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The AP Interview: Ukraine’s Zelenskyy says the war with Russia is in a new phase as winter looms

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:06:32 GMT

KHARKIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the war with Russia is in a new stage, with winter expected to complicate fighting after a summer counteroffensive that failed to produce desired results due to enduring shortages of weapons and ground forces.Despite setbacks, however, he said Ukraine won’t give up.“We have a new phase of war, and that is a fact,” Zelenskyy said in an exclusive interview Thursday with The Associated Press in Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine after a morale-boosting tour of the region. “Winter as a whole is a new phase of war.”Asked if he was satisfied by the results of the counteroffensive, he gave a complex answer.“Look, we are not backing down, I am satisfied. We are fighting with the second (best) army in the world, I am satisfied,” he said, referring to the Russian military. But he added: “We are losing people, I’m not satisfied. We didn’t get all the weapons we wanted, I can’t be satisfied, but I also can’t complain too mu...

Detainees in El Salvador’s gang crackdown cite abuse during months in jail

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:06:32 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The day he was arrested, Luis was in a government office trying to get a document attesting to his clean criminal history so he could apply for a call center job.“What I wanted at that time was something better for my life,” said the 23-year-old, who was working as a baker.When his turn came, he was told an agent from the National Civil Police would be involved because there was an offense on his record, an allegation that he had been associated with gang members. Luis was floored. Denying it repeatedly was useless, he recalled, because “at that time people didn’t have rights.”That was April 2022, the month after El Salvador President Nayib Bukele received special powers suspending fundamental rights like access to a lawyer or being informed of why you were arrested. Bukele launched a full-scale war against the country’s powerful street gangs. The exceptional powers remain in effect more than 1 1/2 years and some 72,000 arrests later.Accused of illegal association...

Minneapolis’ Leslie Fhima gets her heart broken in emotional finale of ‘The Golden Bachelor’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:06:32 GMT

In the emotionally charged finale of “The Golden Bachelor,” 72-year-old retired Indiana restaurateur Gerry Turner proposed to a woman who was not Minneapolis fitness instructor Leslie Fhima. And Fhima was clearly crushed.“You made it sound like you chose me,” she said between sobs. “You led me down a path and then you took a turn and left me there. It’s mindboggling, to be honest, how you can talk to me all night, say you love and then one day — not even a day, 12 hours later – you’d change your mind. I poured my heart out. I fell in love with you.”The episode, which aired Thursday night on ABC, took place at a resort in Costa Rica, after Turner went on overnight dates with 64-year-old Fhima and 70-year-old New Jersey financial services professional Theresa Nist. (At the end of the finale, which was half prerecorded material and half live-in-studio, host Jesse Palmer announced Turner and Nist were going to get married on Jan. 4, with the ceremony broadcast live on ...

Riverside County father killed, daughter hospitalized as gunman remains at large

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:06:32 GMT

Authorities are searching for a gunman who left a father dead and his young daughter hospitalized in Cathedral City.The suspect, Gabriel Hernandez, 24, is wanted for fatally shooting Ruben Hernandez, 43, and injuring his 11-year-old daughter, according to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.On March 23, 2020, Gabriel and another suspect, Josue Agustin Sanchezcasas, 27, believed a person who lived in the victims’ home was responsible for the 2019 murder of their friend in La Quinta.Sanchezcasas drove Gabriel to the victims’ home.Gabriel stepped out of the vehicle, went up to the house and tried to get in, authorities said. When he couldn’t enter, he fired several gunshots through a metal security door. The victims were both struck by the gunfire. Ruben was pronounced dead at the scene, while his daughter was transported to the hospital where she survived.Victims Ruben Hernandez, 43, and his 11-year-old daughter with family members. (Hernandez Family)Ruben and his dau...

Meta exposes foreign plot to divide Americans

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:06:32 GMT

Someone in China created thousands of fake social media accounts designed to appear to be from Americans and used them to spread polarizing political content in an apparent effort to divide the U.S. ahead of next year's elections, Meta said Thursday.The network of nearly 4,800 fake accounts was attempting to build an audience when it was identified and eliminated by the tech company, which owns Facebook and Instagram. The accounts sported fake photos, names and locations as a way to appear like everyday American Facebook users weighing in on political issues.Instead of spreading fake content as other networks have done, the accounts were used to reshare posts from X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that were created by politicians, news outlets and others. The interconnected accounts pulled content from both liberal and conservative sources, an indication that its goal was not to support one side or the other but to exaggerate partisan divisions...

Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski and bench bolster Warriors key win over Clippers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:06:32 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — Seven Warriors scored in double-digits in the Warriors’ 120-114 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night at Chase Center. Golden State moves to 9-10 in a key win coming off a disastrous meltdown loss in Sacramento.Without Chris Paul, Andrew Wiggins and Gary Payton II due to injury, the Warriors found contributions from every corner of their bench and kept the pace to hold a lead throughout most of the game. Klay Thompson scored 22 points, including 10 straight within 1:30 minutes to create some separation mid-way through the fourth quarter.A star-studded Clippers team hit timely shots to keep themselves in reach until the end, but Golden State was firing on all cylinders. Steph Curry led the way with 24 points, but Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski were key contributors off the bench.Kuminga had 17 points and six rebounds finishing a plus-13 while the rookie Podziemski scored 13 points and was a plus-12. The Warriors had a total 30 assist...

Dublin wig shop catering to cancer patients vandalized for 15th time

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:06:32 GMT

DUBLIN, Calif. (KRON) -- A wig shop in Dublin that caters to cancer patients has been vandalized.The suspect could not get inside this time, but the business has been a frequent target for thieves."They tried to pry this metal out to get the window out," said Valley Rags and Wigs owner Janie Mecham.Fortunately for Mecham, her decision to harden her windows is paying off. The suspect who vandalized her business, Valley Rags and Wigs, early Tuesday morning, could not get inside and took off empty-handed.Still, Mecham says the repairs are costly. How many of these In-N-Out secret menu items do you know? "It's horrible. You just feel violated," said Mecham.A Dublin police officer is investigating the case, Mecham said, and they may have tracked down a license plate number associated with the suspect.Mecham hopes the crime is solved, unlike others in the past captured on surveillance video. She has been in business for more than 30 years and says her shop in Lamps Plus Plaza has been b...

Suspect arrested after dog was dumped inside Rio Vista recycling bin, died at shelter

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:06:32 GMT

(KRON) -- A Fairfield man was arrested in connection to the death of a dog that was left on the side of a road in unincorporated Rio Vista, the Solano Sheriff's Animal Control Services (SSACS) announced Thursday on Facebook. Officials say the dog was dumped in a recycling bin on Sept. 18.Animal Control located the dog on the side of the road where it was nearing death, according to SSACS. The dog was rushed to Solano County Animal Shelter where the owner was located. Abandoned puppies at Hayward grocery store recovered by police Unfortunately, the dog died at the shelter. "The decision was made to humanely euthanize the animal to end the dog’s suffering," SSACS said.Authorities investigated to find the suspect. FLOCK safety cameras were used to figure out a time frame for when the dog was dumped in the recycling bin. A vehicle associated with the suspect was identified. An Animal Control officer was then able to locate the suspect in their Fairfield residence.The suspect, who was ...

Bay Area city among most popular Spotify Wrapped 'Sound Town' cities

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:06:32 GMT

(KRON) -- Many Spotify users look forward to their "Wrapped" every year, when the app tells people which artists and songs they've listened to most throughout the calendar year.This year, Spotify added a "Sound Town" to its annual recap. This matches users to "the city that has the most similar taste profile to yours," according to Spotify. Several towns were frequently seen as answers, including Berkeley, CA. Spotify associated artists including SZA, Lana Del Rey and Smino with the East Bay city. According to NBC News, 0.3% of all Spotify users got Berkeley as their Sound Town. The most popular Sound Town was San Luis Obispo with 0.8% of all users. How many of these In-N-Out secret menu items do you know? Burlington, VT and Cambridge, MA were other popular answers. Spotify tweeted "hey besties" at Berkeley, Burlington and Cambridge on Wednesday. Spotify Wrapped is always a popular discussion topic on social media, and X users joked about moving to Berkeley based on their Sound T...

The Israeli military says fighter jets are striking Hamas targets in Gaza after weeklong truce expired

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:06:32 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military says fighter jets are striking Hamas targets in Gaza after weeklong truce expired.Source