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Teens push Congress to make the internet safer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:33 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — Teens from across the country are on Capitol Hill urging lawmakers to make the internet safer.Many say they have fallen victim to harassment and grooming online. Now, they're pushing Congress to pass protections."It really had a negative impact on my mental health, a negative impact on my self-perception," Kayla Bethea said.Bethea says at age 14, she was bombarded with hateful messages after taking a stand in support of Black Lives Matter. She says hundreds of her peers face the same pressures."The algorithm isn't trying to keep them more engaged, it's trying to hurt children," she said.One by one, they shared their stories with senators during a roundtable Thursday morning."I would say my exploitation began when I was 13 years old," Olivia Littleton said.Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., are leading the effort to pass the Kids Online Safety Act."We just need your voices to get it across the finish line," Blumenthal said.The...

These are the scariest non-horror movies, according to Reddit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:33 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — With spooky season in full swing, millions of Americans are beginning their annual horror movie marathons leading up to Halloween. But scares aren't just reserved for movies classified as horror — something can be scary for a million different reasons to a million different people.Forget "Die Hard" is a Christmas movie — which non-horror film is a scary movie? Yes, Olive Garden sells its cheese graters — along with several other non-menu items While "scary" is subjective, here are some of the most-cited non-horror movies users of Reddit named the scariest. Wondering where to watch scary movies? Below, find the various streaming platforms you can see these movies and more."No Country for Old Men" (2007)Javier Bardem's chilling performance as merciless killer Anton Chigurh won the Spanish actor an Oscar and helped propel this Western crime-thriller into horror movie territory for many. "No Country' is borderline cosmic horror," one Redditor mused. "Anton Chigurh will nev...

Opponents leave Jordan meeting saying they won't vote for him: Live coverage

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:33 GMT

Several opponents of House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) left a meeting with him Thursday vowing to maintain their resistance.That meeting came after a push to empower Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) hit a Republican wall on Thursday while opponents predicted opposition to Jordan would only grow.The Ohio Republican failed to win the gavel on the second ballot Wednesday, losing even more Republicans than on the first ballot Tuesday. Jordan allies on Thursday said a third vote was likely but it's unclear when it will take place.Follow along with live updates below.

Record heat, then wet weather returns

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:33 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- High temperatures on Friday may surge to the upper 90s -- Austin's hottest temperatures on record this late in the year. But this weekend, clouds increase at Formula One races ahead of wetter weather coming to Texas next week. BLOG: NOAA releases winter forecast Sunshine, light winds and very dry air should warm Friday afternoon temperatures to record levels -- in the middle to upper 90s in most areas. Very dry air means we won't have a 'heat index' piling on to these hot temperatures, but this kind of heat is unheard of so late in the year.Additional record heat is possible on Saturday, though the heat dome over us will start to flatten out and ease its grip.Sunday at Formula One races at Circuit of the Americas, clouds thicken up from a Pacific hurricane sending moisture our way.Weather pattern changes next weekMoisture from Pacific hurricane Norma and a deepening storm system out west will lead to increasing rain chances Monday through Wednesday. While the remn...

Taco Ranch's last location in south Austin permanently closing on Nov. 3

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:33 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Thursday, Terry Taco Enterprises, LLC announced it is permanently closing its remaining Taco Ranch location in south Austin on Nov. 3, according to a news release from P. Terry's.The company said it wants to focus on burger stand growth as it prepares to expand to Houston. The company said it also is thankful to its dedicated employees and the people in south Austin for supporting Taco Ranch since its opening in 2018.“It’s with mixed emotions we announce the impending closure of Taco Ranch,” said Todd Coerver, P. Terry’s CEO in the release. “We sincerely appreciate the loyal following that made Taco Ranch successful. But, as P. Terry’s continues to grow and prepare for entry into the Houston market in 2024, it’s imperative we have everyone’s full attention on our P. Terry’s expansion, to ensure its success.”All Taco Ranch employees will be offered positions at a P. Terry's location, the release said. The company said it plans to sublease the building to Austin-bas...

Texans to vote on funding to increase electric grid’s ‘reliability’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:33 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Texans will soon vote on a proposition that would create funding to increase "reliability" for Texas' electric grid in the upcoming election.Texas Proposition 7, originating from S.J.R. 93, would create the Texas Energy Fund, which would support and finance the "construction, maintenance, and modernization of electric generating facilities."This proposition comes after power grid challenges experienced most notably during winter storms in the past years.Pablo Vegas, president and CEO of ERCOT, emphasized the grid has become more "volatile" given the current resources."The complexities of managing a growing demand, and a very dynamic load environment with those types of resources becomes more and more challenging," Vegas said Tuesday during a meeting of the ERCOT board of directors.Vegas said one solution to overcome the challenge is investing in power production that is available on demand, like power plants fueled by natural gas. Those plants can help during time...

Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins never lost a Michigan-Michigan State rivalry game

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:33 GMT

Kirk Cousins is singularly focused this week on finding a way to lead the Vikings to an upset win over the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football. He knows the primetime game at U.S. Bank Stadium is an opportunity to continue the turnaround as the Vikings look to get themselves back into the playoff race.That said, Cousins will likely have a close eye on the television on Saturday when his alma mater Michigan State hosts Michigan at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Mich. The winner of the rivalry matchup gets the Paul Bunyan Trophy, and more importantly, bragging rights until the next time the teams played each other.Asked for some of his memories, Cousins, without hesitation, referenced something longtime Spartans football coach Mark Dantonio always used to remind his teams before they played their biggest rivals: “When you win that game, you walk the streets. When you lose that game, you walk the alleys.”As the starting quarterback at Michigan State from 2009-11,...

Joel Griffith: Big box retailers pocketed free checking account perks — now they want your credit card rewards

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:33 GMT

Most of us don’t give much thought to the process of using a credit card. We just know it’s convenient, and we enjoy the rewards many card-issuers offer. But if Big Box retailers get their way through the Orwellian-named Credit Card Competition Act, that will change. We’ll be paying more in fees and higher interest rates while earning fewer rewards as merchants try to shift their costs onto you.To see why, consider what happens when you use a credit card.Quite a bit happens before and after a transaction that takes mere seconds. A network — called an interchange platform — quickly determines whether your credit card is valid and if you have sufficient credit available. And within hours of the purchase, credit supplied on your behalf by your card issuer flows through the interchange platform and is deposited as funds in the merchant’s checking account.Hundreds of banks worldwide issue credit cards with unique interest rates, repayment terms, and re...

Erwin Chemerinsky: A federal judge’s gag order against Trump may be satisfying. But it isn’t constitutional

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:33 GMT

Although I often wish that Donald Trump would shut up, he has a constitutional right not to. A federal judge went too far in restricting his free expression Monday when she imposed a gag order on the former president.U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is presiding over the Washington prosecution of Trump for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, ordered him to refrain from rhetoric targeting prosecutors and court personnel as well as inflammatory statements about likely witnesses.Chutkan issued the order in response to a motion from special counsel Jack Smith. Trump has said on social media that Smith is “deranged,” that the judge is “a radical Obama hack” and that the court system is “rigged.” He has also attacked potential witnesses such as former Vice President Mike Pence.“This is not about whether I like the language Mr. Trump uses,” Chutkan said in announcing her decision from the bench. “This is about language tha...

Cannabis roll out woes continue

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:33 GMT

AMSTERDAM, N.Y. (NEWS10) - As the cannabis industry continues to be plagued with a slower rollout than expected, NEWS10 visited a capital region shop still on hold to find out how the latest New York Supreme Court ruling is keeping them from opening. Former baby food plant to start growing marijuana The owners of Amsterdam Cannabis say they have met all the requirements needed by the state to open an adult use recreational marijuana dispensary in Montgomery County. “We have been ready for about three months to open,” said Chief Executive Officer Tommy Marcellino.Tony Marcellino, Chief Operating Officer, told NEWS10 about the process that has taken longer than he expected.  “We were awarded a license in April. And then started our build out and you know, everything, coordinating everything. And have been done with that since the beginning of August.”And that’s when a New York Supreme Court put a stop to the process. it was part of a lawsuit filed by a group of veterans over ho...