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Alleged Russian ‘spy’ whale now in Swedish waters

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 19:15:34 GMT

(CNN) — A beluga whale widely speculated to be an alleged Russian “spy” has entered Swedish waters, according to OneWhale, an organization set up to protect the animal’s health and welfare.The whale, nicknamed Hvaldimir, garnered international fame in 2019 after being spotted wearing a specially made harness with mounts for a camera, leading experts to believe that the animal may have been trained by the Russian military.“After four years of swimming south down the coast of Norway, Hvaldimir – known worldwide as the ‘Russian spy’ beluga whale – is now in Swedish waters,” OneWhale said in a statement on Monday.Hvaldimir was recently spotted in Norway’s capital Oslo, prompting concerns for the whale’s safety given the heavy boat traffic in the area.“But the famous beluga skirted around the dangerous waters of Oslo for Sweden,” OneWhale’s statement said.“We are impressed by Sweden’s show of care for Hvaldimir. They immediately contacted us upon his arrival, and even closed a bridge to ...

3 people remain missing days after apartment collapse in Iowa

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 19:15:34 GMT

Davenport, Iowa (CNN) — Two people who were previously unaccounted for after the partial collapse of an Iowa apartment building Sunday have been found safe, Davenport police said Thursday. But three others who lived in the crash zone remain missing.Rescuers have been trying to find Branden Colvin Sr., Ryan Hitchcock and Daniel Prien, whose apartments were in the massive section of the building that disintegrated, police said.Now, as families agonize and wait, city officials are grappling with how to proceed.If rescuers try to re-enter, the rest of the building could topple and crush them.“It’s dangerous, and it’s shifting,” Mayor Mike Matson said Thursday.But plans to demolish the Davenport building – originally scheduled for Tuesday morning – are now on hold.“We’re not anywhere near doing that right now,” the mayor said. “We are working on a timeline. We are reaching out to experts that have particular expertise in taking it down (in) a dignified and respectful way.”...

Stevens: Mazzulla will be back as Celtics coach, team ‘without a doubt’ wants Brown to return

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 19:15:34 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — For anyone expecting sweeping changes from the Boston Celtics this offseason, team president of basketball operations Brad Stevens is throwing a bit of cold water on that idea.After a season in which the Celtics fell one game short of a return to the NBA Finals, Stevens said he sees a team in need of small tweaks, not massive disruption to the leadership or its young core.“There was a lot that went right, and we can’t lose sight of that,” Stevens said Thursday during his season-ending news conference. “It’s not far. … It’s really hard to get in the mix. So, we just have to figure out how to be a little better.”That will start at the top with coach Joe Mazzulla, who Stevens said will return after guiding the Celtics to 57 wins and the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.Asked directly if Mazzulla is the right person to lead the team going forward, Stevens was unequivocal.“Yeah, I think he is,” Stevens said. “I thought he did a really good job with this group....

Single mom from Brockton walks across graduation stage with 2-year-old in her arms

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 19:15:34 GMT

A Brockton mom graduated with honors and her 2-year-old daughter by her side, or in her arms. The pair walked across the graduation stage Thursday together.Tiana Teixeira received an associate’s degree from Massasoit Community College, and the president of the college praised her during the ceremony.Teixeira said her daughter Niyana inspired her to keep working hard because earning her degree was a challenge. “It’s definitely not easy balancing being a mom full-time and going to school part-time and then working full-time,” Teixeira said “I just had to basically had to you know put my mom cape on and finish strong.”She told 7News that her graduation is also about also sharing a message to other single working moms, too.“You can absolutely do it,” she told 7News last week. “Don’t feel like you can’t do it because you have kids. Your kids definitely want to see you do better as well, and your kids are your motivation.”Teixeira said she’s very passionate about he...

Near 90° tomorrow, 50s this weekend

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 19:15:34 GMT

7Weather- It’s been a hot start to June! Some towns hit 90° this afternoon. Tomorrow it will be hot inland once again. Then the dry and sunny weather streak comes to end. We’ll watch for late Friday afternoon/early evening thunderstorms to pop up. Showers and cooler temperatures will be around this weekend.Tomorrow morning will be another mild start in the 50s and 60s. The South Coast, Buzzard’s Bay, Cape and Islands will wake up to some low cloud cover again. After the mild start, mostly sun will help warm temperatures back to the upper 80s/low 90s inland. The coast will be in the 80s. The morning low clouds will clear to some sunshine for the Cape and Islands, where high temperatures will be in the 70s. Unlike the dry air this week, tomorrow will feel a bit humid as dew points come up. Showers and storms pop up late afternoon/early evening.The weekend will feel much different with an area of low pressure nearby. That’ll bring us a northeast/onshore wind and...

Senate labors to stave off US default, wrap up Biden-McCarthy debt ceiling deal

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 19:15:34 GMT

By LISA MASCARO, KEVIN FREKING, STEPHEN GROVES and FARNOUSH AMIRI (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — Straining to prevent U.S. default, the Senate labored into Thursday evening trying to wrap up work on a debt ceiling and budget cuts package that overwhelmingly cleared the House. The urgent aim was to send it to President Joe Biden’s desk to become law before the fast-approaching deadline.Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the chamber was digging into the bill that Biden negotiated with Speaker Kevin McCarthy and would “keep working until the job is done.”He warned of a crush of ideas from senators anxious to revise the bill’s budget cuts and environmental policy changes, but said, “There is no good reason, none, to bring this process down to the wire.”Passage in the Senate will require cooperation between Democrats and Republicans, much the way the narrowly divided House was able to approve the compromise late Wednesday night. Fast ...

MLB commissioner accuses Sinclair chairman of threatening Diamond Sports bankruptcy in streaming rights dispute

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 19:15:34 GMT

A simmering dispute between Major League Baseball and the Hunt Valley-based broadcaster Sinclair erupted into public view Wednesday in federal bankruptcy court.MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in court that Sinclair’s executive chairman threatened to force its Diamond Sports Group regional sports networks into bankruptcy, potentially hurting the league, if MLB refused to give it baseball game streaming rights.Manfred made the accusations against David D. Smith, Sinclair’s executive chairman, while appearing at a bankruptcy hearing in Houston for the struggling Diamond Sports, according to reports of the hearing.Diamond, a Sinclair sports network subsidiary that broadcasts MLB, NBA and NHL games, filed for bankruptcy reorganization in Texas in March, burdened by more than $8 billion in debt and struggling as viewers increasingly stream live sports instead of paying for cable television to view matchups.The rocky relationship between Sinclair and the MLB emerged during We...

Revised DACA program again debated before Texas judge who previously ruled against it

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 19:15:34 GMT

By JUAN A. LOZANO (Associated Press)HOUSTON (AP) — A federal judge did not make an immediate decision Thursday on the fate of a revised version of a federal policy that prevents the deportation of hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. During a court hearing, attorneys representing the nine states that have sued to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program argued the updated policy is essentially the same as the 2012 memo that first created it and asked U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen to again find the program illegal. In 2021, Hanen declared DACA illegal, ruling that the program had not been subjected to public notice and comment periods required under the federal Administrative Procedures Act. Hanen also said the states seeking to stop it had standing to file their lawsuit because they had been harmed by the program.“Every aspect of this program is … unlawful,” said Ryan Walters, with the Texas Attorney General...

Former Playboy model accuses Bill Cosby of drugging and sexually assaulting her in 1969

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 19:15:34 GMT

By CHRISTOPHER WEBER (Associated Press)LOS ANGELES (AP) — A former Playboy model who alleges Bill Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her and another woman at his home in 1969 sued him Thursday under a new California law that suspends the statute of limitations on sex abuse claims.In her lawsuit, Victoria Valentino, 80, says she was an actress and singer 54 years ago, when she met Cosby, now 85. The comedian and actor later approached her at a Los Angeles café, where he spotted her crying over the recent drowning death of her 6-year-old son. The Associated Press does not identify people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly.Cosby offered to pay for a spa treatment for Valentino and a friend, and then sent a chauffeured car to pick the women up for dinner. That evening at a steakhouse, Cosby gave them each a pill, she said in the court filing. “Here! Take this!” the lawsuit alleges Cosby said to them. “It will make y...

Biden thanks Air Force Academy graduates for choosing ‘service over self’; he stumbles after speech

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 19:15:34 GMT

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — President Joe Biden on Thursday thanked U.S. Air Force Academy graduates for choosing “service over self” but said they now have the “great privilege” of leading in a world that will only get more confusing in the years to come. His appearance was punctuated by a stumble onstage after handing out diplomas to graduates.“Graduates, you made a noble choice to lead a life of service,” Biden told more than 900 cadets in remarks on the sun-splashed field at Falcon Stadium in Colorado. “Now you also shoulder a great privilege and a mighty responsibility. Leadership, yeah leadership.”“In the years ahead, your airmen and guardians are going to look to you for guidance and inspiration because the world is going to get more confusing,” he added. “They’ll put their trust in you. You, in turn, must strive to always be worthy of their confidence.”Near the end of the ceremony, the 80-year-old president turned to walk across the stage and tripped. He was helped up by an Ai...