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Russia comes under pressure at UN to avoid global food crisis and revive Ukrainian grain shipments

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:41 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia came under pressure at the U.N. Security Council on Friday from its ally China and developing countries as well as Western nations to avert a global food crisis and quickly revive Ukrainian grain shipments. Moscow was also criticized by the U.N. and council members for attacking Ukrainian ports after pulling out of the year-old grain deal and destroying port infrastructure — a violation of international humanitarian law banning attacks on civilian infrastructure.In response to Russia declaring wide areas in the Black Sea dangerous for shipping, the U.N. warned that a military incident in the sea could have “catastrophic consequences.”Russia said it suspended the Black Sea Grain Initiative because the U.N. had failed to overcome obstacles to shipping its food and fertilizer to global markets, the other half of the Ukraine grain deal. The Kremlin said it would consider resuming Ukrainian shipments if progress is made in overcoming the obstacles, includi...

Comedians energize the picket lines as Hollywood actors and writers strikes enter second week

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:41 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The combined strike by Hollywood actors and screenwriters entered its second week with no swift end in sight, and union leaders and star strikers, including a bevy of comedians attempted to boost morale Friday as the novelty of picket lines wears off.“The momentum is still building,” said stand-up comic, writer and actor Marc Maron outside Netflix headquarters. “I got some of my comedy buddies — we’re like, let’s go, let’s make sure we’re there and we show up for our union. There’s a lot of people here and look, eventually they have to, they have to negotiate, right?”Maron starred on the series “GLOW” for Netflix, whose headquarters in an increasingly hip section of Hollywood has been a bustling hub during the strike, with music blasting and food trucks serving ice cream, shaved ice and churros. His fellow comedians and comic actors abounded on the picket line, including “Saturday Night Live” and “Portlandia” alum Fred Armisen, “Hacks” star Hannah Einbinder, “Broo...

The Fargo shooter used a binary trigger. Here’s what to know about the device that’s worrying police

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:41 GMT

Sitting in a parked car with an arsenal of weapons and ammunition, the man who fired on police officers in North Dakota earlier this month chose to use the one gun in his vehicle that was modified with a binary trigger. The device allowed the gun to fire so rapidly that it sounded like an automatic weapon. The July 14 shooting in Fargo, which killed one officer and wounded two others and a civilian, has put a spotlight on the device and other trigger modifications that are a growing concern for law enforcement. Mohamad Barakat, 37, opened fire on the officers as they responded to a car accident. He shot from his vehicle loaded with guns, a homemade grenade, gasoline canisters, propane tanks containing improvised explosives, and more than 1,800 rounds of ammunition, police said. Barakat was killed by a fourth officer who returned fire.North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley said on Friday that he believes the violence could have been the beginning of a bigger attack, as the Downto...

Tar balls are being found 100 miles downstream from Yellowstone River train derailment

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:41 GMT

LAUREL, Mont. (AP) — Tar balls have shown up 100 miles (161 kilometers) downstream of a railroad bridge collapse last month that sent numerous tank cars carrying petroleum products plummeting into Montana’s Yellowstone River, officials said Friday, as dropping water levels and rising temperatures hinder cleanup work.More than 66 tons (60 metric tonnes) of the black, gooey stuff have been removed from the river since the June 24 accident, officials said. Most of the spilled material — a binder for asphalt that sticks to river rocks and gets harder to handle as it warms — is expected to get left behind.Cleanup crews working this week on an island near the town of Laurel pulled long, taffy-like pieces of the asphalt from among the river rocks. They used shovels to pull apart sandbanks where receding water levels revealed pockets of contamination. The globs — along with some rocks and sand — were bagged for disposal and carried away by power boat.Navigating the river is getting ha...

DeSantis seeks review of Florida’s holdings in Bud Light maker over transgender influencer backlash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:41 GMT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Presidential candidate and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis wants Florida to investigate its investments in the company that makes Bud Light because of conservative backlash over a transgender social media influencer marketing the beverage. DeSantis said Thursday in a letter to the State Board of Administration that “all options are on the table” in its response to Dylan Mulvaney’s Instagram post of a video of her opening a Bud Light with her face on the can. The governor said that due to the the backlash over the post, Anheuser-Busch InBev has suffered sales losses that could affect state investments. He added that the beer manufacturer’s “radical social ideologies” have turned Bud Light into a “social pariah” and losses have been “staggering.” DeSantis has previously made headlines by battling Walt Disney World over its opposition to a Florida law banning discussion of gender identity and sexuality orientation in schools, and has targeted other com...

Tennessee now requires court order or proof of pardon to restore felon voting rights

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:41 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee has begun requiring felons who want their voting rights back to first get their full citizenship rights restored by a judge or show they were pardoned. Election officials say the step is required after a June court ruling. But attorneys representing the state’s disenfranchised felons accuse officials of searching for ways to suppress Black voters.On Friday, Tennessee Elections Coordinator Mark Goins sent a memo to local elections officials informing them of the new requirement. The secretary of state’s website was updated as well.Tennessee previously had set up a process under a 2006 law for felons to petition for the restoration of their voting rights. It allows them to seek restoration if they can show they have served their sentences and do not owe any outstanding court costs or child support. The Campaign Legal Center is already suing Tennessee in federal court over the way it implements that law. They argue, among other things, that...

Alabama lawmakers refuse to create 2nd majority-Black congressional district

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:41 GMT

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers on Friday refused to create a second majority-Black congressional district, a move that could defy a recent order from the U.S. Supreme Court to give minority voters a greater voice in elections and trigger a renewed battle over the state’s political map.The legislation now goes to Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, who is expected to sign it.Lawmakers in the Republican-dominated House and Senate instead passed a plan that would increase the percentage of Black voters from about 31% to 40% in the state’s 2nd District. A conference committee proposed the map as a compromise between plans that had percentages of 42% and 38%, respectively, for the southeast Alabama district.State lawmakers faced a deadline to adopt new lines after the Supreme Court in June upheld a three-judge panel’s finding that the current state map — with one majority-Black district out of seven in a state that is 27% Black — likely violates the federal Voting Rights Act.Voting r...

Cubs get a boost from unlikely source in win over Cardinals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:41 GMT

CHICAGO — Of all the players in the Cubs' lineup that would be expected to use his power to provide a spark, the team's starting third baseman on Friday was probably not the choice.After all, Miles Mastrobuoni had yet to take a pitch out of the ballpark in the first 45 games of his Major League Baseball career. But the infielder would find some power to kick off a big inning for the Cubs at Wrigley Field against the Cardinals on a matinee against their division rivals - and that surge was enough for a victory.Mastrobuoni's first career home sparked a four-run third inning for the hosts, who would hold onto that advantage the rest of the way to beat St. Louis 4-3 on Friday afternoon. It's the Cubs' first win of the four-game series as they improve to 46-51 on the year.Down by a run entering the third inning, Mastrobuoni worked the count against Jack Flaherty to 3-1 before taking a pitch 411 feet to right-center for the first homer of his career. This came in his 46th game of his MLB ...

AARP, Texas Consumer Association petition for moratorium on power shutoffs, but PUCT says one already exists

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:41 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- AARP Texas and the Texas Consumer Association sent an emergency petition to the Public Utilities Commission of Texas (PUCT) on Thursday, asking for a moratorium on "all electric service disconnections of residential premises for bill arrearages or lack of payment until on or after September 15, 2023, as a public safety matter," citing concerns about heat-related illness and death. Related: Dangerous prison heat conditions on display at Texas Capitol The groups write that "extended heat wave conditions," combined with Texans' energy insecurity, creates the possibility of heat-related illness and death. "During a hot Texas summer and heat wave, living in low-quality, inefficient housing with no airconditioning or refrigeration for food and medicine could be a death sentence for seniors, young children, medically vulnerable citizens, and others," the petition reads, "Many households face the risk of disconnection month after month, so an electricity disconnection mor...

HVAC repairs underway in AISD as temperatures rise, but more work needs to be done

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:41 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – For years, air conditioner issues have plagued campuses around Austin ISD, school officials said."We have to go to rental equipment, use emergency funds, some of those pieces of equipment are $10,000 a month," said Michael Mann, AISD's executive director of construction management.Last November, voters approved a historic $2.44 billion bond package. The money will go towards modernizing schools, adding new technology and addressing HVAC issues -- which is a high priority."Over the summer we have about 15 schools…16 schools that have HVAC repairs that will be completed," said Mann.These fixes come as Austin is seeing record temperatures, but not all the work will be done by the time school starts."We have another five (schools) that are in the bidding process," Mann said. "We have plans for another 15 or so for next summer." HVAC fixes could begin ‘as soon as this summer’ for some Austin ISD campuses Those schools will still rely on rental equipment when the summer ...