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Kansas attorney general urges county to keep ballots longer than is allowed to aid sheriff’s probe

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:08 GMT

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Republican attorney general in Kansas has urged the state’s most populous county to postpone a legally required destruction of old ballots because the sheriff there says his investigation of possible election crimes remains open even though it’s led to no criminal charges in two years.Attorney General Kris Kobach, an early supporter of former President Donald Trump who has for years described election fraud as a serious issue, sent a letter Wednesday to the election commissioner in Johnson County in the Kansas City area. Kobach said officials should preserve ballots from 2019, 2020 and 2021 even though state law required all of them to be destroyed by the fall of 2022. “Allowing the Sheriff’s Office to complete its investigation is in the interest of justice and provides the public with confidence in the integrity of their electoral system and election outcomes,” Kobach wrote in his letter, which became public Thursday.The county has yet to destro...

Pharmacist refused emergency contraception prescription. Court to decide if that was discrimination

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:08 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Attorneys for a woman who was denied emergency contraception in 2019 told the Minnesota Court of Appeals Thursday that the pharmacist who refused to fill the prescription discriminated against her on the basis of her sex.But an attorney for George Badeaux, the pharmacist at Thrifty White in central Minnesota, said his refusal to provide the drug due to his religious beliefs was not a violation of state and federal law.A jury ruled last year that Badeaux did not discriminate against Andrea Anderson, a mother and foster parent, when he refused to fill her prescription for Ella, a drug that is used to stop a pregnancy before it starts. The jury also awarded Anderson $25,000 due to emotional harm — money she can’t collect because there was no finding of discrimination, said Jess Braverman, one of Anderson’s lawyers.Gender Justice, an advocacy organization for gender equity, and other lawyers for Anderson appealed the jury’s ruling this year. “This was preg...

PM Trudeau vows to continue ‘fighting’ for Canadians despite signs of slumping popularity

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:08 GMT

In a year-end interview with CityNews on Thursday, a reflective Justin Trudeau vowed to forge on into the next election despite signs that he’s become increasingly less popular with Canadians burdened by a barrage of financial pressures.Trudeau said he would stay on as Liberal Leader, with hopes of defeating a surging Pierre Poilievre when Canadians once again head to the polls.“I think this is the kind of job that you’ve always got to ask whether you’ve got the energy for it, whether you’re still committed to it, whether you’re the right person for the job,” Trudeau, who turns 52 on Christmas day, admitted.“But there is so much more at stake right now … because what I owe Canadians, and mostly what I owe my kids in fighting every day for a better future, means I am here to stand with Canadians and fight for them every day.”Despite his vows of unwavering commitment, recent polls have shown Canadians have grown increasingly skeptical of his leadership.A recent survey foun...

France to close its embassy in Niger for an ‘indefinite period,’ according to letter to staff

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:08 GMT

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — France will close its diplomatic mission in Niger following this summer’s coup d’etat in the West African nation and a souring of relations between the two countries, according to a letter sent to embassy staff and seen by The Associated Press.The news that the embassy in Niger’s capital Niamey is to close comes as France prepares to withdraw its last remaining military forces from the Sahel state this month.“The Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs of the French Republic is regretfully forced to close the embassy for an indefinite period of time,” said a document sent to Nigerien employees of the French embassy dated Dec. 19, 2023, and signed by the French ambassador to Niger, Sylvain Itté.French diplomatic sources acknowledge the authenticity of the letter, which notifies Nigerien employees that they will be dismissed as of April 30, 2024.The French embassy in Niger was attacked by demonstrators on July 30, 2023, and the military junta rul...

Pornhub agrees to pay $1.8M to resolve sex trafficking-related charge

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:08 GMT

The owner of Pornhub, one of the world’s largest adult content websites, has admitted to profiting from sex trafficking and agreed to make payments to women whose videos were posted without their consent, federal prosecutors in New York announced Thursday.Aylo Holdings, the website’s parent company, reached a deferred prosecution agreement to resolve a charge of engaging in unlawful monetary transactions involving sex trafficking proceeds, according to the office of Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.The deal calls for the Montreal-based company to pay more than $1.8 million to the U.S. government, as well as make separate payments to the individual women harmed by the trafficking. It also requires appointment of an independent monitor for three years, after which the charges will be dismissed.“It is our hope that this resolution, which includes certain agreed payments to the women whose images were posted on the company’s platforms and an independent mo...

First permitted bus of migrants arrives Thursday in Chicago

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:08 GMT

CHICAGO — The City of Chicago is expecting seven more buses to arrive Thursday at the landing zone. On Thursday, the city said it received its first permitted bus arrival after city council passed an ordinance last month. ‘We are not all bad’: Migrants stuck waiting at O’Hare, facing uncertain future in latest kick of ‘political football’ from Texas "We are a sanctuary city and we want to be able to take care of everybody here," 33rd Ward Ald. Rosanna Rodriguez said. "But we can’t do it on our own we need resources."The Latino Caucus demanded more help from the federal government in the form of funding and work permits for all undocumented asylum seekers."That is essential," Decomractic Rep. Chuy Garcia said. "It's critical for Chicago. It's critical for New York, for Houston, all the other cities seeking to do everything they can. They cannot do it alone."The calls come as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott vows to continue bussing and flying migrants to Chicago.On Tuesday night, a private p...

Fugitive sought in murder-for-hire plot after man shot, killed outside Chicago youth center

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:08 GMT

CHICAGO — A man recently indicted in last January's deadly shooting of a 24-year-old man outside a West Roseland youth center remains at large, according to FBI Chicago.The agency stated on Thursday that a reward of up to $10,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Preston Powell, who is wanted after a man, later identified as Stephon Mack, was shot and killed and another wounded outside the West Roseland Youth Center.The development comes weeks after Powell and 24-year-old Anthony Montgomery-Wilson were charged in what authorities called a murder-for-hire plot that resulted in the death of Mack. According to court documents, prosecutors allege that Montgomery-Wilson and Powell conspired to murder Mack in exchange for money.Authorities announced on Dec. 4 that Montgomery-Wilson was in custody. He pled not guilty to conspiracy to use an interstate facility in the commission of a murder for hire. A hearing is scheduled for Jan. 16, 2024.An arrest w...

Unexpected factor behind death of former NFL player Mike Williams

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:08 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A new report from the Hillsborough County Medical examiner revealed that a rare factor contributed to the death of former Tampa Bay Buccaneers player Mike Williams.Williams spent four years in the NFL, from 2010 to 2014.In August, he was working on a construction job in Tampa when he suffered a serious head injury.The medical examiner's report said Williams was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital and then transferred to the Suncoast Hospice, where he later died at the age of 36.According to the report, his cause of death was "Bacterial Sepsis with Cerebral Abscesses and Necrotizing Lobar Pneumonia Due to Multiple Dental Caries and Retained Tooth Roots Contributory Cause Arteriosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease." Mother of Mike Williams’ daughter speaks about police investigation into former Bucs player’s death Dr. Walter Howard, a clinical professor at University of Florida School of Dentistry is not involved in the case, but said the report shows that severe tooth ...

Texas Republicans in one rural county will hand count ballots. Experts say it’s 'a recipe for disaster.'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:08 GMT

This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access.When Gillespie County Republicans conduct their primary in March, they will count votes in an ill-advised way: by hand, using scores of volunteers, without any machines.Even if they can pull off their expensive, labor-intensive plan, they risk being sued by losing candidates or reprimanded by the state. And they may run up a huge bill of unnecessary costs.“Hand-counting is a recipe for disaster,” said Bob Stein, a political science professor at Rice University and election administration expert. He and most other experts agree on this, and studies back them up: The method is time-consuming, costly, less accurate, and less secure than using machines to tally votes.The factors that led Gillespie Republicans to this plan are not unique to this rural county of nearly 30,000 people, west of Austin in Texas’ ...

Mara Braun, Maggie Czinano lead Gophers women’s basketball rout of Lindenwood

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:08 GMT

Mara Braun topped 20 points for the fifth game in a row, and Maggie Czinano produced a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds as the Gophers women’s basketball team overwhelmed Lindenwood (Mo.) 100-45 in a nonconference game Thursday afternoon at Williams Arena.Braun finished with 21 points on 9-for-17 shooting. Grace Grocholski added 11 points and Sophie Hart 10 to give Minnesota four players in double-figures scoring.Amaya Battle had eight assists and Janay Sanders five as the Gophers finished with 23 assists and just seven turnovers.Minnesota (11-1) tied its season high with 52 rebounds, while holding Lindenwood to 33.Leading 64-23 at halftime, the Gophers went on a 12-0 run to expand the lead to 76-23 with 3:17 left in the third quarter. Minnesota opened the fourth quarter with a 81-28 lead, then turned the game over to its bench players.