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US Army soldier pleads guilty to trying to contact terrorists to ambush Army soldiers in Middle East

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:49 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A U.S. Army soldier duped into thinking he was communicating online with a terrorist when it was really an FBI employee pleaded guilty Wednesday to seeking to tell terrorists how to ambush U.S. soldiers in the Middle East.Cole Bridges, 22, entered pleas in Manhattan federal court to trying to provide material support to terrorists and trying to murder U.S. military service members. He could face up to 20 years in prison on each of the two charges at a Nov. 2 sentencing.Bridges, of Stow, Ohio, has been incarcerated since his January 2021 arrest, which occurred while he was based in Fort Stewart, Georgia, with the Third Infantry Division, where the private was a cavalry scout. He joined the Army in September 2019.According to court documents, Bridges was 19 when he began researching and consuming online propaganda promoting jihadists in 2019.Authorities said he expressed support on social media for the Islamic State militant group and for jihad before he began communic...

Penguins hire Jason Spezza as assistant GM, reunites with Kyle Dubas in Pittsburgh

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:49 GMT

A familiar face is joining Kyle Dubas in Pittsburgh.The Penguins have hired Jason Spezza as an assistant general manager, the hockey team announced Wednesday.Spezza was special assistant to the general manager under Dubas this past season with the Toronto Maple Leafs after retiring as a player following the 2021-22 season with Toronto.Spezza resigned in Toronto the same day the Leafs fired Dubas last month.The Penguins say Spezza will report directly to Dubas and assist club management in all hockey operations departments.The Penguins currently do not have a general manager, and Dubas is expected to operate as the GM on an interim basis.“After a decorated playing career, Jason fully immersed himself on the management side of the game learning all facets of hockey operations this past season while with Toronto,” Dubas said in a statement.“He showed tremendous work ethic, curiosity, and ability to build relationships throughout all departments at the team facility. H...

Trump’s GOP rivals grapple with their response as his legal woes dominate the presidential contest

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:49 GMT

BEDMINSTER, N.J. (AP) — Just last week, former Vice President Mike Pence said he hoped federal prosecutors would not bring charges against former President Donald Trump. On Wednesday, a day after Trump was arraigned on dozens of felony counts related to classified documents, Pence described the allegations as “a very serious matter.”“I cannot defend what is alleged,” Pence, who is now challenging Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, said on CNBC. Later in the day, the former vice president faced pointed questions from a conservative radio host after refusing to say whether he would pardon Trump if given the chance.Pence’s evolving message highlights the high-stakes dilemma for Trump’s Republican rivals, who are struggling to find a clear and consistent strategy to take on the frontrunner as Trump’s unprecedented legal troubles threaten to dominate all other issues in the 2024 presidential contest.Some Republican leaders this week have demonstrated a ne...

Wisconsin governor vows to veto state budget if GOP cuts diversity dollars from university system

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:49 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said Wednesday in a newspaper report that he won’t sign the state budget if Republican lawmakers follow through on their plan to cut funding for the state university system’s diversity officers, escalating a bitter fight over dollars for the state campuses.Assembly Speaker Robin Vos told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he wants to cut $32 million from the UW System in the state’s 2023-25 budget, an amount he said is equal to what the system spends on diversity officers. He said during a news conference Wednesday that diversity efforts have become liberals’ “new religion” and tax dollars shouldn’t be used to help them.“For people on the left, (efforts to promote diversity have) become their new religion,” Vos said. “They no longer go to church on Sunday, but boy, are they trying to make sure everybody is evangelized on campus, that’s there only one acceptable viewpoint. That’s not what I thi...

Deportations for international students caught in fraud scheme put on hold

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:49 GMT

OTTAWA — Deportation orders for international students caught up in a fraud scheme have been put on hold while a task force investigates each case, the immigration minister announced Wednesday.Hundreds of students might have been affected by the scheme, which sawimmigration agentsissue fake acceptance letters to get international students into Canada.Some students had no idea their documents were forged until it came time for them apply for permanent residency, Fraser said, adding that those who were complicit in fraud will bear the consequences under Canadian law. Fraser said the department is aware of only few dozen people who have been ordered to leave the country, and that process will be paused.A task force of senior immigration and border control officials, likely at the associate deputy minister level, will go through each case to determine whether the student was in the know about the scam or not, he said.“The task force will consider particular factors, including whet...

Chicago Park District votes unanimously to approve Riot Fest permit

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:49 GMT

CHICAGO — Riot Fest will once again take over Chicago’s Douglass Park in September. While the event is expected to draw in huge crowds, people in the neighborhoods surrounding the park say they don’t want it to happen there anymore.On Wednesday, the Chicago Park District voted unanimously to pass the $705,000 provisional permit for the festival.Close to 50,000 people are expected in the North Lawndale community when the festival takes place September 15- 17. Acts this year will include The Cure, Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age. See the 2023 Riot Fest lineup Riot Fest has been held at the park for the last eight years but people have complained and say the millions made on the event doesn’t get reinvested into the community.Community members have also complained about the conditions Douglass Park facilities are left in after the fest is over.Some also have issues with the noise a large festival like Riot Fest can bring to the neighborhood. Some people say this type of fest...

Police foil alleged mass shooting threat hours before Stanley Cup final

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:49 GMT

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) -- Las Vegas Metro police arrested a man who threatened a mass shooting at the Stanley Cup Final hours before the Vegas Golden Knights clinched the championship, sources told Nexstar's KLAS.Just before noon on Tuesday, police responded to a Las Vegas business for a report of a person, later identified as Matthew DeSavio, 33, who was threatening a mass shooting at the Stanley Cup Final, documents said.The person who called police told officers that DeSavio had stalked them for about a decade, officers said. DeSavio later showed up to the business where officers arrested him, according to documents obtained by KLAS Wednesday.DeSavio also posted threatening messages about the game on Facebook, police said.Matthew DeSavio, 33, seen here in a prior booking photo, faces a charge of making threats of conveying false information concerning acts of terrorism, among others. (LVMPD/KLAS)“I’m coming for you guys tonight and I hope you get every [expletive] police officer in Veg...

Grocery, gas taxes set to rise in Illinois next month

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:49 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (KTVI) -- Two weekly tasks - going to the grocery store and filling up your gas tanks - are about to get more expensive in Illinois. By July 1, Illinois will reinstate a 1% tax on grocery purchases and bump up the state's gas tax another 3.1 cents per gallon. Last year, Illinois suspended its grocery tax as part of a $46.5 billion state budget plan to combat inflation. The state also paused a plan to raise gas taxes for six months, though that came with a 3.1-cent increase per gallon on New Year's Day and another 3.1-cent per gallon in July. State officials estimated last year the suspended grocery store sales tax would save taxpayers up to $400 million. The freeze came at a time when the consumer price index for groceries rose around 7%. That could rise another 4-8% by the end of 2023. Illinois hospital links closing to ransomware attack SuperMarketNews.com says Illinois is one of 13 states with a grocery sales tax, though it has the lowest one among states tha...

Trump speaks out against 'heinous' classified document charges

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:49 GMT

WASHINGTON (Nexstar) – Former President Donald Trump publicly responded to the historic federal criminal charges he's facing related to classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago resort.On Tuesday night, Trump delivered a speech to his supporters in New Jersey in which he insisted he is innocent and called the charges fake and fabricated.“Today, we witnessed the most evil and heinous abuse of power in the history of our country,” Trump said.Hours after leaving his arraignment for federal criminal charges, former President Trump hurled insults at President Joe Biden and the Justice Department.Trump forcefully defended himself from the charges he's facing of illegally retaining classified information.“I had every right to have these documents,” Trump argued.Before his speech, Trump pleaded not guilty to 37 charges related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents.Most Republicans in Congress continue to defend Trump as well.“When the president's main opponent for his reelec...

Illinois hospital links closing to ransomware attack

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:49 GMT

SPRING VALLEY, Ill. (NewsNation) — An Illinois hospital will close its doors this week due in part to a cyberattack two years ago, which analysts said makes it the first hospital to publicly link criminal hackers to its closure.St. Margaret’s Health in Spring Valley fell victim to a cyberattack in 2021. It was unable to submit claims to insurers, Medicare or Medicaid for months, which led to a financial spiral. Now, St. Margaret's will close its doors on Friday.Sister Suzanne Stahl, who is the chair of the hospital’s parent organization SMP Health, said the cyber attack, coupled with being a rural hospital with staffing shortages, was too much for it to overcome. “Rural hospitals have been struggling throughout the nation and many have already closed," Stahl said. “It has become impossible to sustain our ministry. This saddens us greatly.” Most expensive home for sale in Michigan at $18M built for next level lake life Ransomware attacks on hospitals aren't uncommon. Fede...