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Starbucks denies claims that it’s banning Pride displays but union organizers are skeptical

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:50 GMT

Starbucks is denying union organizers’ claims that it is banning Pride displays in its U.S. stores in the wake of Target and other brands experiencing a backlash.But Starbucks Workers United, the union organizing U.S. Starbucks stores, says store managers around the country have been curtailing or removing displays during a monthlong celebration of LGBTQ+ people. In some cases, the union said, managers told workers that Pride displays were a safety concern, citing recent incidents at Target where some angry customers tipped over merchandise and confronted workers.“There has been no change to any policy on this matter and we continue to encourage our store leaders to celebrate with their communities, including for U.S. Pride month in June,” the Seattle coffee giant said Tuesday in a statement.Starbucks has been outspoken in its support for LGBTQ+ employees for decades and said Tuesday that support is “unwavering.” It extended full health benefits to same-sex partners in 1...

North Carolina Republicans send green investment ban to governor

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:50 GMT

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A ban on green investing has cleared North Carolina’s GOP-controlled legislature as part of a broader Republican crusade against big businesses that champion sustainability and workplace diversity.The measure, which won final legislative approval Tuesday, bans state agencies from using “environmental, social and governance” standards to screen potential investments, award contracts or hire and fire employees. It also says the state cannot weigh how a company promotes sustainability, engages with its community or structures its leadership to support those goals. At least two other states — North Dakota and Idaho — have already enacted laws banning such criteria. And elected officials in several other red states have derided them as “woke” or proposed similar policies to stop investors who contract with states from adopting them.The Senate voted 29-18 along party lines on Tuesday after the House passed the bill with veto-proof margins in May. It now heads to the d...

Los Angeles city councilman charged with embezzlement and perjury

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:50 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Prosecutors charged a Los Angeles city councilman with embezzlement and perjury Tuesday in the latest criminal case to upend the scandal-plagued governing board of the nation’s second-largest city.Curren Price, Jr. faces five counts of grand theft by embezzlement, three counts of perjury and two counts of conflict of interest, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. The office did not release the criminal complaint or any details about what the charges stem from.The council has been rocked by a series of scandals. In March, a longtime councilman was convicted on federal corruption charges. Last year, a racism scandal that shook public trust in Los Angeles government triggered the resignation in October of then-City Council President Nury Martinez and a powerful labor leader, Ron Herrera.Price was first elected to the council in 2013 and currently serves as its president pro tempore. His district includes South Los Angeles and parts of...

Bill to help finance a Las Vegas ballpark for Oakland A’s passes Nevada Senate, heads to Assembly

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:50 GMT

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — A stadium financing bill aimed at drawing the Oakland Athletics to Las Vegas cleared a major hurdle Tuesday after being approved by the Nevada Senate, but not before lawmakers amended the measure to strengthen its benefits for the community.The 13-8 Senate vote marks another step as the bill moves through the Democratic-controlled Legislature while reviving the national debate over public funding for private sports clubs. The bill, which has the support of Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, must now be considered by the state Assembly.A’s representatives and some Nevada tourism officials have said the measure could add to Las Vegas’ growing sports scene and act as an economic engine. But a growing chorus of economists and some lawmakers have warned that such a project would bring minimal benefits when compared to the hefty public price tag.Senate approval came after days of closed-door negotiations and a contentious hearing about the bill, which calls for contrib...

Trump’s historic federal arraignment was virtually invisible to the public

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:50 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump’s federal arraignment in Miami on Tuesday was historic — yet virtually invisible to the public.In an era when people are accustomed to instantly available images and sounds of important events, Trump’s not-guilty plea to charges of hoarding classified documents was a step back in time. Hundreds of photographers and television crews were at the courthouse — many broadcasting live from outside — but they couldn’t show the key moments inside the courtroom.Efforts by news organizations to loosen restrictions that generally prohibit cameras in federal courtrooms failed, despite the event’s unprecedented nature. It was a stark contrast from Trump’s arraignment in New York earlier this year.Trump eventually found a way on Tuesday to fill the void after leaving the courthouse — with a stop at a Cuban restaurant, where he could bathe in the cheers of supporters.“This is the visual he wants — I just left the court. I’m good,” sai...

Biden to extend legal status for 4 nationalities, reversing Trump but irking some

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:50 GMT

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Biden administration said Tuesday that it will extend legal status by 18 months for more than 300,000 people from El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Nepal, disappointing some advocates and members of Congress who sought a more generous offer.The extensions provide “continued safety and protection” for those already legally in the U.S. on Temporary Protected Status, which is due to end soon under Trump-era decisions, said U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. While the decision benefits an estimated 334,000 people from the four countries, including 239,000 from El Salvador, some had hoped for a far more sweeping gesture including expanded eligibility for more recent arrivals from El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Venezuela.U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat who strongly pressed the White House for extensions, applauded the step but added it “simply does not go far enough” and suggested it “may have been driven in part by polit...

Young athlete in Montana climate change trial testifies he uses inhaler due to forest fire smoke

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:50 GMT

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A high school athlete who along with 15 other young people took Montana to court over climate change testified Tuesday that increased smoke from forest fires makes it difficult for him to compete and that a doctor prescribed an inhaler to help his breathing problems.Mica Kantor, now 15, said he has been worried about climate change since as a 4-year-old he dictated a letter to Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., because he was too young to write it himself. He said it’s increasingly difficult to run or go on hikes with his family, and that the warmer conditions have shortened snowboarding seasons.Mica testified on day two of a first-of-its-kind trial in which the 16 young Montana residents are arguing the state is violating their constitutional rights by failing to keep the environment clean. They’re asking a judge to declare unconstitutional a state law that prevents agencies from considering the effect of greenhouse gasses when they issue permits for fossil ...

Tory Lanez sentencing on Megan Thee Stallion shooting delayed to August

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:50 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tory Lanez’s sentencing for shooting and wounding hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion was delayed on Tuesday.Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Herriford accepted the defense’s request to delay Lanez’s sentencing, which is now scheduled for Aug. 7. Prosecutors are seeking a 13 year prison sentence and Lanez faces deportation to his native Canada.Herriford decided to give Lanez’s lawyers more time to prepare their sentencing recommendation, which is due Aug. 1. The judge, who will sentence Lanez, denied a motion from Lanez’ defense attorneys for a new trial on May 9.During the brief court hearing, Lanez mostly kept his head down and barely made eye contact with anyone. He wore an orange jail outfit and black cap.Lanez was convicted in December of three felonies: assault with a semiautomatic firearm; having a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle and discharging a firearm with gross negligence.Attorneys for Lanez, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, arg...

Ontario politician pitches a ‘pick-your-own’ stat holiday plan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:50 GMT

A potential leadership candidate for the Ontario Liberal Party wants to see Ontarians take a little extra time off.Unlike a standard statutory holiday that sees the entire province take the same day off, this proposal would allow you to pick your own holiday.“In Ontario, more than a third of our population represents a visible minority,” said Dr. Adil Shamji, Liberal MPP for Don Valley East. “There are nine statutory holidays that really don’t reflect the diversity of the many cultures in our province.”Shamji wants to allow each Ontario resident to pick one additional holiday, which could fall anywhere on the calendar.“My proposed policy will deliver one flexible, floating holiday to every person in Ontario that they can choose to celebrate or commemorate on a day of personal, cultural or religious importance,” said Shamji.“This is a way of being genuinely inclusive and making sure that every person in Ontario feels represented, feels ...

Putin mixes threats of new offensive in Ukraine with offers of peace talks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:50 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday alternated threats of a new Russian offensive to grab more Ukrainian land with statements about the Kremlin’s readiness for peace talks.Speaking during a far-ranging meeting with Russian military correspondents and war bloggers, he made some of the most extensive comments about the conflict and his goals since sending the troops into Ukraine more than 15 months ago.Here is a quick look at some of Putin’s key statements:UKRAINIAN COUNTEROFFENSIVEPutin asserted that Ukraine has suffered “catastrophic” losses in its counteroffensive.He said Ukrainian troops amassed reserves to launch the “large-scale” operation on June 4, but he claimed that the effort has failed to score gains and that Ukraine has lost 10 times more soldiers than Russia. His claims could not be verified.Putin declared that Ukraine lost 160 battle tanks and over 300 other armored vehicles, while Russia only lost 54 tanks. He alleged that the Ukrainia...