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Demonstrators brawl outside LA’s Museum of Tolerance after screening of Hamas attack video

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:42 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Street fights erupted between pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian demonstrators outside Los Angeles’ Museum of Tolerance after a private screening of video showing the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas militants.The Los Angeles Times reported that 150 people attended the private screening of “Bearing Witness to the October 7th Massacre,” that included graphic footage captured by Hamas militants’ body cameras and cellphones and was compiled by the Israel Defense Forces.Outside the museum, demonstrators waved flags and got into shouting matches, before dispersing as the event ended, the newspaper reported. But an hour later, a small group of demonstrators returned and fistfights broke out.“Two reports for battery were taken and will be thoroughly investigated,” the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement Thursday. “At this time, we do not have suspects in custody relating to the battery, or for any other reason relating to this event.”The video has also b...

Andre Iguodala takes over as acting executive director of NBA players’ union

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:42 GMT

Andre Iguodala is taking over as the acting executive director of the National Basketball Players Association after the resignation of Tamika Tremaglio, the union announced Thursday.Tremaglio, the union said, is “stepping down from the position to pursue new opportunities.” The NBPA’s executive committee has approved Iguodala’s appointment, the union said.Tremaglio was not even two full years into her four-year term as executive director. It was not immediately clear if Iguodala, the four-time NBA champion who retired after last season and was a longtime union officer, would be interested in the job in a permanent capacity.The change atop the union seemed to come as a surprise, given that Tremaglio revealed on Tuesday that she had just met with the Indiana Pacers — the second team she visited with this season, following time with the Atlanta Hawks in October — and was planning to be back in Indianapolis for All-Star weekend in February.“I am honored to take on this role and serve th...

Tensions between Dominican Republic and Haiti flare after a brief armed standoff at the border

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:42 GMT

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — The Dominican Republic on Thursday accused Haiti of multiple border violations in the latest dispute involving their shared frontier on the island of Hispaniola.Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez held a news conference on the issue just days after an armed confrontation between Dominican soldiers and members of a Haitian environmental government brigade.The brief standoff stemmed from apparent confusion over border limits. It occurred Tuesday on the northern tip of the shared island near one of more than 300 concrete barriers that delineate the border.“What happened is a flagrant violation of Dominican territory,” Álvarez said. “We make a strong call to the Haitian authorities to assume control of order in their territory and avoid situations that continue to aggravate the already delicate situation.”A spokesman for the office of Haiti’s prime minister declined comment on Thursday and referred to a statement the government issued on Wednesday i...

Portugal’s president dissolves parliament and calls an early election after prime minister quit

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:42 GMT

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said Thursday that he was dissolving the nation’s parliament and calling an early election, the announcement coming two days after Prime Minister António Costa resigned with his government tainted by a corruption scandal.The new election, Rebelo de Sousa said, would be on March 10.Rebelo de Sousa made his decision public during a national televised address after he met with the nation’s Council of State, an advisory body made up of former politicians and other veteran public figures of renown. That came after he had met with the leaders of the parties in parliament on Wednesday.Costa, Rebelo de Sousa said, will stay on as the country’s caretaker prime minister until the election.Costa, a Socialist, has led Portugal since 2015 and won a landslide election just last year.But he stepped down immediately after Portugal was rocked by a major police raid on Tuesday as part of a corruption investigation that include...

Colorado legislature will convene to address skyrocketing property costs

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:42 GMT

DENVER (AP) — Colorado Gov. Jared Polis hoisted a red baseball bat and smashed emergency glass Thursday in a silly demonstration for a very real crisis — Colorado homeowners are looking down the barrel of a potential 40% jump in property tax bills.After a ballot measure meant to quell soaring property taxes failed in Tuesday’s election, Polis turned to the emergency option of calling a special legislative session to begin Nov. 17 with the goal of providing homeowners relief before the year is out and many are stuck with unaffordable property tax bills.Colorado’s situation isn’t unique. The last several years brought the steepest rise in home values nationwide in decades. The consequent hike in property taxes threatens seniors on fixed incomes and families struggling to afford their mortgage payments. “The cost of inaction is too high,” Polis said at a press conference, the red bat lying on the floor behind him. The Colorado proposition that floundered in Tuesday...

Panel to investigate Maine shooting is established as lawyers serve notice on 20 agencies

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:42 GMT

LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — The independent commission announced by Democratic Gov. Janet Mills to investigate the shootings that claimed 18 lives in Maine last month includes former judges, prosecutors and mental health professionals, who were directed Thursday by the governor and attorney general to “follow the facts wherever they may lead.” The governor formally created the panel with an executive order Thursday on the same day some victims and family members signaled their intent to sue with requests to 20 state and federal agencies to preserve evidence.“The community of Lewiston, especially the victims and their families, have many unanswered questions. Why did this happen? How did the system fail? What changes are needed to ensure this never happens again?” said attorney Travis Brennan from Berman & Simmons, a Lewiston-based law firm.The shootings at a bowling alley and a nearby bar on Oct. 25 in Lewiston killed 18 people and injured 13 others, making it the deadliest mas...

Lawyers say Canadians facing discipline at work over social media posts on Israel-Hamas war

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:42 GMT

As fighting continues in the Middle East, thousands of people have been killed in the vicious Israel-Hamas war and many have turned to social media to voice their concerns, opinions or to advocate.Some lawyers tell CityNews, since then, there’s been an increase in calls from Canadians who say they are being disciplined at work for their posts, setting off critical discussions on freedom of speech. The Canadian Muslim Legal Support Centre said they’ve seen a 300 per cent increase in calls over the last month. Over 134 Canadians have sought advice because they were either fired, potentially facing termination or suspended. Of those calls, 30 per cent were from non-Muslims.Employers are also unsure of how to navigate these difficult situations.“There’s no precedent like this. There’s nothing that has happened to this magnitude where people are advocating online and that’s bleeding into the workplace,” said Iman Mohamed, a lawyer and t...

Baltimore police shooting prompts criticism of specialized gun squads

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:42 GMT

BALTIMORE (AP) — After a corruption scandal led the Baltimore Police Department to disband its plainclothes gun squad in 2017, the embattled agency pledged to increase oversight while remaining focused on seizing illegal weapons and curbing rampant violence.But several years later, two recent police shootings involving the department’s latest iteration of the specialized units have raised questions about how they are operating today.Officials have not yet released body camera footage of the most recent shooting, which occurred Tuesday afternoon, but residents of the southwest Baltimore neighborhood expressed outrage over what they called an unnecessary loss of life. They said the deadly police shooting has drawn attention to an issue they have been complaining about for years: that certain officers are known in the majority-Black community for harassing residents and escalating otherwise peaceful encounters.“They’re always jumping out on us for no reason. It happens all the time,” s...

Virginia Democrats lost in several key swing districts. So how did they win the General Assembly?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:42 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The election results this week in Virginia suggest that Republicans must essentially run the table in competitive areas across the state in order to find overall success at the ballot box. Democrats won full control of the General Assembly despite losing in key swing districts.Republicans had been able to do that in 2021, along with Republican Glenn Youngkin’s victory over Democrat Terry McAuliffe in the governor’s race. In addition to Youngkin’s 2-percentage-point win, Republicans also won the races for lieutenant governor and attorney general that year in very close votes. President Joe Biden, on the other hand, defeated Donald Trump in Virginia in 2020 by more than 10 percentage points.In this year’s election, Republican candidates prevailed in three of the four Biden-Youngkin state Senate districts and in at least seven of 11 Biden-Youngkin state House districts. The Republican incumbent in an additional Biden-Youngkin state House district in Petersburg i...

Dr. Arwady heading to CDC to lead National Center for Injury Prevention and Control

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:42 GMT

ATLANTA — The former commissioner of the Chicago Dept. of Public Dr. Allison Arwady will be heading to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for a director position.Dr. Arwady will be leading the CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. It is focused on violence, suicide, overdose and injury prevention.Her first day is on Jan. 16, 2024."I am honored to join the CDC in tackling some of the most pressing public health issues that face our communities today,” said Dr. Arwady. “During my time leading Chicago’s Department of Public Health, I saw the power of using local data to drive public health action and I look forward to translating this experience to a national scale. From overdose to violence, this country is in crisis, and we must meet the crisis with strong public health approaches that center evidence and equity." ‘The honor of my life:’ Chicago’s former top doc speaks out after sudden firing Dr. Arwady was confirmed as commissioner in Jan. 2020...