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McCarthy launches last-ditch plan to keep government open but with steep 30% cuts to many agencies

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 05:11:10 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy rushed Friday into a last-ditch plan to keep the federal government temporarily open — but with steep spending cuts of nearly 30% to many agencies and severe border security provisions demanded by his hard-right flank though with almost no chance in the Democratic Senate.The package cleared a procedural vote Friday but final passage in the afternoon was uncertain, testing whether the embattled McCarthy has the support he needs from his slim Republican majority. So far, the right flank has rejected his efforts as they push McCarthy closer to their demands, threaten his ouster and risk a government shutdown.The Republican speaker all but dared his hold-out colleagues to oppose it a day before Saturday’s almost certain shutdown. The bill would keep operations open through Oct. 31.“Every member will have to go on record where they stand,” the Republican McCarthy said at the Capitol.Asked if he had the votes, McCarthy quipped, “We̵...

France, Germany pave the way to making weapons in Ukraine

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 05:11:10 GMT

PARIS — French and German defense companies are setting up local shops in Ukraine for arms maintenance — a first step toward manufacturing weapons in the country. This week, Germany’s Federal Cartel Office gave the green light to a proposed joint venture between Rheinmetall, a German arms maker, and the Ukrainian Defense Industry, a Ukrainian state-owned defense group. France’s Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu traveled to Kyiv this week with about 20 French defense contractors — reportedly including Thales, MBDA, Nexter and Arquus — to facilitate partnerships with Ukrainian officials. On Friday, the Ukrainian capital hosted the Defense Industries Forum, an arms fair attended by 165 defense companies from 26 countries. At the event, Ukrainian officials met directly with defense companies to sign contracts without going through Western governments, explore joint production opportunities and provide specific input about their needs on the ground in the fight ...

Aerosmith postpones tour due to Steven Tyler’s vocal cord injury

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 05:11:10 GMT

Aerosmith has postponed the rest of its farewell tour after learning a vocal injury for frontman Steven Tyler is “more serious than initially thought.” The band announced the postponed shows on Friday morning, saying all currently scheduled shows on the PEACE OUT tour will now be pushed to 2024. The band said specific new show dates will be announced “as soon as we know more.”Aerosmith previously postponed a series of concert dates earlier this month after the band said Tyler injured his vocal cord during a performance. Tyler in an Instagram post on Sept. 11 said he received doctor’s orders to not sing for the next 30 days.Tyler said he sustained vocal cord damage that led to subsequent bleeding.In their update on Friday, Aerosmith said a doctor confirmed Tyler fractured his larynx in addition to damaging his vocal cords. The fractured larynx, Aerosmith said, will require ongoing care.“He is receiving the best medical treatment available to ensure his recovery is swift, bu...

Column: The Chicago Cubs’ postseason fate could be decided in overtime — a fitting ending to a turbulent season

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 05:11:10 GMT

Major League Baseball decided last year to end the tradition of Game 163 tiebreaker games when it added a third wild-card team in each league.But this season could give us Game 162 1/2 — or perhaps Game 162 1/9 — thanks to the suspended game Thursday night in New York between the Mets and Miami Marlins.The Chicago Cubs woke up Friday to the news they might have to wait until Monday to find out their postseason fate.In a season as crazy as this, the possibility of overtime seems like the perfect ending for a Cubs team that has gone from 10 games under .500 to playoff contender to potentially collapsing with 13 losses in 19 games down the stretch.The Marlins had just taken a 2-1 lead over the Mets in the ninth inning when rain halted the game, eventually resulting in the suspension. They scored the go-ahead runs off reliever Anthony Kay, whom the Cubs designated for assignment earlier this month and the Mets claimed off waivers.The Marlins gained a half-game on the Cubs ...

Friday rains add to above average rainfall for September in Boston [+radar loop]

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 05:11:10 GMT

Boston is in line to wrap the third consecutive month with above average rainfall as wet conditions blanketed the area Friday, according to the National Weather Service’s Boston office.A wet summer — and the fourth consecutive month of above-normal rainfall for some municipalities in Massachusetts — comes a year after the state experienced a drought that left crops damaged and officials urging residents to conserve water.National Weather Service observations from Logan International Airport show nearly 3.5 inches of rain for September, about two-tenths an inch above normal. And expected rainfalls on Friday and Saturday will add to that total, said NWS Boston meteorologist Frank Nocera.“But at least it looks like next week, starting Sunday, we could have a stretch of dry weather. So that’ll be welcomed,” Nocera said. “But the big takeaway is, there was a wet summer. Most places, it’s either the third or the fourth consecutive month of being above normal ...

State announces non-binding ‘memorandum of understanding’ with Orioles, but not a lease

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 05:11:10 GMT

The Orioles and representatives of Gov. Wes Moore said Friday they have reached agreement on a non-binding “memorandum of understanding” — but not a lease — to keep the Orioles committed to Camden Yard for 30 years.While representatives from the governor’s office and the team proclaimed Thursday night that there was a 30-year agreement, they acknowledged during a Friday morning briefing that no lease has been signed. And they said an extension of the current lease for at least a year or two may be needed because both sides have not agreed to final terms yet.Under the memorandum, the Orioles would cease paying rent to the state for Camden Yards but would assume responsibility for stadium operations and management.The memorandum, which calls for a 30-year commitment, is not a legally binding document.The details, in a briefing with reporters, followed an announcement to fans during Thursday night’s Orioles game about a lease agreement.“...

United Auto Workers strikes spread to Chicago and Lansing as 7,000 more workers join the picket line

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 05:11:10 GMT

By TOM KRISHER and DAVID KOENIG (AP Business Writers)DETROIT (AP) — The United Auto Workers expanded its two-week strikes against Detroit automakers Friday, adding 7,000 workers at a Ford plant in Chicago and a General Motors assembly factory near Lansing, Michigan.Union President Shawn Fain told workers on a video appearance Friday that negotiations haven’t broken down, but the strikes were escalated because Ford and GM have refused to make meaningful progress in contract talks.Jeep maker Stellantis was spared from the third round of strikes.The GM plant in Delta Township, near Lansing, makes large crossover SUVs such as the Chevrolet Traverse and Buick Enclave. A nearby metal parts stamping plant with 300 workers will remain open, Fain said.The Chicago Ford plant makes the Ford Explorer and Explorer Police Interceptors, as well as the Lincoln Aviator SUV. The Explorer interceptor is the nation’s top selling police vehicle.“Sadly, despite our willingness to bargain, Ford and GM hav...

California Gov. Newsom will pick Feinstein’s replacement. He pledged in past to choose a Black woman

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 05:11:10 GMT

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The Democrats’ delicate majority in the U.S. Senate puts extra pressure on California Gov. Gavin Newsom to quickly pick a replacement for Sen. Dianne Feinstein after her death.Already, names were being floated Friday in California circles. The situation is complicated and wrought with political risk for Newsom, a term-limited governor with national political ambitions of his own.The Democratic governor has promised to appoint a Black woman. He has also promised to avoid the field of candidates already running for Feinstein’s seat, which was set to expire at the end of next year and includes Rep. Barbara Lee, one of the state’s most prominent Black women currently serving in elected office. In filling the Senate vacancy, Newsom has the sole authority to name a successor. He could even pick himself, though that is unlikely.Newsom made no mention of Feinstein’s replacement in a statement he issued marking her death Friday morning.“Dianne F...

Prominent Egyptian political activist and acclaimed academic dies at 85

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 05:11:10 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — Saad Eddin Ibrahim, a prominent Egyptian-American academic and pro-democracy activist during the reign of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, died on Friday. He was 85.Ibrahim’s death was announced by Egyptian state media on Friday although few further details were given. The acclaimed academic was a leading critic of Mubarak’s autocratic government and an advocate for the rights of minority groups in Egypt, such as Coptic Christians. He spent most of the 2000s either detained or in self-imposed exile. It remains unclear where he died and what the cause of death was. Ibrahim was born in 1938 near the northern delta city of Mansoura and turned to a career in academia after finishing school.In the 1980s he founded two Cairo-based rights organizations: The Arab Organization for Human Rights, and later, The Ibn Khaldun Center for Development Studies. Both were critical of Mubarak’s government and other Arab states.In 2000, while a university professor...

Another suit to disqualify Trump under the Constitution’s ‘insurrection’ clause is filed in Michigan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 05:11:10 GMT

A liberal group on Friday filed a lawsuit in Michigan contending that former president Donald Trump is disqualified from regaining his old job based on a rarely used, post-Civil War provision in the U.S. Constitution. This is the first time an organization with significant legal resources has sought to block the GOP frontrunner’s campaign in a swing state.Free Speech For People argued that Trump’s attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss and encouragement of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol violated section three of the 14th Amendment, which holds that anyone who swore an oath to uphold the constitution and then “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” against it is barred from holding office. The case is the second the organization has filed to block the GOP presidential frontrunner’s bid, following one in Minnesota. Dozens of cases have been filed nationally but the Free Speech For People cases and one filed in Colorado by another liberal group are the first...