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US to test expedited asylum screenings at Mexico border

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:51:29 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Migrants who enter the United States illegally will be screened by asylum officers while in custody under a limited experiment that provides them access to legal counsel, the Department of Homeland Security said Friday.The new approach will start with a tiny number of migrants next week. Officials said the trial run is part of preparations for the end of a pandemic-related rule expected on May 11 that has suspended rights to seek asylum for many. If expanded, the new screening could bring major change to how people are processed upon reaching U.S. soil to seek asylum.Homeland Security officials said they will begin working with a legal services provider they declined to name that will represent asylum-seekers at initial screenings, known as “credible fear hearings.” Access to legal representation will be critical to the plan moving ahead, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details that have not been publicly announced.The scr...

Israeli authorities say attack wounds at least 7 in Tel Aviv

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:51:29 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli authorities said late Friday that at least seven people were wounded in a suspected attack in Tel Aviv, Israel’s commercial hub. The exact nature of the attack was not immediately clear, but the Israeli Foreign Ministry referred to it as a “terror attack,” a term Israeli officials use for assaults by Palestinians. Israeli police said a car rammed into a group of people near a popular seaside park before flipping over. Police said they shot the driver of the car. Israel’s rescue service described the incident as a shooting attack. The attack came against the backdrop of heightened tensions after Israeli airstrikes on Palestinian militant targets in both Lebanon and Gaza, as well as a shooting attack in the occupied West Bank that killed two Israelis.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel unleashed rare airstrikes on Lebanon and bombarded the Gaza Strip on Friday, an escalation that spar...

Biden sports plan angers transgender advocates, opponents

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:51:29 GMT

A Biden administration proposal to forbid outright bans on transgender athletes sparked outrage from conservative leaders while also angering trans rights activists who note schools could still prevent some athletes from participating on teams that align with their gender identity.The proposed rule, which still faces a lengthy approval process, establishes that blanket bans, like those that have been approved in at least 20 states, would violate Title IX, the landmark gender-equity legislation enacted in 1972. But schools could still adopt policies that limit transgender students’ participation, particularly in more competitive high school and college sports.Under the proposal, it would be much more difficult for schools to ban, for example, a transgender girl in elementary school from playing on a girls basketball team. But it would also leave room for schools to develop policies that prohibit trans athletes from playing on more competitive teams if those policies are designe...

Man dies after bringing barbecue inside during power outage, Quebec premier says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:51:29 GMT

MONTREAL — Quebec Premier Francois Legault says a man died this morning after bringing his barbecue indoors during a power outage caused by this week’s ice storm.The death in Ste-Eustache, Que., is the third attributed to Wednesday’s storm, which coated parts of southern Quebec and eastern Ontario in ice and left more than a million without power.As of this afternoon, crews in both provinces were working to restore power to more than 500,000 customers, mostly in Quebec.Legault did not say how the third man died, but Montreal’s health authority said dozens of people suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning after using outdoor appliances inside during the blackout.Officials say they received more than 60 reports of CO poisoning over the course of several hours today, while emergency rooms were at 200 per cent capacity.   Legault announced the latest death while touring Les Coteaux, Que., where another man died while attempting to cut down tree branches on his property...

Blast at north Iraqi airport raises tension in Kurdish area

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:51:29 GMT

BAGHDAD (AP) — An explosion struck next to the Suleimaniyah International Airport in northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region Friday, local officials said.The blast came days after Turkey closed its airspace to flights to and from the airport, citing an alleged increase in Kurdish militant activity threatening flight safety.Turkey has spent years fighting Kurdish militants in its east. Large Kurdish communities also live in neighboring Iraq and Syria where they have a degree of self-rule.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a U.K.-based opposition war monitor, and some local media reported that the explosion was a Turkish drone attack on Mazloum Abdi, the leader of the Syrian Democratic Forces, the main U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led force in Syria.Officials with the SDF and the Kurdish regional government in northeast Syria denied that Abdi was in Suleimaniyah at the time or had been the target of an attack. Fethullah al-Husseini, a representative of the Kurdish self-rule ad...

Mayor-elect Johnson meets with Gov. Pritzker

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:51:29 GMT

CHICAGO — Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson continues his tour to meet local leaders, including Governor JB Pritzker. The meeting is expected to take place Friday at the State building. Johnson met with former mayor Lori Lightfoot Thursday for more than an hour in a closed-door meeting. Johnson shared that Lightfoot gave him advice to seize the moment and enjoy the opportunity to lead the city. Mayor-elect Johnson meets Mayor Lightfoot ahead of inauguration Lightfoot also promised Johnson a smooth transition of power. Pritzker and Johnson are expected to meet at 1 p.m. Friday with Johnson's inauguration next month.

NHL's Pride nights collide with LGBTQ+ political climate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:51:29 GMT

Sports leagues and teams often use Pride nights to raise the visibility and acceptance of LGBTQ+ people — as well as sell them tickets — and the NHL has been a leader. They can include special jerseys designed by LGBTQ+ artists, performances, information tables, even drag performances. And they're largely a hit.But seven NHL players recently opted out of wearing rainbow-colored jerseys on their teams' Pride nights for the first time, leading the league's commissioner to say it is weighing the future of the events.That worries some fans and LGBTQ+ supporters, who say it's a sign that a political climate that has led to restrictions on expression, health care and transgender sports participation both in the U.S. and internationally is now threatening events that are meant to be fun and affirming. Roger Powell Jr. named Valparaiso men’s basketball coach “It’s definitely fair to say that this political landscape is helping to sort of normalize people for opting out of the op...

Man pleads guilty to charge in alleged Chicago mosque attack plot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:51:29 GMT

BANGOR, Maine (AP) — A 19-year-old accused of making homemade explosives and plotting to attack a mosque in the Chicago area pleaded guilty Friday to providing material support to terrorists.Xavier Pelkey appeared in federal court to enter the plea under under an agreement in which prosecutors dropped a second charge. He faces up to 15 years in prison when he's sentenced at a later date. Former IL gov. candidate charged for threatening Lake County judges Pelkey, of Waterville, was 18 when he was arrested last year by FBI agents who found three homemade explosives in his residence, along with a handwritten document that appeared to be a draft statement about the planned mosque attack. In the statement, Pelkey claimed allegiance to the Islamic State group and an IS flag was painted on his bedroom wall, investigators said.He had been communicating with two juveniles in Canada and in Illinois about conducting a mass shooting at a Shiite mosque in the Chicago area, law enforcement offi...

How should the federal government regulate AI?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:51:29 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — With artificial intelligence technology developing rapidly, the White House is promising not to turn a blind eye and urging Congress to institute regulations.Experts agree Congress must catch up as tech giants like Microsoft, Meta and Google race to unleash AI tools to the public."I'm concerned … (The government is) a little bit behind already," Patrick Hall, a scientist whose firm consults on AI products, said. "We don't have strong data privacy regulations to build off."At a meeting with his council of science and technology advisers this week, President Joe Biden acknowledged the benefits and risks of AI "to our society, our economy and our national security." The president said tech companies need to create safeguards to prevent discrimination and misinformation and called on Congress to pass legislation to ensure user data isn't misused."Social media has already shown us the harm that powerful technologies can do," Biden said.Experts in the field agree pr...

Easter Bunny pays early visit to NICU babies at St. David's

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:51:29 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Babies in the neonatal intensive care unit at St. David's Women's Center of Texas got a special visit this week. The Easter Bunny made an early appearance at St. David's NICU, giving families the chance to take their first Easter photos with their newborns. Baby in the NICU at St. David's is dressed up for Easter (Photo credit: St. David's Women's Center of Texas)Easter Bunny visits triplets in the St. David's NICU (Photo credit: St. David's Women's Center of Texas)Easter Bunny visits newborn in the St. David's NICU (Photo credit: St. David's Women's Center of Texas)Easter Bunny visits newborn and mom in the St. David's NICU (Photo credit: St. David's Women's Center of Texas)St. David’s Women's Center of Texas recently expanded its NICU from 67 to 97 beds as part of St. David's HealthCare's nearly $1 billion investment in Central Texas healthcare infrastructure.