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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:48:21 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived Tuesday in Saudi Arabia and later met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman amid strained relations between Riyadh and Washington. Blinken’s trip, his second to Saudi Arabia since becoming America’s top diplomat, comes after the kingdom under Prince Mohammed has been more willing to disregard the U.S. in striking its own decisions. Riyadh has clashed repeatedly with President Joe Biden on its supply of crude oil to global markets, its willingness to partner with Russia in OPEC+ and reaching a détente with Iran mediated by China. Biden also pledged to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah” over the 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. However, Saudi Arabia still relies — like other Gulf Arab nations — on the U.S. to be the security guarantor for the wider Middle East as tensions over Iran’s nuclear program in recent years have spilled over into a series of attacks. Riyadh and Wa...

Supreme Court tossed out the heart of Voting Rights Act a decade ago. Next ruling could go further

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:48:21 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Within hours of a U.S. Supreme Court decision dismantling a key provision of the Voting Rights Act, Texas lawmakers announced plans to implement a strict voter ID law that had been blocked by a federal court. Lawmakers in Alabama said they would press forward with a similar law that had been on hold.The ruling a decade ago continues to reverberate across the country, as Republican-led states pass voting restrictions that, in several cases, would have been subject to federal review had the court left the provision intact. At the same time, the conservative-leaning court has continued to take other cases challenging elements of the landmark 1965 law.The Supreme Court weakened another section of the Voting Rights Act two years ago with a ruling in a case from Arizona. And justices are expected to rule in the coming weeks in still another case out of Alabama that could make it much more difficult for minority groups to sue over gerrymandered political maps that dilute the...

Racist message, dead raccoon left for Oregon mayor, Black city council member

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:48:21 GMT

REDMOND, Ore. (AP) — Someone left a dead raccoon and a sign with “intimidating language” that mentioned a Black city councilor outside the law office of an Oregon mayor, police said. Redmond Mayor Ed Fitch found the raccoon and the sign on Monday, the Redmond Police Department said in a news release. The sign mentioned Fitch and Redmond City Councilor Clifford Evelyn by name, police said.Fitch called the sign’s language “racially hateful.” He declined to elaborate but told The Bulletin, “I feel bad for Clifford. It seems there’s some people in town that can’t accept the fact that Clifford is Black and is on the City Council.”Police aren’t revealing the sign’s exact language in order to maintain the integrity of the investigation, city spokesperson Heather Cassaro said. Police said they are investigating the act as a potential hate crime. Evelyn, a retired law enforcement officer who was elected to the council in 2021, described the act as a hate crime but said he has con...

Missing Oak Brook man with autism found safe

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:48:21 GMT

OAK BROOK, Ill. — The Oak Brook Police Department said, in an update, that Anish Bajaj has been found safe.Anish Bajaj, 24, man with autism has been found safe.Police said 24-year-old Anish Bajaj had formerly went missing shortly after 5 p.m. after walking out of the area near the 500 block of Sauk Path in Oak Brook.Oak Brook PD offered their thanks to all who helped finding Bajaj after a combined search between drones, a bloodhound, a CPD helicopter and other surrounding agencies.

Canadian wildfires bring smoky haze to Capital Region

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:48:21 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — On Tuesday, many woke up to a smoky haze around the Capital Region, with wildfires in Canada leading to an air quality alert.Kathyrn Sanderson usually walks around her Delmar neighborhood after going to the library, but today’s conditions stop her morning routine.“The haze was unbelievable,” Sanders said. “So I did actually go as far as the library, which is close to where I live, but I couldn’t go any further because of the weather.” Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Canada is dealing with hundreds of intense wildfires that spread from the western provinces to Quebec. Winds are also carrying smoke from those fires to the U.S. while causing a decrease in air quality.Linda Viertel, a store manager in Stuyvesant Plaza, said she was shocked when she walked outside to go to work.“It was really unusual, and there was a smell of smoke in the air as well, and cloudy,” she said. “I live out in Mechanicville, s...

Louisiana military base to be renamed after Sgt. Henry Johnson

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:48:21 GMT

VERNON PARISH, La. (NEWS10) -- A military base in Louisiana that carries the name of a confederate general will soon be renamed after a Capital Region war hero, who served during World War I.Fort Polk will be renamed Fort Johnson after Henry Johnson. The Albany native saw prominent military service in 1918 by single handedly fighting off a German raiding party. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Johnson was the first American to be recognized by the French military, but Johnson received no U.S. military recognition until after his death in 1929.A ceremony marking the name change will take place on June 13.

Colorado lawmakers criticize Polis for vetoing first-of-its-kind housing bill

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:48:21 GMT

Gov. Jared Polis vetoed a bill Tuesday that would’ve given local governments first crack at buying for-sale apartment buildings, the latest setback for frustrated housing advocates who questioned how the governor planned to address the affordability crisis in Colorado.The sponsors of HB23-1190 were told in a Tuesday afternoon meeting with Polis that he intended to veto the bill, which, supporters say, would’ve helped Colorado rebuild public housing within the existing real estate market. The bill was among the most progressive housing proposals to pass the legislature this year, after several others were watered down or killed outright.In a letter explaining his decision, Polis said he was concerned about title insurance and what he described as ambiguous language in the bill.“I support local governments’ ability to buy these properties on the open market and preserve low-cost housing opportunities,” he wrote, “but am not supportive of a required ...

Kiszla: Are Nuggets at disadvantage in battle of coaching wits between Michael Malone and Erik Spoelstra?

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:48:21 GMT

MIAMI – On the big stage that is the NBA Finals, here’s the part nobody wants to say out loud: Where the Nuggets’ lack of championship experience could hurt them most is in the matchup between coaches Michael Malone and Erik Spoelstra.If a ring’s the thing, Spoelstra exhibits the unflappable confidence of a champion who already owns two, while Malone craves his first one with the desperate hunger of a man who hasn’t eaten in days.“He’s been to how many Finals at this point?” Heat center Bam Adebayo asked Tuesday, reminding me Spoelstra won back-to-back championships with Miami way back in 2012 and 2013. “So he has seen everything but the wind.”Spoelstra has made all the right moves in the Finals, while Malone is searching for ways to shake the Nuggets from a disturbing new trend of fourth-quarter funk.Too harsh? It’s not criticism if it’s honest.In a chess match with Malone, Spoelstra has made the aggressive moves to keep the Nuggets in check. He replaced Caleb Martin with Kevin Lov...

Moderate candidates take early lead over progressives for Denver City Council runoffs

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:48:21 GMT

Early election results from Denver’s Tuesday runoff shows a trio of moderate City Council candidates taking the lead over their more progressive challengers.Unofficial results from the City Clerk’s Office show that early voters sought to oust incumbent District 9 Councilwoman Candi CdeBaca – often the most liberal voice on the council – in favor of third-time council candidate Darrell Watson. As of 7 p.m., Watson held 64.1% to CdeBaca’s 35.9% with a total of 10,736 votes cast.RELATED: Denver runoff election results: Updates on mayor, city council racesAt the same time, early voters opted to back incumbent District 10 Councilman Chris Hinds over Shannon Hoffman. Early results show Hinds leading Hoffman 58.45% to 41.55% with 11,246 votes cast.And for the District 8 race – left open by the term-limited Councilman Chris Herndon – Brad Revare holds a slim lead over Shontel Lewis, 50.13% to 49.87% with 9,837 votes cast.Related ArticlesPolitics | Denver mayor’s race: Johns...

Denver mayor’s race: Johnston leads Brough in early runoff election results

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:48:21 GMT

Mike Johnston is leading Kelly Brough in the runoff race to be Denver’s first new mayor in a dozen years, according to early returns.  Johnston has received 53.4% of the vote to Brough’s 46.6%, in unofficial results released just after 7 p.m. He leads Brough by 8,043 votes with 116,965 ballots counted so far. The Denver Clerk and Recorder’s Office is expected to release the next results update at 8:30 p.m.The crowd at Johnston’s campaign gathering inside Union Station’s main hall erupted in cheers as a TV screen displayed the first results. A short time later, the song “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers played on the speakers.Less than two miles to the north, at the ReelWorks Denver event hall in Five Points, a crowd of Brough supporters milled about under a disco ball. The candidate was expected to take the stage shortly after the next batch of results is released at 8:30.“There are still a lot of votes out. We are still in this game,”...