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Angry and frustrated, McCarthy finds that even a Biden impeachment inquiry isn’t enough for GOP

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:47:24 GMT

By LISA MASCARO and FARNOUSH AMIRI (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — Angry, frustrated and unable to lead a fractured and unruly Republican majority, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Thursday told the colleagues threatening to oust him: Do it.The embattled Republican leader essentially dared his hard-right flank to quit holding the risk of a vote to remove him from the job. If you’re going to do it, go ahead and try, McCarthy told the Republicans behind closed doors.“File the f—- motion,” McCarthy said, using a profanity for emphasis, according to those in the private meeting.With a government shutdown looming, McCarthy is confronting the same stubborn problem that has driven Republicans before him from the speaker’s job — trying to lead a ruptured GOP majority that’s split between what’s left of the traditional party and a harder-right element largely allied with former President Donald Trump.Even his decision to launch an impe...

Firefighters fear the toxic chemicals in their gear could be contributing to cancer cases

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:47:24 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — Boston firefighter Daniel Ranahan had heard about colleagues getting cancer but he was stunned when doctors discovered a tumor in his chest.He was only 30 and had been in the Boston Fire Department less than a decade. But as he investigated his diagnosis of Hodgkin’s lymphoma in October 2020 and sought successful treatment, he learned he and others wore gear that contained the toxic industrial compound PFAS.“You always hear about the dangers. You just never think it’s going be you,” said Ranahan, who stopped working due to the cancer and is among thousands of firefighters nationwide who sued PFAS manufacturers and companies that make firefighting gear and foam, seeking damages for their exposure.“These guys put this on day in and day out to protect neighborhoods and wherever they are working,” he said. The Associated Press was not given access to his doctors due to the ongoing litigation, making it difficult to independently verify his claims.The multi-laye...

Environmental groups urge regulators to shut down California reactor over safety, testing concerns

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:47:24 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Environmental groups called on federal regulators Thursday to immediately shut down one of two reactors at California’s last nuclear power plant until tests can be conducted on critical machinery they believe could fail and cause a catastrophe.Friends of the Earth and Mothers for Peace said in a petition filed with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that tests and inspections have been delayed for nearly 20 years on the pressure vessel in the Unit 1 reactor at the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Instead, the groups argue, operator Pacific Gas & Electric has relied on data from similar reactor vessels to justify continued operations at Diablo Canyon, while dismissing indications that the steel wall in Unit 1 might be deteriorating from sustained exposure to radiation and is becoming susceptible to cracking, a condition technically known as embrittlement.“We will not sit idly by while PG&E cuts corners on Unit ...

Annie Lennox plans to fundraise and entertain at Rotary event in Italy. She does not plan to retire

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:47:24 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Annie Lennox is not retiring.Though her partner in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band Eurythmics Dave Stewart recently posted that Lennox “ won’t be touring anymore ” and would not be part of the “Sweet Dreams 40th Anniversary Tour” this fall, the “Here Comes the Rain Again” singer told The Associated Press that she will continue to perform, especially at events that support causes she is passionate about and her own nonprofit work.“I’m not retiring from anything,” Lennox said. “I’m just stepping back because I spent decades on the road. And at the age of 68, I’m very fortunate in that I can do sort of one-off appearances now and then. But I think when it comes to an actual tour where you have like 73-date commitments night after night and traveling on the road, it’s incredibly intense. It’s arduous.”Instead, Lennox plans on performing at more events like “ Time for Change,” a fundraiser for numerous nonprofits, including Rotary International’s End Polio Now initiat...

Israel’s Netanyahu is to meet Elon Musk. Their sit-down comes as X faces antisemitism controversy

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:47:24 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet billionaire businessman Elon Musk during a trip to the United States next week, the Israeli leader’s office said Thursday.Netanyahu’s office said their meeting, which is scheduled for Monday, will include discussions about artificial intelligence. It comes at a time when Musk is facing accusations of tolerating antisemitic messages on his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.The Anti-Defamation League, a prominent Jewish civil-rights organization, has accused Musk of allowing antisemitism and hate speech to spread on X. Its director, Jonathan Greenblatt, said Musk had “amplified” the messages of neo-Nazis and white supremacists who want to ban the league by engaging with them recently on X.In a Sept. 4 post, Musk claimed that the league was “trying to kill this platform by falsely accusing it & me of being anti-Semitic.” In other posts, he said the league was responsible for a 60% drop in reve...

Lemur on the loose! Video shows police chasing critter that escaped in Missouri

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:47:24 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Bounding through a darkened city park, a lemur managed to stay one step ahead of police officers armed only with a large towel. Bodycam video shows the two officers’ attempts to nab the speedy little primate, which made a dash for freedom Tuesday in Springfield, Missouri.“We see the tail,” one officer says with a chuckle as he tries to get closer. Not giving up easily, the lemur raises its distinctive black-and-white banded tail and dashes away. It sprints and weaves through a parking lot, down a sidewalk, across grass and around trees. Eventually the officer tosses the towel like a net, but the lemur slips out and darts away.“Dang it!” the officer exclaims, as a few civilians help try to corral the critter.Finally, another officer is able to grab the lemur and hold it still as his partner gently gets it “snuggled up” in the towel, the Springfield Police Department said in a Facebook post. The animal’s owners had reported it missing, the departmen...

Drew Barrymore stalking suspect trespasses at fashion show looking for Emma Watson, police say

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:47:24 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A man accused of repeatedly stalking celebrities has been arrested for barging into a dressing room at a New York City fashion show and screaming that he wanted to marry actor Emma Watson, authorities said.Chad Michael Busto, who was arrested last month after a run-in with Drew Barrymore, pleaded not guilty Saturday to criminal trespass and disorderly conduct charges in the incident last week at the Ralph Lauren show at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.Busto, 43, was released without bail. His next court date is Oct. 2. A message seeking comment was left with a lawyer listed for him on court records.According to prosecutors, Busto entered the fashion show dressing room Friday night and screamed: “I want to marry Emma Watson. Let me speak to Emma Watson. Let me take a photo with Emma Watson.”Busto did not have permission to be at the fashion show, became irate when he was asked to leave and refused to do so, police said. The outburst disrupted preparations for the event, part o...

Bill Clinton and other dignitaries gather to remember Bill Richardson during funeral Mass

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:47:24 GMT

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Political allies, Native American leaders and people touched by Bill Richardson’s work to free Americans imprisoned abroad gathered Thursday for a funeral Mass to honor a man known for his innate political skills, soaring ambition and ability to both clash and reconcile with rivals.Former U.S. President Bill Clinton was among those paying homage to Richardson during a Mass at Santa Fe’s downtown Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. Richardson served as U.N. ambassador and energy secretary under the Clinton administration. Clinton and Richardson’s widow, Barbara, followed the casket into the cathedral. Relatives of some of the political prisoners whom Richardson sought to free as well as Interior Secretary Deb Haaland were also in attendance.Despite Richardson’s longstanding friendship with the Clintons, they had a falling out after he dropped out of the 2008 presidential race and endorsed Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton. Still, the Clintons expr...

Moroccans whose homes were destroyed by last week’s earthquake face daunting rebuilding decisions

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:47:24 GMT

AMIZMIZ, Morocco (AP) — The building where Naima Ait Brahim Ouali lived in a third-story apartment with her five children was one of many that were destroyed by the earthquake that killed nearly 3,000 people in Morocco last week.A house cleaner, she and her daughter fell down the stairs as the quake tore off the building’s top floor and laid waste to much of the rest of their neighborhood in the town of Amizmiz, near the epicenter.Like children in many parts of the world, Ait Brahim Quali’s youngest had just started their school year. Now, relocated with the rest of the Sourejdid neighborhood to a tent city in the town center, fear sets in at around 11 p.m. each night — the time the earthquake happened last Friday.“They saw death,” she said of her children, who range in age from 10 to 25. One of her daughters now has nightmares.The displaced family is one of many in Morocco wondering what their future holds, particularly as autumn approaches and the nights get colder. Th...

Woman who killed 3-year-old daughter and left her on ballfield is sentenced to 30 years

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:47:24 GMT

DOVER, Del. (AP) — A Delaware woman who pleaded guilty to killing her 3-year-old daughter and leaving her burned remains on a softball field was sentenced Thursday to 30 years in prison.Kristie Haas, 31, pleaded guilty earlier this year to murder by abuse or neglect and abuse of a corpse in the death of Emma Grace Cole, who prosecutors say endured a life of starvation and torture.“I’m sorry for all the hurt that I inflicted and the pain that I caused,” said Haas, who also pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child for her mistreatment of Emma’s half-siblings.Haas faced a minimum mandatory prison term of 15 years, and a possible life sentence, but Superior Court Judge Noel Primos imposed the 30-year sentence that was recommended by prosecutors and defense attorneys.“I cannot presume to comprehend the grief and the anguish that Emma’s family members here today have been put through because of Ms. Haas’ actions,” Primos said. The judge agreed with prosecutors that Haas deser...