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Supreme Court sidesteps challenge to internet companies’ broad protections from lawsuits

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:33:25 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday sidestepped a case against Google that might have allowed more lawsuits against social media companies.The justices’ decision returns to a lower court the case of a family of an American college student who was killed in an Islamic State terrorist attack in Paris. The family wants to sue Google for YouTube videos they said helped attract IS recruits and radicalize them. Google owns YouTube.Google claims immunity from the lawsuit under a 1996 law that generally shields social media company for content posted by others. Lower courts agreed with Google.The justices had agreed to consider whether the legal shield is too broad. But in arguments in February, several sounded reluctant to weigh in now.In an unsigned opinion Thursday, the court wrote that it was declining to address the law at issue. The outcome is, at least for now, a victory for the tech industry, which predicted havoc on the internet if Google lost. But the high ...

Man accused of killing two sisters on Mother's Day, pleads not guilty before a San Diego judge

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:33:25 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The man accused of killing two sisters in a hit-and-run crash in the Bay Terraces neighborhood on Mother's Day made a video appearance before a judge Wednesday afternoon. It left raw emotion both in and outside of a San Diego courtroom as family and friends of the victims gathered for the arraignment of the man in question, 53-year-old Tony Garcia. "I know she’s in a better place right now, she’s watching over us. And what I want to say is that no matter how much time passes, she was my first love," shared Andrew Guttierez, boyfriend to 23-year-old victim Jazmin Higuera Cano. She and her 25-year-old sister Elizabeth Cano, a wife and mother, both died in the hit-and-run crash early Mother's Day morning. Two killed, two hospitalized in crash; one driver fled the scene Garcia of San Diego was driving the F150 that killed the two sisters and injured two others. After running away, he turned himself into police 14 hours later. Authorities say the Honda, which was driven b...

'Mean seeds' are budding across San Diego and could burrow into your dog's skin

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:33:25 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Winter rainfall has left San Diego County in full bloom, but among the plethora of wildflowers is an invasive weed armed with clusters of spiked seed pods that could burrow into your dog's skin. A seemingly leisurely outing on a hiking trail or quick sprint about in a grassy area can quickly become a very painful experience for pets if they encounter "mean seeds," a term used in reference to foxtails. 6 places to go kayaking in San Diego These clusters of grass have barbed awns or seed heads which resemble the tail of a fox. Once they break down into spikelets, foxtails -- as sly as they come -- could burrow directly into the skin of a dog that comes in contact with them, explained Advanced Veterinary Care of San Elijo, a North County practice.The American Kennel Club explained these prickly menaces further saying dogs may pick up a grass awn on an ear, eye, mouth, nose or between their toes. The barbed seeds could then travel inside the animal from the nose to the b...

Man killed in crash during South Bay pursuit identified

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:33:25 GMT

NATIONAL CITY, Calif. — A man that was killed in a crash during a police pursuit in South Bay last week has been identified by authorities. According to the San Diego Medical Examiner's Office, 26-year-old Cristian Santizo, a National City resident, was the sole occupant driving a Toyota sedan when officers attempted to initiate a traffic stop on National City Boulevard around midnight on May 12. SDFD fire captain dies in motorcycle crash Authorities say Santizo failed to yield and continued to travel southbound, prompting them to initiate a pursuit. For unknown reasons, the man appeared to lose control of his vehicle prior to traveling westbound from the roadway, the medical examiner's office said. Officials say he then collided with parked vehicles, a sign at a car dealership as well as traffic standards.The vehicle returned to the southbound lanes and Santizo was ejected from the vehicle to a landscaped center divider, said the medical examiner's office. Responding pa...

Stock market today: Most of Wall Street rises, adding to winning week

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:33:25 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are drifting higher Thursday after more companies reported better profits than expected, while yields climbed after a Federal Reserve official cautioned the end to its interest-rate hikes may not arrive as early as Wall Street hoped.The S&P 500 was 0.5% higher in midday trading, adding to its rally from a day earlier as momentum seems to build for the U.S. government to avert a disastrous default on its debt. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was edging down by 8 points, or less than 0.1%, at 33,411, as of 11:20 a.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite was 1.1% higher.Helping to support Wall Street was Walmart, which rose 1% after reporting stronger results for the latest quarter than expected. It also raised its financial forecast for the full year, though it said it’s seeing shoppers remain cautious about spending.Bath & Body Works, another retailer, leaped 10.3% after reporting stronger revenue and earnings for the latest quarter.Much scrutiny h...

Reported hate crimes down slightly in 2022, but have spiked overall since pandemic: TPS report

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:33:25 GMT

The Toronto Police Service’s (TPS) annual hate crime report showed a slight drop in reported hate crimes in 2022, but overall they’ve spiked dramatically since the pandemic began.The report, which was presented to the TPS Board on Thursday, outlines how the numbers skyrocketed after COVID-19 emerged.“The number of reported hate crimes in 2022 is 74 per cent higher than the pre-pandemic level in 2019,” it states.That number is also 40 per cent higher than the 10-year average.The data used in the report is based on hate crimes reported to the TPS between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2022.Despite that daunting overall increase since the pandemic, the TPS noted a slight decrease in the total number of hate crimes reported in 2022 compared to 2021, falling a modest six per cent.The most frequently reported offences motivated by hate in 2022 were mischief to property, assault, and uttering threats, the TPS said, with the Jewish, Black, and 2SLGBTQ+ communities the most frequently targeted.Th...

News site CEO apologizes to Mississippi ex-Gov. Bryant over welfare comments

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:33:25 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — An executive at a news organization has apologized to former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant for remarks she made about him and the misspending of welfare money that was intended to help some of the poorest people in the U.S.Mississippi Today published the apology from its CEO, Mary Margaret White, on Wednesday, a week after Bryant threatened to sue the nonprofit news website.Bryant said in a certified letter May 11 that White made a “false and defamatory” statement about him when she spoke at a journalism conference in February.“I misspoke at a recent media conference regarding the accusations against former Governor Phil Bryant in the $77 million welfare scandal,” White wrote Wednesday. “He has not been charged with any crime. My remark was inappropriate, and I sincerely apologize.”White also wrote that she requested that the video of her comments at the conference be retracted.A spokesman for Bryant, Denton Gibbes, said Thursday that the former governor’s...

‘Fake job:’ Poilievre won’t meet watchdog investigating foreign interference

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:33:25 GMT

OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he chose not to meet former governor general David Johnston, who is investigating allegations of China’s meddling in Canada’s elections and other matters.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau named Johnston as a special rapporteur to look into possible gaps the federal government has when it deals with foreign interference — and possibly recommend a public inquiry.Poilievre says Johnston has a “fake job” and he’s unable to do it independently because he used to be a member of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, which is under scrutiny for accepting a donation reportedly linked to China. Poilievre says he sent a letter to Johnston asking him how he can investigate the organization independently, but did not receive a response.He says Canada needs move on from this “special rapporteur distraction” and get on with a public inquiry. The New Democrats say they initiated a meeting between Johnston, par...

Sophie Gregoire Trudeau signs two-book deal with Penguin Random House Canada

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:33:25 GMT

OTTAWA — Sophie Gregoire Trudeau has signed a two-book deal with Penguin Random House Canada.The first, “Closer Together: Knowing Ourselves, Loving Each Other,” is set to be released next spring.Penguin Random House describes it as a “self-discovery and wellness book for adults.”The publishing house says the book advocates for acceptance and self-knowledge, and will include interviews with “top psychologists, scientists and thought leaders” interspersed with stories of Gregoire Trudeau’s own personal growth.She’s also set to write a children’s picture book, which is due out in 2025.The publisher says the book will encourage kids “to be as connected to the great outdoors as they are to their inner emotional landscape.”This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 18, 2023.The Canadian Press

Vatican recalls stamp celebrating Portugal’s colonial empire after complaints

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:33:25 GMT

ROME (AP) — The Vatican has recalled a postage stamp promoting this year’s World Youth Day in Portugal following complaints that it celebrated Portugal’s colonial empire and the nationalist dictatorship of Antonio Salazar at a time when the Holy See has been atoning for colonial-era abuses.The stamp, which was still available for purchase online Thursday, features Pope Francis leading a group of children up Lisbon’s Monument to the Discoveries. The giant stone and concrete monument was built in 1960 to mark the 500th anniversary of the death of Henry the Navigator, one of the masterminds of Portugal’s maritime expansion in the 15th century.The monument, which is located on the north bank of the Tagus River in Lisbon, is repudiated by some in Portugal because it was built by and during the Salazar dictatorship as part the government’s push to promote national identity and feats such as the country’s colonial expansion in Africa.The postage stamp, which features the World Youth ...