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Biden, McCarthy to meet Monday for debt ceiling talks as default deadline looms

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:25 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will meet in person Monday with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy about averting an economy-wrecking federal default, and the Republican leader expressed cautious optimism about a possible debt ceiling compromise as Washington races to raise America’s borrowing limit before the funds could be depleted early next month.The leaders spoke by phone Sunday while the president was returning home on Air Force One after the Group of Seven summit in Japan. McCarthy, R-Calif., told reporters at the Capitol that the call was “productive” and that the on-again, off-again negotiations between his staff and White House representatives would resume in the evening.Both sides have said progress was being made but that they remain far apart, and talks had lapsed for part of the weekend. Biden’s Treasury Department has said it could run out of cash as soon as June 1, and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Sunday, “I think that that’s a hard deadline.”McCarthy s...

Greek elections: Conservative party of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis leads with wide margin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:25 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his conservative party led Greece’s election by a wide margin Sunday, according to partial official results. But a new electoral law means he will struggle to form a government without seeking coalition partners, and a second election is likely. Partial results from 40% of polling stations counted showed Mitsotakis’ New Democracy party with 41% of the vote, with his main rival, Alexis Tsipras and his left-wing Syriza party, trailing with 20%. If borne out by full results, Sunday’s showing would be a major disappointment for Syriza, and a better-than-expected performance for New Democracy. Even with partial results, New Democracy was celebrating its strong showing. “(The exit polls) show a clear victory for New Democracy and a clear renewal of the mandate to continue the major changes sought by Greek society,” said government spokesman Akis Skertsos. Sunday’s election is Greece’s first since its economy ceased b...

Montreal legislator Ruba Ghazal first to enter Québec solidaire spokeswoman race

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:25 GMT

QUEBEC — A Montreal member of Quebec’s legislature is the first candidate to enter the race for co-spokesperson of the province’s third-largest political party. Ruba Ghazal, 45, who represents the central Montreal riding of Mercier, says she wants Québec solidaire to focus more on achieving independence for the province and protecting the French language.The left-wing party, which has 12 seats in Quebec’s national assembly, does not have a traditional leader but is instead represented by two co-spokespeople, one man and one woman.Manon Massé, who has held the post alongside Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois since 2017, said Tuesday that she plans to step back from the leadership role, but will keep her seat in the legislature. Ghazal, the daughter of Palestinian refugees, says she thinks an increased focus on sovereignty and protecting Quebec’s language and culture will help the party gain votes outside of central Montreal, where its support has been concentrated. Ghazal...

Chicago man charged with arson in death of pregnant woman 2 years ago

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:25 GMT

CHICAGO — A Chicago man is charged with arson in connection to the death of a pregnant woman who died in a house fire in 2020. According to police reports, 35-year-old Victor Terrell is facing multiple felonies of first-degree murder, arson and concealing the death. Police said that Terrell was identified Friday in the 8000 block of South Houston Avenue as the man who participated in the arson and death of Stephanie Haynes almost three years ago. ‘I need you one time only and I pay nice:’ Bond set for woman attempting to send narcotic-soaked paper to boyfriend in Cook County Jail Police said officers responded to a residential fire just after 2:40 a.m. in the 5000 block of West Gladys Avenue in the South Austin neighborhood on Nov. 9, 2020.According to a report, the family said she was a mother of four children and five-month pregnant at the time. North Chicago man dead, 18-year-old injured in alleged targeted shooting: docs Upon entering, police said Chicago firefighters disc...

Martina Navratilova says she's doing 'OK' after being diagnosed with cancer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:25 GMT

ROME (AP) — Martina Navratilova is doing “OK” after being diagnosed with throat cancer and breast cancer.“I’ve gone through a very difficult year but now I’m OK,” the 18-time Grand Slam singles champion and member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame said at the Italian Open on Sunday after receiving the “Racchetta d’Oro” (Golden Racket) award for her contributions to the sport.The 66-year-old Navratilova said in January that her prognosis was good and that she was going to start treatment that month. She said then that she noticed an enlarged lymph node in her neck while attending the season-ending WTA Finals in Fort Worth, Texas, in November, and a biopsy showed early stage throat cancer.While Navratilova was undergoing tests on her throat, she said, the unrelated, early stage breast cancer was discovered.Navratilova returned to her work as a TV analyst at Tennis Channel in March, when in an interview with TalkTV’s Piers Morgan, she said she was told by doctors that,...

2 women accused of $94K in thefts across 47 stores arrested

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:25 GMT

FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WKRN) -- Two women police say are responsible for more than $94,000 in thefts from at least 47 stores were taken into custody while leaving a Kohl's in Franklin, Tennessee.According to the Franklin Police Department (FPD), security at Kohl’s spotted the women when they entered the store shortly before 3 p.m. on Tuesday.Officials said the Kohl's security guard immediately recognized the pair from an online retail theft information-sharing system, so the agent called an on-duty officer from Franklin police's Flex Team. The Flex Team is "a covert unit of officers and detectives who focus on crimes like burglaries, organized retail theft, drug-related and violent street crime, and other community concerns," the department says. Teen arrested for allegedly driving 176 mph; deputies say he admitted to going even faster Store security told officers the two women were allegedly hiding merchandise under their skirts. (Source: Franklin Police Department)As the women walked ...

This brewery made tipping optional: Here's why

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:25 GMT

(NEXSTAR) - Those working in the food service industry are, in most cases, paid a lower wage than the rest of us. It's largely because they are expected to receive tips. But, as many have argued, paying a server the federal minimum wage for a tipped employee, paired with the tips they receive, sometimes isn't enough to reach the standard minimum wage of $7.25. This is pushing some restaurants to transition to a tipless style of business. Current federal regulations require tipped employees — those who receive more than $30 in tips each month — be paid a minimum wage of $2.13. That server must then average $5.12 in tips each hour, meaning they would make the federal minimum wage of $7.25. If a server doesn't earn enough tips in a shift to make $7.25 an hour, federal law says the employer must pay them the rest to reach that rate. Student loan forgiveness: What to know as the Supreme Court mulls case While this may differ for some states, others do follow that federal minimum requi...

1 adult, 1 child hospitalized after northwest Austin crash Sunday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:25 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- One adult and one child were transported to area hospitals Sunday following an afternoon crash in northwest Austin.Austin-Travis County EMS responded to a multi-vehicle crash near Pecan Park Boulevard and U.S. Hwy. 183 Service Road Sunday just before 1 p.m. One adult patient was taken to St. David's Round Rock following the incident.ATCEMS tweeted a second, pediatric patient sustained potentially serious injuries, with crews transporting the child to Dell Children's Medical Center. A total of five people were involved in the crash, but three refused medical transport.

What should I do on the death anniversary? More are asking as U.S. mass killings rise.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:25 GMT

ST. PAUL, Minn. — On a September day that he knew would be hard, 51-year-old Damone Presley marked the occasion with barbecue and balloons.He was commemorating the one-year anniversary of the day in 2021 that his daughter and her three friends were fatally shot in Minnesota by a man who left their bodies in an abandoned SUV in a Wisconsin cornfield. Presley gathered 50 friends to celebrate the life of his daughter, Nitosha Flug-Presley, who was 30 when she died. He went big on the anniversary because he felt sure that’s what his daughter would have wanted.“She would always do stuff big,” Presley told The Associated Press.There have been 553 mass killings in the United States since 2006, and at least 2,880 people have died, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University. Those include killings where four or more died, not including the assailant, within a 24-hour period. So far in 2023, the nation has witnessed the...

Zip codes donating the most money to Donald Trump in Illinois

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:25 GMT

In November of last year, former President Donald Trump announced his plans to run for president again in 2024. Despite potential complications presented by his indictment over falsifying business records in March and a jury finding him liable for defamation and sexual abuse in civil court in May, Trump has not announced any changes to his re-election bid; in fact, the Trump campaign announced an influx of donations after his grand jury indictment, signaling continued support from his base.However, Trump's broader appeal in the context of the 2024 presidential race remains unclear. The 2022 midterm elections put his political influence, both within the Republican party and among the voting public, to the test. Trump endorsed more than two dozen Republican candidates. While the GOP expected a 'red wave' to deliver overwhelming control of both houses of Congress, the results were significantly more muted. Democrats retained control of the Senate, and while Republicans have the House, ...