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Dianne Feinstein, trail-blazing California senator, dies at 90

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:00:48 GMT

California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein has died at age 90.The trail-blazing Feinstein had faced mounting health problems in recent years; her replacement will be selected by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.). Feinstein already announced she would not run for reelection in 2024, and the race for her seat is already underway.Feinstein was the first woman elected to the Senate from California in 1992 and became one of the most powerful politicians in the Capitol. As Senate Intelligence Committee chair, she battled with the Obama administration over the classified report on the CIA’s torture program following the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 — commanding respect from Republicans and Democrats alike.“She was one of the most effective legislators in recent memory because of her willingness to work across the aisle in good faith in order to solve complex problems,” said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who served with her on the Judiciary Committee.Feinstein was also a renowned proponent of gun saf...

Germany, Poland, Czech Republic start task force on illegal immigration

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:00:48 GMT

Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic are establishing a joint task force to crack down on “inhumane smuggling crime” and illegal immigration, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser announced on Friday. “Together, we want to smash the cruel business of smuggling gangs that make maximum profit from the plight of people and smuggle them across borders in a life-threatening way,” Faeser said in a statement Friday. “That is why we have now agreed to step up joint patrols by the police forces there with our federal police on Czech and Polish territory as well,” she added. The joint task force — which Faeser coordinated with Czech Interior Minister Vít Rakušan and Poland’s Mariusz Kamiński — will be headed by Europol’s EMPACT program. German, Czech and Polish police will work together on each other’s territories to curb illegal immigration and to identify smuggler routes. This is Faeser’s latest attempt to control ille...

2 dolphins rescued, released off Cape Cod

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:00:48 GMT

Two dolphins were rescued and released off Cape Cod Thursday after they ventured into shallow water in Wellfleet, officials with the International Fund for Animal Welfare said. Officials said fund for animal welfare staff and volunteers responded after they received reports around 9 a.m. Thursday “indicating that several dolphins were swimming near the mouth of the Herring River in Wellfleet.”Lauren Cooley, an animal rescue responder and stranding biologist at the fund for animal welfare said volunteers remained on scene throughout the morning before spotting two dolphins in a part of the river “well-known for its shallow, difficult-to-navigate mud flats.Officials said the fund for animal welfare team tried to herd the dolphins toward deeper water using three vessels. Efforts, though, were unsuccessful. Nearing 4 p.m., officials said, experts changed tactics and opted to extract the dolphins near Chequesset Neck Road in Wellfleet using what they described as a “one-of-a-ki...

Detained WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich’s parents describe what it was like seeing him in Russia

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:00:48 GMT

New York (CNN) — Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich remains “defiant” six months after he was detained in Russia on spying charges, which he and the Journal strenuously deny, his mother told CNN’s Anderson Cooper Thursday night.“He’s smiling. He understands what’s going on,” Ella Milman said. “And I have to say, under all the circumstances, he’s doing really well.”Gershkovich’s parents have been able to go to Russia twice. They saw him in June and were able to talk to him, though Cooper noted he was essentially in a glass box.“Being there, it was like having him back,” his father, Mikhail Gershkovich, said. “Just the physical presence and his voice made you very happy.”Gershkovich was arrested in March during a reporting trip. The FSB, Russia’s main security service, accused him of trying to obtain state secrets — a charge Gershkovich and his employer have extensively denied.If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison.Gershkovich’s parents left the Sovi...

Police investigating crash with serious injuries on Route 3 in Weymouth

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:00:48 GMT

Police responded to a multi-vehicle crash on Route 3 in Weymouth on Friday morning that resulted in serious injuries and lengthy delays for commuters.At least three vehicles were involved in the crash on the southbound side of the highway just after 5 a.m.The state Department of Transportation in a message on X said the two left lanes on Route 3 South were closed as of around 6:30 p.m. Lanes had reopened and the scene had cleared as of around 8:30 a.m., according to MassDOT.The cause of the crash remained under investigation.No additional information was immediately available.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

Pharaoh Brown recalls Bill O’Brien blocked his workout with Patriots years ago

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:00:48 GMT

FOXBORO — One of the best stories of the Patriots’ young season is the emerging role of journeyman tight end Pharaoh Brown.Brown, 29, spent stints with the Raiders, Browns, Texans and Colts before landing with the Patriots in late August off of a recommendation from offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien and tight ends coach Will Lawing to head coach Bill Belichick and director of player personnel Matt Groh.The Patriots needed a third tight end to complement Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki, and none of the options they rostered through training camp stood out. Brown had played under O’Brien and Lawing when they were with the Texans.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots mailbag: Could young receiver take snaps from JuJu Smith-Schuster? New England Patriots | Callahan: Bill Belichick can’t beat Cowboys coaching conservatively New England Patriots | Will Grier: Patriots ‘didn’t interrogate me’ about Cowboys ...

Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California dies at age 90, sources tell the AP

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:00:48 GMT

By MICHAEL BLOOD, MARY CLARE JALONICK, LISA MASCARO and MICHAEL BALSAMO (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, a centrist Democrat who was elected to the Senate in 1992 in the “Year of the Woman” and broke gender barriers throughout her long career in local and national politics, has died. She was 90.Three people familiar with the situation confirmed her death to The Associated Press on Friday.Feinstein, the oldest sitting U.S. senator, was a passionate advocate for liberal priorities important to her state — including environmental protection, reproductive rights and gun control — but was also known as a pragmatic lawmaker who reached out to Republicans and sought middle ground.She was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1969 and became its first female president in 1978, the same year Mayor George Moscone was gunned down alongside Supervisor Harvey Milk at City Hall by Dan White, a disgruntled...

Dutch hospital official says questions were raised over alleged gunman’s mental state

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:00:48 GMT

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — A medical student accused of killing three people in shootings at an apartment and a hospital in the Dutch city of Rotterdam had been told to undergo a psychological evaluation to establish whether he was mentally fit to become a doctor, a hospital official said Friday.The suspect, identified by Dutch media only as Fouad L., was arrested by heavily armed police on Thursday wearing a bulletproof vest and carrying a firearm, police said.He allegedly shot a 39-year-old woman and her 14-year-old daughter in an apartment near his home on Thursday afternoon and then went to the nearby Erasmus Medical Center, where he shot a 43-year-old doctor who was teaching a class at the hospital. All three died of their injuries. Police and prosecutors said the shooter also started fires at both locations.In a statement, the hospital identified the doctor as Jurgen Damen, calling him a “beloved teacher” and a “well-known figure in the education community of Rotterdam. Our...

804,000 long-term borrowers are having their student loans forgiven before payments resume this fall

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:00:48 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Karin Engstrom thought she’d be paying off her federal student loans for the rest of her life. The 82-year-old was shocked when she logged on to check her balance ahead of payments resuming in October and found that more than $175,000 in debt had been erased.She’s one of 804,000 borrowers who will have a total of $39 billion forgiven under a one-time adjustment granted by the Biden administration. It’s for people in income-driven repayment plans who have been paying back loans for 20 or 25 years but who never received credit for late or partial payments. It also credits borrowers for periods before the pandemic when they were allowed to pause or reduce payments due to financial hardships.To correct mistakes by loan servicers, the Department of Education is retroactively adjusting accounts, resulting in forgiveness. The department says 95% of those who qualify have now been informed of the cancellation.Engstrom didn’t immediately believe it when she ...

Loewe showcases high-waisted silhouettes in surrealistic Paris fashion display

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:00:48 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Flashes of intrigue greeted guests at Loewe’s meticulously designed space for Paris Fashion Week. Bright, other-worldly lighting brightened a dove-gray runway where gold modernist sculptures by American artist Lynda Benglis were scattered as if dropped by a fashion divinity, hinting at the merging of fashion and art. The set mostly was a blank canvas upon which Jonathan Anderson put his latest designs, a collection that played with proportion and quirks. Here are some Friday highlights from the Spring-Summer 2024 collections in Paris: LOEWE LIFTS LIMITS ON WAISTLINESThe centerpiece of Anderson’s collection was a bold and surreal high-waisted silhouette, with pants in hues of camel, grey, brown, and black occasionally touched by vivid splashes of red, bougainvillea, and tangerine. The choice of a style especially prominent in menswear wasn’t just a nostalgic nod. By pushing the waistlines to extreme heights, Anderson threw away conventional proportions with his typ...