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Hunter Biden tells Congress he’ll testify publicly, setting up a potential high-stakes face-off

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:42 GMT

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — Hunter Biden offered Tuesday to testify publicly before Congress, striking a defiant note in response to a subpoena from Republicans and setting up a potential high-stakes face-off even as a special counsel probe unfolds and his father, President Joe Biden, campaigns for reelection.The Democratic president’s son slammed the subpoena’s request for closed-door testimony, saying it could be manipulated. But Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, stood firm, saying Republicans expect “full cooperation” with their original demand for a deposition.Hunter Biden’s lawyer called the inquiry a “fishing expedition,” a response in line with the more aggressive legal approach he’s taken in recent months as congressional Republicans pursue an impeachment inquiry seeking to tie his father to his business dealings. The early-November subpoenas to Hunt...

Jimmy Carter plans to attend as family, presidents and first ladies celebrate Rosalynn Carter

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:42 GMT

By BILL BARROW (Associated Press)ATLANTA (AP) — Rosalynn Carter will be memorialized Tuesday with classical music and beloved hymns, some of her favorite Biblical passages, and a rare gathering of all living U.S. first ladies and multiple presidents, including her 99-year-old husband Jimmy Carter.The tribute service at Glenn Memorial Church in Atlanta falls on the second of a three-day schedule of public events celebrating the former first lady and global humanitarian who died Nov. 19 at home in Plains, Georgia, at the age of 96. Tributes began Monday in the Carters’ native Sumter County and continued in Atlanta as she lay in repose at The Jimmy Carter Presidential Center.President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, longtime friends of the Carters, lead the list of dignitaries joining the widowed former president in Atlanta. Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, along with former first ladies Melania Trump, Michelle Obama and Laur...

The US tells Israel any ground campaign in southern Gaza must limit further civilian displacement

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:42 GMT

By AAMER MADHANI and ZEKE MILLER (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has told Israel that it must work to avoid “significant further displacement” of Palestinian civilians in southern Gaza if it renews its ground campaign aimed at eradicating the Hamas militant group, senior U.S. officials said.The Democratic administration, seeking to avoid more large-scale civilian casualties or mass displacement like that seen before the current temporary pause in the fighting, underscored to the Israelis that they must operate with far greater precision in southern Gaza than they did in the north, the officials said, briefing reporters on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House.Amid mounting international and domestic pressure about the rising Palestinian death toll, the White House has begun to put greater pressure on Israel that the manner of the coming campaign must be “carefully thought through,” according to one...

Legoland loses power, forced to close early

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:42 GMT

CARLSBAD, Calif. -- Legoland in Carlsbad closed early Monday after losing power for about an hour, theme park officials said.Around 2:40 p.m., the power went out at the park, but it was restored an hour later, Christina Fillippis with Legoland emailed FOX 5 in a statement."There were no injuries or damage reported and any guests who were on rides at the time were safely evacuated," Fillippis said. Naked guy spotted on iconic Disneyland Ride The outage prompted the theme park to close an hour earlier (4 p.m.), according to the park.The City of Carlsbad posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that a power outage was reported in parts of northwest Carlsbad due a car accident.Guests will be able to return to the park within one year as part of its “Rainy Day Promise.”Sea Life Aquarium in Legoland was also shut down temporarily on Monday, but reopened until 6 p.m.

French police arrest a yoga guru accused of exploiting female followers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:42 GMT

PARIS (AP) — French authorities arrested the leader of a multinational tantric yoga organization Tuesday on suspicion of indoctrinating female followers for sexual exploitation. The Romanian guru at the heart of the Atman Yoga Federation was detained during a massive morning police operation across the Paris region, according to a French judicial official, who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly about an ongoing investigation. The French official identified the man as Gregorian B., whom French media identified as Gregorian Bivolaru, 71, an internationally known yoga teacher and author. The Altman federation, which is headquartered in England, runs yoga courses and yoga teacher trainings. According to the French official, the investigation into Bivolaru and the yoga federation, which also is known as the Movement for Spiritual Integration into the Absolute, began after reports of psychological manipulation and sexual exploitation within the organization. Former MISA members alerted a...

Man who pleaded guilty in incel-inspired murder at Toronto spa sentenced to life in prison

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:42 GMT

A man who pleaded guilty to the incel-inspired murder of a Toronto massage parlour employee has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 10 years.The man, who cannot be identified because he was 17 at the time of the attack, has also been sentenced to three years behind bars for attempted murder, to be served concurrently.He pleaded guilty last year to first-degree murder and attempted murder in the February 2020 stabbing that killed 24-year-old Ashley Noelle Arzaga and seriously injured a woman identified only by the initials J.C.In June, Justice Sukhail Akhtar ruled that the stabbing amounted to an act of terrorism due to its links to so-called incel” ideology, which stands for involuntary celibate,” a fringe internet subculture dominated by men who blame women for their lack of sexual relations.It’s believed to be the first time in Canada that a court has made a finding of incel-motivated terrorist activity.Prosecutors wanted him sentenced a...

Authorities face calls to declare a hate crime in Vermont shooting of 3 men of Palestinian descent

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:42 GMT

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Vigils for three college students of Palestinian descent who were shot in Vermont over the weekend prompted calls for authorities to recognize the violence as a hate crime, and for unity among the Jewish and Arab communities. Jason J. Eaton, 48, was arrested and held without bail on three counts of attempted murder. A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf on Monday.The U.S. Department of Justice, along with Vermont authorities, are still investigating whether Saturday’s gunfire on a Burlington street was a hate crime amid an increase in threats against Jewish, Muslim and Arab communities across the U.S. since the Israel-Hamas war began, Attorney General Merrick Garland said. “There is understandable fear in communities across the country,” he said.One vigil was held Monday night at Brown University in Rhode Island, where one of the victims, Hisham Awartani, is a student. Participants shouted at school president Christina Paxson as she addressed the c...

Fed’s Waller: Interest rates are likely high enough to bring inflation back to 2% target

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:42 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A key Federal Reserve official said Tuesday that he is “increasingly confident” that the Fed’s interest rate policies will succeed in bringing inflation back to the central bank’s 2% target level.The official, Christopher Waller, a member of the Fed’s Board of Governors, cautioned that inflation is still too high and that it’s not yet certain if a recent slowdown in price increases can be sustained. But he sounded the most optimistic notes of any Fed official since the central bank launched its aggressive streak of rate hikes in March 2022, and he signaled that the central bank is likely done raising rates. “I am increasingly confident that policy is currently well-positioned to slow the economy and get inflation back to 2%,” Waller said in a speech at the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington think tank. Waller’s remarks follow Chair Jerome Powell’s more cautious comments earlier this month, when Powell said “we are not co...

Porter, Air Transat launch joint venture to gird against domestic competition

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:42 GMT

Porter Airlines and Air Transat are announcing a joint venture as the two carriers look to expand their range of destinations and tap into each other’s markets.For Toronto-based Porter, the deal will open the gate to Europe and sunny southern getaways currently being served by Air Transat.Meanwhile, the Montreal-based airline, which largely operates tour package trips, can benefit from access to Porter’s rapidly growing network in Canada and the United States.The joint venture allows the airlines to co-ordinate pricing and schedules along with revenue sharing, and builds on a year-old code-share agreement, which enables carriers to sell one another’s flights as if they were their own. Related: WestJet suspends Toronto-Montreal route for winter as it retreats from Eastern Canada Air Transat flight attendants OK strike mandate if new contract cannot be reached Air Canada profits soar as travel demand stays high It also comes a...

American consumers more confident in November as holiday shopping season kicks into high gear

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:42 GMT

American consumers are feeling slightly more confident this month as the all-important holiday shopping season kicks into high gear.The Conference Board, a business research group, said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index rose to 102 from 99.1 in October. Analysts were expecting a reading of 101. The October reading was revised down from an original reading of 102.6.The index measures both Americans’ assessment of current economic conditions and their outlook for the next six months. The index measuring Americans short-term expectations for income, business and job market rose to 77.8 in November from 72.7 in October. It was the third straight reading below 80 for future expectations, which historically signals a recession within a year.Consumer spending accounts for around 70% of U.S. economic activity, so economists pay close attention to consumer behavior as they take measure of the broader economy.In September, spending by consumers rose by a brisk 0.4%, even as Americans...