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Rudy Giuliani ordered to pay more than $145 million in defamation trial

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:29 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A jury awarded $148 million in damages on Friday to two former Georgia election workers who sued Rudy Giuliani for defamation over lies he spread about them in 2020 that upended their lives with racist threats and harassment.The damages verdict follows emotional testimony from Wandrea “Shaye” Moss and her mother, Ruby Freeman, who tearfully described becoming the target of a false conspiracy theory pushed by Giuliani and other Republicans as they tried to keep then-President Donald Trump in power after he lost the 2020 election.Giuliani didn’t appear to show any emotion as the verdict was read in Washington’s federal courthouse after about 10 hours of deliberations. Moss and Freeman hugged their attorneys after the jury left the courtroom and didn’t look at Giuliani as he left with his lawyer.Giuliani had already been found liable in the case and previously conceded in court documents that he falsely accused...

Dry Saturday, Sunday evening rain

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:29 GMT

We’re almost to the weekend, and the weather will be decent for most of it. Temperatures will be mild for mid-December in the 40s and 50s. We’ll see increasing clouds ahead of our next storm that will bring the biggest impacts on Monday.Check out that temperature change from yesterday to this afternoon! It was mild out there today. It’ll be nice this evening in the 40s. Tomorrow we’ll start off in the mid 30s. A cold front will drop in tomorrow. We’ll see some sun blended with clouds through the day, but stay dry. While our temperatures won’t be as mild as today, it’ll still be above average. A great day to get outside or join in on the 250th Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party!We’ll have abundant cloud cover from start to finish on Sunday. Despite that, temperatures will be more mild as highs reach the 50s. This is ahead of our next storm. Most of Sunday is dry before showers arrive in the evening.We’ll be watching an area of lo...

Rudy Giuliani must pay Georgia election workers $148M, jury rules

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:29 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A jury awarded $148 million in damages on Friday to two former Georgia election workers who sued Rudy Giuliani for defamation over lies he spread about them in 2020 that upended their lives with racist threats and harassment.The damages verdict follows emotional testimony from Wandrea “Shaye” Moss and her mother, Ruby Freeman, who tearfully described becoming the target of a false conspiracy theory pushed by Giuliani and other Republicans as they tried to keep then-President Donald Trump in power after he lost the 2020 election.There was an audible gasp in the courtroom when the jury foreperson read aloud the $75 million award in punitive damages for the women. Moss and Freeman were each awarded another roughly $36 million in other damages.Giuliani didn’t appear to show any emotion as the verdict was read in Washington’s federal courthouse after about 10 hours of deliberations. Moss and Freeman hugged their attorneys after the jury left the ...

Rings dropped into Massachusetts Salvation Army donation kettle: ‘Given in love for a second time’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:29 GMT

The incredibly generous tradition of people dropping jewelry into The Salvation Army’s red donation kettles continued this week in the Bay State.Lt. Nicole Fullop of The Salvation Army was counting money after collecting red kettles from multiple sites in Waltham on Thursday when she found a wedding band and an engagement ring.There was also a note from the anonymous donor, who dropped them into a red kettle at the Market Basket in Waltham.“This ring is being given in love for a second time,” the donor wrote. “Like the first time, I hope that this ring will bring joy and make a difference.”The rings are valued at an estimated $1,500. The Salvation Army said the rings will now be “put directly toward helping families and others in need in the Waltham area this holiday season.”Over the years, people have donated valuable jewelry and rare coins with notes that have helped The Salvation Army raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to support soci...

Lucas: Nikki Haley hardly a ‘birdbrain’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:29 GMT

Candidates sometimes run for president to become vice president.Frequently, presidential candidacies are more tryouts for vice president than they are for the top job.And sometimes a failed but lucky presidential candidate gets picked for the second spot.It happened to Kamala Harris in 2020, and it could happen to Nikki Haley in 2024.President Biden ended up with then-Sen. Harris, a Democrat presidential primary opponent in 2020, even after a contentious clash over race during a presidential debate.And former President Donald Trump could end up with Haley, his former ambassador to the United Nations, as his vice-presidential running mate even after Trump called her, among other things, a “birdbrain.”Trump shamelessly calls a lot of people a lot of things.While neither Joe Biden nor Kamala Harris called each other “birdbrains” during the 2020 primary campaign, they did argue over race during a debate.And although Harris did not call Biden a “racist” — as it was later wrongfully repor...

DeMar DeRozan says he’s committed to the Chicago Bulls amid contract negotiations: ‘I love it here. None of that has changed.’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:29 GMT

DeMar DeRozan is used to chatter. As a 15-year veteran of the NBA, he knows how trade cycles — and the rumor mills that surround them — work.But as the Chicago Bulls navigate a critical trade window focused on moving Zach LaVine, DeRozan feels nothing has changed about his future with the franchise.Despite a report from Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes that DeRozan and the Bulls are “far apart” on agreeing upon a contract extension, the forward says he wants to remain in Chicago.“Chicago is Chicago to me,” DeRozan told the Tribune. “I love it here. Obviously it’s a place I want to be in my career. None of that has changed. I don’t have no other type of doubts or feelings or suggestions to be elsewhere. That don’t cross my mind.”DeRozan has never wavered in this verbal commitment to the Bulls, stating his desire to retire in Chicago. But getting a deal across the line for a contract extension is a little more compl...

Matthew Perry's death caused by 'acute effects of ketamine', L.A. medical examiner says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:29 GMT

(KTLA) — The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has released Matthew Perry's cause of death. From the coroner's findings, which were released Friday, the "Friends" actor died as a result of "the acute effects of ketamine."The medical examiner's report said that "high levels of ketamine" were found in Perry's "postmortem blood specimens," adding that "the main lethal effects would be from both cardiovascular overstimulation and respiratory depression."The "exact method of intake" in Perry's case is unknown. Matt LeBlanc pays tribute to Matthew Perry in heartfelt post "There were trace amounts of ketamine detected in the stomach contents," the report stated. "He was reported to be receiving ketamine infusion therapy for depression and anxiety."Per the report, Perry's last known treatment was one-and-a-half weeks prior to his death and the ketamine that was in his system when he died "could not be from that infusion therapy, since ketamine's half-life is three to four hours, or les...

Biden tapes podcast interview with former late-night host Conan O’Brien

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:29 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden sat down on Friday with former late-night television host Conan O’Brien for an interview on the comedian’s podcast.Conan O’Brien, the former host of NBC’s “The Tonight Show” and “Late Night,” was spotted by reporters in the White House briefing room ahead of the interview, but was coy when asked about the purpose of his visit to the White House.“They won’t let me take questions,” O’Brien said. “But boy, do I have the answers to everything.”The White House later confirmed that Biden was interviewed by the comedian for his podcast “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend.”O’Brien said he’s previously visited the White House and is in thrall of its history.“I’m a huge history buff slash nerd. So believe it or not, I like read a lot of books about the White House,” O’Brien told reporters. “Every time I come here, I mean, just I get the same feeling — just like this is amazing. It’s absolutely incredible.”The episode will be available Wednesday for downlo...

Internet gambling and sports betting set new records in New Jersey

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:29 GMT

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Internet gambling and sports betting set new records in New Jersey in November as the Atlantic City gambling market continues to evolve and become less dependent on physical casinos, according to figures released Friday.More than $171.5 million was won from online table games and slots by casinos and their technology partners, according to the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement.At the same time, the casinos and three horse tracks that accept sports bets took in $1.62 billion worth of bets in November — another record.Taken together, these numbers provide fresh evidence that technology and a wider menu of wagering options are remaking the way some people gamble in New Jersey, where in-person gambling at a physical casino had long been the main way to bet.Jane Bokunewicz, director of the Lloyd Levenson Institute at Stockton University, which studies the Atlantic City gambling industry, noted that internet and sports betting accounted for about 45% of ...

Security videos show Israeli forces killing 2 Palestinians at close range. The army opens a probe

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:29 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel on Friday said it was opening a military police investigation into the killing of two Palestinians in the West Bank after an Israeli human rights group posted videos that appeared to show Israeli troops killing the men — one who was incapacitated and the second unarmed — during a military raid in a West Bank refugee camp.The B’Tselem human rights group accused the army of carrying out a pair of “illegal executions.”The security camera videos show two Israeli military vehicles pursuing a group of Palestinians in the Faraa refugee camp in the northern West Bank. One man, who appears to be holding a red canister, is gunned down by soldiers. B’Tselem identified the man as 25 year-old Rami Jundob.The military jeep then approaches Jundob as he lies bleeding on the ground and fires multiple shots at him until he is still. Soldiers then approach a man identified by B’Tselem as 36-year-old Thaar Shahin as he cowers underneath the hood of a car. They shoot ...