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State Department Stuns Congress, Saying Biden Is Not Even Reviewing Trump’s Terror Designation of Cuba

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:19:17 GMT

As one of his final foreign policy acts as president, in January 2021 Donald Trump added Cuba to the list of “State Sponsors of Terror,” reversing the Obama administration’s 2015 determination that the designation was no longer appropriate. The incoming Biden administration pledged to Congress it would start the process of overturning Trump’s redesignation, which by statute requires a six-month review process. Yet in a private briefing last week on Capitol Hill, State Department official Eric Jacobstein stunned members of Congress by telling them that the department has not even begun the review process, according to three sources in the room.In the briefing, Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., inquired as to the status of the review. In order to remove Cuba from the list, statute requires at least a six-month review period. The news that the State Department had not even launched the review came as a surprise to McGovern and others in the room, and meant that the delisting couldn’t occur b...

The European Union has agreed to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, EU council president says

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:19:17 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union has agreed to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, EU council president says.Source

Moderna, Rivian rise; Apellis, Adobe fall, Thursday, 12/14/2023

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:19:17 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that are trading heavily or have substantial price changes on Thursday:Moderna Inc. (MNRA), up $10.61 to $89.21.The vaccine maker gave investors an encouraging update on a potential cancer vaccine being developed with Merck.Glaukos Corp. (GKOS), up $12.76 to $73.18.The glaucoma treatments developer received regulatory approval in the U.S. of its eye-condition drug iDose.Jabil Inc. (JBL), up $8.80 to $129.40.The electronics manufacturer beat analysts’ fiscal first-quarter earnings and revenue forecasts.Rivian Automotive Inc. (RIVN), up $2.01 to $21.69.AT&T will buy vehicles for its fleet from the electric vehicle maker.Apellis Pharmaceuticals Inc. (APLS), down $15.03 to $47.85.The biopharmaceutical company warned investors about the potential for a negative opinion on an eye condition drug from European regulators.Adobe Inc. (ADBE), down $37.22 to $587.04.The software company’s profit forecast for its current fiscal year disappointed investors.H...

These mountain towns have the best homes, if you have millions

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:19:17 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- If you're in the market for a mountain home with year-round activities, a new study found the best places, two of which are in Colorado. However, you're going to have to save up: The homes in these mountain towns are worth millions. It’s illegal to throw snowballs in these Colorado towns Architectural Digest found the top 10 best places to own a mountain home based on weather, distance to an airport, air quality, number of ski resorts and available entertainment and dining options.These are the top 10 places to own a mountain home:Red Lodge, Montana Telluride, ColoradoLake Placid, New YorkThomas, West VirginiaJoseph, OregonAspen, ColoradoKetchum, IdahoStowe, VermontThermopolis, WyomingCamden, MaineTelluride was named one of the best towns for mountain homes due to its year-round activities. Telluride has more than the winter, although it is home to two of the top ski areas in the state. AD specifically names its unique festivals and events in the summer and f...

From Meloni to Putin, Rishi Sunak’s global BFFs ranked

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:19:17 GMT

LONDON — Fancy joining a festival of right-wingers with Italy’s Giorgia Meloni?Rishi Sunak certainly does. The British Conservative PM will gather with fellow right-wing figures from across Europe at the four-day Atreju festival in Rome this weekend, where he’ll enjoy a bilateral with his Italian counterpart Meloni.Meloni, leader of the hard right Brothers of Italy Party, has become one of Sunak’s closest allies on the world stage. “They obviously get on, I think they came in at a similar time,” Sunak’s spokesperson told journalists Thursday.But not all of Sunak’s working relationships are quite so peachy. POLITICO ranked, entirely scientifically, his friendships with other world leaders.Giorgia MeloniFew world leaders appear as pally as Meloni and Sunak, whose catch-up at this weekend’s festival in Italy will be far from their first.The pair have also written a rare joint op-ed on tackling illegal migration — and are often pictured laughing...

4 Hamas members arrested in Germany, Netherlands over suspected terror plot against Jews

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:19:17 GMT

Four men allegedly part of a Hamas terror cell suspected of planning terror attacks against European Jewish institutions were arrested in Berlin and Rotterdam on Thursday, Germany’s federal public prosecutor’s office said. The four suspects are “long-standing members of Hamas” and “are closely linked to the military branch’s leadership” of the Palestinian militant group, the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.They are suspected of trying to acquire illegal weapons which were “due to be taken to Berlin and kept in a state of readiness in view of potential terrorist attacks against Jewish institutions in Europe,” the statement said.German authorities have cracked down on some Muslim and Palestinian groups in the country after Hamas’ surprise attacks on October 7 killed around 1,200 people on Israeli soil. Germany has seen a rise in antisemitism since the war began.In November, the German interior ministry banned the ...

EU leaders approve Ukraine accession talks, bypassing Orbán

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:19:17 GMT

European leaders have approved the opening of accession negotiations for Ukraine, European Council President Charles Michel announced Thursday.The announcement comes at a critical time for Ukraine as its counteroffensive against Russia’s invasion stalled in recent weeks and $60 billion in aid from the U.S. is stuck in Congress.Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán left the room when the decision on enlargement was taken, according to a national official and a EU diplomat who were both briefed on the discussion. This allowed for an unanimous decision from the European Council, which another EU official, who like the others was granted anonymity to speak candidly about the circumstances, said was completely legal under EU law. “If someone is absent, they are absent. Legally it is totally valid,” added the official.Orbán, who had vehemently opposed the opening of accession talks for Ukraine, criticized the agreement reached without him by European leaders.“Hungary doe...

What to know about home care services

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:19:17 GMT

Reed Abelson | (TNS) KFF Health NewsMost older Americans want to live at home as long as they can, but finding and affording the help they need often isn’t easy. There are severe shortages of home health aides in many parts of the country. Hiring them is costly. And most middle-class people will have to pay for home care themselves if it’s needed for the long haul.Here’s a guide to locating home care for an older person.What kind of home care do you need?After a fall or surgery, some older people will need short-term care at home from a nurse or therapist to help them recover. Medicare, the federal insurance program for those 65 and older, typically pays for this kind of home health care. A nurse can make sure a wound is healing properly, for example, while a physical therapist can help a person get back on their feet after a knee replacement.But millions of older Americans need assistance over months or years to stay in their homes safely instead of moving to an assisted living fac...

Desperate families search for affordable home care

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:19:17 GMT

Arielle Zionts | KFF Health News (TNS)It’s a good day when Frank Lee, a retired chef, can slip out to the hardware store, fairly confident that his wife, Robin, is in the hands of reliable help. He spends nearly every hour of every day anxiously overseeing her care at their home on the Isle of Palms, a barrier island near Charleston, South Carolina.Robin Lee, 67, has had dementia for about a decade, but the couple was able to take overseas trips and enjoy their marriage of some 40 years until three years ago, when she grew more agitated, prone to sudden outbursts, and could no longer explain what she needed or wanted. He struggled to care for her largely on his own.“As Mom’s condition got more difficult to navigate, he was just handling it,” said Jesse Lee, the youngest of the couple’s three adult children. “It was getting harder and harder. Something had to change, or they would both perish.”Frank Lee’s search for trustworthy home health aides — an experience that millions of Ameri...

Patriots reportedly down two offensive starters at Thursday practice

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:19:17 GMT

According to reports, Patriots left tackle Trent Brown missed the start of Thursday’s practice, making him the second of two absent starters along with running back Rhamondre Stevenson.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | 98.5’s Fred Toucher responds to Hardy morning show speculation; Paul Perillo gives insight into Taylor Swift at Patriots game New England Patriots | Callahan: Robert Kraft’s reported Bill Belichick decision should be no surprise New England Patriots | Patriots offense gets good news at first practice before Chiefs game New England Patriots | Bailey Zappe clarifies past remarks about passing Mac Jones on Patriots’ QB depth chart New England Patriots | Why Bill Belichick wanted to work with recently acquired Patriots defender Brown was a limited participant in Wednesday’s padded practice due to ankle and hand injuries. The 6-foot-8, 380-pounder has been lim...