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Biden leaning into global diplomacy to manage migration at US-Mexico border

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:57 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — On President Joe Biden ‘s first day in office, he handed Congress a legislative plan to modernize the nation’s immigration system.It went nowhere, just like so many past overhaul attempts. Meanwhile, the number of migrants illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border climbed to record highs and so did the backlog of cases in the nation’s immigration court system. Title 42 emergency health powers that allowed border officials to turn away many migrants were sure to end as the coronavirus pandemic eased. And Congress couldn’t agree on even simple questions like whether the U.S. should let in more people, or fewer.So administration officials went looking outside the U.S. for solutions, seeking to portray immigration not as one of America’s most intractable problems, but as an issue for the entire Western hemisphere to address. It was a shift in focus that plays to Biden’s faith in the power of global diplomacy, and one that also may hold mor...

Watchdog to probe how military police handled case against Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:57 GMT

OTTAWA — The military police watchdog is launching a probe into how investigators handled a historical sexual-assault allegation against a senior officer who was a central figure in Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout.A Quebec court acquitted Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin last December of one count of sexual assault, after the military police investigated the allegation from 1988 and then passed the case along to provincial prosecutors.Fortin claims he has been the victim of a biased investigation and that he was charged on the basis of insufficient evidence.The Military Police Complaints Commission is now looking into how the military police handled the case, saying Fortin’s claims about senior military officials being involved make it a matter of public interest.Fortin had been leading the federal government’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout in May 2021 when he was removed from the role pending an investigation.A Quebec civilian judge acquitted him, saying the complainant was lik...

Toddler playing outside struck by stray bullet at Utah day care

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:57 GMT

SPANISH FORK, Utah (AP) — A 2-year-old was shot in the head by a stray bullet while playing outside at day care in Utah, authorities said Tuesday.The Spanish Fork Police Department said day care workers brought a toddler to a nearby hospital on Monday after they noticed the child stumbling and bleeding from the face. Following scans, doctors found a small caliber bullet lodged in the toddler’s head and transported the child to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, 52 miles (84 kilometers) north of Spanish Fork.Authorities said the child was in stable condition.“Detectives are continuing to investigate where the bullet may have been shot from and why. It appears this was a tragic accident. Open fields are directly west of the day care and it is believed the round may have come from that area,” police said in a statement.Associated Press, The Associated Press

Jodie Comer scales heights on Broadway in ‘Prima Facie,’ a play that challenges the legal system

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:57 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The script for the play “Prima Facie” didn’t languish after landing in Jodie Comer’s inbox. Fitting for an urgent call for change, the script demanded action. It would not be denied.“Sometimes when things present themselves, it’s impossible to say no,” says the “Killing Eve” actor. “This piece felt very, very clear to me. There was no hesitation that I felt. Sometimes that kind of guttural instinct really doesn’t lie.”It didn’t matter that the script represented Comer’s first stage role. No matter that she’d be alone for some 90 minutes, even asked to move her own props. “I read it within the hour and I was like, ‘What have I got to do?’”Comer leapt in and has found herself winning an Olivier Award in London for her performance and now a Tony nomination for best actress in a play. She’s also raising her fist for women in a work that challenges the status quo.The script was from Suzie Miller, a former criminal defense and human righ...

Bills safety Damar Hamlin is present but not participating in 1st days of voluntary practices

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:57 GMT

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Bills are taking it slowly with safety Damar Hamlin, who is being held back from participating in the team’s first few days of voluntary practices some five months after having a near-death experience on the field, coach Sean McDermott said Tuesday.“We’re taking it one day at a time and just support Damar in every way possible,” McDermott said when asked of Hamlin’s status, while noting the player is present at the facility. The coach otherwise did not provide any timetable as to when Hamlin can begin on-field sessions a month after being cleared to resume his NFL career.The 25-year-old Hamlin went into cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated on the field after making what appeared to be a routine tackle during the first quarter of a game at Cincinnati, and being broadcast to a national prime-time audience on Jan. 2.The Bills slow approach to Hamlin’s practice participation appears in line with how they’ve eased back other players ...

South Carolina’s only women senators to resist new abortion restrictions up for debate

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:57 GMT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The only five women in South Carolina’s 46-member Senate have vowed to resist new abortion restrictions up for debate after the group filibustered a near-total ban last month.But it remains to be seen whether the coalition known as the “sister senators” — three Republicans, one Democrat and one independent — will be able to block a new version of a bill that cleared the state Senate earlier this year with some of the bloc’s backing.The Republican-led state Senate on Tuesday is expected to debate a bill banning most abortions after an ultrasound detects cardiac activity, generally around six weeks and before most people know they are pregnant. But the proposal includes new regulations inserted by the Republican-dominated South Carolina House last week during proceedings slowed by hundreds of Democrats’ amendments across two days.House Republicans axed a section allowing minors to petition the court for an abortion up to 12 weeks of pregnancy. T...

AG report finds nearly 350 Catholic clergy accused of sex abuse not publicly listed by Illinois dioceses

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:57 GMT

CHICAGO — Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul released a report four years in the making outlining nearly 350 Catholic clergy, accused of child sex abuse, who were not publicly-listed by Illinois dioceses.The report, which spans nearly 700 pages, names 451 Catholic clergy members who allegedly abused 1,997 children across all six dioceses in Illinois. The abuse spans seven decades, according to Raoul.Of the 451 names, 330 members are dead. Prior to the investigation, 103 names were publicly listed by all six Illinois dioceses.Of the 348 new names listed in the report, Raoul’s office said Illinois dioceses had found 149 clerics that the church allegedly determined to not fall under their guidelines.“To the extent that (clergy) were ministering under the archdiocese and had significant contact either in schools or otherwise — we considered it part of our investigation important to disclose each and every cleric that abused children,” Raoul said.Raoul stated that while the statue of ...

Bird hit by a line drive at the White Sox-Guardians game

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:57 GMT

CLEVELAND — For the second time in the 2023 Major League Baseball season, a bird has been accidentally killed on the field, this time during a White Sox game.In the second inning of their game against the Guardians at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Will Brennan's hit accidentally struck a bird that was in the infield grass before going into left field.It came off White Sox pitcher Jesse Scholtens and the game had to be stopped for a brief moment for crews to remove the bird from the field. According to MLB, the ball was traveling over 100 miles per hour off the bat of Brennan. Cleveland would go on to win the game 3-0 in the first of three contests between the American League Central Division rivals. After the game, Brennan tweeted about the incident saying "I truly am sorry @peta and bird enthusiasts. An unfortunate sacrifice."This marks the second time that a bird has been hit and killed by a ball in the MLB this month. On May 17, Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen hit one while wa...

'Food was amazing': Bride feeds 99 wedding guests for $1,950 by ordering from fast-casual chain

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:57 GMT

(WJW) — With the average cost of weddings continuing to break bank accounts across the country, it makes sense people would take note of a bride who found a sneaky way to cut costs on catered food.Vlogger and TikTok creator Madison Mulkey recently revealed she spent just $1,950 on food for her 99 wedding guests — and she did it by getting Chili's to cater the dinner."We loved the price point, I mean you really can't beat that price point — you just can't," she told her TikTok followers in a viral video posted earlier this month. "It's insane that we only spent that much money for our wedding food."The menu, Mulkey said, included chips, salsa, salads, egg rolls, chicken tenders, sliders, Cajun chicken pasta, and even five specialty meals for guests with dietary restrictions. How much does the average wedding cost in your state? Mulkey and her family also offset the cost by picking up the food themselves instead of paying for delivery. And since her nuptials took place over a busy S...

Top 5 invasive plants in Illinois which could ruin your yard

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:57 GMT

ILLINOIS — Yardwork season is well underway across Illinois and the experts at the Chicago Botanic Garden have a list of unwanted plants for you to exterminate with extreme prejudice.The expertWhen WGN reached out to the Botanic Gardens to ask about the worst invasive plant offenders, they had just the person.Andrea Kramer is the Director of Restoration Ecology, an Associate Conservation Scientist, and the David Byron Smith Family Curator of Natural Areas at the Chicago Botanic Garden. She holds a Ph. D. in Ecology and Evolution from the University of Illinois Chicago and has been involved with the Chicago Botanic Garden for more than 20 years. Is it legal to collect rainwater in Illinois? Continue reading to see her answers to our questions.List of plants with photosBuckthorn, both common and glossy (Rhamnus cathartica and Frangula alnus)Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata)Callery or Bradford pear (Pyrus calleryana) - not picturedLesser celandine (Ranunculus ficaria)Lonicera spp....