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Dear Abby: Reader should beware of romance scammers

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:35:19 GMT

Dear Abby: This is in response to “Living a Soap Opera” (Jan. 3), the unhappy woman who is married to an alcoholic. She is flattered by the three younger men she’s conversing with online. My experience is that when men say they are in a place where you can’t meet them, such as stationed far away in the army or on a ship, and they immediately fall in love with you, it’s most likely a scam.I’m not saying this to hurt her feelings or deflate her ego, but for the purpose of safety. If they start asking for money, BEWARE! Vulnerable people easily get scammed in this way. Sadly, I know this from experience, so I just wanted to give a heads-up. — Thankful I Caught OnDear Thankful: Many readers saw red flags in “Living’s” letter, with some pointing out that the “in the military” scenario is a common one. “Living” should do as much research as she can on “catfishing” and these kinds of scams, and ...

Former Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou will visit China

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:35:19 GMT

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Former Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou will visit China next week, in what a spokesman called a bid to ease tensions between the self-ruled island and the mainland. Ma presided over a period of warm ties with Beijing, but left office under a cloud after a trade deal with the mainland failed to win approval amid the island’s largest protests since the 1990s.Ma’s proposed visit comes as China’s People Liberation Army sends fighter jets towards Taiwan on a near daily basis, and as official communications between the two governments have broken off. China’s ruling government claims Taiwan is part of its national territory, but Taiwan’s current ruling government says it’s already a sovereign state that is not part of China.Ma, who’s a member of the opposition Nationalist Party (Kuomingtang), will lead a delegation of academics and students as well as his former presidential staffers from March 27 to April 7, his office said Sunday.T...

Asian stocks sink after Credit Suisse takeover

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:35:19 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets fell Monday after Swiss authorities arranged the takeover of troubled Credit Suisse amid fears of a global banking crisis ahead of a Federal Reserve meeting to decide on more possible interest rate hikes.Hong Kong, Tokyo and Sydney declined. Shanghai edged up. Oil prices retreated.Swiss authorities on Sunday announced UBS would acquire its smaller rival as regulators try to ease fears about banks following the collapse of two U.S. lenders. Central banks announced coordinated efforts to stabilize lenders including a facility to borrow U.S. dollars if necessary.Investors worry banks are cracking under the strain of unexpectedly fast, large rate hikes over the past year to cool economic activity and inflation. That caused prices of bonds and other assets on their books to fall, fueling unease about the industry’s financial health.“Investors are waiting to see where the dust settles on the banking saga before making any bold moves,” Stephen Innes of SP...

Trump’s call for protests get muted reaction from supporters

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:35:19 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump’s calls for protests ahead of his anticipated indictment in New York have generated mostly muted reactions from supporters, with even some of his most ardent loyalists dismissing the idea as a waste of time or a law enforcement trap.The ambivalence raises questions about whether Trump, though a leading Republican contender in the 2024 presidential race who retains a devoted following, still has the power to mobilize far-right supporters the way he did more than two years ago before the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. It also suggests that the hundreds of arrests that followed the Capitol riot, not to mention the convictions and long prison sentences, may have dampened the desire for repeat mass unrest.Still, law enforcement in New York is continuing to closely monitor online chatter warning of protests and violence if Trump is arrested, with threats varying in specificity and credibility, four officials told The Associa...

Trump ally to appear before NYC grand jury eyeing charges

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:35:19 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A lawyer allied with Donald Trump is expected to testify Monday before a New York grand jury, giving the former president an indirect opportunity to make a case that he shouldn’t face criminal charges over hush money paid during his 2016 campaign.Robert Costello was asked to appear by the Manhattan district attorney’s office after he said he had information raising questions about the credibility of Michael Cohen, a key witness in the investigation, according to a person familiar with the matter who insisted on anonymity to discuss secret legal proceedings.His testimony will come two days after Trump said he expected to face criminal charges and urged supporters to protest his possible arrest. In a series of social media posts through the weekend, Trump criticized the New York investigation, directing particularly hostile rhetoric toward Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. It was unclear whether Costello’s testimony has any potential to change ...

Trump silent on abortion as ’24 campaign pushes forward

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:35:19 GMT

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — No elected Republican has done more to restrict abortion rights in the U.S. than Donald Trump.But in the early days of the 2024 presidential contest, no Republican has worked harder to avoid the issue than the former president. Far more than his GOP rivals, Trump is sidestepping the issue just nine months after he and his party celebrated the Supreme Court’s decision to strip away women’s constitutional right to abortion.Look no further than Trump’s trip to Iowa last week for evidence of his delicate balancing act.Moments after he stepped off his plane just outside Davenport, Trump repeatedly refused to say whether he would support a federal law restricting abortion in every state, a move that anti-abortion activists are demanding of the GOP’s presidential contenders.“We’re looking at a lot of different things,” Trump said when asked twice by The Associated Press whether he supports a federal abortion ban. The former president quickly shifted...

Digital literacy: Can the republic ‘survive an algorithm?’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:35:19 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — Shawn Lee, a high school social studies teacher in Seattle, wants to see lessons on internet akin to a kind of 21st century driver’s education, an essential for modern life.Lee has tried to bring that kind of education into his classroom, with lessons about the need to double-check online sources, to diversify newsfeeds and to bring critical thinking to the web. He’s also created an organization for other teachers to share resources.“This technology is so new that no one taught us how to use it,” Lee said. “People are like, ‘There’s nothing we can do’ and they throw their hands in the air. I disagree with that. I would like to think the republic can survive an algorithm.”Lee’s efforts are part of a growing movement of educators and misinformation researchers working to offset an explosion of online misinformation about everything from presidential politics to pandemics. So far, the U.S. lags many other democracies in waging this battle, and the conse...

Lawyer: Former US pilot could have been lured to Australia

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:35:19 GMT

SYDNEY (AP) — A former United States military pilot accused of training Chinese aviators could have been lured from China to Australia as part of a U.S. plan to extradite him to his homeland, his lawyer said Monday.In a 2016 indictment from the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., unsealed late 2022, prosecutors say Daniel Duggan conspired with others to provide training to Chinese military pilots in 2010 and 2012, and possibly at other times, without applying for an appropriate license.Prosecutors say Duggan received about nine payments totaling around 88,000 Australian dollars ($61,000) and international travel from another conspirator for what was sometimes described as “personal development training.”Boston-born Duggan, 54, has been in custody in Australia since October and appeared in a Sydney court Monday by video link from a prison cell for a brief hearing about a U.S. application to extradite him.His lawyer, Dennis Miralis, told reporters outside the court that Duggan re...

2023 March Madness Sweet 16 schedule, how to watch, what channels games are on

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:35:19 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — We're down to 16 teams in March Madness, and this tournament has been one of the wildest ones in recent history.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newslettersFor the second time in the history of the tournament, a 16-seed topped a 1-seed when Fairleigh Dickinson, who only got into the tournament because Merrimack wasn't eligible to represent its conference in the postseason, beat No. 1 Purdue in the first round.No. 15 Princeton and No. 9 Florida Atlantic are both among the final 16 teams left standing and two top seeds were bounced before the tournament's second weekend. What a ride so far. Below you'll find the upcoming round's TV schedule and results from the previous rounds. Click on the hyperlinks to go to that specific game's boxscore.All games are available for streaming through the March Madness Live website and app with your television provider's subscription...

Gonzaga outlasts TCU 84-81 to punch ticket to Sweet 16 in March Madness finale at Ball Arena

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:35:19 GMT

Gonzaga arrived at Ball Arena earlier this week as the most-hyped of the eight teams playing in Denver.The Zags left the city Sunday with the final spot in this year’s Sweet 16, outlasting TCU 84-81 in a back-and-forth battle in front of a sold-out crowd. It was a proper sendoff for the last NCAA Tournament game in Denver — until 2025 — to book Gonzaga’s 13th Sweet 16, and eighth straight.Gonzaga star Drew Timme led all scorers with 28 points, just eclipsing the effort by TCU star guard Mike Miles Jr., who finished with 22 points. Both stars dominated the court at times and kept their respective teams in the game, while the Zags owned the pivotal moments of the second half en route to the win.“I thought we were tentative in the first half,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “We just weren’t being who we were that got us here and we were back on our heels defensively. I really challenged them in the locker room: (I told them), ‘This is...