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Republicans hope the chaos of recent weeks will become a distant memory in next year’s elections

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:28 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — “Embarrassing,” “chaotic” and “irresponsible.” And those were just the words that House Republicans used to describe the past three weeks as they removed one speaker from office and splintered over three successive nominees before finally landing on Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La.Now they hope voters won’t hold the GOP’s infighting against them as they seek to hold onto their exceedingly narrow House majority in next year’s election.Republicans already had a tough task on their hands. They can afford to lose only four seats to maintain the majority, and 18 of their incumbents are running in districts won by President Joe Biden in 2020. A Supreme Court decision siding with Black voters in a redistricting lawsuit could give Democrats a pick-up opportunity in Alabama. And Republican Rep. George Santos’ extensive legal troubles will make it harder for the GOP to keep that Long Island-based district in the Republican column.Some Republicans ...

Will Ivanka Trump have to testify at her father’s civil fraud trial? Judge to hear arguments Friday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:28 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Days after former President Donald Trump got a taste of the witness stand, his New York civil business fraud trial is turning to the question of whether his daughter Ivanka will have to testify, too.Friday’s court session is set to start with a hearing on the issue. Ivanka Trump has been dismissed from the case, and lawyers for her family and its business contend that she shouldn’t have to take the stand. New York state lawyers say she should, and they argue that the former Trump Organization executive vice president has relevant information. It’s unclear how soon Judge Arthur Engoron will decide, or when Ivanka Trump would testify if ordered to do so. The civil case, brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, accuses the former president, sons Donald Jr. and Eric, and the company of overstating the patriarch’s wealth for years on financial statements that were given to banks, insurers and others to help secure loans and deals. The Trumps a...

China’s top diplomat visits Washington to help stabilize ties and perhaps set up a Biden-Xi summit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:28 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — China’s top diplomat is meeting high-level U.S. officials, possibly including President Joe Biden, on a highly watched visit to Washington that could help stabilize U.S.-China ties by facilitating a summit between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping.Wang Yi, the Chinese foreign minister, met Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday afternoon, shortly after he landed for the three-day visit and quickly raised hopes that the relationship can be steadied.Before going into their closed-door meeting, Wang said China would seek consensus and cooperation to “push the relationship as soon as possible back to the track of healthy, stable and sustainable development.”Before the meeting, U.S. officials said they would press Wang on the importance of China stepping up its role on the world stage if it wants to be considered a responsible major international player. The U.S. has been disappointed with China over its support for Russia in the war against Ukraine an...

Many Americans say their household expenses are outpacing earnings this year, AP-NORC poll shows

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:28 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — For 12:01 ETAbout 2 in 3 Americans say their household expenses have risen over the last year, but only about 1 in 4 say their income has increased in the same period, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. As household expenses outpace earnings, many are expressing concern about their financial futures. What’s more, for most Americans, household debt has either risen in the last year or has not gone away.Steve Shapiro, 61, who works as an audio engineer in Pittsburgh, said he’d been spending about $100 a week on groceries prior to this past year, but that he’s now shelling out closer to $200.“My income has stayed the same,” he said. “The economy is good on paper, but I’m not doing great.”About 8 in 10 Americans say their overall household debt is higher or about the same as it was a year ago. About half say they currently have credit card debt, 4 in 10 are dealing with auto loans, and about one in four have medical...

Twitter takeover: 1 year later, X struggles with misinformation, advertising and usage decline

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:28 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — One year ago, billionaire and new owner Elon Musk walked into Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters with a white bathroom sink and a grin, fired its CEO and other top executives and began transforming the social media platform into what is now known as X. X looks and feels something like Twitter, but the more time you spend on it the clearer it becomes that it’s merely an approximation. Musk has dismantled core features of what made Twitter, Twitter — its name and blue bird logo, its verification system, its Trust and Safety advisory group. Not to mention content moderation and hate speech enforcement. He also fired, laid off or lost the majority of its workforce — engineers who keep the site running, moderators who keep it from being overrun with hate, executives in charge of making rules and enforcing them.The result, long-term Twitter watchers say, has been the end of the platform’s role as an imperfect but useful place to find out what’...

Bowman pleads guilty to pulling fire alarm in House office building

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:28 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) -- Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) pleaded guilty Thursday to one misdemeanor for triggering a false fire alarm in the Cannon House Building."I really regret that this caused so much confusion and that people had to evacuate and I just caused a disturbance. I hate that, it's pretty embarrassing," Bowman said.Bowman said he was in a rush to get back to the House Floor when he pulled the fire alarm to get through the door."So I was just in a rush, trying to get down — I was actually running to the Capitol at one point," Bowman said.As punishment, Bowman will pay a $1,000 fine and spend three months on probation.Republicans like Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) and Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.) call that a slap on the wrist."When you're four years old and you accidentally pull the fire alarm, it's called a mistake," Molinaro said. "When you're a grown adult it's called a crime."Said Malliotakis: "I just feel that somebody who is a United States member of Congress, who wa...

State girls soccer: St. Paul Academy is perfect in quarterfinal shootout, advances to state semis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:28 GMT

Clare Ryan Bradley said she didn’t do very well when St. Paul Academy practiced penalty kicks Wednesday, but the sophomore came through Thursday.“I knew I was going to make it today because I knew I could do it,” she said.Ryan Bradley scored the final goal in the shootout and the Spartans made all five of their kicks to defeat Esko 2-1 in a damp state quarterfinal at Irondale High School.Sawyer Danielson, Lucia Gonzalez, Aurelia Meza and Elizabeth Tuttle also scored shootout goals for No. 4 St. Paul Academy.“We played the full 100 minutes; this is what we’ve been training for. We’ve been doing PKs every practice, getting them consistent. I guess it paid off,” said Danielson, a junior who’ll play at the University of Minnesota.The Spartans (10-6-4) get top-seeded Providence Academy in a semifinal at 5 p.m. on Halloween at U.S. Bank Stadium.Last year, St. Paul Academy lost in the championship game.“We went last year for the first time in a while. It’s nice to go back and prove i...

Fearful Maine residents stay home amid massive search for suspect in killing of 18 people

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:28 GMT

LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — Shocked and fearful Maine residents kept to their homes for a second night Thursday as hundreds of heavily armed police and FBI agents searched intensely for Robert Card, an Army reservist authorities say fatally shot 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar in the worst mass killing in state history.Much of Thursday’s search focused on a property belonging to one of Card’s relatives in rural Bowdoin, where trucks and vans full of armed agents from the FBI and other agencies eventually surrounded a home. Card and anyone else inside were repeatedly ordered to surrender.“You need to come outside now with nothing in your hands. Your hands in the air,” police said through a loudspeaker. In most instances when police execute warrants — even for suspects wanted for violent crimes — they move quickly to enter the home.But hours later, after repeated announcements and a search, authorities moved off — and it was still unclear whether Card had ever been at the location, ...

Man apprehended after walking away from L.A County conservation camp

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:28 GMT

A man who walked away from the Acton Conservation Camp in Los Angeles County has been apprehended in Planada, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) announced on Thursday. According to officials, on Oct. 19, 38-year-old Julian OchoaRuiz walked away from the Acton Conversation Camp in Los Angeles County. On Thursday, around 5:10 p.m., special agents took him into custody without incident in Planada, which is more than 250 miles away. Authorities did not say how the 38-year-old was able to travel that distance. Authorities determined that Julian OchoaRuiz, 38, was missing at 11 p.m. (CDCR)Officials say he will be rehoused in a higher security area at Valley Stae Prison in Chowchilla and his case will be referred to the Los Angeles County District Attorney for consideration of escape charges. Crash-and-grab freeway robbery suspects still at large According to officials, Ochoraruiz was admitted from Merced County on Feb. 14 to serve a three-year, eight-mo...

2 teens accused of smuggling $1.1 million of fentanyl in Riverside County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:28 GMT

Two teens were caught allegedly attempting to smuggle $1.1 million worth of fentanyl across state lines in Riverside County.The suspects were only identified as an 18-year-old Mexican citizen and an 18-year-old U.S. citizen, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.Border Patrol Agents first spotted the suspects driving at high speeds on the 10 Freeway in Indio. Authorities followed the suspects’ SUV for around 12 miles, witnessing the driver swerve in and out of lanes trying to lose the agents.After pulling the suspects over near the Rice Road exit in Desert Center, authorities questioned both the driver and passenger. They claimed they were on their way to visit family in Arizona. However, officials said the suspects provided conflicting stories about their travel when questioned separately.While searching their car, agents spotted two plastic gas cans and a spare tire that did not fit the vehicle. After a K-9 unit was requested, the dog alerted officials to the car’s backs...