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Conflicting Reports Thicken Nord Stream Bombing Plot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:45:57 GMT

In the month since veteran journalist Seymour Hersh published his bombshell report alleging that President Joe Biden personally authorized a covert action to bomb the Nord Stream pipelines, we’ve seen a frenzy of speculation, detailed dissection of Hersh’s specific assertions, and the emergence of competing narratives both supporting and denouncing the report.The question of whether Hersh’s story is accurate — either in whole or in part — is of monumental significance, and there are some issues related to this story that have not received as much attention as they deserve. Among these are questions surrounding the legal and constitutional framework the Biden administration would have used if, as Hersh’s source alleges, Biden directly ordered the bombing of the Nord Stream pipelines. There is also an emerging counternarrative to Hersh’s reporting from U.S. intelligence that warrants scrutiny, both on its merits and for how it might relate to Hersh’s story.“A Pro-Ukrainian Group...

Longtime Chiefs wide receiver Otis Taylor dies at age 80

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:45:57 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Otis Taylor, the longtime Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver who along with quarterback Len Dawson formed one of the NFL’s dynamic duos, died Thursday after more than a decade of health problems. He was 80.Taylor’s family, who had been caring for him as he dealt with Parkinson’s disease and dementia, confirmed that he had passed away a mere seven months after Dawson, his close friend and teammate.Taylor spent all 10-plus years of his career in Kansas City, where he was a fourth-round pick out of Prairie View A&M in the 1965 AFL draft. He went on to have two 1,000-yard seasons during an era in which the passing game was still evolving, and he finished his career with 7,306 yards and 57 touchdown catches.“Otis made my job easy,” Dawson once said. “If you got the pass to Otis, you knew he’d catch it.”Taylor is perhaps best remembered for the 46-yard touchdown pass in the 1970 Super Bowl that clinched the Chiefs’ victory over the V...

Jill Biden promotes cancer research in New Orleans

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:45:57 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — First lady Jill Biden was traveling to a medical center in New Orleans on Friday to stress the importance of cancer research, a priority in the budget proposal President Joe Biden sent to Congress.The Democratic president’s overall budget plan has been roundly criticized by Republicans and won’t make it through Congress intact. But Biden is hoping the fight against cancer will find bipartisan support.Set to accompany the first lady at the Louisiana Cancer Research Center was Sen. Bill Cassidy, who had joined his fellow Republicans a day earlier in criticizing the overall budget plan. Cassidy and his wife Laura, who was also slated to attend Friday’s events, are physicians. The president made fighting cancer part of the “unity agenda” that he outlined near the beginning of his administration, and he’s asked Congress to approve $2.8 billion to advance the goal.It’s a personal issue for the Bidens. According to the White House, Jill Biden’s ad...

AP Week in Pictures: Global

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:45:57 GMT

March 4 – 10, 2023War continues in Ukraine, where the battle for the city the Ukrainians have dubbed “fortress Bakhmut” has become emblematic of the way each side has tried to wear down the other.The Jewish community celebrates Purim, a holiday commemorating the Jews’ salvation from genocide in ancient Persia, as recounted in the Book of Esther.Women all around the world gather to celebrate the International Women’s Day.From a funeral in Boryspil, to the Holi festival in India, to the Paris Fashion Week, to protests in Georgia, this gallery highlights some of the most compelling images from around the world made or published by The Associated Press in the past week. The selection was curated by AP photo editor Eloy Martin in Madrid, and AP photo editor Pamela Hassell in New York. ___Follow AP visual journalism:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apnewsAP Images on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AP_ImagesAP Images blog: http://apimagesblog.com/Source

Survivor of White Rose group that resisted Nazis dies at 103

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:45:57 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Traute Lafrenz, the last known survivor of a German group known as the White Rose that actively resisted the Nazis, has died. She was 103.German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier expressed his condolences to her family Friday, describing Lafrenz as a “wonderful and immeasurably brave woman.”“Your mother was one of the few who, in the face of the crimes of National Socialism, had the courage to listen to her conscience and stand up to dictatorship, fascism and war.”According to an obituary published in The Charleston Post and Courier, Lafrenz died on March 6. She had emigrated to the United States after the war, marrying fellow physician Vernon Page and eventually retiring to South Carolina.Born in Hamburg on May 3, 1919, Lafrenz moved to Munich to study medicine at the age of 22, where she met Hans Scholl. Through him she became acquainted with other students who were opposed to the Nazis and months later took part in the White Rose’s risky efforts to distribute ...

Driver wanted in hit-and-run on shoulder of I-25

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:45:57 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Police are looking for a driver who was allegedly involved in a hit-and-run that injured one person while they were pushing a van on the shoulder of Interstate 25.According to the Denver Police Department, the hit-and-run occurred on Feb. 12 at 10:55 p.m. on southbound I-25 at 20th Avenue.DPD said two people were pushing a van on the right shoulder of the highway when they were struck by an unknown driver in a silver Porsche. One of the victims was pinned against the van and suffered serious injuries as a result. The current status of the victim's condition is unknown at this point. Driver seriously injured after crashing into apartment, causes natural gas leak The driver fled the scene without checking on the victims.Officers are now looking for a silver Porsche that may have minor to moderate damage to the front bumper.Anyone with information on this hit-and-run is urged to contact the Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. Tipsters can remain anonymous an...

Florida wildlife officials called after alligator discovered in homeowner’s pool

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:45:57 GMT

(CNN) – It’s the time of year when alligators are most active, and this one waddled through the woods to find water.During its search for a swim, it decided Lynn Tosi’s pool was the perfect place.“I just kind of circled around, not knowing what i was gonna do next,” Tosi said. “I sure wasn’t going outside.”The alligator which Tosi later learned was 11-and-a-half feet long left a large hole in her screened porch.“He busted right through there, kinda like the Kool-Aid man you know,” Tosi said.Tosi says most people in Florida always play it safe around lakes and ponds a piece of advice pushed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, especially as the weather gets warmer.“It’s that time of year,” Tosi said. “We’re kind of used to it around here.”The FWC makes no mention of backyard swimming pools.But Tosi says after what happened, she thinks all homeowners should double-check...

Silicon Valley Bank collapse sends tech startups scrambling

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:45:57 GMT

(CNN) — The sudden collapse of a top Silicon Valley lender has pushed tech investors and startups to scramble to figure out their financial exposure and the impact on their ability to operate, at a time when many businesses were already on edge from widespread layoffs and less access to capital in an uncertain economy,California regulators closed down Silicon Valley Bank on Friday and put it under control of the US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. The FDIC is acting as a receiver, which typically means it will liquidate the bank’s assets to pay back its customers, including depositors and creditors.The move capped off a stunning 48 hours during which uncertainty about the prominent tech lender’s liquidity prompted some startups to weigh withdrawing funds and also sparked fears of a contagion risk for the broader financial industry.Following the bank’s collapse on Friday, uncertainty in the startup community only grew.“Now that the bank has folded,...

2 hospitalized after explosion at Central Florida Japanese steakhouse

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:45:57 GMT

OCALA, Florida (WESH) — Two people went to the hospital after they suffered burns in an explosion at a Japanese steakhouse in Ocala, according to Ocala fire officials.Fire officials responded to Edo’s Japanese Steakhouse about the explosion on Thursday night at 5 p.m. Edo’s is a popular teppanyaki restaurant located at 4414 SW College Road.Ocala Fire Rescue received reports of an explosion with possible burns at approximately 5 p.m.When firefighters got there, they were told to go to the open grill area, where extinguishing powder covered the ground, and the two burn victims were found.The injuries were serious enough that first responders took the victims to the hospital. No other injuries were reported by Ocala Fire Rescue.The cause of the fire is still unknown.

FDA approves new nasal spray to treat migraine headaches in adults, Pfizer says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:45:57 GMT

(CNN) — The US Food and Drug Administration approved a new nasal spray as a rapid treatment for migraine pain in adults.The nasal spray zavegepant, sold as Zavzpret, may relieve pain and other bothersome migraine symptoms as soon as 15 minute after use, drugmaker Pfizer said in a news release. The drug is expected to be available in pharmacies in July 2023, the company said.There are already a number of different types of medications available to treat migraines, including several kinds of nasal sprays. Zavzpret is the first to work by blocking the calcitonin gene-related peptide, CGRP, a protein that is released in the brain that contributes to inflammation. Several pills block CGRP, but many people with migraines experience significant nausea and can’t tolerate medications they have to swallow.Zavzpret is also an alternative for people who have heart disease or other conditions that prevent them from being able to safely use other kinds of migraine treatments.In t...