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Amphibians are the world’s most vulnerable animals and threats are increasing

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:48:22 GMT

The world’s frogs, salamanders, newts and other amphibians remain in serious trouble.A new global assessment has found that 41% of amphibian species that scientists have studied are threatened with extinction, meaning they are either vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered. That’s up from 39% reported in the last assessment, in 2004. “Amphibians are the world’s most threatened animals,” said Duke University’s Junjie Yao, a frog researcher who was not involved in the study. “Their unique biology and permeable skin make them very sensitive to environmental changes.”The study, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, found that the loss of habitat from the expansion of farming and ranching is the single biggest threat to amphibians worldwide. But a growing percentage of amphibian species are now also pushed to the brink by novel diseases and climate change, the study found.Amphibians are especially vulnerable animals. They have distinct life stages that each...

Top Wisconsin Senate Republican calls on Assembly to impeach state’s top elections official

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:48:22 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Republican president of the Wisconsin Senate on Wednesday called on the Assembly to impeach the presidential battleground state’s nonpartisan top elections official, who has remained in office while Democrats fight in court against a Senate vote to fire her.Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Meagan Wolfe’s actions “could rise to the level of corrupt conduct in office,” Senate President Chris Kapenga said in a letter urging Assembly Speaker Robin Vos to pursue impeachment.The Republican-controlled Senate voted last month to fire Wolfe despite the state’s Democratic attorney general and the Legislature’s nonpartisan attorneys saying they did not have the authority to do so at that time.Vos, who has been criticized by Democrats for establishing a secret panel to investigate the criteria for impeaching a liberal state Supreme Court justice, did not immediately respond to a Wednesday email seeking comment. The GOP-led Assembly ca...

AP, theGrio join forces on race and democracy panel discussion, as 2024 election nears

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:48:22 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Associated Press and theGrio have come together for a candid conversation about issues facing Black Americans ahead of the 2024 election and amid high levels of polarization, discussing topics ranging from targeted racial violence to barriers to voting.The panel discussion, titled “Race and Democracy: The Facts and The Fury,” is the first of its kind between the nation’s oldest wire service and Allen Media Group’s multimedia platform. It will be carried on APNews.com and theGrio.com, Wednesday at 12 p.m. Eastern. It also will air on theGrio Television Network Series “TheGrio with Marc Lamont Hill” at 7:30 p.m. ET.“At a time when many Black people say they aren’t seeing themselves represented fairly and humanely across the media, it’s critical that they see legacy news outlets like the AP speaking truth and supporting it with facts,” said Aaron Morrison, editor of AP’s race and ethnicity team. “The future of our democracy depends on responsible journalism that d...

South African mining employs many and may only have decades left, report warns

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:48:22 GMT

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South Africa’s overall mining profits slipped by more than $5 billion in the last financial year, while the country that was once the world’s largest gold producer might have less than 30 years of a viable gold industry left without renewed investment, according to a new report by big four auditing firm PwC.The report released Tuesday also estimated that South Africa’s iron ore mining industry may only last 13 more years without further commitment from companies to identify, pursue and extract new deposits. The country is among the world’s top 10 producers of the raw material key to the steel-making process.PwC’s annual report on the South African mining industry said global drops in some commodity prices following the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the reduced profits. But so did South Africa’s local challenges of currency fluctuations, high inflation, power blackouts and logistical problems in exporting minerals because of d...

Capitol rioter who attacked Reuters cameraman and police officer gets more than 4 years in prison

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:48:22 GMT

A man who attacked a police officer and a Reuters cameraman during the U.S. Capitol riot was sentenced on Wednesday to more than four years in prison.Shane Jason Woods, 45, was the first person charged with assaulting a member of the news media during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.Woods, of Auburn, Illinois, took a running start and tackled the Reuters cameraman “like an NFL linebacker hunting a quarterback after an interception,” federal prosecutors wrote in a court filing.Woods also attacked and injured a Capitol police officer who was 100 pounds (45 kilograms) lighter than him, according to prosecutors. He blindsided the officer, knocking her off her feet and into a metal barricade. The next day, the officer was still in pain and said she felt as if she had been “hit by a truck,” prosecutors said.“Woods’ actions were as cowardly as they were violent and opportunistic,” prosecutors wrote. “He targeted people smaller than him who did not see him coming. He attack...

Quebec slow to improve public services for Indigenous people, says Ombudsman

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:48:22 GMT

MONTREAL — The Quebec government has failed to implement most of the recommendations from a landmark 2019 report that said Indigenous people suffered systemic discrimination in public services.Québec Ombudsman Marc-André Dowd made the declaration today about the government’s progress on the report by retired judge Jacques Viens, who made 142 recommendations.Dowd says 11 recommendations have been fully implemented and another 34 are in progress.The Quebec government appointed Viens in December 2016 to lead an inquiry into the barriers that Indigenous Peoples face when they seek access to public services.Calls for an inquiry came after Indigenous women in Val-d’Or, Que., accused police of sexual assault and other forms of abuse.Dowd says the province has moved slowly because it lacks a strategy to implement Viens’ recommendations. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 4, 2023. The Canadian Press

Biden's latest moves on student loan forgiveness leave borrowers unimpressed

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:48:22 GMT

President Biden is in murky water with student loan borrowers and advocates after revealing his next avenues for relief may not be available for everyone the way he originally promised. Just before student loan payments turned back on after a more than three-year pandemic pause, the administration announced its initial policy considerations for its next debt forgiveness plan. The announcement showed the Department of Education is looking to forgive debt for certain groups of borrowers, but for now apparently backing away from universal relief.  Trump’s New York fraud trial enters day three: live updates While there is time for plans to change — or for additional ones to emerge — the proposal rattled advocates and supporters who now question if Biden will ever be able to help all 45 million borrowers after the Supreme Court struck down his previous proposal.“This is the way the student loan swamp in Washington, D.C., operates. They want to put forth a face like they're really wanti...

Wednesday Forecast: Temps in low 80s with showers possible by evening

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:48:22 GMT

CHICAGO — It will be mostly cloudy Wednesday with a slight chance for some isolated showers. Breezy south, southwest winds help push highs into the lower 80s this afternoon.  Interactive Radar: Track showers and storms here Showers become likely overnight, and some thunderstorms are possible as temperatures fall into the lower 60s.  Thursday Forecast: Showers are likely Thursday, especially in the morning hours. Highs in the lower 70s are expected, under mostly cloudy skies tomorrow afternoon.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog

Tupac Shakur murder investigation: Arraignment postponed for man charged with his killing

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:48:22 GMT

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Duane "Keffe D" Davis made his first appearance in a Las Vegas courtroom Wednesday after being charged with murder in the shooting death of rapper Tupac Shakur.Davis' court appearance lasted less than two minutes because Davis did not have an attorney present. Watch the entire appearance in the video above."He needs two weeks, he said, to be here," Davis told Judge Terra Jones. "Today was the scheduled arraignment but he can't be arraigned until he has a lawyer. Mr. Davis announced that he has retained a lawyer," Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said following the court appearance. "Mr. Faal couldn't be here today so Mr. Davis asked for a two-week continuance."Wolfson said Davis has hired Edi Faal, a California lawyer, who told Nexstar's KLAS he is helping Davis retain counsel.Duane “Keefe D” Davis appears in Clark County District Court on Oct. 4, 2023. (KLAS)Davis, 60, a self-described gang member, was arrested at his Henderson, Nevada, home on Friday...

Austin restaurants eager for ACL festival crowds after slow summer

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:48:22 GMT

Editor’s Note: The video above shows KXAN Live’s top headlines for Oct. 4, 2023.AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Restaurants in Austin are gearing up for a busy couple of weekends with Austin City Limits music festival approaching. It comes at a time when restaurant owners said they've been struggling over the summer with fewer customers dining in. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Central Texas’ triple-digit heat wave slams restaurants, food trailers Previously, the Texas Restaurant Association told KXAN the months-long stretch of triple-digit temperatures led to reduced foot traffic of customers in restaurants, food trucks and trailers. At the same time, the association said restaurants are also dealing with inflation and rising food costs. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: New laws help food service industry, Texas Restaurant Association says Because of that, the crowds expected these next two weekends will be a welcomed sight. Money in the local economyAccording to Airbnb, searches for listings in Austin increased by ...