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The Republican leading the probe of Hunter Biden has his own shell company and complicated friends

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:31:43 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. James Comer boasts of being one of the largest landholders near his rural Kentucky hometown, and he has meticulously documented nearly all of his holdings on congressional financial disclosure documents – roughly 1,600 acres in all.But there are six acres that he bought in 2015 and co-owns with a longtime campaign contributor that he has treated differently, transferring his ownership to Farm Team Properties, a shell company he co-owns with his wife.Interviews and records reviewed by The Associated Press provide new insights into the financial deal, which risks undercutting the force of some of Comer’s central arguments in his impeachment inquiry of President Joe Biden. In particular, Comer has attacked some Biden family members, including the president’s son Hunter, over their use of “shell companies” that appear designed to obscure millions of dollars in earnings they received from shadowy middlemen and foreign interests.Such companies typically exist only o...

Anxiety and resignation in Argentina after Milei’s economic shock measures

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:31:43 GMT

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Julia González wonders how she will afford the three bus rides and train trip to her job in downtown Buenos Aires. Lucía Pergolesi regrets her best friend has been fired from her job in a government ministry. Hilario Laffite admits he will have to increase prices in the shop where he works.These are some of the faces of anxiety that Argentines are dealing with after President Javier Milei’s administration announced economic shock measures aimed at tackling the country severe crisis, including a sharp devaluation of the peso by 50%, cuts to subsidies and the closure of some ministries. Milei himself has warned people that these steps will cause some pain, but he insists they are needed to curb triple-digit inflation and have sustainable economic growth in the future. But concern is evident among people, even with those who support the self-declared “anarcho-capitalist” who took office as president Sunday.Julia González, 35, is a Paraguayan national who ...

Few US adults would be satisfied with a possible Biden-Trump rematch in 2024, AP-NORC poll shows

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:31:43 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s the presidential election no one is really jazzed about. Relatively few Americans are excited about a potential rematch of the 2020 election between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump, although more Republicans would be satisfied to have Trump as their nominee than Democrats would be with Biden as their standard-bearer, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. That palpable apathy from voters comes even as both Biden and Trump are facing relatively few obstacles in their paths to lock down their respective parties’ nominations next year. Biden has amassed broad support from Democratic officials as a handful of mostly token primary challengers have struggled to spark momentum. And despite 91 indictments across four criminal cases — including some centered on his attempts to overturn his electoral loss to Biden in 2020 — Trump’s grip on GOP primary voters shows no signs of loosening a month be...

A judge may rule on Wyoming’s abortion laws, including the first explicit US ban on abortion pills

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:31:43 GMT

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A judge in Wyoming will decide as soon as Thursday whether to strike down, affirm or hold a trial over the state’s abortion bans, including its first-in-the-nation explicit prohibition on the use of medication to end pregnancy. Any decision on the bans during or after a pretrial conference before Teton County District Judge Melissa Owens in Jackson likely would be appealed to the Wyoming Supreme Court. Both sides have asked Owens to issue a ruling without holding a bench trial that is scheduled to begin April 15.So far, Owens has shown sympathy for arguments that the bans violate women’s rights under the state constitution. Three times over the past year and a half, the judge has blocked the laws from taking effect while they were disputed in court.One of the laws bans abortion except to protect to a pregnant woman’s life or in cases involving rape and incest. The other made Wyoming the only state to explicitly ban abortion pills, though other state...

Earliest version of Mickey Mouse set to become public domain in 2024, along with Minnie, Tigger

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:31:43 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — M-I-C-K-E-Y will soon belong to you and me.With several asterisks, qualification and caveats, Mickey Mouse in his earliest form will be the leader of the band of characters, films and books that will become public domain as the year turns to 2024.In a moment many close observers thought might never come, at least one version of the quintessential piece of intellectual property and perhaps the most iconic character in American pop culture will be free from Disney’s copyright as his first screen release, the 1928 short “Steamboat Willie,” featuring both Mickey and Minnie Mouse, becomes available for public use.“This is it. This is Mickey Mouse. This is exciting because it’s kind of symbolic,” said Jennifer Jenkins, a professor of law and director of Duke’s Center for the Study of Public Domain, who writes an annual Jan. 1 column for “Public Domain Day.” ”I kind of feel like the pipe on the steamboat, like expelling smoke. It’s so exciting.”U....

How the deep friendship between an Amazon chief and Belgian filmmaker devolved into accusations

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:31:43 GMT

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — It was considered to be among the world’s most productive partnerships between an Indigenous chief and a Westerner.For five decades, the Amazonian tribal leader and Belgian film director enlisted presidents and royals, even Pope Francis, to improve the lives of Brazil’s Indigenous peoples and protect their lands. The pair befriended celebrities and movie stars. Sting, the musical legend, was one of their greatest champions.Just a few months ago, their bond seemed as strong as ever. Chief Raoni Metuktire, sporting his iconic lip plate and an emerald feathered crown, and tuxedo-clad filmmaker Jean-Pierre Dutilleux were at the Cannes Film Festival to promote the Belgian’s latest documentary: “Raoni: An Unusual Friendship.” Standing on the red carpet, amid a flurry of camera flashes, the two clasped hands, as if old friends.Behind the scenes, however, the relationship was nearing its end. Not long after returning to Brazil in May, the chief of the Kayapo severed ti...

Guyana and Venezuela leaders to meet face-to-face as region pushes to defuse territorial dispute

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:31:43 GMT

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — The leaders of Guyana and Venezuela headed for a tense meeting Thursday as regional nations sought to defuse a long-standing territorial dispute that has escalated with Venezuelans voting in a referendum to claim two-thirds of their smaller neighbor.Pushed by regional partners, Guyanan President Irfaan Ali and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro agreed to meet at the Argyle International airport on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent. The prime ministers of Barbados, Dominica and Trinidad and Tobago said they also would attend.The meeting is aimed at easing the tensions that have flared over Essequibo, a vast border region rich in oil and minerals that represents much of Guyana’s territory but that Venezuela claims as its own.Venezuela’s president followed the referendum by ordering his state-owned companies to explore and exploit the oil, gas and mines in Essequibo. And both sides have put their militaries on alert.It was unclear if the sessi...

Stillwater boys basketball powers past Tamarac in Wasaren clash

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:31:43 GMT

TROY, NY (NEWS10) -- A few of the key players on the Stillwater boys basketball team just went on a run to the state title game in football. Now they look to go on a similar run in basketball. The 1-0 Warriors visited 1-1 Tamarac in a Wasaren League clash Tuesday night. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! It was a back and forth battle in the first quarter, as the quarter ended in a 10-10 tie. Stillwater put their foot on the gas from there, leading 26-13 at halftime on their way to a 70-47 win. Stillwater's Lucas Lilac and Kaelan Leak both tallied 18 points. Jaxon Mueller put up a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds in the win.

Police in pursuit of driver in suspected stolen vehicle

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:31:43 GMT

Officers with the Los Angeles Police Department's Van Nuys Division are in pursuit of a driver in a suspected stolen vehicle Wednesday night. The suspect was leading officers in chase on the northbound 405 Freeway before taking the pursuit on the northbound 5 Freeway through the 210 Freeway. As the chase continued, the suspect wound their down surface streets and got onto the southbound 405, eventually getting off at Nordhoff Street. It is unclear how many people are in the vehicle, but the driver has been clocked at speeds of 125 miles per hour. Sky5 is live overhead.

Jewish community replaces Lake Merritt menorah destroyed by vandals

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:31:43 GMT

OAKLAND – The Jewish community and its supporters gathered Wednesday at Lake Merritt to replace a menorah that was destroyed by vandals the previous evening.The Oakland Police Department is investigating the incident as a possible hate crime. No arrests were announced Wednesday night.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Retired Pittsburg detective charged with attempting to kill Pleasant Hill cops Crime and Public Safety | Hanukkah menorah near Lake Merritt destroyed by vandals in latest act of anti-Semitism Crime and Public Safety | Oakland man gets no additional jail time for biting off cousin’s earlobe during drive Crime and Public Safety | One person killed in East Oakland shooting Crime and Public Safety | Police arrest suspect in Berkeley double stabbing Previously set out for the public, the menorah was smashed and its pieces strewn around the area, according to Jewish Community Relatio...