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Hunter Biden’s lawyer: Expanded charges not warranted

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:14 GMT

A lawyer for Hunter Biden said he’s committed to avoiding a trial for the U.S. president’s son, whose legal entanglements are set to remain in focus during the 2024 election campaign after his plea deal collapsed.Going to trial is “not inevitable,” attorney Abbe Lowell said on CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday. “We were trying to avoid one all along.”President Joe Biden’s son faces a potentially extended probe after Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday elevated the prosecutor investigating Hunter Biden, Delaware-based U.S. Attorney David Weiss, to a special counsel. While that widens Weiss’s powers, Lowell said he sees no reason for further charges after a “painstaking” five-year probe.“If anything changes from his conclusion, which was two tax misdemeanors and a diverted gun charge, the question should be asked what infected the process that was not the facts of the law,” Lowell said.Hunter Biden had been expected to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax crimes and enter an agree...

Pence confirms indictment details, says Trump asked him to defy Constitution

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:14 GMT

Former Vice President Mike Pence continued his heel turn on his ex-boss over the weekend, taking to the Sunday shows to confirm some allegations included in a felony indictment against the former president which Trump recently denied.Trump called his one-time number-two “too honest” and asked him to ignore the U.S. Constitution, Pence said Sunday of conversations the pair had privately and which are included in a federal indictment charging Trump with three counts of conspiracy that Trump says never occurred.“It’s part of a dialogue that happened between the president and me. And that was related, I think, to a bogus lawsuit that was brought to try and force my hand, to have a federal judge say that I had the right to throw out votes,” Pence said in an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press.Trump has been charged for allegedly entering into a conspiracy with six unindicted co-conspirators to overturn the 2020 election and obstruct the counting of electoral college vote...

Ticker: ‘Barbie’ continues run atop box office; Wholesale inflation edges up  

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:14 GMT

“Barbie” has legs. Director Greta Gerwig ‘s film phenomenon remained a runaway No. 1 at the box office in its fourth week, bringing in $33.7 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.The Margot Robbie-led and produced film from Warner Bros., still in 4,137 theaters, refused to drop off as most box-office toppers have this year, surpassing $500 million in North America overall a week after it crossed the $1 billion mark globally — a record for a female director.The second half of the “Barbenheimer” duo, “Oppenheimer,” returned to the No. 2 spot in its own fourth week after a week at No. 3 overall. The Christopher Nolan-directed film from Universal Pictures brought in $18.8 million from 3,761 locations for an overall domestic total of $264.3 million.Wholesale inflation edges upWholesale prices in the United States picked up in July yet still suggested that inflationary pressures have eased this year since reaching alarming heights in 2022.The producer price index — which mea...

How chill is San Diego?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:14 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Sometimes San Diegans are faced with morning traffic and busy schedules, but there's also the calming sounds of the sea and other relaxing qualities to be enjoyed. Every bustling city, including America's Finest, has stress factors and stress relievers. So just how chill or tense are San Diegans? With National Relaxation Day set for Aug. 15, LawnStarter compared the 200 biggest U.S. cities to determine which offer the most peace of mind. Urban heat islands: Map shows the hottest neighborhoods in San Diego This study is based on 42 stress factors and stress relievers, including in metrics like depression rates, the average length of a workday, and access to spas and massage therapists. A weight was then assigned to each factor based on its importance and those factors were grouped into the following eight categories: mental well-being, mental health boosters, physical well-being, financial well-being, work stressors, environmental stressors, social stressors and recrea...

Montreal Pride Parade draws record crowd after abrupt cancellation of 2022 event

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:14 GMT

MONTREAL — There was a festive mood across downtown Montreal on Sunday as the city’s Pride parade drew a record number of participants one year after the 2022 event was abruptly cancelled. Simon Gamache, head of parade organizer Pride Montréal, said around 15,500 people participated in the parade, a record for the event.“Why are we here today? First of all, it’s because we’re proud of who we are and we want to show that we’re proud of who we are,” Gamache said in a speech ahead of the parade. “As well, it’s because we want to commemorate the struggles and the victories of the past, but above all, it’s because there are still too many injustices towards the 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, here and elsewhere.” Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante participated in the parade, riding on a float with popular drag queen Barbada. Also in attendance were several provincial cabinet ministers, including Deputy Premier Geneviève Guilbault, as well as...

Greek authorities order 105 soccer fans to be detained pending trial after fatal clash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:14 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — All 105 soccer fans suspected of being involved in extensive clashes in the Greek capital that ended in the death of a 29-year-old AEK Athens supporter have been ordered to be detained pending their trial, authorities said Sunday.Three examining magistrates and two prosecutors questioned the detained fans in batches — 30 on Friday, 40 on Saturday and 35 on Sunday — and decided each day whether to detain them pending trial. One suspect, who is hospitalized under guard, gave a deposition to a visiting magistrate.The 102 Croat citizens and 3 Greeks have all denied any culpability in the fatal stabbing of Michalis Katsouris. He died from a stab wound and 10 others were injured when scores of Croatian supporters wielding wooden clubs and metal bats attacked bystanders outside AEK’s Opap Arena last Monday, police said.A Champions League qualifier between AEK and Dinamo Zagreb that was due to be held last week was called off by UEFA, soccer’s governing body in Europe,...

Chicago mayor names the police department’s counterterrorism head as new police superintendent

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:14 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on Sunday stayed within the ranks and named Larry Snelling, the police department’s counterterrorism head, as his choice for police superintendent of the nation’s third-largest city.The announcement comes after a monthslong search led by the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability. The selection of Snelling, 54, to head the department, is subject to City Council approval.Snelling will succeed David Brown, who in March announced that he would step down the day after Chicago’s mayoral primary election in which crime was a central issue. Then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot lost that primary and Johnson went on to win the mayoral race in April.“Today, a new chapter begins in our journey to create a better, stronger and safer Chicago,” Johnson said in a news release. “Chief Snelling is a proven leader who has the experience and the respect of his peers to help ensure the safety and well-being of city residents, and address ...

Police face criticism over central Kansas newspaper raid in which computers, phones seized

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:14 GMT

MARION, Kan. (AP) — A small central Kansas police department is facing a firestorm of criticism after it raided the offices of a local newspaper and the home of its publisher and owner — a move deemed by several press freedom watchdogs as a blatant violation of the U.S. Constitution’s protection of a free press. The Marion County Record said in its own published reports that police raided the newspaper’s office on Friday, seizing the newspaper’s computers, phones and file server and the personal cellphones of staff, based on a search warrant. One Record reporter suffered an injury to a finger when Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody wrested her cellphone out of her hand, according to the report.Police simultaneously raided the home of Eric Meyer, the newspaper’s publisher and co-owner, seizing computers, his cellphone and the home’s internet router, Meyer said. Meyer’s 98-year-old mother — Record co-owner Joan Meyer, who lived in the home with her son — collapsed and died Sa...

Tourists are urged to avoid Maui as hotels prepare to take in evacuees and first responders

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:14 GMT

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — Hawaii officials urged tourists to avoid traveling to Maui as many hotels prepared to house evacuees and first responders on the island that faces a long recovery from the wildfire that demolished a historic town and killed more than 90 people.About 46,000 residents and visitors have flown out of Kahului Airport in West Maui since the devastation in Lahaina became clear Wednesday, according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority.“In the weeks ahead, the collective resources and attention of the federal, state and county government, the West Maui community, and the travel industry must be focused on the recovery of residents who were forced to evacuate their homes and businesses,” the agency said in a statement late Saturday. Tourists are encouraged to visit Hawaii’s other islands.Gov. Josh Green said 500 hotels rooms will be made available for locals who have been displaced. An additional 500 hotel rooms will be set aside for workers from the Federa...

One person minorly injured from two-alarm house fire near Downsview Park

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:14 GMT

One person has been minorly injured due to a house fire in the Downsview Park Boulevard and William Duncan Road area on Sunday afternoon.At approximately 2:41 p.m. emergency services arrived at a home in the area where the roof of a townhouse was on fire.One patient was assessed at the scene with very minor injuries. Two dogs were also removed from the house and both are okay.Toronto Fire says it was up to a three-alarm at the height, but there is no major damage to the house other than the roof.Firefighters remain on scene checking for hotspots and advise anyone in the area to use caution.