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Vikings agree to terms with ex-Patriots CB Joejuan Williams

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:29 GMT

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings agreed to terms on a contract on Monday with former New England Patriots cornerback Joejuan Williams, enhancing one of their thinnest positions ahead of the NFL draft.Williams played the past four years for the Patriots, who drafted him in the second round in 2019 out of Vanderbilt. The native of Nashville, Tennessee, has played in 36 regular-season games plus two in the playoffs. He was sidelined for the entire 2022 season with a shoulder injury.The Vikings have almost completely turned over their cornerback group, after Patrick Peterson, Duke Shelley and Chandon Sullivan became free agents and Cameron Dantzler was waived. Peterson signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Shelley signed with the Las Vegas Raiders. Another backup, Kris Boyd, signed with the Arizona Cardinals.The only two returners at the position are Andrew Booth Jr. and Akayleb Evans, both 2022 draft picks whose rookie seasons were largely limited by injuries. The Vikin...

Jalen Hurts and Philadelphia Eagles agree to monster $255 million extension with no-trade clause

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:29 GMT

Jalen Hurts got benched in a national championship game by Nick Saban, transferred out of Alabama to Oklahoma, and didn’t get picked until the 2020 NFL Draft’s second round at No. 53 overall.But on Monday, Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles agreed on a landmark five-year, $255 million contract extension.The deal includes a no-trade clause, $179.304 million guaranteed and set a new NFL record for quarterbacks at a $51 million average annual salary, per ESPN and NFL Network.It marks a major commitment by Eagles GM Howie Roseman and caps a remarkable story for Hurts that is still only just beginning in the pros.Hurts and the Eagles have unfinished business after being the league’s best team nearly wire to wire last season before losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.The Eagles responded to Hurts’ explosive season in a major way, knowing they have a high character leader who won’t take his foot off the gas pedal after getting paid. ()

Panthers pick Lyon to start Game 1 of playoffs vs. Boston

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:29 GMT

By TIM REYNOLDS (AP Sports Writer)CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. (AP) — Alex Lyon started this season in the American Hockey League. He actually wasn’t even eligible for the opening two games of the season down there, since he had to first serve a suspension for excessively celebrating a championship in the minors last year.And now he may be the goalie the Florida Panthers will bet on to start the Stanley Cup playoffs — against the team that just posted the best regular season in NHL history, no less.Lyon — as had been expected — was announced as Florida’s pick to be the starting goaltender for Game 1 of an Eastern Conference first-round series against the Boston Bruins on Monday night. It’ll be Lyon’s NHL playoff debut.“I never thought I’d be in this situation,” Lyon said.That’s understandable, for so many reasons.Let’s start here: The 30-year-old Lyon went undrafted and is essentially a career minor-leaguer —...

Wall Street drifts lower as earnings season kicks into gear

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:29 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks on Wall Street are drifting lower Monday at the start of the first full week of earnings reporting season. The S&P 500 fell 0.2% in its first trading after squeezing out its fourth winning week in the last five. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 50 points, or 0.2%, at 33,835, as of 1:10 p.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.3% lower. Several financial companies reported a mixed set of profit reports for the first three months of the year. They followed up on a bevy of better-than-expected reports f rom JPMorgan Chase and other big U.S. banks that marked the unofficial start of reporting season late last week. A lot of focus has been on the strength of the financial industry broadly after the second- and third-largest U.S. bank failures in history last month rocked markets worldwide. Charles Schwab reported better profit than expected, and its stock rose 2.4%. It flipped from an earlier loss after it said deposits fell more last quarte...

US ambassador visits reporter accused by Russia of spying

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:29 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — The U.S. ambassador to Russia said Monday that she was able to visit the Wall Street Journal reporter who was detained more than two weeks ago on charges of espionage.Ambassador Lynne Tracy said that she visited Evan Gershkovich in Moscow’s Lefortovo Prison, notorious for harsh conditions, and “he is in good health and remains strong.”It was “the first time we’ve been permitted access to him since his wrongful detention more than two weeks ago,” she said on Twitter. “We reiterate our call for his immediate release.”Gershkovich, 31, his employer and the U.S. government all deny he was involved in spying.Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said last week that a possible prisoner exchange for Gershkovich could take place, but only after his trial is completed. No date has been set for that.It’s not clear how long the investigation could last, but other espionage cases have lasted for a year or more.In December, American basketball star Brittney Griner was e...

Ontario seeks to set priorities for school boards on student achievement

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:29 GMT

Ontario’s education minister is proposing to establish “provincial priorities” on student achievement for school boards, strengthen training for trustees and board officials, and use surplus school board properties for housing.Those changes and many others are contained in an omnibus education bill tabled today by Stephen Lecce.He says it’s an overhaul designed to lift education standards and strengthen “back to basics” learning in reading, writing and math, that will lead to a more effective education system.The actual priorities for school boards will be set out by the government in regulations after the legislation passes, but officials say they will focus on student achievement in key areas such as reading, writing and math.The bill also seeks to “modernize” teacher education, make disciplinary processes more efficient, and foster greater parent involvement.Related: Ontario announces plan to hire 1,000 new teachers for math and lit...

Liberals, Tories must publish fundraiser venues despite concerns: Elections Canada

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:29 GMT

OTTAWA — Elections Canada is insisting that regulated fundraising events be publicly advertised with precise locations, despite safety concerns raised by the governing Liberals and Opposition Conservatives. Parties are obligated under political financing law to publicly list the venue name, but Elections Canada said in guidelines published last week that Parliament could change the law to account for those concerns.Until then, all fundraising events held in person — outside a general election — must be posted on the registered party’s website and must include the venue name as well as the municipality, province or territory, and postal code. Both the Liberal and Conservative parties have been leaving venue details out of online notices for fundraising events attended by their leaders, citing increased security threats.Elections Canada made its final ruling last week after an unnamed political party suggested that listing the municipality and province or territory where an even...

Speaker McCarthy vows to pass debt bill — with a big ‘if’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:29 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy pledged on Monday to pass legislation to raise the nation’s debt ceiling — but on condition of capping future federal spending at 1% — as he lashed out at President Joe Biden for refusing to engage in budget-cutting negotiations to prevent a debt crisis.In a high-profile speech at the New York Stock Exchange, McCarthy, the Republican leader who is marking his 100th day as speaker, said the nation’s debt load is a “ticking time bomb” and Biden is “missing in action” as the deadline nears to raise the debt limit. “Since the president continues to hide, House Republicans will take action,” McCarthy said.“Defaulting on our debt is not an option,” McCarthy said seeking to shift blame for the standoff and draw the White House back into talks. “The longer President Biden waits to be sensible to find an agreement, the more likely it becomes that this administration will bumble into the first default in our nation’s history.”Mc...

Ex-politician known for feces protest killed in South Africa

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:29 GMT

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — A former politician who gained notoriety in South Africa for dumping human feces in public places as a protest against the living conditions in some of the country’s poorest townships was fatally shot Monday while meeting with a group of homeless people, police said.Loyiso Nkohla was killed by unknown gunmen, who fled the scene of the shooting near the Philippi Railway Station on the outskirts of Cape Town. Three other people were wounded and were taken to the hospital by bystanders, police said.Police said there was no clear motive for the killing. South African media reported that more than 20 shots were fired, but police didn’t confirm those details.Nkohla, who local media reported was 40 years old, had been addressing people who live in shacks and other informal structures near the railway yard when he was shot. He served as an elected local councilor for the ruling African National Congress party, but later joined numerous other politi...

US brings charges over secret Chinese police outpost in NYC

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:29 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Two men have been arrested on charges that they helped establish a secret police outpost in New York City on behalf of the Chinese government, Justice Department officials said Monday.Officials say the case is part of a broader effort by the Justice Department to crack down on Chinese government attempts to harass dissidents and stifle free speech in the United States.Larry Neumeister And Eric Tucker, The Associated Press