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Disney opposes DeSantis request to disqualify judge in free speech lawsuit

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:17:09 GMT

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Disney is opposing a request by Gov. Ron DeSantis to disqualify a judge overseeing the company’s First Amendment lawsuit against the Florida governor and others in which Disney says it was punished for speaking out against Florida legislation that critics have dubbed “Don’t Say Gay.”Disney said in court papers filed Thursday that the request by attorneys for DeSantis, who declared his candidacy for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination earlier this week, didn’t come close to meeting the standards set out in Florida law for requiring a judge to be disqualified.Last week, DeSantis’ attorneys filed a motion seeking to disqualify Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker, who is presiding over the case in federal court in Tallahassee. The motion said Walker referenced the ongoing dispute between the DeSantis administration and Disney during hearings in two unrelated lawsuits before him dealing with free speech issues and fear of retaliation for violatin...

Qatargate suspect Eva Kaili set to go back to work at EU Parliament

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:17:09 GMT

ATHENS — European parliamentarians could soon expect a reunion with their colleague Eva Kaili.Five months after being arrested by Belgian police as part of the ongoing investigation into corruption allegations that rocked the European Parliament, EU lawmaker Eva Kaili now intends to return to work.A day after the Belgian prosecutor’s office announced that the once-feted EU lawmaker is no longer under house arrest, Kaili’s lawyers said she’s set to resume her duties at the European Parliament.“As of today … Eva Kaili is free to leave her residence and to fully exercise all her rights and obligations, deriving from her status as a member of the European Parliament,” her lawyers Sven Mary and Michalis Dimitrakopoulos said in a joint statement.“The restrictive condition of the ban on leaving Belgium, which was imposed, does not upset her, since Kaili will return to Greece only after her judicial vindication,” they said, adding that “the evidence that documents Kaili’s innoce...

Pelham, NH man found slumped over at wheel with unsecured infant in car charged with DUI, child endangerment

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:17:09 GMT

Police in Pelham, New Hampshire, say an erratic driver complaint led to officers finding a man slumped over at the wheel of his vehicle with an infant in the back seat.The Pelham Police Department said Jon-Brad James, 44, was arrested after the department received a report of a vehicle “driving erratically” in the area of Dutton Road Thursday evening.Officers proceeded to search the area and located a white, 2017 Nissan Rogue in the middle of the street on Deer Hill Circle.Pelham PD said police who approached the SUV found that the driver was “slumped over and unconscious behind the wheel,” with the vehicle still in drive. Officers also spotted an infant sitting unsecured in the SUV’s back seat.According to a news release from the department, police were able to reach into the vehicle and turn it off before waking the driver, who was identified as James, a Pelham resident.“At the conclusion of the investigation Jon-Brad [James] was arrested and ch...

Celtics could be the first NBA team to ever come back from down 0-3

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:17:09 GMT

Who could have possibly seen this coming?The high and mighty Miami Heat have been humbled.The same Heat team that bulldozed through both the Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks and took a 3-0 series lead over the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals now look helpless, and after Thursday night’s Game 5 blowout loss in Boston, they could be beyond saving.The same Miami dogs who nearly ripped out the Celtics’ hearts via the three series-opening victories now look like a herd of deer.And with the Celtics closing the gap, the headlights are on.Make it three straight disappearing acts by Jimmy Butler, who has scored just 59 combined points through the last three games despite opening this series with a 35-point night, followed by a 27-point outing in Game 2. Butler averaged 35 points in the first round against the Bucks but may have hit a wall here with a trip to the Finals on the line. He shot just 5-of-10 for 14 points in Miami’s Game 5 loss and is only two games removed fr...

Debt ceiling talks making progress, McCarthy says, as deadline nears

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:17:09 GMT

By LISA MASCARO, SEUNG MIN KIM, KEVIN FREKING and STEPHEN GROVES (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — House negotiators are making progress toward an agreement with the White House to raise the nation’s debt ceiling, racing to close out a deal ahead of a looming deadline to avert a potentially catastrophic government default, Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Friday.But McCarthy told reporters at the Capitol there was still more work to do.“I thought we made progress last night, we’ve got to make more progress now,” he said. “Now we’ve got a short timeframe.”Democratic President Joe Biden and the Republican speaker are straining to strike a budget compromise by this weekend. The two sides are narrowing differences on a two-year agreement that would curb federal spending and lift the borrowing limit ahead of a deadline as soon as June 1 when Treasury could run out of money to pay the nation’s bills.Any deal would need to be a ...

FBI Boston leader Joseph Bonavolonta announces his retirement

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:17:09 GMT

Joseph Bonavolonta, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston division, has announced that he will be retiring after a 27-year career with the bureau.His departure, which takes effect on June 9, marks a significant change for federal law enforcement leadership in Boston, as U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins also resigned last week following two scathing federal reports detailing ethical abuses.“I have spent the last 27 years of my life with the FBI, and I can honestly say I wouldn’t trade in a single day,” he said in a statement released with the announcement. “As many of you know, I was raised in an FBI family with my father having served 24 years as a Special Agent in this organization, and there is no doubt watching the way he went about doing his job cultivated my desire to follow in his footsteps.“I have always considered myself lucky to have been able to carry on the legacy he set, and I have never taken it for granted one single day. I ha...

SD Wave players meet with all-female pilot squadron set to flyover game

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:17:09 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A handful of San Diego Wave FC players visited the U.S. Navy base on Coronado Thursday ahead of Military Appreciation Night at Snapdragon Stadium. Forward Rachel Hill, midfielder Danny Colaprico and defender Christen Westphal toured an Osprey VRM50 aircraft and met the all-female pilot squadron that will conduct the pre-game flyover Friday night. San Diego FC CEO talks about new MLS team with FOX 5 "We're just so grateful for all they do to serve our country and, you know, it takes a lot of courage it's amazing to come here and to just see the energy that they have and the passion that they have about what they do each and every day," said Hill. "So, it's just awesome to come and learn from them and see their day-to-day and kind of get a sneak peek inside what they do.SD Wave players meet with an all-female pilot squadron that's set to flyover Snapdragon Stadium. (Photo: SD WAVE DC)SD Wave forward Rachel Hill laughs wild holding a military gear. Photo: SD WAVE DC)SD ...

Judge says fire retardant drops are polluting streams but allows use to continue

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:17:09 GMT

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A judge ruled Friday that chemical retardant dropped on wildfires by the U.S. Forest Service is polluting streams in western states in violation of federal law, but said that it can keep being used to fight fires.The ruling from U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen in Montana came after environmentalists sued the government for dropping the red slurry material into waterways hundreds of times over the past decade.Government officials say chemical fire retardant is sometimes crucial to slowing the advance of dangerous blazes. Wildfires across North America have grown bigger and more destructive over the past two decades. Matthew Brown, The Associated Press

BONAFIDE collective redefines fine art for the Gen Z generation

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:17:09 GMT

Emerging artists don’t often get their start in major galleries, but rather through grassroots collectives in unassuming parts of our city.BONAFIDE, a new local arts collective is pushing the definition of fine art forward and is challenging the status quo along the way.The Gen Z-led collective, co-founders Halle Hirota, Sarah Ruest, Jahliya Daley, and Erika Lindberg aim to highlight the network of emerging artists across a variety of mediums and industries with a focus on underappreciated and underrecognized art forms through its events.They debuted Organized Chaos in Little Portugal, the first in a series of immersive activations to exhibit a range of underrepresented artistic mediums like pole performances, tattoo artists and skateboard designers.“We wanted to create a space that was just completely like uncensored art for you to just come and experience it live,” explained Hirota. “I think that more of our performance art, especially we had a pole dancing show,...

Berlin police investigate Roger Waters for possible incitement over concert outfit

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:17:09 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Police in Berlin said Friday that they have opened an investigation of Roger Waters on suspicion of incitement over a costume the Pink Floyd co-founder wore when he performed in the German capital last week.Images on social media showed Waters firing an imitation machine gun while dressed in a long black coat with a red armband. Police confirmed that an investigation was opened over suspicions that the context of the costume could constitute a glorification, justification or approval of Nazi rule and therefore a disturbance of the public peace.Once the police investigation is concluded, the case will be handed to Berlin prosecutors, who would decide whether to pursue any charges.Waters has drawn ire for his support of the BDS movement, which calls for boycotts and sanctions against Israel. He has rejected accusations of antisemitism. Authorities in Frankfurt tried to prevent a concert there scheduled for May 28, but Waters challenged that move successfully in a local c...