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People in Hawaii flee into ocean to escape wildfire destroying historic Maui tourist town

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:32:32 GMT

HONOLULU (AP) — Wind-whipped wildfires raced through parts of Hawaii on Wednesday, destroying homes and businesses in a historic town on the island of Maui, injuring several people, forcing evacuations and leading some to flee to the relative safety of the ocean, where they were rescued by the Coast Guard.Fire was widespread in Lahaina Town, including on Front Street, a shopping and dining area that is popular with tourists, County of Maui spokesperson Mahina Martin said by phone early Wednesday. Traffic has been very heavy as people try to evacuate the area, and officials asked people who weren’t in an evacuation area to shelter in place to avoid adding to the traffic, she said. Photos posted by the county overnight showed a line of flames blazing across an intersection and leaping above buildings in the town center that dates to the 1700s and is on the National Register of Historic Places.“Do NOT go to Lahaina Town,” the county tweeted hours before all roads in and out of West Mau...

Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle leaves joint practice against Falcons with apparent injury

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:32:32 GMT

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle left Wednesday’s joint practice against the Atlanta Falcons with an apparent injury.Waddle made a catch during drills and went down grabbing at the right side of his body. The Dolphins’ third-year receiver walked off the practice field under his own power after being down for about five minutes.Waddle had 75 receptions and 1,356 yards receiving last season — his second straight season surpassing 1,000 yards.“I think Waddle has probably had one of the best camps on our team this year,” quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said Wednesday. “It really started with OTAs. From the first day he came, he showed up, he was locked in. It’s kind of unfortunate to see something like that happen. I hope that it’s just a couple days. I hope he gets better.”It was Miami’s second joint practice against Atlanta ahead of Friday’s preseason game in Miami Gardens, Florida.Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel hasn...

Special counsel obtained search warrant for Twitter to turn over info on Trump’s account, docs say

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:32:32 GMT

Special counsel Jack Smith’s team obtained a search warrant in January for records related to former President Donald Trump’s Twitter account, and a judge levied a $350,000 fine on the company for a delay in complying, according to court documents released Wednesday.The details were included in a decision from the federal appeals court in Washington rejecting Twitter’s claim that a lower court judge was wrong to hold the company in contempt and impose the sanction.The filing says Smith obtained a search warrant directing twitter to produce “data and records” related to Trump’s twitter account as well as a nondisclosure agreement prohibiting Twitter from disclosing the search warrant. The filing says the court “found probable cause to search the Twitter account for evidence of criminal offenses.”Smith has charged Trump, in an indictment unsealed last week, with conspiring to subvert the will of voters and cling to power after he lost the 2020 elect...

German army employee arrested for alleged Russian espionage

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:32:32 GMT

BERLIN — Once again, German criminal police arrested a Bundeswehr employee on Wednesday in Koblenz in western Germany on suspicion of spying for Russia.According to the Federal Prosecutor’s Office, the man is strongly suspected of having worked for a foreign intelligence service and is now in custody. His apartment and workplace were also searched.He allegedly contacted the Russian consulate in Bonn and the Russian embassy in Berlin “on his own initiative” several times from May of this year, offering to cooperate with them, authorities said. In doing so, he is said to have passed on information from his professional activities to be forwarded to Russian intelligence services.The arrested man is a German citizen named Thomas H., an employee of the Office for Equipment, Information Technology and Utilization for the Bundeswehr, or German armed forces. Understood to be a sensitive role, the purpose of the position is to equip the German army with efficient and safe d...

American nurse and her young daughter freed nearly two weeks after abduction in Haiti

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:32:32 GMT

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — American nurse Alix Dorsainvil and her daughter were freed Wednesday, nearly two weeks after they were kidnapped in Haiti’s capital, according to aid organization El Roi Haiti.The Christian group founded by Dorsainvil’s husband asked that neither she nor her family be contacted: “There is still much to process and to heal from in this situation,” the group said in a statement.The group added that it confirmed the safe release “with a heart of gratitude and immense joy.” No other details were immediately available, including whether any ransom was paid.The U.S. State Department said it welcomed news that the two had been freed and thanked its Haitian and U.S. interagency partners for facilitating the release.“We have no greater priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas,” the agency said. “As you can imagine, these individuals have been through a very difficult ordeal, both physically and mentally.”Officials provided no other de...

Why Taco Bell’s free taco giveaway is happening everywhere but New Jersey

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:32:32 GMT

New York (CNN) — Taco Bell is opening a $5 million taco tab and offering free Doritos Locos Tacos in honor of the “liberation” of the “Taco Tuesday” trademark to customers across the country.Well, almost everywhere.The giveaway is valid in 49 states but not in New Jersey, the only place where the Taco Tuesday trademark is not canceled. Taco John’s, the regional taco chain that had “Taco Tuesday” trademarked for 34 years, announced last month that it’s ending its fight in defending the phrase against Taco Bell’s lawyers.But Gregory’s Restaurant and Bar in Somers Point, New Jersey, owns the trademark in the state, and the family-owned business still plans to hold on to the phrase.“We’re still keeping it, we’re fighting for it,” said Emma Gregory, who said she is a fifth-generation Gregory family worker at the restaurant.She said Taco Bell had reached out to the restaurant about the trademark “two, maybe three” weeks ago. Gregory’s said on its website that it has been serving tacos on ...

SUV driver slams into apartment building in Cambridge

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:32:32 GMT

Authorities say one person was injured after an SUV driver crashed into an apartment building in Cambridge Wednesday morning.The Cambridge Police Department said an individual was taken to a hospital with minor injuries after the crash happened off of Museum Way around 10 a.m. The driver themselves did not need medical assistance, according to the police department.By noontime, the vehicle had been removed from the structure, with one resident sharing later footage of the aftermath with 7NEWS, showing shattered glass and other pieces of debris scattered across a lobby area.Authorities have not yet said what may have led up to the crash or whether the driver was facing any charges.

Special counsel Jack Smith got a search warrant for Twitter to turn over info on Trump’s account, documents say

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:32:32 GMT

Special counsel Jack Smith’s team obtained a search warrant in January for records related to former President Donald Trump’s Twitter account, and a judge levied a $350,000 fine on the company for a delay in complying, according to court documents released Wednesday.The details were included in a decision from the federal appeals court in Washington rejecting Twitter’s claim that it should not have been held in contempt or sanctioned.X, the San Francisco-based platform formerly known as Twitter, sent an automated reply to a request for comment, saying it would respond soon.The filing says prosecutors got the search warrant directing Twitter to produce information on Trump’s account after a court “found probable cause to search the Twitter account for evidence of criminal offenses.” The government also obtained a nondisclosure agreement prohibiting Twitter from disclosing the search warrant, the filing says.The court found that disclosing the warra...

Recipe: Meringue-kiss cookies are a delicious treat

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:32:32 GMT

With or without crushed peppermint candies, these meringue-kiss cookies are a scrumptious treat. If you have an electric stand mixer, they are a cinch to prepare. If not, an electric hand mixer can be used, but the process is more challenging.Try to work quickly once the kisses are formed on the parchment-lined baking sheet; they tend to deflate if left to sit too long before baking.Meringue Kisses, With or Without Peppermint CandiesYield: About 72 cookiesINGREDIENTSParchment paper2 large egg whites1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar1/8 teaspoon table salt2/3 cup (4 2/3 ounces) granulated sugar1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract2 cups (12 ounces) mini semisweet chocolate chips, divided useOptional: 3 tablespoons crushed peppermint candies (about 7 round peppermint candies, crushed)2 teaspoons vegetable oilDIRECTIONS1. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 275 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.2. Using an electric stand mixer fitted with the...

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, 90, falls at home and goes to hospital, but scans are clear, her office says

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:32:32 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the oldest member of Congress, fell in her home and went to a hospital for a short time, her office said on Wednesday.The 90-year-old California Democrat, who has faced mounting concerns about her health and her ability to perform the duties of a senator, “briefly went to the hospital yesterday afternoon as a precaution after a minor fall in her home,” her office said in a statement.All of her scans were clear, and she returned home later Tuesday, said her spokesman Adam Russell, who provided no further details.Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said in a statement he spoke with Feinstein on Wednesday morning.“She said she suffered no injuries and briefly went to the hospital as a precaution,” Schumer said. “I’m glad she is back home now and is doing well.”The San Francisco hospital visit comes after Feinstein missed months of work in Washington earlier this year when she was hospitalized for the shingles virus and its side...