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GOP’s Jim Jordan fails again to win vote to become House speaker as colleagues seek options

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:01:38 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Rep. Jim Jordan failed again Wednesday on a crucial second ballot to become House speaker, the hard-fighting ally of Donald Trump losing even more GOP colleagues who refused to give him the the gavel.Next steps were highly uncertain as a bipartisan group of lawmakers floated an extraordinary plan — to give the interim speaker-pro-tempore, Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., more power to reopen the House and temporarily conduct routine business.What was clear was that Jordan’s path to become House speaker was almost certainly lost. He was opposed by two more than the 20 Republican detractors he lost in first round voting the day before.The House gaveled in with angry, frustrated GOP lawmakers looking at other options. And as the rollcall was underway, a few new detractors emerged to oppose Jordan who did not seem to be picking up new votes beyond one lawmaker who was absent the day before.Ahead of the morning vote, Jordan made an unexpected plea for part...

Arrest made in July fatal shooting in Pompano Beach

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:01:38 GMT

Broward Sheriff’s Office detectives arrested a 24-year-old Lauderhill man in connection with the homicide of Donelle Hunter in Pompano Beach in July.The incident occurred on July 1, around 6:20 p.m., in the vicinity of Northwest 17th Terrace and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Pompano Beach.Broward County Regional Communications received a call reporting the shooting, leading BSO deputies and Pompano Beach Fire Rescue to respond swiftly. Upon arrival, deputies discovered an adult male identified as 35-year-old Donelle Hunter, who had sustained a gunshot wound.Emergency medical personnel rushed Hunter to Broward Health North, where he was later pronounced dead.On Friday, Oct. 13, homicide unit detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Jaquan Brown on a charge of first-degree murder. Following his arrest on Monday, he now faces charges of murder and violation of probation. He was transported to the Broward Main Jail.

AI ruling obstructs British efforts to protect citizens’ images from US data harvesting

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:01:38 GMT

LONDON — Britain’s privacy regulator can’t sanction an infamous facial recognition firm for breaching data protection rules because the breach was carried out on behalf of foreign law enforcement, a judge has ruled.The New York Times reported in 2020 that Clearview AI had harvested billions of social media images without users’ consent. After the privacy scandal engulfed the company, it withdrew from the U.K. and several other European markets.The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) took action against Clearview last year, alleging it had unlawfully collected the data of British subjects for behavior-monitoring purposes. The firm was slapped with a £7.5 million fine and also ordered to delete the data of U.K. residents from its trove of more than 20 billion facial images.But it’s unclear whether Clearview ever deleted the data. Lawyers have pointed out that the company was under no obligation to purge Brits’ pictures from its database until the appeal was determined — and yester...

The dogs of war are howling in the Middle East

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:01:38 GMT

Jamie Dettmer is opinion editor at POLITICO Europe.BEIRUT — Against a dawning day, just hours after the fatal Gaza hospital explosion that killed hundreds, Israel’s border with Lebanon crackled with shelling and fighter jet strikes as Israeli warplanes responded to an uptick in shelling from Hezbollah.Regardless of who struck the al-Ahli Arab Hospital, the needle is now rapidly shifting in a dangerous direction. And hopes are being pinned on United States President Joe Biden and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who is set to host an emergency summit in Cairo on Saturday. But the chances of a wider war engulfing Lebanon and the entire region being hurled into violent chaos once more are growing by the hour.As Hezbollah announced “a day of rage” against Israel, protests have targeted U.S. missions in the region, more embassies in Beirut have started sending off non-essentials staff, and security teams are being flown in to protect diplomatic missions and European NGOs, preparin...

With Housing Bill, Healey Says It’s Time To “Get After It”

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:01:38 GMT

Framing her new legislation as “historic” and “urgent,” Gov. Maura Healey detailed her wide-ranging housing bill on Wednesday morning and expressed hope that its passage will provide a jolt for the 2024 construction season.“We gotta get after it,” Healey said at a press conference in Chelsea, saying that residents across the state are feeling the pressure of a squeezed housing market marked by low inventory and high costs.“Today is about meeting the moment. It’s about meeting the moment and the needs of residents across the state. We’ve heard you, we listened to you, and today we’re taking action and in the days ahead we’re going to need collective action and team work to get this done,” the governor said.Healey, who has marked her governorship so far with an emphasis on competing with other states, said the housing bill is necessary to keep residents from leaving Massachusetts.The bond bill would invest $4...

Billions of dollars to clean up abandoned oil and gas wells will only make a dent

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:01:38 GMT

By Kevin Hardy, Stateline.orgAn infusion of federal money has helped Louisiana plug nearly 500 abandoned oil and gas wells this year.That number doesn’t come close to the 4,500 abandoned wells that pock the state’s terrain, leaving the potential for groundwater contamination and the near-certainty of greenhouse gas emissions. But the money has allowed the state to nearly double the record number of wells it’s ever plugged in a year.“Everything helps,” said Patrick Courreges, spokesperson for the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources. “If we didn’t have the federal help, we’d be over 5,000 [abandoned wells].”Louisiana is among 24 states that received millions of dollars for well plugging from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which made the largest investment in legacy pollution reduction in American history.But in many ways, the difficult work is just beginning. Of the $4.7 billion the law set aside for plugging wells that oil and gas companies have abandoned, $560 mill...

Patriots get bad news at Wednesday practice ahead of Bills game

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:01:38 GMT

FOXBORO — The Patriots were down three starters, two practice-squad players and a couple key backups at Wednesday’s practice.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots QB Mac Jones sticking with routine despite early-season struggles New England Patriots | How Patriots could replace struggling offensive starter New England Patriots | Bill Belichick isn’t telling Bills how Patriots plan to use Malik Cunningham New England Patriots | Patriots-Raiders film review: Mac Jones’ offense proving beyond repair despite improvement New England Patriots | Mac Jones details what he saw on Patriots costly last-minute safety Tight end Hunter Henry, left tackle Trent Brown and practice-squad receiver T.J. Luther were absent on offense. Defensively, the Pats were down cornerback Jonathan Jones, defensive lineman Keion White, outside linebacker Josh Uche and practice-squad defensive tackle Man...

8 best short-term investments in October 2023

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:01:38 GMT

James Royal, Ph.D. | Bankrate.com (TNS)If you’re looking to invest money for the short term, you’re probably searching for a safe place to stash cash before you need to access it in the not-so-distant future. The volatile markets and slumping economy led many investors to hold cash as the COVID-19 crisis dragged on — and things remain uncertain as the economy now faces high inflation, a banking crisis and fears of a potential recession, among other issues.Short-term investments minimize risk, but at the cost of potentially higher returns available in the best long-term investments. As a result, you’ll ensure that you have cash when you need it, instead of squandering the money on a potentially risky investment. So the most important thing investors should be looking for in a short-term investment is safety.What is a short-term investment?If you’re making a short-term investment, you’re often doing so because you need to have the money at a certain time. If you’re saving for a down p...

PrEP, a key HIV prevention tool, isn’t reaching black women

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:01:38 GMT

Sam Whitehead | (TNS) Kaiser Health NewsAlexis Perkins thought her OB-GYN’s office in Atlanta would be just the place to get a prescription for the type of drug that reduces a person’s risk of contracting HIV.But during a recent visit, the medical assistant who greeted her had not heard of the medicines known as preexposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, and she seemed uncomfortable discussing it, Perkins said. Her provider had heard of it but didn’t feel confident prescribing it.“She was at least honest enough to say that she was interested in it, but she didn’t really know that much about it,” said Perkins, a 25-year-old nurse, who decided to get on PrEP after participating in a sexual health education class and thinking more about her own risk. She’s still trying to find a provider to write her a prescription.“If I wasn’t really confident in myself, this could have been a very discouraging experience,” Perkins said.PrEP is a crucial tool in the fight against the ongoing HIV epidemic and, ...

Insurers often shortchange mental health care coverage, despite a federal law

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:01:38 GMT

If you or someone you know is in need of help, dial 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for free and confidential support or text HELLO to 741741 for the Crisis Text Line.Nada Hassanein | (TNS) Stateline.orgWhen she tried to find help for her daughter’s depression, Michelle Romero was frantic, panicked and heartbroken. She searched and searched for mental health clinicians within her daughter’s insurance coverage network.But the Houston-area mom of three couldn’t find a psychiatrist nor a psychotherapist who accepted her daughter’s health insurance and was close enough to the family’s neighborhood, she said. In her network, one clinician had closed their practice. Another was at capacity with patients.So, each week, the family paid about $300 out of pocket for their daughter’s psychotherapy and psychiatry sessions. Romero has maxed out her credit cards.At Christmastime last year, Romero’s daughter was hospitalized for two weeks. Then 14, she had tried to kill herself. It wasn’...