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Plenty of attacks on the debt cap, but no signs of settling

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:59 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy are finding it’s easy to publicly shame each other over the debt limit.Getting along well enough to resolve a paralyzing threat to the U.S. economy? That’s not happening yet.McCarthy, R-Calif., shepherded a proposal for $4.8 trillion worth of deficit reduction over a decade through the House last week — figuring it could pressure Biden into an Oval Office sit-down to work toward a deal. Even some Democratic lawmakers say negotiations should start.The president, for his part, is refusing to meet with McCarthy unless he also takes the risk of default off the table. Instead, Biden and his fellow Democrats are blasting Republicans over what could be deep cuts in aid for the middle class, vulnerable children, veterans and efforts to address climate change.On Monday, Biden and McCarthy each made a case to voters that is likely to reflect their talking points for the coming weeks as they try to leverage publ...

US says 20,000 Russians killed in Ukraine war since December

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:59 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House said Monday it now estimates that just since December Russia has suffered 100,000 casualties, including 20,000 killed, as Ukraine has rebuffed a heavy-assault by Russian forces in eastern Ukraine.In what has become a grinding war of attrition, the fiercest battles have been in the eastern Donetsk region, where Russia is struggling to encircle the city of Bakhmut in the face of dogged Ukrainian defense.White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. estimate is based on newly declassified American intelligence. He did not detail how the intelligence community derived the number.Troops from Russia’s Wagner mercenary group and other forces are fighting Ukrainian troops house-to-house to try to gain control of what has become known as the “road of life” — the last remaining road west still in Ukrainian hands, which makes it critical for supplies and fresh troops. Both sides have cited gains in recent days.Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syr...

Michigan clerk who doubts election results faces recall

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:59 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — A small-town clerk accused of improperly handling voting equipment after casting doubt on President Joe Biden’s election victory faces a recall election Tuesday in one of Michigan’s most conservative counties. Stephanie Scott ran unopposed as a Republican first-time candidate when she was chosen in the same November 2020 election to handle the voting in Hillsdale County’s Adams Township, where about 2,200 people live along rural roads dotted with signs supporting Donald Trump. The ticket of Trump and Vice President Mike Pence received nearly 76% of the vote in the reliably Republican community, but Scott joined a crew of GOP elections officials around the nation who have questioned the accuracy of U.S. voting systems. Some of those now running afoul of state election laws and rules continue to make unsupported claims of voting machine tampering and voter fraud as the reason for Trump’s defeat.When it came time to prepare for her township’s Nove...

Lo que sabemos del sospechoso de tiroteo en Cleveland, Texas, en el que murieron cinco personas

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:59 GMT

(CNN) — El hombre sospechoso de asesinar a cinco personas el viernes por la noche en Cleveland, Texas, tiene un historial de comportamiento errático con armas de fuego, según una vecina.El 20 de noviembre de 2021, Daniela Medina organizó una celebración de bautizo en su casa en el mismo barrio donde Francisco Oropesa mató a tiros a sus propios vecinos después de que le habían pedido que dejara de disparar armas porque su bebé recién nacido estaba tratando de dormir.Continúa la búsqueda del culpable de tiroteo masivo en TexasMedina, de 33 años, dijo a CNN que la noche de la fiesta un DJ estaba poniendo música en su patio delantero. Justo después de medianoche, un vecino le pidió que bajara el volumen de la música. Medina dijo que obedeció pidiéndole al DJ que apagara la música.Francisco Oropesa estaba en la fiesta con su mujer y su hijo. Medina dijo que su hijo mayor era amigo del hijo del presunto atacante.La petición del vecino de apagar la música enfadó a Oropesa, dijo Medin...

Will lunch out become more expensive? Tipped minimum wage increases in DC

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:59 GMT

You may be paying a little more for that pasta primavera or bacon cheeseburger at your favorite lunch spot in D.C.The first step of Initiative 82, which raises the tipped minimum wage for servers and bartenders, went into effect Monday, and many city restaurants say your bill will be a little heftier.The Employment Policies Institute surveyed 105 restaurant owners in April. About 86% responded that the raised wages in 2023 will negatively impact their businesses.EPI is a nonprofit research center that has published reports that warn against increasing the minimum wage and have clients that represent the restaurant industry.Eight in 10 restaurants will likely raise menu prices, according to the data. In addition, around 70% answered that they would include a service charge on bills.Data from the Employment Policies Institute shows around half will introduce a service or fair wage fee as well.The tipped minimum wage will not only affect customers — employees will likely lose out on ho...

Descubren un tesoro de casi 200 monedas romanas en perfectas condiciones enterrado en Italia

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:59 GMT

(CNN) –Un grupo de arqueólogos de Livorno, Italia, está reconstruyendo un misterio que comenzó con un asombroso hallazgo.En noviembre de 2021, mientras practicaba senderismo en una zona despejada de un bosque toscano al noreste de Livorno, un miembro del Grupo Arqueológico Paleontológico de Livorno descubrió unas monedas brillantes en la tierra. Tras una inspección y excavación más minuciosas, los investigadores determinaron que el hallazgo incluía 175 denarios de plata romanos. Según el grupo, casi todas las monedas estaban en buen estado, por lo que se trataba de uno de los pocos tesoros de monedas antiguas encontrados intactos.Italia aclama el “excepcional” descubrimiento de unas antiguas estatuas de bronce en la ToscanaPero el descubrimiento suscitó una serie de preguntas: ¿de quién era el tesoro? ¿De quién lo escondían? ¿Y por qué no volvieron a por él?Las monedas datan de 157 o 156 a.C., y las más recientes en 83 o 82 a.C. Crédito: Alberto Cecio/Soprintendenz...

American Airlines, seeking new contract, vote to OK strike

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:59 GMT

DALLAS (AP) — Pilots at American Airlines voted to authorize a strike, a move that is highly unlikely to lead to an immediate walkout but puts more pressure on the airline to reach a new contract with the pilots’ union. The Allied Pilots Association said Monday that more than 96% of its 15,000 members voted, and among those who did, 99% favored authorizing the union to call for a strike. Federal law prohibits airline unions from striking without the tacit approval of a U.S. mediation board – a rare step that has not occurred in this case. Congress and the president can also act to prevent a strike if one appears imminent.Airline unions like to take strike votes, however, which they believe increase their leverage at the bargaining table. A spokeswoman for the airline said American is confident that it can reach an agreement with the union quickly.“We understand that a strike-authorization vote is one of the important ways pilots express their desire to get a deal done, and we respec...

White House: US estimates Russia suffered 100,000 casualties, 20,000 killed since December as Ukraine rebuffs assaults

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:59 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House: US estimates Russia suffered 100,000 casualties, 20,000 killed since December as Ukraine rebuffs assaults.Source

New Michael Cunningham novel ‘Day’ scheduled for January

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:59 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The next novel from Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Cunningham, his first in a decade, is a family saga set in New York City before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Random House announced Monday that “Day” will be published in January. The novel takes place on three separate days in April, one each in the years 2019-2021.“I’ve definitely had moments over the last 10 years when I thought, well, if the world is in this kind of shape, who needs a novel?” Cunningham said in a statement. “But maybe it’s during hard times that the world needs novels more than ever.” The author calls the new book “a story about people dealing with something terrible, and it’s about survival, but more centrally it’s a story about love. I’m deeply interested in love — a sense of happiness, of living the life that one has hoped to live. And love is most interesting when it has survived terrible tests.”Cunningham’s previous novels, published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux, include “S...

4 arrested after shooting outside Southlands Mall in Aurora

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:59 GMT

AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — Four people, including a minor, were arrested Sunday night following a shooting at the Southlands shopping mall and a police chase.Just before 10 p.m. Sunday, Aurora Police were called to the 6100 block of South Aurora Parkway at the Southlands Mall about a shooting.When officers arrived, they located several shell casings of different calibers in the parking lot. APD said at least one store was placed on lockdown. Officers confirmed no one was injured in the shooting. Is it legal to have a tinted license plate cover in Colorado? According to APD, a few minutes later at 10:04 p.m., officers located the suspected vehicle, a black sedan. APD said they then attempted a traffic stop, but the vehicle sped away and officers initiated a pursuit.The pursuit ended when officers lost sight of the car near South Picadilly Road and South Riviera Way.According to APD, moments after officers lost sight of the car, the vehicle allegedly crashed into another car causing the...