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Trump’s Lawyer Joe Tacopina Donated to Democratic Rep Who Called for Trump’s Prosecution

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:09 GMT

Donald Trump’s bombastic attorney in his defense against his high-profile indictment once donated to the campaign of a Democrat who moved to prosecute Trump during his presidency.Joe Tacopina, the lead defense attorney in the latest case against the former president, has not been a prolific donor to political campaigns, but those he has made have been bipartisan.In 2010, Tacopina gave to then-Rep. Kathleen Rice, D-N.Y., a former prosecutor who later sent a criminal referral to the FBI requesting they investigate Trump’s phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger.The phone call, in which Trump pressured Raffensberger to “find” him enough votes to overturn the presidential election, is now being investigated by the Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith.While it’s not clear in this case, such criminal referrals are considered to carry significant weight with the FBI and often trigger investigations.The $1,500 campaign donation to Rice is Tacopina’s second lar...

Transgender bathroom bill approved in Kansas; veto expected

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:09 GMT

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas bill that would bar transgender people from using public bathrooms or changing their name or gender on their driver’s license cleared the GOP-controlled Legislature on Tuesday by margins suggesting backers could override Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s expected veto.The state Senate voted 28-12 with one vote more than a two-thirds majority that would be needed to overturn any veto, giving final passage to an earlier House-passed version of the legislation and sending it to the governor.The measure deals with bathrooms, locker rooms and other facilities, and defines “sex” as “either male or female, at birth,” a move LGBTQ+-rights advocates said would legally erase transgender people and deny recognition to non-binary, gender fluid and gender non-conforming people.The sweeping transgender bill, one of the broadest of its kind in the nation, is among several hundred measures aimed at rolling back LGBTQ rights pursued by Republicans this year across the ...

Grains lower, Livestock lower

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:09 GMT

Wheat for May was off 2 cents at $6.9150 a bushel; May corn fell 4 cents at $6.5375 a bushel, May oats lost 7.25 cents at $3.41 a bushel; while May soybeans was down 4.50 cents at $15.1750 a bushel.Beef and pork were lower on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Apr. live cattle was off .52 cent at $1.6760 a pound; Apr. cattle fell 1 cent at $1.9795 a pound; while Apr. lean hogs lost 2.30 cents at $.7222 a pound.Source

Caregivers: Returning orca Lolita to Northwest is risky

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:09 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — An ambitious plan announced last week to return Lolita, a killer whale held captive for more than a half-century, to her home waters in Washington’s Puget Sound thrilled those who have long advocated for her to be freed from her tank at the Miami Seaquarium.But it also called to mind the release of Keiko — the star of the movie “Free Willy” — more than two decades ago. Keiko’s return to his native Iceland vastly improved upon his life in a Mexico City tank, but he failed to adapt to the wild and died five years later.He is the only orca released after long-term captivity. Some of Lolita’s former caregivers are warning she could face a similar fate — or that she might not survive a move across the country.But advocates say there are big differences between the cases and that their experience with Keiko will inform how they plan for Lolita’s return.While they hope to bring Lolita — also known as Tokitae, or Toki — to a whale sanctuary among the Pacific...

Prosecutor calls alleged Trump hush money payments part of ‘conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 election’

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:09 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Prosecutor calls alleged Trump hush money payments part of ‘conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 election.’Source

UN says Taliban bar female Afghan staffers from working

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:09 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Female Afghan employees of the United Nation have been banned by the ruling Taliban from working in the country, U.N. officials said Tuesday.The U.N. mission expressed “serious concern” after its female staffers were prevented from reporting to work in eastern Nangarhar province.“We will continue to pursue all avenues to ensure that we can reach the most vulnerable people, especially women and girls,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.He said U.N. officials were told through “various conduits” that the ban applied to the whole country.Taliban spokesmen were not immediately available for comment and the group did not issue a statement.Despite initial promises of a more moderate rule than during its previous stint in power, the Taliban have imposed harsh measures since seizing power in 2021 as U.S. and NATO forces were pulling out of Afghanistan after two decades of war.Girls are banned from education beyond sixth grade and women are barred from working, stu...

Indictment accuses Donald Trump of directing 3 different instances of hush money payments to cover up alleged affairs

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:09 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Indictment accuses Donald Trump of directing 3 different instances of hush money payments to cover up alleged affairs.Source

Judge warns Trump to refrain from social media posts that could foment unrest, after messages critical of prosecutor

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:09 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Judge warns Trump to refrain from social media posts that could foment unrest, after messages critical of prosecutor.Source

Rory McIlroy returns to Masters in search of green jacket

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:09 GMT

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Rory McIlroy has had plenty of memorable moments on the back nine on Sunday, but two of the best have had nothing to do with the four-time major champion holding up a trophy at the end.One came in 2018, when McIlroy was paired with Tiger Woods in the final group at the Tour Championship. McIlroy faded that Sunday at East Lake, but he was left with the best view possible to watch Woods win for the first time in five years.The other came just last year, down the hill from the stately clubhouse at Augusta National, where McIlroy holed out from the bunker on the 18th to finish off his Masters — and then watched Collin Morikawa do the same right behind him.“Obviously the last time this tournament was played I walked away from the course and the tournament pretty happy with myself, as you can see over there,” McIlroy said Tuesday, gesturing to a nearby photograph of him standing in the bunker, his club raised and the vestiges of a joyful cry still spread across the Nor...

Live coverage: Former President Trump pleads not guilty to 34 felony counts

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:09 GMT

NEW YORK (NEXSTAR) — Former President Donald Trump entered a not guilty plea on 34 felony charges of falsifying business records after surrendering to authorities at a Manhattan courthouse Tuesday.The former president appeared stone-faced in still photos from inside the courtroom as he sat next to his defense attorneys. See the indictment: Here’s what Trump is charged with He entered the plea around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday during the arraignment in a lower Manhattan courtroom as prosecutors unsealed a grand jury indictment. Trump spoke briefly during the hearing, telling the judge he was pleading “not guilty” to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records and he was advised of his rights. Trump stayed mostly still, his hands steepled or interlaced, and looked ahead during the proceedings that lasted just over an hour.“Thirty-four false statements made to cover up other crimes,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said at a press conference after the arraignment. “These are felo...