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Biden to issue order to strengthen gun background checks

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:57:16 GMT

By ZEKE MILLER and COLLEEN LONG (Associated Press)SAN DIEGO (AP) — President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order on Tuesday aiming to increase the number of background checks to buy guns, promote better and more secure firearms storage and ensure U.S. law enforcement agencies are getting the most out of a bipartisan gun control law enacted last summer. The Democratic president plans to address his latest efforts to curb gun violence in a speech from Monterey Park, California. In January, a gunman stormed a dance hall in the community near Los Angeles and shot 20 people, killing 11, following a Lunar New Year celebration. Biden’s rhetoric has only grown stronger around guns — he routinely calls for banning so-called assault weapons in his speeches — and Democrats didn’t push such a vocal gun-control platform even during the Obama administration, when Biden was vice president. But Biden has been emboldened by the midterms after his regular ta...

Facebook parent Meta slashes another 10,000 jobs

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:57:16 GMT

By The Associated PressFacebook parent Meta is slashing another 10,000 jobs and will not fill 5,000 open positions as the social media pioneer cuts costs.The company said Tuesday it will reduce the size of its recruiting team and make further cuts in its tech groups in late April, and then its business groups in late May.“This will be tough and there’s no way around that,” said CEO Mark Zuckerberg. “It will mean saying goodbye to talented and passionate colleagues who have been part of our success.”The Menlo Park, California, company has invested billions of dollars to realign its focus on the metaverse. In February it posted lower fourth-quarter profit and revenue, hurt by a downturn in the online advertising market and competition from rivals such as TikTok. The company announced 11,000 job cuts in November. “As I’ve talked about efficiency this year, I’ve said that part of our work will involve removing jobs — and that will be...

Bank stocks bounce back day after wipeout on contagion fears

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:57:16 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are opening higher on Wall Street Tuesday as some of the most breathtaking moves from a manic Monday reverse course. The S&P 500 was 1.5% higher after a report showed inflation is still high, though no more than expected. Regional bank stocks bounced back sharply, recovering some of their plunges from a day earlier caused by worries that customers could yank out their cash in the wake of two bank failures. Treasury yields rose sharply, trimming some of their historic drops from Monday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq composite also rose.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.U.S. futures held steady following a report that inflation eased slightly last month but remains elevated, posing a challenge for the Federal Reserve at a delicate moment for the financial system.Even though prices are rising faster than the Fed wants, some economists expect the central bank to suspend its yearlong streak of intere...

Retired Patriots captain Devin McCourty buys 37 billboards to thank fans

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:57:16 GMT

Retired Patriots safety Devin McCourty purchased space on 37 billboards Tuesday throughout eastern Massachusetts to thank fans for their support over his 13-year career.The billboards read: “Thank you NE! You helped a young kid become a man, father, husband and a 3x champ!” The message ended with McCourty’s signature and occupied half of the billboard. The other half displayed a collage of photos featuring McCourty’s family and twin brother, Jason, who played in New England from 2018-20.A message from @devinmccourty, on billboards throughout New England. pic.twitter.com/vEwKOl0EXS— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) March 14, 2023McCourty later tweeted a photo of himself in front of one of the billboards. The 35-year-old announced his retirement last week and intends to pursue a career in sports media. The Patriots will be holding a retirement press conference next Tuesday at the team’s Hall of Fame at 2 p.m.“It has been a great ride,” McCourty told his twin...

HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’ season finale draws in a series high

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:57:16 GMT

By KARENA PHAN (Associated Press)LOS ANGELES (AP) — “The Last of Us” fans set another rating record for the season one finale of the apocalyptic, mushroom-infected zombie video game adaptation. Despite airing against the Oscars Sunday night, HBO said the season finale drew in 8.2 million viewers.Viewership for “The Last of Us” has consistently grown throughout the season. The series has not only won over gamers with high expectations but also critics and people who aren’t familiar with the game.The series premiere drew 4.7 million viewers in the U.S., based on Nielsen and HBO data, making for HBO’s second-largest debut, behind “House of the Dragon.” Outside of the U.S., “The Last of Us” is now the most-watched show in the history of HBO Max in both Europe and Latin America, HBO said.As viewers watch episodes on the streaming platforms days after the episodes air, the numbers for the series will continue to increase. The series is now averaging 30.4 million viewers across its first s...

The Average Millennial Has Nearly $30K in Debt. Here Is What They Should Do.

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:57:16 GMT

NEW YORK – March 14, 2023 – ( Newswire.com )Credello: Studies show that Millennials often have debt. The average amount is almost $30K. Some have more, while others have less, but it’s a sobering number.There are actions you can take if you’re a Millennial and you’re carrying this much debt. We’ll talk about some strategies right now.Get a Personal LoanMany Millennials are paying for things with credit cards. This is tempting, but it can backfire. Credit cards can have interest rates close to 35%.If you have several outstanding debts,  how much of a personal loan can I get should probably be the question you’re asking. If you approach a bank or credit union and get a personal loan, you can use that money to pay off your debts.Why Are Personal Loans So Attractive?Getting a bank or credit union loan simplifies your life. If you do this, you only have one loan to repay, rather than owing several different credit card companies and other entities.Also, when you get a personal loan, you’...

Saudi Arabia places order with Boeing for up to 121 planes

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:57:16 GMT

Two Saudi Arabian airlines said Tuesday they will order 78 jetliners from Boeing and take options to buy 43 more in a major boost for the American aircraft manufacturer.The order for Boeing 787s will be divided between Saudi Arabia’s flag carrier, Saudia, and a planned new airline called Riyadh Air, which Saudi officials announced over the weekend.At list prices, the combined deal would be worth about $37 billion if the options are exercised, but airlines routinely get deep discounts. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.Boeing had been talking to the Saudis about an order for three years, according to two senior U.S. administration officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been publicly announced. The officials said President Joe Biden did not directly lobby for the order when he met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman last summer, but top aides made a pitch to Saudi government officials on Boeing’s behalf.The Saudi deal will support about 1 m...

German police: 2 children in custody over girl’s killing

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:57:16 GMT

Berlin (AP) — German police said Tuesday that two children are in custody suspected of killing a 12-year-old girl found dead earlier this week in the western town of Freudenberg, in a case that has shocked the country.The girl, who was only identified by her first name Louise due to privacy reasons, went missing Saturday after visiting a friend. She was found stabbed to death on Sunday in a forest near a former railroad station, after a massive police search.Prosecutor Mario Mannweiler told reporters that “we must assume that the crime was committed by two children from the (victim’s) circle of acquaintances.”The two suspects, who are 12 and 13 years old, confessed to the killing, police officer Florian Locker said.Citing the age of the suspects, officials refused to give any further details on their identity, gender, motive or whether they knew the victim from school.Due to their youth, the two children are below the age of criminal responsibility which is 14 in G...

San Francisco to air Black reparations plan, $5M per person

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:57:16 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A controversial draft reparations proposal that includes a $5 million lump-sum payment for each eligible Black person could make San Francisco the first major U.S. city to fund reparations, though it faces steep financial headwinds and blistering criticism from conservatives.Tuesday’s meeting of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors will include a presentation by San Francisco’s African American Reparations Advisory Committee, which released its draft report in December. The $5 million-per-person payment is among more than 100 recommendations ranging from offering grants to buy and maintain homes to exempting Black businesses from paying taxes.Supervisors can vote to adopt all, none or some of the recommendations and can change them. Several board members have expressed concerns over the potential hit the lump-sum payment and other options would have on the city budget, already facing a shortfall.An estimated 50,000 Black people live in San Francisco, but...

Netherlands repatriates indigenous remains to St. Eustatius

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:57:16 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The Netherlands has returned the remains of nine indigenous people that archaeologists found more than 30 years ago in the tiny Dutch Caribbean island of St. Eustatius, officials said.Some artifacts found alongside the bone fragments date back to the 5th century, the government of the island known as Statia said in a press release Monday.The repatriation process took nearly a year, and officials said that a local cultural heritage committee will consult residents about how and where to rebury the remains.The Caribs are believed to have lived on St. Eustatius before the arrival of Spanish conquerors. The island later changed hands several times among Britain, France and the Netherlands. It is currently a special municipality of the Netherlands with a population of about 3,200.The bone fragments and artifacts including boxes of ceramic and shell food remains were found during an excavation from 1984 to 1989 at the airport in the capital of Oranjestad as pa...