minaret that stood for nearly 300 years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:47 GMT

BASRA, Iraq (AP) — For three centuries, the al-Siraji Mosque, with its minaret fashioned from weathered bricks and its pinnacle inlaid with blue ceramic tiles, was a distinctive feature of the city of Basra in southern Iraq. In recent years, it was one of the few tourist attractions in the oil-rich but neglected city, although locals complained that the minaret jutted out into the street, snarling traffic.In the early hours Friday morning, the 11-meter-high (33-foot-high) minaret was razed to the ground, with the governor of Basra attending the demolition, igniting a wave of social media backlash among advocates for the preservation of Iraq’s cultural heritage.Heritage sites in Iraq, home to multiple civilizations going back more than six millennia, have been hard hit by looting and damage over the decades of conflict before and after the U.S. invasion of 2003. Most notoriously, the militant Islamic State group demolished numerous ancient sites in northern Iraq, including Islamic sh...

Northwestern hazing scandal included multiple sports, men and women, according to attorneys

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:47 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Allegations of hazing in Northwestern’s athletic programs broadened Wednesday as attorneys said male and female athletes reported misconduct within two other sports and suggested sexual abuse and racial discrimination within the football program was so rampant that coaches knew it was happening.Civil rights attorney Ben Crump said he and other attorneys have received disturbing details from former baseball and softball players at the university, in addition to growing complaints of abuse in the football program, which players described as rampant and devastating.“This is a civil rights issue for me,” said Crump, who said 50 former Northwestern athletes — male and female — and one cheerleader have spoken to the Levin & Perconti law firm. “I think these players have the right to be respected and valued and not hazed, intimidated and retaliated.”Black football players appeared to have faced an additional layer of abuse.A lawsuit filed Tuesday accuses fired foot...