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On the brink of a government shutdown, McCarthy pivots to a 45-day plan relying on Democratic help

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:06:11 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — On the brink of a federal government shutdown Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced a dramatic pivot Saturday, trying to push a 45-day funding bill through the House with Democratic help — a move that could keep government open but most certainly risks his job.Republican lawmakers met behind closed doors early in the morning with hours to go before the midnight deadline needed to fund government operations or face a disruptive federal closure. The new approach would leave behind aid to Ukraine that a growing number of Republicans oppose.The House was preparing for a quick vote Saturday on the plan. “Our options are slipping away every minute,” said one senior Republican, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida, as he left the private session at the Capitol.With no deal in place before Sunday, federal workers will face furloughs, more than 2 million active-duty and reserve military troops will work without pay and programs and services that Americans rely on from coast to coas...

A European body condemns Turkey’s sentencing of an activist for links to 2013 protests

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:06:11 GMT

ISTANBUL (AP) — A European governmental body that focuses on human rights, democracy and the rule of law on Saturday condemned the decision by Turkey’s Supreme Court to confirm the aggravated life sentence for activist and philanthropist Osman Kavala.Kavala is the founder of a nonprofit organization, Anadolu Kultur, which focuses on cultural and artistic projects promoting peace and dialogue. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole last year after a court found him guilty of attempting to overthrow the government by financing mass protests in 2013, known as the Gezi Park protests.Kavala, 65, has been jailed in Silivri prison, on the outskirts of Istanbul, since he was detained in 2017.“We wish to express our deep consternation at the decision of the Turkish Court of Cassation which confirmed the aggravated life sentence for philanthropist Osman Kavala,” said John Howell and Stefan Schennach, co-researchers for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, or P...

Anti-abortion groups are at odds on strategies ahead of Ohio vote. It could be a preview for 2024

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:06:11 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Abortion opponents in Ohio are at odds not only over how to frame their opposition to a reproductive rights initiative on the state’s November ballot but also over their longer-term goals on how severely they would restrict the procedure.The disagreements, roiling the anti-abortion side just six weeks before Election Day, are providing a window into the challenges the wider movement is preparing to navigate next year. Initiatives to protect reproductive rights are expected in multiple states and abortion will be a central issue in candidate races up and down the ballot.Scattershot campaign messaging in Ohio hints at some of the internal conflict among members of the broad anti-abortion coalition aligned against the constitutional amendment that seeks to protect abortion access in Ohio.Early ads played on voters’ fears by warning that the amendment, known as Issue 1, would be a gateway to teenagers getting abortions and gender-transition surgeries wi...

York police respond to five calls for overdoses in Newmarket

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:06:11 GMT

York police are warning the public about the dangers of opioid use after responding to five calls for overdoses, one fatal, all occurring on Friday in Newmarket.On Friday, at approximately 7:35 a.m., police were called to an address on Queen Street for reports of an unconscious female believed to be overdosing.Officers found a 35-year-old woman without vital signs. She was transported to hospital where she was pronounced deceased.Between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. that day, York police responded to four more calls for suspected overdoses.Three incidents were in the area of Penrose Street and Bayview Avenue, and one other occurred on Septonne Avenue. Three total people were believed to have overdosed, and all three survived.Police say that any street drug is considered dangerous and potentially lethal, and that the potency of some drugs, such as opioids, can greatly increase the risk of an overdose. Street drugs can also contain other life-threatening drugs within them that the user may...

Latest search for remains of the Tulsa Race Massacre victims ends with seven sets of remains exhumed

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:06:11 GMT

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The latest search for the remains of victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre has ended with 59 graves found and seven sets of remains exhumed, according to Oklahoma state archaeologist Kary Stackelbeck.The excavation ended Friday, Stackelbeck said, and 57 of the 59 graves were unmarked and previously unknown. The seven that were exhumed were found in simple, wooden boxes that Stackelbeck has said investigators were searching for because they were described in newspaper articles at the time, death certificates and funeral home records as the type used for burials of massacre victims.“For all of those seven individuals that we’ve exhumed up to this point in time, those individuals have been transported to our onsite forensic laboratory,” where efforts to identify them and determine the causes of their deaths will begin.None of the remains found thus far have been confirmed as victims of the massacre.The seven exhumed remains will be reburied in their o...

'Shocked and saddened': Sarah, Duchess of York, mourns former assistant murdered in Dallas

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:06:11 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, says she is "shocked and saddened" by the murder of former personal assistant Jenean Chapman, who was found dead in Dallas earlier this week."Jenean was loyal, hardworking, beautiful and fun and my heart breaks for her family and friends," Ferguson wrote in an Instagram post which also contained a photo of she and Chapman in the back of a car. "I heard from her just a couple of months ago and she seemed so happy."Officers with the Dallas Police Department found Chapman's body in an apartment in downtown Dallas around 1:15 p.m. Monday, according to a DPD news release. The manner of death was determined to be a homicide.Chapman was 46 years old. Las Vegas police provide details on Tupac Shakur murder charge, suspect The day after Chapman's body was discovered, police identified James Patrick, 48, as a suspect. Patrick was arrested in Austin."Patrick will be charged with Murder and is [in] custody in Travis County," DPD officials s...

If marijuana is rescheduled, will it be legalized nationwide?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:06:11 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — The legalization of marijuana has been a frequent topic of discussion in recent years, with many states opting to legalize it themselves instead of waiting for the federal government to do so. But now, federal health officials have recommended reclassifying marijuana, giving some hope that this could be a crucial step toward national legalization. Unfortunately, that isn’t exactly what it means. Marijuana is currently classified as a Schedule I controlled substance, meaning the Drug Enforcement Administration considers it without a “currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” Marijuana rescheduling falls short of expectations on Biden However, the Department of Health and Human Services has sent its findings on marijuana to the DEA, reportedly recommending that it be reclassified as a Schedule III drug. That classification means the substance has a “moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.”Other Schedule II...

Officer involved shooting in South St. Louis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:06:11 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- Shots were fired in the 3800 block of Shenandoah on Saturday morning. Police confirmed that there was an officer involved in the shooting. Reports of shots fired happened around 9:30 a.m.The circumstances surrounding the shooting are not clear at this time. The police have not indicated if there are any injuries. This is a developing story. FOX2 news crews are headed to the location. This post will be updated with more information as it comes into the newsroom.

Two of Phelps County inmates escape, one turned themselves in, one still missing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:06:11 GMT

Phelps County – The Sheriff's Office reported this morning, that two inmates escaped from the Phelps County Jail, September 29. One of them has since turned himself in.Inmates Steven Timothy Scott and Jonathan Eugene Schmidt O'Dell both managed to escape from the jail, with Scott later turning himself to authorities.Schmidt O'Dell is described as a 33-year-old white male. He is 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighs approximately 200 lbs. At the time of his booking, he had brown hair, blue eyes, and a full beard; however, he may have shaved his beard to alter his appearance. He was last seen wearing a maroon-colored shirt bearing the Phelps County logo and brown slacks with a tan stripe. It's important to note that Schmidt O'Dell should be considered dangerous and is currently detained on multiple weapons charges.If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Jonathan O'Dell, call 9-1-1 immediately. As for Scott, charges related to his escape from custody will go through the Phelps...

Government on brink of shutdown ahead of midnight deadline as McCarthy slates last-minute vote

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:06:11 GMT

(CNN) — Federal agencies are making final preparations with the government on the brink of a shutdown and congressional lawmakers racing against Saturday&#’;s critical midnight deadline – as House Speaker Kevin McCarthy mounts a last-minute push to avert the lapse in funding.McCarthy announced that the House will vote on a 45-day short-term spending bill Saturday, and it will include the natural disaster aid that the White House requested. Asked if he is concerned that a member, including Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, could move to oust him over this bill, McCarthy replied, &#“;If I have to risk my job for standing up for the American public, I will do that.&#”;Infighting among House Republicans has played a central role in bringing Congress to a standoff over spending – and it is not yet clear how the issue will be resolved, raising concerns on Capitol Hill that a shutdown, if triggered, may not be easy to end. House...