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Boston mayor says ‘political motive’ drove ‘electeds of color’ holiday party leak, coverage

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:29 GMT

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu continued to defend her decision to hold an exclusive “Electeds of Color” holiday party, saying that the way the invite was “leaked” and coverage by the national media was politically motivated.The local political landscape is well aware of the “Electeds of Color” group, said the mayor, who went on to suggest that some of the backlash against last week’s party may have been driven by the “shock” some people are experiencing over what leadership looks like in the City of Boston.“We did not have enough elected officials of color in previous administrations dating way back to even think about hosting something like this,” Wu said Monday on WBUR’s Radio Boston. “This is the first time the mayor is able to host as a member of this group, because prior to me, all the elected mayors were not part of this group.“So I think there’s maybe a shock that that presents to some people, of what does leadership look like?” Wu added. “But this is our city. This is reflective ...

Officials warn residents to plan ahead as holiday travel spikes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:29 GMT

Heading into the winter holidays, Massachusetts residents and travelers should prepare for some of the most jam-packed holiday travel since 2019, state transportation authorities warned Monday.“The theme of the next couple of weeks is have a lot of patience,” said State Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver at a holiday travel press conference. “Leave a lot of extra time and plan ahead regardless of where you’re going or your mode of travel.”Officials from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, MBTA and State Police gathered in the Highway Operations Center out of the torrential rain Monday to offer information on holiday travel and urge residents to travel safely.Nationwide, 115 million people are expected to travel more than 50 miles from Dec. 23 to Jan. 1, according to AAA projections, an increase from last year and following 2019 as the second busiest holiday travel period since 2000.Airports alone are expected to be the busiest they have...

Zach LaVine reportedly could be interested in the Sacramento Kings — or a future with the Chicago Bulls

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:29 GMT

Zach LaVine’s status in the NBA trade market continues to provide more questions than answers for the Chicago Bulls.Although most reports have cited the Los Angeles Lakers as the primary — if not solitary — focus for LaVine and his team, agent Rich Paul told The Athletic there’s “not one team” at the center of their trade negotiations.The interest in the Lakers is understandable on multiple fronts. Paul’s agency, Klutch Sports, also represents Lakers superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis. LaVine played for UCLA and lives in Los Angeles in the offseason.But the focus on the Lakers has heightened concern about how many viable trade options exist for LaVine, who is weighed down by his $215 million maximum contract.Speculation has been fueled by the fact LaVine is sidelined with a foot injury. He hasn’t played since Nov. 28 and isn’t expected to return until January. By the time he’s cleared, the Bulls could have settled on...

Watch: Orcas spotted off the coast of San Diego

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:29 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A pod of killer whales was spotted Monday just a few miles off the San Diego coast by a whale watching tour. Videos obtained by FOX 5 from Mark Girardeau and Pacific Offshore Expeditions shows a pod of killer whales, also known as orcas, and what appears to be a baby killer whale swimming alongside a boat. The expedition crew said they have been following the pod for several days along California's coast, from Anacapa Island to Palos Verdes, and now to San Diego. Pod of hunting orcas, calves spotted off Los Angeles coast This particular pod was spotted just a few miles off Torrey Pines in San Diego County. Orcas are found in every ocean in the world and are the ocean's top predator, NOAA reports. All killer whale populations are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. During the rare sighting, the orcas killed several dolphins before moving south back into Mexico, Girardeau said. Just last week, FOX 5 posted a video of a pod of orcas ...

Fresh off reelection in Kentucky, Democratic Gov. Beshear presents budget plan in televised speech

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:29 GMT

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Looking to build on his resounding reelection victory, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear took his budget directly to the voters in a televised speech Monday night as he pressed for a massive boost in education funding, child care support and continued investments in infrastructure projects.The holiday message — coming about two weeks before the state’s Republican-dominated legislature reconvenes — represents the Democratic governor’s effort to turn political capital into more of a mandate for his top policy priorities, especially in public education.Beshear also proposed pay raises for state workers and increased funding for public universities, economic development and foster care. He proposed hiring more state troopers and social workers, building more juvenile detention centers and investing more in regional airports.Beshear said the state can afford that and more, without tapping into its vast budget reserves. Tax collections have surged in Kentucky ev...

North Korea’s Kim threatens ‘more offensive actions’ against US after watching powerful missile test

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:29 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened “more offensive actions” to repel what he called increasing U.S.-led military threats after he supervised the third test of his country’s most advanced missile designed to strike the mainland U.S., state media reported Tuesday.Kim’s statement suggests he is confidant in his growing missile arsenal and will likely continue weapons testing activities ahead of next year’s presidential election in the United States. But many observers say North Korea still needs to perform more significant tests to prove it has functioning missiles targeting the U.S. mainland.After watching Monday’s launch of the Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile, Kim said the test showed how North Korea could respond if the United States were to make “a wrong decision against it,” according to the official Korean Central News Agency.Kim stressed the need to “never overlook all the reckless and irresponsible military threats of ...

West accuses Iran of illegally testing missiles, transferring drones to Russia, enriching uranium

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:29 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The Western powers in the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran accused Tehran on Monday of developing and testing ballistic missiles, transferring hundreds of drones to Russia, and enriching uranium to an unprecedented 60% level for a country without a nuclear weapons program — all in violation of a U.N. resolution endorsing the deal.Iran and its ally, Russia, dismissed the charges by Britain, France and Germany, strongly supported by the United States, which pulled out of the agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in 2018.The six-party agreement was aimed at ensuring that Iran could not develop atomic weapons. Under the accord, Tehran agreed to limit enrichment of uranium to levels necessary for the peaceful use of nuclear power in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.The sharp exchanges came at the Security Council’s semi-annual meeting on the implementation of its resolution endorsing the 2015 nuclear deal.Both Iran’s U.N. Ambassador...

Biden’s push for Ukraine aid stalls in Senate as negotiations over border restrictions drag on

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:29 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s push to have Congress replenish wartime aid for Ukraine as part of a deal on border and immigration policy changes will almost certainly drag into next year.The Senate, which had postponed its holiday recess, returned to Washington on Monday after negotiators worked through the weekend on the border legislation, trying to reach an agreement that could unlock the Republican votes for Biden’s $110 billion package of aid for Ukraine, Israel and other security priorities.But senators said they still had plenty of work ahead, and it remained uncertain how many more days the Senate will remain in session this week. Barely half of the senators returned for a Monday evening vote.“Obviously we need time,” said Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, the top Democratic negotiator.The delay heaps more uncertainty on the future of the Biden administration’s priority of providing support against Russia’s invasion. It also puts a potential pause on po...

A group representing TikTok, Meta and X sues Utah over strict new limits on app use for minors

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:29 GMT

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A trade group that represents TikTok and other major tech companies sued Utah on Monday over its first-in-the-nation laws requiring children and teens to obtain parental consent to use social media apps.Two laws signed in March by Republican Gov. Spencer Cox will prohibit minors from using social media between the hours of 10:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. unless authorized by a parent — and require age verification to open and maintain a social media account in the state.The restrictions are designed to protect children from targeted advertisements and addictive features that could negatively impact their mental health. Both laws take effect March 1, 2024.The NetChoice trade group argues in its federal lawsuit that although Utah’s regulations are well-intentioned, they are unconstitutional because they restrict access to public content, compromise data security and undermine parental rights.“We are fighting to ensure that all Utahns can embrace digital tools without th...

Mississippi local officials say human error and poor training led to election-day chaos

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:29 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The county election officials under whose watch ballot shortages hampered voting in Mississippi’s largest county said technical mishaps and insufficient training were to blame for election day chaos in November. At a meeting with representatives from a coalition of statewide and national civil rights organizations, Hinds County election commissioners said Monday that their mishaps caused several polling locations in Hinds County to run out of ballots. They admitted to sharing the wrong voter data with the company they contracted to print ballots, which directly led to the ballot shortages. “Complete human error. I hate that the citizens of Hinds County had to experience that,” said Commissioner RaToya Gilmer McGee.But the commissioners, all Democrats, also pointed to what they said was inadequate guidance from Secretary of State Michael Watson, a Republican. The commissioners said they had to rely on a training manual written for election officials across the s...