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Donald Trump pleads not guilty to 34 felony counts in historic indictment

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:49 GMT

Former President Donald Trump pleaded innocent Tuesday to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation of hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.The one-term commander-in-chief entered the plea during an unprecedented and extraordinary hour-long Manhattan court proceeding. Trump, in his trademark blue suit, white shirt and red tie, remained uncharacteristically quiet inside the courtroom and out, uttering just two words.“Not guilty,” the native New Yorker responded when asked for a plea to the charges.Former US president Donald Trump appears in court at the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York on April 4, 2023. (Photo by Steven HIRSCH / POOL / AFP) (Photo by STEVEN HIRSCH/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)He entered and departed the state Supreme Court hearing without speaking to the media and listened in silence during the proceeding.Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, ...

‘Born alive’ abortion bill OK’d in Kansas, sent to governor

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:49 GMT

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Doctors accused of not providing enough care to infants born during abortion procedures in Kansas could face lawsuits and criminal charges under a bill that won final passage Tuesday in the state’s Republican-controlled Legislature. The legislation faces an uncertain fate in a legal and political climate that’s made Kansas an outlier on abortion policy among states with GOP-led legislatures. The Kansas House voted 86-36 to approve a proposed “born-alive infants protection” law similar to a proposed law that Montana voters rejected in November. The Senate approved the measure last week and it goes next to Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, who vetoed such a bill in 2019.The Senate voted 31-9 for the bill last week, meaning it passed both chambers with more than the two-thirds majorities necessary to override a potential veto from Kelly. “We can have differing views on abortion and still agree on the need for this legislation as a humanitarian issue,” the Kan...

Relief, but some mixed feelings, as Finland joins NATO

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:49 GMT

HELSINKI (AP) — The selling points of the charming bed-and-breakfast are its century-old buildings, its spacious rooms and its proximity to Russia, a short cross-country ski trip to the east.For Russians, it was place to stay when they came to buy dairy goods and dish soap in the closest part of the European Union, which became a part of NATO on Tuesday. For Finns with roots in the Karelia region, which covers parts of both Finland and Russia, they could go across the border to buy cheap gas and car parts and visit sites of the clashes between Finnish forces and the Soviet Red Army during World War II.The harmony of the Kuuksenkaari bed-and-breakfast was briefly interrupted Tuesday morning when owners Eija Hiltunen and Eero Tuomisto argued, peacefully and quietly, about the necessity of Finland joining NATO, the Finnish flag lifted alongside 30 others in Brussels.For Eija Hiltunen, who moved to the northern Karelia region with her husband more than a decade ago, Finland becoming par...

Wall Street dips, snaps win streak after weak economic data

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:49 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks fell on Wall Street Tuesday after reports on the economy came in weaker than expected. The S&P 500 dropped 23.91 points, or 0.6%, to 4,100.60 to break a four-day winning streak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 198.77, or 0.6%, to 33,402.38, and the Nasdaq composite sank 63.13, or 0.5%, to 12,126.33. Investors are still split on whether the U.S. economy will fall into a recession and how badly corporate profits are set to drop. The biggest question remains what the Federal Reserve will do next with interest rates after hiking them furiously over the last year to get high inflation under control. The reports on job openings and factory orders released Tuesday may have heightened recession fears. But they may also give the Fed reason to hold rates steady at its next meeting, for the first time in more than a year, offering a possible upside for markets.One report showed employers advertised 9.9 million job openings in February, a sharper fall-off than e...

S&P/TSX composite largely unchanged Tuesday, U.S. markets move lower

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:49 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index was largely unchanged Tuesday as strength in telecom, technology, utilities and battery metals helped offset weakness in other sectors, while U.S. markets moved lower. The S&P/TSX composite index was down 2.52 points at 20,275.76.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 198.77 points at 33,402.38.The S&P 500 index was down 23.91 points at 4,100.60, while the Nasdaq composite was down 63.12 points at 12,126.33.Tuesday’s market was driven by recession worries, said Jules Boudreau, senior economist at Mackenzie Investments. “Bond yields are down and defensive stocks are outperforming, especially in the U.S. but also in Canada,” he said. JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said Tuesday in a letter to shareholders that the banking crisis isn’t over, and its repercussions will last for years. He also said the odds of a recession have increased. Meanwhile, U.S. job openings decreased in February, though Boudreau noted that q...

Pet dog dies from bird flu after chewing on infected goose in GTA

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:49 GMT

A pet dog that contracted avian influenza after chewing on an infected goose in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) has died.In a joint statement, the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said that the dog tested positive for the highly pathogenic avian influenza, known as bird flu, on April 1.Both agencies confirmed that the dog contracted the virus after chewing on an infected goose in Oshawa and later died after showing clinical signs of avian influenza.“The necropsy was completed on April 3, 2023, and showed respiratory system involvement. Further testing is underway. It is the only case of its kind in Canada,” the joint statement read.RELATED: Hundreds of birds reported dead across GTHA, carcasses being tested for avian influenzaThe number of reported cases of avian influenza in non-avian species, such as cats and dogs, remains low despite the virus causing large global outbreaks over the last few years. No domestically acquired h...

Burlington shooting sends 1 to hospital with leg wound

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:49 GMT

One person has serious injuries after being shot in the leg in Burlington on Tuesday afternoon. Halton regional police say it happened in the Guelph Line and New Street area at around 1:50 p.m.Investigators have not revealed the gender of age of the victim and no suspect description is currently available. Police stress there is no ongoing risk to the public safety, but say nearby residents can expect to see a significant police presence in the area as the investigation unfolds.

Mexico asks China’s help in curbing production of fentanyl

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:49 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president asked his Chinese counterpart for help Tuesday in halting chemicals from China used by Mexican drug dealers to illegally produce fentanyl, while also complaining of “rude” U.S. pressure to curb the drug trade.President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has previously said that fentanyl is America’s problem and is caused by “a lack of hugs” in U.S. families. On Tuesday he doubled down on those themes, but went further, venting in a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping about “rude threats” from U.S. legislators over the drug trade.López Obrador complained about calls in the United States to designate Mexican drug gangs as terrorist organizations. Some Republicans have said they favor using the U.S. military to crack down on the Mexican cartels.“Unjustly, they are blaming us for problems that in large measure have to do with their loss of values, their welfare crisis,” López Obrador wrote to Xi in the letter published Tuesday. “These positions are in t...

Trump in court reckoning: What happened and what’s ahead

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:49 GMT

Donald Trump sat solemnly in a New York City courtroom Tuesday as prosecutors charged him with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in a hush money investigation. The first former president to be charged with crimes pleaded not guilty on all counts.Trump has denied any wrongdoing, repeatedly assailed the investigation, called the indictment “political persecution” and predicted it would damage Democrats in 2024. Trump’s lawyers have said the former Republican president “did not commit any crime” and they will “vigorously fight this political prosecution in court.”A look at what happened Tuesday:WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE SURRENDER? Trump was booked. Before computers, information on every criminal suspect would be written down in a big book kept by court officials. Now, it’s all computerized, but the process is largely the same.Court officers take down the accused’s full name, age, birthdate, height and weight. They check for any outstanding warrants. ...

Thunderstorms blow into Chicago area

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:49 GMT

CHICAGO — Severe weather blew through the Chicago area and parts of Illinois Tuesday.Strong winds, hail and rain were reported throughout the area. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here A powerhouse northbound warm front is going to sweep into the Chicago area Tuesday evening introducing warm and humid air. Temps will be surging into the low 70s across our southern suburbs Tuesday while holding in the 40s as east winds blow into areas along Lake Michigan Tuesday from Chicago north. By and during tonight (Tuesday night), the warm humid air is to win out--taking control of the weather scene here. At times it's not raining, we'll actually be able to throw open the windows and bask in the warm air.Latest warnings and watches from the National Weather Service.It's the warm, humid air mass which threatens active and possible severe thunderstorms.A second severe weather potential comes together Wednesday as a cold front ploughs into the warm, humid air in place. Storms may occ...