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Top Republican blocks Biden’s nuclear subs pact with UK and Australia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:24 GMT

U.S. Republicans pushing to boost the Pentagon budget topline have new leverage: the Biden administration’s commitment to send nuclear-powered submarines to Australia.Big picture: Senate Armed Services Republicans are jamming up a key piece of President Joe Biden’s foreign policy agenda — the U.S. security pact with Australia and the U.K. to share nuclear submarine technology, known as AUKUS.The move to block the agreement, led by Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), is the latest bid to force the White House to boost military spending beyond levels set by the debt-limit deal.Wicker, despite the fact that he supports AUKUS, blocked a plan to fast-track Congress’s authorization to sell Australia three Virginia-class attack subs, a major pillar of the multinational agreement announced this year. He’s arguing that for U.S. submarine manufacturers to be able to boost production enough to supply both the U.S. Navy and Australia, the industry needs more investment from the federal governm...

Taunton police investigating after victim killed in early morning shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:24 GMT

State and local police are investigating in Taunton after a 33-year-old man was killed in an early morning shooting, according to authorities. The Bristol County District Attorney’s Office said the victim, identified as Alvaro J. Andrade, was found shot in the area of 188 Winthrop St. on Friday.Officials said police found Andrade when they responded to the area around 7:50 a.m. after receiving a 911 call reporting that shots had been fired.According to the DA’s office, the victim was found sitting in the driver’s seat of a gray Jeep Grand Cherokee that was parked in a driveway at the Winthrop Street address. Andrade was later pronounced dead after being rushed to Morton Hospital. “The investigation into the homicide is extremely active and no further information on the case can be publicly disseminated at this time,” the DA’s office stated.Police could be seen going in and out of the home mentioned by authorities throughout Friday morning, which was tap...

New Bedford police detective released from hospital after suffering gunshot wound to the face

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:24 GMT

A New Bedford police detective who suffered a gunshot wound to the face was released from the hospital, according to his police department, just days after being struck while working in the city’s South End.Detective Lavar Gilbert had been working undercover and in an unmarked car on Monday, July 17, when shots were fired in the area of Rivet and Orchard streets, hitting Gilbert and his vehicle, according to New Bedford PD.Officials said the detective remained conscious after being shot in the face and that he was able to drive himself to a hospital.According to Massachusetts State Police, the officer’s assignment that night had put Gilbert in close proximity to a suspect(s) who shot at another party. In a statement, MSP Colonel John Mawn Jr. said both Gilbert and another person suffered non life-threatening gunshot wounds.New Bedford police said there was no indication that Gilbert was targeted during the shooting or that there was any ongoing threat to safety in the su...

Virtual event: Sun Orioles journalists answer subscriber questions after the trade deadline

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:24 GMT

With a firm hold on a playoff spot and a stocked farm system, the Orioles are in position to be one of the bigger buyers ahead of Major League Baseball’s trade deadline, if they want to be. They’ve already added to their bullpen, though, and further help may already be here in the form of prospects and players returning from injuries.Whatever the Orioles’ roster looks like after 6 p.m. ET Aug. 1, there will be plenty to talk about as a team many experts and sportsbooks wrote off makes its playoff push. Your subscription is your pass to a virtual Q&A with Baltimore Sun Orioles reporters Nathan Ruiz and Jacob Calvin Meyer, moderated by Sun sports content editor C.J. Doon. To participate, return to this page at noon ET on Friday, Aug. 4. (Use the adjacement button to add the event to popular digital calendars.)Submit your questions ahead of time here: ()

A tornado ‘can’t be ruled out’ in Massachusetts, with more severe storms possible

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:24 GMT

Less than a week after a tornado touched down in the Bay State, there’s a slight chance for another isolated tornado today, according to the National Weather Service.The highest local risk for scattered severe storms is in western Massachusetts.“Latest update for the risk of severe thunderstorms, primarily this afternoon,” the National Weather Service’s Boston office tweeted Friday morning. “Localized damaging winds and minor flooding are the primary threats, but hail and an isolated tornado can’t be ruled out.“Keep a close eye on changing weather conditions!” NWS Boston added.A few strong to severe thunderstorms will be possible from 2 to 9 p.m.The main threats are damaging winds, flash flooding and large hail. The storms are expected to weaken as they move east, diminishing during the evening.The ground is incredibly saturated from all the recent rain, so flooding can happen when some heavy rain rolls through.Related ArticlesWeather ...

Jurassic Park experience opens in East Village

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:24 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A Jurassic Park experience in San Diego opens Friday. Embark on the prehistoric adventure of a lifetime and see what it was like 65 million years ago.All you need to do is walk through the gates of Jurrasic Par kat 325 15th St. in the East Village. It's one of the many activation sites connected to Comic-Con. Don’t have a Comic-Con badge? Check out these events that don’t require one You don’t need a badge. All you need is a reservation or to wait in line like dozens of people who were seen gathering Friday morning.One Jurassic Park super fan says she began camping out as early as 1 a.m. to be one of the first to enjoy the event. The experience is open to the public for free. Doors open at 10 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Attendees will step into the sets of Jurassic Park, recreating the iconic moments that fans know and love amid the 30th anniversary of the film.The activation site has giveaways like Jurassic-themed food offerings, exclusive merchandise, and more.

Russia arrests a hard-line nationalist who accused Putin of weakness in Ukraine

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:24 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — A prominent hard-line nationalist who accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of weakness and indecision in Ukraine was arrested Friday on charges of extremism, a signal the Kremlin has toughened its approach with hawkish critics after last month’s abortive rebellion by the Wagner mercenary company.Igor Strelkov, a retired security officer who led Moscow-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine in 2014 and also was implicated by the Netherlands in the downing of a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet that year, has argued that a total mobilization is needed for Russia to achieve victory. He recently criticized Putin as a “nonentity” and a “cowardly mediocrity.”Moscow’s Meshchansky District Court ordered the 52-year-old Strelkov, whose real name is Igor Girkin, to be held in custody for two months pending a probe on charges of making calls for extremist activities. He faces up to five years in prison if convicted.Strelkov rejected the charges, but asked the judge to plac...

Brother of ex-NFL star Aqib Talib’s pleads guilty to murder, prosecutors say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:24 GMT

DALLAS (AP) — The brother of retired NFL cornerback Aqib Talib has pleaded guilty to murder in the 2022 shooting death of a coach at a youth football game in Texas, prosecutors said.Yaqub Salik Talib, 40, pleaded guilty Thursday to the charge in the shooting of 43-year-old Michael Hickmon, according to Claire Crouch, a spokesperson for the Dallas County District Attorney’s office. She said Talib agreed to a sentence of 37 years in prison and that he will be sentenced in August.A lawyer for Talib did not immediately respond to a phone message seeking comment Friday. Last August, police said witnesses saw Talib pull out a gun and repeatedly shoot Hickmon during a brawl among adults at a youth football game in the Dallas suburb of Lancaster. Police said the fight was prompted by a disagreement between the opposing coaching staffs over calls made by the officiating crew, but an official with one of the teams later said it began when Hickmon went to pick up a football and someone kicked ...

Liberals looking for input on planned law to improve safety in long-term care

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:24 GMT

OTTAWA — The federal government seeks public input on planned legislation to improve safety in long-term care following the devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Liberals promised during the 2021 election campaign to table a Safe Long-Term Care Act, after widespread COVID-19 outbreaks drew attention to the struggle of many homes to provide basic care to residents.The proposed law is also a condition of the supply-and-confidence deal with the NDP, in which New Democrats agreed to support the Liberals on key House of Commons votes until 2025 in exchange for movement on shared priorities.The office of Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos would not say when the government plans to table the legislation, but it could be as early as this fall. Earlier this year, two panels of experts in the field of long-term care released new standards for improving health, safety and infection prevention in care homes.The Health Standards Organization and CSA Group developed the standards, which...

Vatican is moving ahead with plan to reunite Ukrainian children taken to Russia with their families

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:24 GMT

ROME (AP) — The Vatican is pressing ahead with a plan to try to reunite Ukrainian children taken to Russia during the war with their families, a senior Vatican official said. The effort follows an explicit request by Ukraine and Russia has expressed an apparent willingness to engage in the process. The Vatican official spoke to reporters about the plan late Thursday, after Pope Francis’ peace envoy, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, returned to the Vatican from Washington. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, according to Vatican protocol.Zuppi, a veteran of the Catholic Church’s peace initiatives, had met with President Joe Biden on Tuesday, following earlier missions to Kyiv and Moscow. In the Russian capital, Zuppi met with one of President Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy advisers, Yuri Ushakov, as well as Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights. Zuppi is next headed to Beijing, the Vatican official said.A White House official, speaking on condition of anony...