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Biden will be plunging into Middle East turmoil on his visit to Israel

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:36 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will touch down in Israel on Wednesday for a diplomatic scramble to prevent the war with Hamas from spiraling into an even larger conflict, a challenge that became more difficult as outrage swept through the Middle East over an explosion that killed hundreds in a Gaza Strip hospital. Biden was originally scheduled to visit Jordan as well, but his meetings with Arab leaders were called off as he was leaving Washington, costing him an opportunity for the face-to-face conversations that he views as crucial for navigating this fraught moment. Now Biden’s only stop will be Israel, where he’s expected to huddle with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel has been preparing for a potential ground invasion of Gaza in response to Hamas’ attacks on Oct. 7, which killed 1,400 Israelis. John Kirby, a White House national security spokesman, told reporters aboard Air Force One that Biden “wants to get a sense from the Israelis on the sit...

Italy’s far-right Premier Meloni defies fears of harming democracy and clashing with the EU

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:36 GMT

ROME (AP) — When Giorgia Meloni took office a year ago as the first far-right premier in Italy’s post-war history, many in Europe worried about the prospect of the country’s democratic backsliding and resistance to European Union rules.The European Commission president issued a decidedly undiplomatic warning that Europe had “the tools” to deal with any member, including Italy, if things went “in a difficult direction.” There were fears in Brussels that Rome could join a strident nationalist bloc, notably Hungary and Poland, in a clash with EU democratic standards.But since being sworn in, Meloni, whose Brothers of Italy party has neo-fascist roots, has confounded Western skeptics.She has steadfastly backed NATO support for Ukraine, especially on military aid for Kyiv against Russia’s invasion. That’s no small feat. Her main governing coalition partners are parties whose leadership was long marked by pro-Russian sympathies — the League of Matteo Salvini, and Forza Italia, found...

In big year for labor, California Gov. Gavin Newsom delivers both wins and surprises

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:36 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom again seized the national spotlight this year as he signed some of the most ambitious laws in the country to raise worker wages and to force companies to disclose a wide range of climate emissions, efforts that further cement the state’s — and the governor’s — status as a leader on a host of liberal causes. But the Democrat disappointed some progressive advocates as he vetoed high-profile bills to give unemployment benefits to striking workers, require courts to weigh a parent’s support of their child’s gender identity in custody proceedings and decriminalize some psychedelic drugs. He also supported a controversial bill to force more people into mental health or addiction treatment, a proposal aimed at addressing the state’s persistent homelessness crisis.His actions on more than 1,000 pieces of legislation — nearly 15% of which he vetoed — showcase how Newsom plans to govern in his second and final term as le...

Former Treasury Secretary Lew, Biden’s pick for ambassador to Israel, to face senators at hearing

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:36 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate is moving quickly to confirm Jacob Lew as ambassador to Israel, holding a hearing on his nomination Wednesday as President Joe Biden heads to the region to reinforce U.S. support for Israel and try to ease tensions in its new war with Hamas. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing comes as the White House has told lawmakers that it is considering a request of between $90 billion and $100 billion for the wars in Israel and Ukraine, and for Taiwan as it faces threats from China, according to four people familiar with the conversations. The request to Congress would cover a year, according to another person familiar with the administration’s expected request. Lew, a Treasury Secretary under former President Barack Obama, was nominated by Biden last month after former Ambassador Tom Nides left the post in July. Democrats say Lew’s wealth of government experience — he also served as a White House chief of staff and director of the Office of Management ...

Republicans and Democrats agree on one thing: The Afghan war wasn’t worth it, AP-NORC poll shows

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:36 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — At a time when Americans are deeply divided along party lines, a new poll shows considerable agreement on at least one issue: The United States’ two-decade-long war in Afghanistan was not worth fighting.The poll from the Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research comes two years after the U.S. pulled out of Afghanistan in August 2021 and the Taliban returned to power. The war was started to go after the masterminds of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the Taliban who allowed them to use Afghan territory. It ended in frantic scenes of Afghans and Americans desperately trying to get on one of the last flights out of Kabul.Polls suggest the withdrawal, seen by many as chaotic and ill-planned, may have been a turning point for President Joe Biden’s approval ratings, which started a downward slide around that time and have not recovered since. Two-thirds of Americans sa...

Suspect in Natalee Holloway case expected to enter plea in extortion charge

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:36 GMT

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — The chief suspect in Natalee Holloway’s 2005 disappearance is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday morning, where he is expected to plead guilty to trying to extort money from her mother and provide new information about what happened to the missing teen.Joran van der Sloot, 36, charged with extortion and wire fraud, is scheduled to go before a federal judge in Birmingham, Alabama, for a plea and sentencing hearing. Attorney John Q. Kelly, who represented Holloway’s mother during the alleged extortion attempt, said the plea deal was contingent on van der Sloot providing details about what happened to Holloway.Van der Sloot is not charged in Holloway’s death. He is charged with trying to extort $250,000 from Holloway’s mother, Beth Holloway, in 2010 to reveal the location of her daughter’s remains. Holloway went missing during a high school graduation trip to Aruba with classmates from Mountain Brook High School. She was last seen lea...

China’s Xi promises more market openness and new investments for Belt and Road projects

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:36 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping promised greater access to China’s market for international firms and new financing exceeding $100 billion for other developing economies as he opened a forum Wednesday on his signature Belt and Road infrastructure policy.The initiative has built power plants, roads, railroads and ports around the world and deepened China’s relations with Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Mideast. But the massive loans that funded the projects have burdened poorer countries with heavy debts, in some cases leading to China taking control of those assets.At the forum’s opening ceremony at the cavernous Great Hall of the People, Xi promised two Chinese-backed development banks – the China Development Bank and the Export–Import Bank of China – will each set 350 billion yuan ($47.9 billion) financing windows, while an additional 80 billion yuan ($11 billion) will be injected into the Silk Road Fund to support BRI projects.“We will comprehensively remove...

Colorado teens accused of taking ‘memento’ photo after rock-throwing death set to appear in court

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:36 GMT

GOLDEN, Colo. (AP) — Three teenagers charged with murder in the death of a 20-year Colorado driver who was struck by a rock that investigators say was thrown through her windshield are set to appear in court Wednesday for an evidentiary hearing to determine if their case should go to trial.Joseph Koenig, Nicholas “Mitch” Karol-Chik and Zachary Kwak were arrested several days after Alexa Bartell was hit in the head by a rock while driving northwest of Denver on April 19 and talking on the phone with a friend. After the call went silent, the friend tracked Bartell’s location with a phone app and found the suburban Denver woman dead in her car, which had crashed into a field. Investigators have said Bartell was killed by the rock and not the crash.According to court documents, the teens, all 18 at the time, circled back to take a photo of the crashed car as a “memento.”Investigators said at the time that they believed the attack was linked to several other similar incidents in which ro...

Calvin Booth addresses comments made about Michael Porter Jr., Bones Hyland: “Mike is a core piece of our program”

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:36 GMT

LOS ANGELES — Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth appeared on ESPN’s broadcast of the Nuggets-Clippers preseason game Tuesday night and addressed recent comments attributed to him in an article by The Ringer.Booth reaffirmed his appreciation of Michael Porter Jr. in the brief, live interview on ESPN. “Obviously, Mike is a core piece of our program with his character and offensive and defensive prowess,” Booth said.In the article published Monday, Booth was quoted in a way that he described Tuesday as “unfair” while explaining his rationale for last season’s trade of Bones Hyland. “I knew you couldn’t have two guys that couldn’t guard, and we couldn’t have two guys that were young and kind of more ‘me guys,’” Booth told The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor. “Mike makes $30 million. He’s one of the best shooters in the NBA. So, Bones, there’s no place for you.”Given the opportunity to address those comments, Booth told ESPN: &#...

Malibu crash leaves 4 dead

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:36 GMT

Four people died Tuesday night following a multi-vehicle crash in Malibu.The crash happened around 8:30 p.m. on the 21500 block of the Pacific Coast Highway.According to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, four people were pronounced dead at the scene. Two others were injured and crews were working to remove them from the vehicles and transport them to the hospital. The severity of their injuries is unclear at this time.One of the involved vehicles in a deadly crash in Malibu is seen on its side on Oct. 17, 2023. (KTLA)Video from Sky5 showed at least two vehicles that sustained major damage, including one vehicle that rolled onto its side. Severe front end damage to one of the vehicles seemed to indicate that the crash was a head-on collision.The circumstances of the crash are under investigation. Check back for details on this developing story.