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Who’s in, who’s out, who’s boycotting: The 8 candidates expected on-stage for the first GOP debate

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:51 GMT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The stage is set for the first Republican presidential debate of the 2024 campaign, with the Republican National Committee saying late Monday that eight candidates had met the qualifications to be on stage in Milwaukee.To qualify for the Aug. 23 debate, candidates needed to satisfy polling and donor requirements set by the RNC: at least 1% in three high-quality national polls or a mix of national and early-state polls, between July 1 and Aug. 21, and a minimum of 40,000 donors, with 200 in 20 or more states.To appear onstage, candidates needed to commit at least 48 hours before the Wednesday evening debate, according to RNC criteria, which also required participants to sign a pledge promising to support the party’s eventual nominee.A look at who’s in, who’s out and who’s decided not to participate:WHO’S IN RON DESANTIS The Florida governor has long been seen as former President Donald Trump’s top rival, finish...

Knicks sue Raptors, accusing rival of using ex-Knicks employee as ‘mole’ to steal scouting secrets

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:51 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks sued the Toronto Raptors, their new head coach and a former Knicks scouting employee on Monday, saying the defendants conspired to steal thousands of videos and other scouting secrets over the past few weeks.The lawsuit in Manhattan federal court seeks unspecified damages and a ban on the further spread of the Knicks’ trade secrets. The lawsuit claimed that secrets including scouting and play frequency reports, along with a prep book and a link to valuable software, had been downloaded thousands of times by Raptors employees.“This material consists of secret, proprietary information critical to the Knicks’ efforts to maintain a competitive advantage over their rivals, including the Raptors,” the lawsuit said.The Knicks said the theft occurred in recent weeks after the Raptors hired and recruited “a mole” within the Knicks organization. The lawsuit identified him as Ikechukwu Azotam, who since August 2021 had directed the planning, orga...

Stock market today: Wall Street ticks higher in early trading, led again by Big Tech

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:51 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is ticking higher in early trading, on track for its first back-to-back gain in what’s been a miserable August. The S&P 500 was up 0.3% early Tuesday, coming off a gain powered by Big Tech stocks. The Dow was little changed and the Nasdaq composite was up 0.6%. Stocks have struggled this month as yields shot higher in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury was holding steady, a day after reaching its highest level since 2007. Tech stocks were again helping to lead the market ahead of what could be a pivotal earnings report from chipmaker Nvidia on Wednesday. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.Wall Street pointed toward gains early Tuesday as markets digested more earnings from retailers while waiting for any hints about interest rates from the Federal Reserve at this week’s conference.Futures for S&P 500 rose 0.6% before the bell Tuesday, while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 0....

Some states reject federal money to find and replace dangerous lead pipes

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:51 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — As the Biden administration makes billions of dollars available to remove millions of dangerous lead pipes that can contaminate drinking water and damage brain development in children, some states are turning down funds. Washington, Oregon, Maine and Alaska declined all or most of their federal funds in the first of five years that the mix of grants and loans is available, The Associated Press found. Some states are less prepared to pay for lead removal projects because, in many cases, the lead must first be found, experts said. And communities are hesitant to take out loans to search for their lead pipes.States shouldn’t “shrug their shoulders” and pass up funds, said Erik Olson, a health and food expert at the environmental group Natural Resources Defense Council.“It’s troubling that a state would decide to take a complete pass on the funding because part of the reason for the funding is to figure out whether you even have lead,” Olson said.The B...

Hundreds of patients evacuated from Los Angeles hospital building that lost power in storm’s wake

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:51 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A power outage at a Los Angeles hospital prompted the evacuation of at least 21 patients in critical condition to other facilities, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Margaret Stewart said Tuesday morning.More than 200 other patients at Adventist Health White Memorial’s specialty care center were being moved to other buildings, officials said in an alert posted online. The specialty care center was the only building on the campus affected by the power outage.Stewart referred questions on the cause of the outage to hospital officials, who didn’t respond immediately to an email seeking comment. The power outage happened after Tropical Storm Hilary dumped record rainfall on Los Angeles.The Associated Press

Biden names former Obama administration attorney Siskel as White House counsel

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:51 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday that the new White House counsel will be Ed Siskel, a former Obama administration attorney who helped craft the response to the congressional investigations into the 2012 Benghazi attack that killed four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador. Siskel, who’ll begin in September, takes over during a critical time at the White House, when Biden is vying for reelection and congressional and judicial investigations into his administration and family are swirling. “Ed Siskel’s many years of experience in public service and a career defending the rule of law make him the perfect choice to serve as my next White House Counsel,” Biden said in a statement. Biden’s personal attorney remains Bob Bauer, who represents the Democratic president in his personal capacity, most notably in matters related to the classified documents found in his office and his home in Wilmington, Delaware. The White House counsel’s jo...

Hundreds still waiting for power after fire at west-end Toronto highrise

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:51 GMT

Hundreds of residents of a west-end Toronto highrise spent another night without power after a five-alarm electrical fire tore through the building over the weekend.Fire officials say it could take a number of days to restore power to the building in the area of Bloor Street West and Dovercourt Road. Crews responded to reports of an explosion and fire at 357 Rusholme Rd. on Sunday afternoon that ended up damaging the building’s electrical system.In an update on Monday, deputy fire chief Jim Jessop said water service was back on and crews were focused on restoring power to the building’s fire safety systems. He said that in-suite power, including lights, air conditioning and stoves, will not be restored for at least “a number of days.”Residents have been forced to navigate the halls of their building in darkness, using the light from their phones to go inside and retrieve belongings. The stairwells have been lit with portable generators.No evacuation orders are in place prevent...

Pakistani rescuers try to free 6 children and 2 men from a cable car hundreds of feet in the air

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:51 GMT

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A cable car carrying six children and two adults dangled hundreds of meters (feet) above the ground in a remote part of Pakistan after it broke on Tuesday, trapping the occupants for hours before rescuers arrived in helicopters to try to free them. Army commandos could be seen on local TV trying to lower themselves on ropes from the choppers toward the cable car. An expert warned the rescue was incredibly delicate because the wind created by the helicopters’ blades could further weaken cables holding the car aloft.Commandos in helicopters were expected to make another attempt before sunset to rescue those trapped. Earlier, two helicopter attempts tried to free them but were unsuccessful.Relatives of those trapped prayed while anxiously watching the operation unfold. The rescue has also transfixed Pakistanis across the country who crowded around televisions in offices, shops, restaurants and hospitals.According to Pakistani TV stations, some of those t...

Could the White Sox leave Guaranteed Rate Field? Report indicates it could happen

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:51 GMT

CHICAGO - Could the White Sox time at Guaranteed Rate Field, in Chicago, or under the stewardship of their current owner be dwindling down?That could be the case, according to a report Monday in Crane's Chicago Business. In the story written by reporter Greg Hinz, team chairman Jerry Reinsdorf is considering a move out of the team's current south side ballpark when the team's lease at Guaranteed Rate Field expires in six years. He could choose to build a new ballpark in the city or suburbs or even move the team, with the report citing Nashville as a possible destination.Yet there is also chatter that Reinsdorf could decide to sell the team, according to the report, which he was owned since 1981. The report indicates that none of these decisions from the 87-year-old owner are imminent.The south side has been the home for the White Sox since 1900, when the franchise moved to Chicago from St. Paul, Minnesota. They played at South Side Park in their early years before building Comiskey ...

Apparent explosion reduces multimillion-dollar North Carolina home to rubble

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:51 GMT

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (WJZY) – An investigation is underway after an apparent explosion leveled a multimillion-dollar North Carolina home overnight. The 6,500-plus-square-foot house, located in Mooresville just off Lake Norman, was mostly reduced to rubble as of Tuesday morning. There were no immediate reports of deaths, but authorities were working to determine if anyone was inside the home at the time of the explosion. Iredell County Sheriff deputies, Troutman Fire and Mooresville Fire departments were at the scene early on Tuesday morning. Dominion Energy officials also responded. ‘Like a bomb going off’: Explosion at Kansas home caught on camera Neighbors in the area say they heard a loud explosion and smelled gas. Some also said the current homeowner has lived in the house for less than a year.“A loud boom, about five minutes to midnight,” one neighbor said of the noise, speaking with Nexstar's WJZY. “A gorgeous house, in all respects. I can’t belie...