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Trump pleads not guilty in Georgia election subversion case and says he’ll skip next week’s hearing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:40:12 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty on Thursday and said he’ll skip a hearing next week in the case accusing him and others of illegally trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia.Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee had set arraignment hearings for Trump and the 18 others charged in the case for Sept. 6. A court filing waiving arraignment means Trump won’t have to show up for that.The decision to skip an in-person appearance averts the dramatic arraignments that have accompanied the three other criminal cases Trump faces, in which the Republican former president has been forced amid tight security into a courtroom and entered “not guilty” pleas before crowds of spectators. Georgia courts have fairly permissive rules on news cameras in the courtroom, and this step means Trump won’t have to enter a plea on television.Trump and 18 others were charged earlier this month in a 41-count indictment that outlines an alle...

Deputy fatally attacked by rogue inmate prompts policy changes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:40:12 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WSVN) — A routine inmate transport in Indianapolis took a deadly turn when an inmate attacked a sheriff’s deputy, resulting in the tragic loss of the deputy’s life. The incident has led to immediate policy changes within the sheriff’s office.Deputy John Durm of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office was carrying out what had become a routine procedure, parking the jail transport van in Indianapolis, Indiana. Security footage captured the moment Deputy Durm allowed inmate Orlando Mitchell to exit the vehicle. As Deputy Durm turned to close the door, Mitchell launched a sudden and violent assault. The struggle between Deputy Durm and Mitchell ensued for two minutes. Marion County Sheriff Kerry Forestal addressed the incident in a press release. “I want to make it clear that there is one person at fault here,” he stated. “It wasn’t understaffing that killed John Durm; it wasn’t faulty equipment that killed him, it wa...

Hurricane Idalia downgraded to tropical storm after leaving Florida communities forever changed

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:40:12 GMT

CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. (WSVN) — Hurricane Idalia, the first major hurricane to hit Florida’s Big Bend in over 100 years, left a deadly path of destruction after downing trees and flooding homes as the sea surged onto shore. The Category 3 storm slammed into Florida on Wednesday, wreaking havoc on communities along the coast and cutting power to hundreds of thousands of people throughout the state.In Crystal River, businesses and homes were left damaged on Thursday. As residents pick up the pieces of their community, officials said the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Idalia may be unrecognizable. “I was quite the storm. It was a bad one,” said one resident. “These are all little old-school Florida villas and they were just picked up and carried into the gulf,” said Michael Bobbit, a man who chose to stay behind to help in rescue missions. As the storm continued to thrash communities up the coast into Georgia and the Carolinas overnight into Thursday mo...

Barbie and Oppenheimer don’t live up to our values, Russia says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:40:12 GMT

Western blockbuster movies fly in the face of Russian values and aren’t worth showing in the country’s cinemas, Moscow’s Ministry of Culture has insisted, amid calls for the government to allow bootleg screenings in spite of a Hollywood embargo. The vice-speaker of Russia’s parliament, Vladislav Davankov, wrote to officials asking them to launch a pilot scheme where theaters could show popular new releases, including Barbie and Oppenheimer, even if studios have refused to license them in the country.However, in a response seen by state news agency TASS on Thursday, Deputy Culture Minister Andrei Malyshev rejected the appeal based on his choice of movies.“We believe that the films you have proposed for viewing by the citizens of our country — Barbie and Oppenheimer — do not meet the aims and objectives set out by the head of state, to preserve and strengthen traditional Russian spiritual and moral values,” he said.It’s not the first time that...

Trump pleads ‘not guilty’ in Georgia racketeering case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:40:12 GMT

Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to charges that he conspired to subvert the 2020 election in Georgia, formally signaling his intent to fight the charges in the sprawling racketeering case brought by Fulton County prosecutors.Trump entered his plea Thursday in a two-page court filing meant to waive his appearance at an arraignment scheduled for Sept. 6, when he was slated to have the charges read to him in court. Several of the 18 defendants charged alongside him have also waived their appearances at the scheduled arraignment.In the filing, Trump refers to himself three times as “President Trump” or “President Donald Trump.”The plea signals a new phase of the criminal proceedings against Trump in Georgia, triggering the start of evidence-sharing by prosecutors as they advance toward a still unscheduled trial. District Attorney Fani Willis is seeking to try Trump and the other defendants at an expedited Oct. 23 trial date that was demanded by Kenneth Chesebro, an attorney charged ...

Macron slams two-term limit on French presidency as ‘damnable bullshit’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:40:12 GMT

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron slammed the two-term constitutional limit that means he must step down in 2027 as “damnable bullshit” in comments at a meeting with party leaders on Wednesday.According to the far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Macron said it was “damnable bullshit that one could not be reelected,” words that were also confirmed to the AFP news agency by two participants. In France, presidents cannot be elected for more than two five-year terms, which means Macron is set to become the country’s youngest former president, aged only 49. The deadline has raised questions over whether the French president’s power is already waning as his allies and supporters start looking ahead to a future without him at the helm.Macron was first elected in 2017 and was reelected in 2022, following a presidential campaign overshadowed by Russia’s war in Ukraine. Macron reportedly expressed his frustration at France’s rules at a meeting he called with party lea...

Long COVID brain fog may be caused by blood clots, say scientists 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:40:12 GMT

LONDON — Answers for patients suffering from long COVID-19 symptoms are finally starting to trickle in, with new research indicating that blood clots may result in longer-term cognitive problems. A study published Thursday in Nature Medicine looked at more than 1,800 adults who were hospitalized with COVID-19 and found raised levels of two proteins during their COVID-19 infection — fibrinogen and D-dimer. Both these proteins are involved in blood clotting. The research also found that presence of these clotting biomarkers during a patient’s hospital stay was linked to ongoing cognitive problems six and 12 months after infection with COVID-19, leading the researchers to believe there may be a causal link between blood clots and long COVID.”I feel optimistic that the science is beginning to give us real insights into what the causes [of long COVID] are and then the potential treatments,” said Chris Brightling, professor of respiratory medicine at the University of Leicester...

Trump pleads not guilty and waives arraignment in Georgia election case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:40:12 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty on Thursday and waived arraignment in the case accusing him and others of illegally trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia.That means he won’t have to show up for an arraignment hearing that Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee had set for next week.Trump and 18 others were charged earlier this month in a 41-count indictment that outlines an alleged scheme to subvert the will of Georgia voters who had chosen Democrat Joe Biden over the Republican incumbent in the presidential election.Several other people charged in the indictment had already waived arraignment in filings with the court, saving them a trip to the courthouse in downtown Atlanta. Trump previously traveled to Georgia on Aug. 24 to turn himself in at the Fulton County Jail, where he became the first former president to have a mug shot taken.

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concert film heading to AMC Theatres in October

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:40:12 GMT

By Jami Ganz, New York Daily NewsTaylor Swift’s Eras Tour is getting the big screen treatment with a concert film that will make Swifties’ wildest dreams come true — at least in North America.The Grammy winner, 33, announced on Instagram Thursday morning that a film compiled from her recent slate of star-studded shows at L.A.’s SoFi Stadium will hit AMC Theatres on Oct. 13. (Dedicated fans will know that Swift — born on Dec. 13 — counts the number as her favorite, often painting it on the back of her hand for performances.)“The Eras Tour has been the most meaningful, electric experience of my life so far and I’m overjoyed to tell you that it’ll be coming to the big screen soon ,” the “Anti-Hero” singer captioned a trailer. “Eras attire, friendship bracelets, singing and dancing encouraged  1, 2, 3 LGB!!!! (iykyk).”US singer-songwriter Taylor Swift performs during her Eras Tour at Sofi stadium in Inglewood, California, August 7, 2023. (MICHAEL TRAN/AFP via Getty Images)Speculation em...

Abortion-ban states pour millions into pregnancy centers with little medical care

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:40:12 GMT

By Anna Claire Vollers, Stateline.orgAfter the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, Louisiana Republican state Sen. Beth Mizell looked for a way to address her state’s abysmal record on infant and maternal mortality, preterm births and low birth weight. Louisiana has one of the nation’s strictest abortion bans, with no exceptions for rape or incest.Mizell and her colleagues borrowed an idea from neighboring Mississippi: a state tax credit program that sends millions each year to nonprofit pregnancy resource centers, also called crisis pregnancy centers. They’re private anti-abortion organizations, often religiously affiliated, that typically offer free pregnancy tests, parenting classes and baby supplies. They are not usually staffed by doctors or nurses, though some offer limited ultrasounds or testing for sexually transmitted infections.“I see [pregnancy resource centers] as a touchpoint for pregnant women who may not know where to go for services or where to begin...