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Editorial: Taxpayers score some wins in debt ceiling deal

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:31:05 GMT

It’s all over but the shouting as Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Biden wrapped up their 11th-hour negotiations to reach a debt ceiling deal Sunday.There’s a sense of relief that debt default has been avoided, at least if the deal gets enough votes in Congress before June 5, and rancor on the part of progressives who begrudge Republicans any victory in terms of budget cuts, and Republicans opposed to raising the debt ceiling. But there is already one winner to emerge from the fracas: the American taxpayer.Part of the reasoning behind the GOP’s move to make raising the debt ceiling contingent on budget cuts is the Democratic mindset in full force since Biden took office: taxpayers are ATMs. The administration’s trillion-dollar-plus spending spree helped fuel inflation, with the promise that there would be budget issues down the line as the bills come due to pay for all those programs and policies.Republicans may not have been able to tap the brakes as har...

King: We’re not ready for the massive disruption of AI

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:31:05 GMT

To rephrase Leon Trotsky: You may not be interested in artificial intelligence, but artificial intelligence is interested in you.Suddenly, long-rumored and awaited, AI is upon the world — a world that isn’t ready for the massive and forever disruption it threatens. AI could be the most significant disruptor in history, surpassing the arrival of the printing press, the steam engine and electricity. Those all led to good things.At this time, the long-term effects of AI are just speculative, but they could be terrifying, throwing tens of millions out of work and making a mockery of truth, rendering pictures and printed words unreliable.There is no common view on the effect of AI on employment. When I ask, the scientists working on it point to the false fears that once greeted automation. In reality, jobs swelled as new products needed new workers.My feeling is that the job scenario has yet to be proved with AI. Automation added to work by making old work more efficient and creating thi...

Dear Abby: Bridesmaid’s pregnancy new wedding stressor

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:31:05 GMT

Dear Abby: I got engaged five months ago, and my wedding date is seven months from now. My soon-to-be sister-in-law and bridesmaid has just announced she’s pregnant with her second child and due a week after our wedding.I have conflicting emotions. While I’m happy for her family to grow, I can’t help but worry it will detract from my fiance and me. I’m not sure what to do. Do I keep her as a bridesmaid, one week away from delivery? She might be late, but there’s also a chance she could go into labor before or during our wedding.Can I replace her so she won’t have to worry about the “what-ifs”? Her husband is a groomsman, so this decision will affect everyone. Should I leave her in and chance it? It breaks my heart to think they might not be able to attend at all. I’m just so overwhelmed, and this is adding to the stress of planning my wedding. Please give me some advice. — Worried Bride to BeDear Worried: Talk to your about...

Free summer park concerts to attend in San Diego area

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:31:05 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Looking for some feel-good summer vibes? Several parks in the San Diego area are holding free concerts for the public the next few months.From the coast to East County and the city, here are some local parks offering entertainment this summer for no cost:Coronado Summer Concert Series at Spreckels Park:June 4 - BoomBox Heroes at 6 p.m.June 11 - Navy Band Southwest’s 32nd Street Brass at 6 p.m.June 18 - Crown Town at 6 p.m.June 25 - Big Time Operator at 6 p.m.July 2 - The Suenamis at 6 p.m.July 9 - Al Paris & The Heartbreakers at 6 p.m.July 16 - PHT & The Honky Tonk Nights at 6 p.m.July 23 - Mighty Untouchables at 6 p.m.July 30 - FlashPants at 6 p.m.Aug 6 - The Detroit Underground at 6 p.m.Aug 13 - The Dream Boats at 6 p.m.Aug 20 - The Zippers at 5 p.m.Aug 27 - Ron’s Garage at 5 p.m.Sept 3 - Special Concert at 5 p.m. How to get discounted San Diego County Fair tickets, parking and other deals La Mesa Concert in the Park at Harry Griffen Park:June 25 - San Dieg...

Carlsbad man determined to help others after emergency brain surgery saved his life

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:31:05 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The path for Josue Ramos started out on a straight line. After graduating from Carlsbad High School 10 years ago, the then 18-year-old had plans to join the military. Graduating and then serving were things he was really looking forward to."It was a something that I really wanted to do," Ramos said to FOX 5. "It was a big deal. My family comes from Mexico, we have this drive.” Everything was set up for the move, until his life took an unexpected turn senior year: he was diagnosed with a brain tumor."I kind of knew something was going on," Ramos recalled. "I was vomiting once a month and then it got progressively worse."The brain tumor was discovered after Ramos' mom took him to the emergency room. Dr. Sanjay Ghosh, his surgeon, said they caught it just in time to save his life. Ramos was able to undergo an emergency surgery to remove the tumor."If this was not treated in a timely manner, he could have conceivably passed away in a couple of weeks," Ghosh explained to FOX...

United Conservatives jump out to early lead in slow Alberta election

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:31:05 GMT

The United Conservative Party grabbed an early lead in Alberta’s election Monday, but the NDP began closing the gap as it swept up seats in its stronghold of Edmonton and made inroads in battleground Calgary. The UCP dominated in rural ridings as expected, re-electing cabinet ministers including UCP Leader Danielle Smith in Brooks-Medicine Hat. Other key cabinet members were also returned, including Education Minister Adriana LaGrange, Agriculture Minister Nate Horner, Indigenous Relations Minister Rick Wilson and Affordability and Utilities Minister Matt Jones.  NDP Leader Rachel Notley won her seat in Edmonton-Strathcona for a fifth time and her party was on track to sweep the capital. No election winner had been called more than two hours after polls closed at 8 p.m. Elections Alberta said in a statement it was moving as fast as possible. “We are not seeing any issues at this time, but understand that people are keen to see the results,” said Elections Alberta in a statemen...

Pro-Imran Khan Pakistani TV journalist returns home after being freed

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:31:05 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A prominent Pakistani television journalist who went missing last week, apparently because of his public support to former Prime Minister Imran Khan, returned home early Tuesday after being released by his captors, his family and his employer said.Sami Abrahim’s brother, Ali Raza, took to Twitter to confirm his release. BOL TV confirmed his release in a news announcement.Abrahim went missing Thursday when eight people in four vehicles intercepted his car on his way back home from work in the capital, Islamabad, and took him away, according to his family and BOL TV where Abrahim works.No one had claimed responsibility for Abrahim’s abduction, but it is widely believed that he was being held by the country’s security agencies, which are notorious for abducting, harassing and torturing journalists.Abrahim has long publicly opposed the government of Khan’s successor, Premier Shahbaz Sharif. Khan, a former cricket star who became an Islamist politician, was i...

Prosecutors say Sam Bankman-Fried’s arguments to dismiss cryptocurrency charges are meritless

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:31:05 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Sam Bankman-Fried’s lawyers made meritless arguments in a bid to convince a judge to toss out criminal charges alleging that the FTX founder stole from investors in his multibillion dollar cryptocurrency fund, federal prosecutors said Monday.In papers filed in Manhattan federal court, prosecutors responded to early May filings in which Bankman-Fried’s lawyers insisted that the United States overreached in its case against Bankman-Fried, making federal crimes out of regulatory issues.“These motions are meritless,” prosecutors wrote in a nearly 100-page filing. “The charges track the relevant statutes and the defendant’s alleged misconduct falls within the heartland of what these statutes prohibit.”Bankman-Fried, 31, has been living with his parents in Palo Alto, California, after posting a $250 million personal recognizance bond after his December extradition from the Bahamas.Bankman-Fried has pleaded not guilty to charges that he cheated investors and looted customer...

Stock market today: Asia shares mixed as investors await debt ceiling vote, eye China economy

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:31:05 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mixed in directionless trading Tuesday following a U.S. holiday, as optimism about a deal on the U.S. debt was dented by worries about the regional economy. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 lost 0.4% in morning trading to 31,119.27. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was little changed, inching up less than 0.1% to 7,218.60. South Korea’s Kospi added 0.9% to 2,581.89. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dipped 0.5% to 18,458.25, while the Shanghai Composite lost 0.6% to 3,202.41. Analysts say investors remain concerned about the a possible “second wave” of COVID-19 cases in China, although the economic impact is expected to be more limited than from the earlier pandemic wave. China’s recovery from virus-related disruptions during the past several years appears to be faltering, adding to worries over the regional economy. “To say China’s economic opening has been a disappointment could be an understatement, especially as reflected in local stocks t...

DeSantis kicks off presidential campaign in Iowa as he steps up criticism of Trump

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:31:05 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ron DeSantis plans to kick off his presidential campaign in Iowa on Tuesday, the start of a busy week that will take him to 12 cities in three states as he tests his pitch as the most formidable Republican challenger to former President Donald Trump.The Florida governor’s two-day trip to the leadoff caucus state — starting at a suburban Des Moines megachurch and ending at a Cedar Rapids racetrack — comes after a stumbling online announcement last week that formalized his long-anticipated entry into the growing Republican field. It will be followed by stops in early primary states New Hampshire and South Carolina. DeSantis’ scheduled Tuesday evening stop at Eternity Church in Clive is a conspicuous nod to the evangelical Christians who wield outsize influence in Iowa’s Republican presidential caucuses. His visit will give voters an opportunity to meet the new candidate just as he has been stepping up his criticism of Trump.“He’s got a big hil...