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Laphonza Butler says she will not seek Senate seat in 2024

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:57 GMT

(CNN) — Democratic Sen. Laphonza Butler of California said Thursday that she would not run for a full term next year.“I’ve spent the past 16 days pursuing my clarity – what kind of life I want to have, what kind of service I want to offer and what kind of voice I want to bring forward,” Butler said in a statement. “After considering those questions I’ve decided not to run for Senate in the upcoming election. Knowing you can win a campaign doesn’t always mean you should run a campaign.”Butler told The New York Times, which first reported the news, that she would be the “the loudest, proudest champion of California” for the remainder of her term but that “this is not the greatest use of my voice.”California Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Butler to fill the seat left vacant after the death of Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Butler was sworn in earlier this month and made history as the first out Black lesbian to enter Congress. Butler is also the sole B...

Jewish leaders slam Boston city councilor for ‘antisemitic’ remarks on Israel-Hamas war

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:57 GMT

A Boston city councilor is being slammed for making “antisemitic” statements that perpetuate a “dangerous myth” about “excessive Jewish power and influence” in global affairs, two Jewish groups say.The Anti-Defamation League of New England and the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston both released statements Thursday criticizing the “troubling” remarks made by Tania Fernandes Anderson at this week’s City Council meeting.“Drawing on the oldest tropes about Jewish power and influence to make a political statement is not just unacceptable, it is antisemitic,” Rabbi Dr. Jonah Steinberg, ADL New England regional director, said in a statement.“Excessive Jewish power and influence controlling global affairs is a dangerous myth where Jews are cast as manipulative schemers who use money and influence to advance an evil agenda,” he added.“Words matter,” Steinberg said, saying that while the ADL welcomes a conversation, the “community deserves an apology” from the councilor.Rel...

Tyson Bagent’s 159 passing TDs at Shepherd set an NCAA record. 12 numbers to know before the Chicago Bears’ Week 7 game.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:57 GMT

The Chicago Bears will look to end a 56-week drought without a home victory Sunday when they face the Las Vegas Raiders at Soldier Field. The Bears are again underdogs, however, and will have to put forth a crisp and complete effort to get back on the winning track.As kickoff nears, here are a dozen attention-grabbing facts and figures.159Passing touchdowns for quarterback Tyson Bagent during his career at Shepherd University, an NCAA record among all divisions. Bagent made 53 starts for the Rams between 2018 and 2022 and completed 1,400 passes for 17,034 yards, which is a Division II record. He threw for a career-high 518 yards in his college debut — a loss to Notre Dame College in 2018. Bagent threw for a career-high seven touchdowns in a win against West Virginia Wesleyan later that season.6Bagent passes targeted for DJ Moore during the second half of his NFL debut Sunday. Bagent threw 14 passes overall and connected four times with Moore for 44 yards. His final pass —...

Ravens OLB Tyus Bowser says he’s ‘feeling great,’ but return will hinge on meetings with doctors this week

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:57 GMT

After months of uncertainty and speculation, the mystery of when Ravens outside linebacker Tyus Bowser will be back on the field this season could be drawing close to a conclusion.On Wednesday, coach John Harbaugh said that Bowser is meeting with doctors this week to examine a knee injury that has kept him out since before the season began. A day earlier, Bowser said on his podcast that he’s “feeling great” and “moving around very well.”“I want what’s best for Tyus,” Harbaugh said. “I want this to kind of get resolved because he has worked hard to get physically where he can come back and play.”Meanwhile, the saga drags on with the 28-year-old former second-round pick still on the non-football injury list.In August, Harbaugh said that Bowser, who didn’t participate in the Ravens’ offseason program or training camp, was dealing with an “agitated knee” but that he expected him to be back by the start o...

Trump is ‘not above the law,’ prosecutors say in urging judge to let federal election case proceed

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:57 GMT

Federal prosecutors said Thursday that Donald Trump is “not above the law” as they urged a judge to reject the former president’s efforts to dismiss the case charging him with plotting to overturn the 2020 presidential election.Lawyers for Trump had asked U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to toss the case, saying he is immune from prosecution for acts he took while fulfilling his duties as president.Special counsel Jack Smith’s team responded that there is nothing in the Constitution, or in court precedent, to support the idea that Trump can not be prosecuted.“The defendant is not above the law. He is subject to the federal criminal laws like more than 330 million other Americans, including Members of Congress, federal judges, and everyday citizens,” prosecutors wrote.Eric Tucker, The Associated Press

No Labels sues Arizona to block opponents from using the new political party to run for office

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:57 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — The No Labels party on Thursday filed a lawsuit in Arizona seeking to block its ballot line from being used by Democrats who oppose the group’s efforts to launch a third-party ticket for president next year. The lawsuit asks a federal judge in Phoenix to block Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes from allowing people to run for offices other than president or vice president under the No Labels banner. Fontes’s office told the group last month that it is obligated to accept filings from candidates even if party leaders reject them. At least one person who’s filed under No Labels is a Joe Biden supporter who opposes the group and wants it to disclose its donors, something long sought by supporters of the president.No Labels has drawn extra scrutiny in Arizona, one of a dozen states where it has secured ballot access for a potential presidential candidate. Biden supporters say they’re worried No Labels could prove a spoiler given that he won the ...

Elderly man injured after driving into wrong lane, crashing into dump truck near Hamilton

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:57 GMT

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) say an elderly man was injured after he drove into the path of a dump truck on Highway 5 near Hamilton. OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said the two-vehicle crash happened around 1:30 p.m. on Highway 5 between Oldfield and Sydenham roads.Sgt. Schmidt said the driver, an 80-year-old man from Stoney Creek, Ont., was in the westbound lane and traversed into the eastbound lane, where he crashed into a dump truck.Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) say an elderly man was injured after he drove into the path of a dump truck on Highway 5 near Hamilton. Photo: OPP Highway Safety Division/X.The man’s injuries were considered serious and potentially life-threatening, but in an update from OPP, a spokesperson said the injuries were not as severe as initially believed. The truck driver was not injured and cooperated with investigators. Road closures were in place for several hours, but OPP said they were expected to be lifted by 6 p.m. on Thursday. Officers remain at th...

Questions linger after Connecticut police officers fatally shoot man in his bed

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:57 GMT

Donald Passmore was lying in bed with a .22-caliber revolver and had country music playing when he was killed by two police officers who had initially been summoned to the 62-year-old’s Connecticut home after a report he’d shot himself.The killing Monday angered and saddened Passmore’s family and raised questions about whether officers could have done things differently. It came as many police departments nationwide have changed the way they respond to certain calls, including those involving mentally ill people — in response to outcries over police killings.Police body camera videos showed part of what happened after officers arrived at Passmore’s home in Wallingford, Connecticut. The man’s girlfriend had called 911 shortly after 2:30 a.m. to report he had shot himself in the face in their bedroom.The state inspector general’s office, which investigates all police shootings in Connecticut, said the officers spoke to Passmore for about nine minutes.The videos...

Marlon Wayans says he is being unfairly prosecuted after being by racially targeted by gate agent

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:57 GMT

DENVER (AP) — Actor and comedian Marlon Wayans says he is being unfairly prosecuted for disturbing the peace over a dispute with an airline employee who he alleges targeted him because of his race. Attorneys for Wayans, who is Black, made the allegations in a court filing Thursday that asked for dismissal of the case stemming from a luggage dispute at Denver’s airport.Wayans was cited for disturbing the peace, a municipal violation, in June, police said. According to the court filing, a United Airlines gate agent told him he could not get on a flight to Kansas City with three bags. The gate agent apparently tried to physically block Wayans from getting on the flight after he consolidated his luggage into two bags to conform with airline policy, the filing said. He boarded anyway and was later asked to get off the plane before it departed.While Wayans worked to rearrange his luggage, the gate agent kept allowing white passengers with three bags to board the flight, according to...

Electric truck maker Rivian says construction on 1st phase of Georgia factory will proceed in 2024

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:57 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Rivian Automotive will move ahead with construction on a factory in Georgia early next year, the company confirmed Thursday.The California-based electric truck company made the announcement as it opens a retail location in an intown Atlanta development, the eighth in a network of what the company calls “spaces” that it’s rolling out in select locations nationwide. The company plans additional locations in Colorado, Texas and California in coming months.Customers can’t buy a truck or SUV at Rivian’s Atlanta location — the company only sells online to evade Georgia’s rules requiring auto manufacturers to have dealers. But the company hopes people who have already reserved one of Rivian’s vehicles or who are thinking about buying one will stop by to learn about electric vehicles, climb inside, take a test drive, and even buy a Rivian-branded jacket or backpack.“We sell a physical product, so people want to experience it physically,” said Den...