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How the US strikes a delicate balance in responding to attacks on its forces by Iran-backed militias

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:05 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Iranian-backed militants in Iraq and Syria have long battled with U.S. and coalition forces, launching sporadic attacks against bases in the region where troops are deployed to fight Islamic State group insurgents. But since Oct. 17, as civilian deaths in Israel’s war against Hamas began to skyrocket, there has been a dramatic spike in attacks by Iran’s proxies, operating under the umbrella name of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq. While most of the more than five dozen attacks have been largely ineffective, at least 60 U.S. personnel have reported minor injuries. Most often those have been traumatic brain injuries from the explosions, and all troops have returned to duty, according to the Pentagon.In response to the attacks, the U.S. has walked a delicate line. The U.S. military has struck back just three times as the Biden administration balances efforts to deter the militants without triggering a broader Middle East conflict. A look at the attacks and ...

Trump returns to Iowa for another rally and needles the state’s governor for endorsing DeSantis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:05 GMT

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) — Former President Donald Trump will campaign Saturday in west-central Iowa as part of his fall push to sign up supporters and volunteers ahead of the state’s leadoff caucuses, now less than two months away. Trump is expected to headline an organizing rally in Fort Dodge, a GOP-leaning hub, the latest in a series of targeted regional stops aimed at seizing on the large crowds the former president draws to press attendees to commit to voting for him on Jan. 15. The midday event set for Fort Dodge High School would be Trump’s sixth Iowa visit since late September. While Trump has led Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley comfortably in polls of likely caucus participants, Trump’s campaign has been more aggressive in Iowa than any of the other early-voting states in the Republican presidential nominating calendar. Speaking on a radio show Thursday to promote his appearance, Trump ripped DeSantis as “doing very...

El Salvador’s Miss Universe pageant drawing attention at crucial moment for president

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:05 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Video montages of sash-clad pageant contestants strolling beaches in El Salvador, snapping selfies in front of fireworks and wandering the streets of downtown San Salvador speckled social media this week as celebrations for the Miss Universe 2023 pageant kicked off in the Central American country.“As President (Nayib) Bukele said, El Salvador is changing,” R’Bonney Gabriel, Miss Universe 2022, said in a speech before this year’s contestants. “While we’re here, we hope to shine a light on this country for the rest of the world to see.”The competition on Saturday night is the latest spectacle touted by Bukele in his effort to change the reputation of his historically violence-torn nation. But opponents and analysts say such displays are also being used by the populist leader to distract from human rights abuses in his crackdown on gangs and steps he has taken to curb criticism. Constitutional scholars and critics warn that he is slowly withering the coun...

Milei echoes Trump with fraud claims that inject uncertainty into Argentina’s presidential runoff

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:05 GMT

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — This may sound familiar: A self-styled outsider aims to win the presidency and purge the political establishment so he can restore order to a broken nation — if only he can overcome a system rigged against him. But this isn’t former President Donald Trump, or even happening in the U.S. It’s Argentine presidential candidate Javier Milei, the latest politician to follow Trump’s playbook and claim that election results are dubious and that gatekeepers may deprive him of the nation’s top job. Analysts say it is a tactic to fire up Milei’s base and promote vigilance at polling stations, or set the stage for refusing to concede a loss.The right-wing economist rose to fame blasting the political class on television and has welcomed comparisons to Trump. His message that a corrupt elite has left the country behind resonates with Argentines coping with rising poverty and 142% annual inflation. Milei represents upheaval, and casting doubt on the electoral ...

South Dakota tribe to declare state of emergency due to rampant crime on reservation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:05 GMT

The leader of a South Dakota tribe is expected to declare an emergency on the state’s largest Native American reservation because of rampant crime that he said hasn’t been curbed due to the U.S. government’s inadequate funding for law enforcement.The state of emergency declaration planned for Saturday on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation comes nearly six months after a federal judge ruled the U.S. government has a treaty obligation to support law enforcement on the reservation, but declined to determine whether the Oglala Sioux Tribe is entitled to the full funding amount requested.Oglala Sioux President Frank Star Comes Out said in an interview Friday that conditions on the reservation have worsened since the ruling, prompting him to sign the emergency proclamation. The U.S. government and its agencies — namely the Interior Department and the Bureau of Indian Affairs — are primarily responsible for the breakdown of law and order on the reservation and negotiations between the gover...

Texas high school football playoff scores for Friday, Nov. 17

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:05 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Lake Travis throttled San Antonio Johnson 48-21 to advance to the third round of the Texas high school football playoffs Friday at Bobcat Stadium in San Marcos. The Cavaliers led 41-7 at halftime and returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown. Cavs running back Nico Hamilton scored three rushing touchdowns in the first half.REPORT YOUR SCORE: We'd love to post your team's score on our website, but we need your help to do it. Email the score of your game to [email protected] and we'll get it on our websiteCedar Park picked up a 21-3 win over Angleton and Wimberley blasted Orange Grove 49-7. Westlake rolled to a 45-28 win over San Antonio Reagan.Dripping Springs takes on Converse Judson at 2 p.m., Saturday at Rutledge Stadium in Converse.Check out the rest of the scores from the area playoff round below.Scores from around the KXAN viewing areaAlice 49, Lampasas 35 Blanco 55, London 24Cedar Park 21, Angleton 3Cibolo Steele 42, McNeil 21Huntsville 54, LBJ 28Lake Travis 4...

Concert review: The Eagles waved goodbye with a solid night of hits at the X

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:05 GMT

The perils of touring in your mid-70s were on full display Friday night at Xcel Energy Center, where Steely Dan and the Eagles were scheduled to perform the first of two nights at the downtown St. Paul hockey arena.The problem, though, was the absence of Donald Fagen, the sole original member of Steely Dan. The 75-year-old was hospitalized in September with an undisclosed ailment. While he’s since returned home, his recovery is taking longer than anticipated. (Don Henley, 76 and the sole original member of the Eagles, told the crowd Steely Dan would be back on the tour in January.)The Eagles have drafted a number of acts — including a solo Vince Gill, who joined the band after the 2016 death of Glenn Frey — to fill in as the opener. Here in St. Paul, we got the Doobie Brothers, with 71-year-old Michael McDonald in the lineup, but not 75-year-old Tom Johnston, who is sitting out of the current tour due to his back surgery. (Sense a trend here?)Anyway, the Doobies pr...

Salmonella-laced cantaloupes sicken 5 in Twin Cities

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:05 GMT

Minnesota health officials are warning people not to purchase or consume certain whole cantaloupes after five people became ill with salmonella the past few weeks.The state Department of Health and Department of Agriculture said Friday that cantaloupes with “Malichita” brand labels are being recalled after an outbreak of salmonella infections in Canada and 15 states that have sickened at least 43 people.Between Oct. 25 and Nov. 4, five people in the Twin Cities area became ill. One was hospitalized.Health officials ask anyone who has recently eaten cantaloupe and has symptoms such as diarrhea with fever to see a doctor.The investigation is ongoing. Additional products, such as cut fruit sold under a different label, might be added to the recall as more information becomes available. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will provide updated information on its website.Most people infected with salmonella develop diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps within six ...

Man killed in San Bernardino County pursuit 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:05 GMT

A suspect was killed during a destructive pursuit in San Bernardino County on Thursday. Officers responded to reports of a stolen vehicle near Mt. Vernon and Johnston Avenue in Colton around 10:39 a.m.Colton police spotted the vehicle, a 1999 red Ford Expedition SUV, and attempted to pull the suspect over. The driver, identified only as an adult male, refused to yield, leading officers on a chase.The suspect drove northbound on Mount Vernon and eventually turned east onto 2nd Street in San Bernardino. As the suspect continued speeding away, he crashed into another vehicle that was exiting the 215 Freeway onto 2nd Street, police said.After colliding with the victim, the suspect crashed into a nearby traffic signal pole.  Residents targeted in ‘dinnertime burglaries’ across Southern California As officers approached the destroyed SUV, they discovered the suspect had been killed on impact, authorities said. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The victim who was s...

CCHA Glance

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:05 GMT

All Times ESTOVERALLWLTSWPtsGFGAWLTSt. Thomas (Minn.)4200122012651Bemidji St.3400101824470Michigan Tech320092018363N. Michigan330091820461Minnesota St. (Mankato)30008145531Augustana220071413451Lake Superior St.230061919560Ferris St.230051016461Bowling Green140031218380___Friday’s GamesFerris St. 3, Michigan Tech 2, OTBowling Green 5, Lake Superior St. 3N. Michigan 3, Alaska-Fairbanks 1Minnesota St. (Mankato) 5, Bemidji St. 1Saturday’s GamesAlaska-Fairbanks at N. Michigan, 6:07 p.m.Bowling Green at Lake Superior St., 6:07 p.m.Ferris St. at Michigan Tech, 6:07 p.m.Bemidji St. at Minnesota St. (Mankato), 7:07 p.m.Friday, Nov. 24N. Michigan at Bowling Green, 7:07 p.m.Lake Superior St. at St. Thomas (Minn.), 8:07 p.m.Augustana Vikings vs. Omaha at Baxter Arena, 8:07 p.m.Bemidji St. vs. North Dakota at Ralph Engelstad Arena, 8:07 p.m.Michigan Tech at Minnesota St. (Mankato), 8:07 p.m.Saturday, Nov. 25N. Michigan at Bowling Green, 7:07 p.m.Omaha at Augustana Vikings, 7:07 p.m.B...