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Mike Johnson picks up support from Trump for House speaker as Republicans move to yet another vote

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:38:11 GMT

By LISA MASCARO, STEPHEN GROVES, FARNOUSH AMIRI and KEVIN FREKING (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — Anxious Republicans prepared to vote once more Wednesday, hopeful of electing Rep. Mike Johnson as their House speaker to unite their fractious majority and end weeks of chaos by elevating a little-known conservative to one of the highest seats of U.S. power.Johnson of Louisiana, a lower-ranked member of the House GOP leadership team, becomes the fourth Republican nominee in what has become an almost absurd cycle of political infighting since Kevin McCarthy’s ouster as GOP factions jockey for power. While not the party’s top choice for the gavel, the deeply religious and even-keeled Johnson has few foes and an important GOP backer: Donald Trump.“I think he’s gonna be a fantastic speaker,” Trump said Wednesday at the New York courthouse where the former president, who is now the Republican frontrunner for president in 2024, is on trial over charges of business fraud.Trump...

Hurricane Otis batters Acapulco before weakening over southern Mexico

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:38:11 GMT

By JOSÉ ANTONIO RIVERA and MARÍA VERZA (Associated Press)ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) — Hurricane Otis ripped through Mexico’s southern Pacific coast early Wednesday as a powerful Category 5 storm, dousing steep mountains and leaving a trail of damage in Acapulco before weakening.Photos and video shared by local media after dawn broke in Acapulco showed the walls of buildings ripped off, flooded hotel rooms with collapsed ceilings, and rubble and downed trees lining the streets. Persistent rain and flooding made it difficult to move. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador reported in a morning press briefing that the areas of Costa Grande, Acapulco and Técpan in the state of Guerrero were all “hit hard” by Otis. He said the storm caused property damage, landslides and obstructed roads, but he had no information so far on whether Otis had claimed any lives. Communications with the area have been “completely lost,” Lópe...

Senate panel OKs Lew to be ambassador to Israel, and a final confirmation vote could come next week

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:38:11 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has approved Jacob Lew to be ambassador to Israel, moving quickly to get him in place during the country’s new war with Hamas. The panel voted 12-9 on Wednesday to move Lew’s nomination to the Senate floor for a final vote, which could come as soon as next week. All Republicans on the panel except Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul voted against him. Lew, a former treasury secretary and budget director under President Barack Obama, told the committee at his confirmation vote last week that “there is no greater mission” at this moment than to help strengthen ties between the United States and Israel. He said he would ensure Israel has what it needs to defend itself in the war, which started after brutal surprise attacks by Hamas earlier this month. He said he would also address the humanitarian crisis facing civilians in Gaza after Israeli military strikes. The Senate is moving quickly to confirm Lew, who was nominated by President Joe Bi...

Bitcoin prices have doubled this year and potentially new ways to invest may drive prices higher

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:38:11 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Bitcoin is having another moment. The world’s largest cryptocurrency soared to almost $35,000 this week, marking its highest point in nearly 18 months — and more than double the price seen at the start of 2023.The cryptocurrency rocketed from just over $5,000 each during the start of the pandemic to nearly $68,000 in November 2021, according to FactSet, during an era of massive tech growth. Prices came back down to earth during an aggressive series of rate hikes from the Federal Reserve as it battled inflation, and then the collapse of one of the biggest companies in crypto, FTX. When 2023 began, a single bitcoin could be had for less than $17,000 after losing more than 75% of its value. Investors, however, began returning in large numbers this year as inflation started to cool. And the collapse of prominent tech-focused banks actually led more investors to turn to crypto as they bailed out of positions in Silicon Valley start-ups and other more risky bets. Now...

Argentina’s third-place presidential candidate Bullrich endorses right-wing populist Milei in runoff

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:38:11 GMT

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Former Argentine presidential candidate Patricia Bullrich, who placed third in Sunday’s election, endorsed right-wing populist Javier Milei on Wednesday for next month’s runoff.Bullrich, a former security minister, received 24% of the vote, compared to 37% for Economy Minister Sergio Massa and 30% for Milei.“In the case of Javier Milei, we have differences, and that’s why we competed. We don’t overlook them. However, we are faced with the dilemma of change or the continuation of a mafia-style governance for Argentina and putting an end to the shame of the present. We have the obligation not to remain neutral,” Bullrich told a news conference.“The country needs a fundamental change,” Bullrich added, warning against a “continuation of the worst government in history.”Bullrich emphasized that she was speaking on behalf of her presidential team, including running mate Luis Petri, rather than their coalition, making clear that neither the center...

Quebec public sector unions call for one-day strike to be held Nov. 6

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:38:11 GMT

MONTREAL — Quebec’s common front of public sector unions is gearing up for a one-day strike on Nov. 6.Certain hospitals and regional health boards have begun receiving strike notices for that day, one of those institutions confirmed today.The unions did not confirm or deny the date, but they received a strike mandate from members on Oct. 17.The mandate has the support of 95 per cent of members and calls for one-day walkouts before an indefinite strike begins.The common front is made up of four main unions representing some 420,000 members in the health, education and social services sectors.Treasury Board President Sonia LeBel is set to table a new contract offer on Sunday in Quebec City, attempting to advance negotiations that have been going on for months.The unions are seeking a three-year contract with annual increases tied to the inflation rate — two percentage points above inflation in the first year, three points higher in the second and four points higher in the third....

Colorado judge chides company that tried to pay $23,500 settlement in coins weighing 3 tons

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:38:11 GMT

DENVER (AP) — A Colorado judge chided a welding company that tried to pay off a $23,500 settlement with a subcontractor by sending the money in loose coins that weighed 3 tons (2.7 metric tonnes). Judge Joseph Findley ruled Monday that JMF Enterprises “acted maliciously and in bad faith” by delivering a custom made metal box containing the coins that was too heavy to be carried in the freight elevator at the offices for Fired Up Fabrications’ lawyers, let alone the forklift required to carry it, according to court filings. Findley ordered JMF to pay by a more conventional method like a check. He also said JMF would now have write a larger one — to pay an extra estimated $8,092 to cover legal fees for the ensuing dispute over whether it had the right to pay in coins.One of the subcontractor’s lawyers, Danielle Beem, told Denver’s KCNC-TV, which first reported the judge’s order, that the coin payment was a “symbolic middle finger.”Lawyers for JMF said the settlement ...

Survey finds that US abortions rose slightly overall after new restrictions started in some states

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:38:11 GMT

The total number of abortions provided in the U.S. rose slightly in the 12 months after states began implementing bans on them throughout pregnancy, a new survey finds.The report out this week from the Society of Family Planning, which advocates for abortion access, shows the number fell to nearly zero in states with the strictest bans — but rose elsewhere, especially in states close to those with the bans. The monthly averages overall from July 2022 through June 2023 were about 200 higher than in May and June 2022.The changes reflect major shifts after the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2022 handed down its Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling, overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that had made abortion legal nationally. Since last year, most Republican-controlled states have enacted restrictions, while most Democrat-controlled states have extended protections for those from out of state seeking abortion.“The Dobbs decision turned abortion access in this countr...

Music Review: Prince & the New Power Generation’s ‘Diamonds and Pearls’ remastered reissue is a gem

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:38:11 GMT

The amount of music left behind by groundbreaking funkmaster Prince is, thankfully, good and voluminous. To that end, a newly remastered reissue box set, “Diamonds and Pearls Super Deluxe Edition,” offers his 13th studio album from 1991 with his backing band, The New Power Generation, once again. Out Friday, there are 47 previously unreleased tracks for Prince fans from his vaunted vault, and over two hours of live performance footage.Sure, the lush Dolby Atmos mix of the title track “Diamonds and Pearls” is there, with its gorgeous musical swells and Prince’s soulful voice. So are a handful of other versions of the track, including a longer version and audio from live tour performances. “Cream” is back with its salacious delivery. But better still is “Cream (N.P.G. Mix),” a version with an extra layer of stuttered percussion and a deep, melodic synth.The unreleased tracks range from middling reworks of “Daddy Pop” and “Gett Off,” to the torchy “I Pledge Allegiance to Your Love,” a ...

Olympic gold medalist Tara Lipinski and husband Todd Kapostasy welcome baby via surrogate

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:38:11 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Olympic gold medalist Tara Lipinski and her husband, Todd Kapostasy, announced Wednesday that they have welcomed a daughter through a surrogate after several years of infertility.Lipinski said on the “Today” show, which is part of the NBC family where she now serves as a figure skating analyst, that the couple named the baby Georgie Winter. Lipinski was in the delivery room when the baby was born. Lipinski and Kapostasy announced they were expecting their first child earlier this month on the 1998 Olympic gold medalist’s podcast, “Tara Lipinski: Unexpecting.”The 41-year-old Lipinski told “Today” that the baby “arrived into our arms by the most beautiful surrogate.”Lipinski and Kapostasy, a TV producer and filmmaker, have spoken openly about their difficulty in having a baby. She wrote on Instagram in August that she’d had four miscarriages, multiple failed in vitro fertilization transfers and endometriosis that resulted in two major surgeries.“Infer...