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States dumping massive, costly stockpiles of pandemic gear

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:54 GMT

By Jennifer Peltz and David A. Lieb | Associated PressWhen the coronavirus pandemic took hold in an unprepared U.S., many states like Ohio scrambled for masks and other protective gear. Supplies were so limited in 2020 that the state bought millions of medical gowns from a marketing and printing company and spent about $20 million to try to get personal protective equipment made in-state.Three years later, as the grips of the pandemic have loosened, Ohio and other states are now trying to deal with an excess of protective gear, ditching their supplies in droves.With expiration dates passing and few requests to tap into the stockpile, Ohio auctioned off 393,000 gowns for just $2,451 and ended up throwing away another 7.2 million, along with expired masks, gloves and other materials. The now expiring supplies had cost about $29 million in federal money.A similar reckoning is happening around the country. Items are aging, and as a deadline to allocate federal COVID-19 cash approaches n...

Originally charged with kidnapping woman over $11,000 theft, Oakland man pleads to gun charge for probation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:54 GMT

OAKLAND — A city resident who originally faced charges of kidnapping a sex worker over $11,000 she allegedly took from him has accepted a plea deal and a probation sentence, according to court records.David Salazar, 33, of Oakland, pleaded no contest to carrying a concealed weapon, and was sentenced to credit for time he’s already spent in jail and two years felony probation, court records show. In exchange for the plea, prosecutors dropped kidnapping and criminal threats charges against him.Salazar was charged back in August with kidnapping an 18-year-old woman, who reported that three men forced her into an Acura and took her from a location on International Boulevard, held her at gunpoint, threatened to take her to Mexico and leave her there, and questioned her about the missing $11,000. One of her friends witnessed the incident and called police, who then began tracking the car with help from a helicopter.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Woman fou...

Hermes billionaire wants to adopt his gardener in inheritance plan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:54 GMT

London (CNN) — A descendant of Europe’s richest family has reportedly begun a process to adopt his middle-aged gardener, planning to leave him at least half of his fortune of roughly 12 billion euros ($13 billion).Related ArticlesWorld News | Judge rules man who spent 50 years in prison is innocent of murder World News | Minnesota has a new state flag to replace one some thought offensive World News | Zelenskyy says he’s confident Ukraine will get more US aid World News | US producing more oil than any country in history World News | Israeli airstrikes kill dozens across central, south Gaza Nicolas Puech, 80, a fifth-generation descendant of the founder of French luxury goods company Hermes, wants to cancel a contract that would bequeath his fortune to the Isocrates Foundation, which he founded, and instead make his employee a legal heir.Swiss newspapers Tribune de Geneve and 24 heures reported the...

President Biden denounces Trump as ‘doubling down’ on support for insurrection

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:54 GMT

MILWAUKEE (AP) — President Joe Biden said it’s “self-evident” that Donald Trump is an insurrectionist for trying to overturn his 2020 election loss but stopped short of commenting on a Colorado legal case that would bar him from the state’s ballot.The Democratic president made the comments about his likely Republican opponent in next year’s election shortly after landing in Milwaukee for an event focused on the economy.“Whether the 14th Amendment applies or not, we’ll let the court make that decision,” Biden told reporters on the tarmac after stepping off Air Force One. “But he certainly supported an insurrection. There’s no question about it. None. Zero. And he seems to be doubling down on it.”Biden also criticized Trump for his recent comments that migrants were “poisoning the blood” of the country.“I don’t believe, as the former president said again yesterday, that immigrants are polluting our blood,” Biden said in a speech at the W...

Hamas leader visits Cairo as talks build for another Gaza cease-fire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:54 GMT

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hamas’ top leader traveled to Cairo on Wednesday for talks on the war in Gaza, part of a flurry of diplomacy to secure another cease-fire and swap of hostages for Palestinian prisoners at a moment when Israel’s offensive shows no signs of slowing.Hamas militants have put up stiff resistance lately, even as the Israeli army claims to be making progress in eradicating them. The visit to Cairo by Ismail Haniyeh came a day after Hamas fired rockets that set off air raid sirens in central Israel. It was a show of strength after a 10-week war that has devastated much of northern Gaza, killed nearly 20,000 Palestinians, and driven some 1.9 million — nearly 85% of the population — from their homes.Israel has called on the rest of the world to blacklist Hamas as a terrorist organization, saying it must be removed from power in Gaza in the wake of its Oct. 7 rampage across southern Israel that triggered the war. But the sides have recently relaunched ind...

Biden sobre la decisión de Colorado: “No hay duda” de que Trump “apoyó una insurrección”

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:54 GMT

El presidente Joe Biden dijo a los periodistas este miércoles que “no hay duda” de que el expresidente Donald Trump apoyó una insurrección, y comentó sobre el tema un día después de que la Corte Suprema de Colorado dictaminara que Trump fue descalificado de las elecciones primarias del estado de 2024 debido a su papel en las elecciones del 6 de enero, el ataque al Capitolio.“Bueno, creo que ciertamente es evidente”, dijo Biden. “Lo viste todo. Ahora bien, si se aplica la 14ª Enmienda, dejaré que el tribunal tome esa decisión. Pero ciertamente apoyó una insurrección.”“No hay duda al respecto: ninguna, cero. Y parece que está redoblando su apuesta en todo”, añadió el presidente. Cómo la Corte Suprema jugará un papel decisivo en los problemas legales de Trump Corte Suprema de Colorado dictamina que Trump no podrá aparecer en la boleta electoral estatal La Corte Suprema de Colorado dictó su fallo el martes, declarando que el exp...

Fantasy plays: Players to start and sit for NFL Week 16

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:54 GMT

If you win this week, you’re playing for a title and hitting on the right start/sit decisions can be a big help.Every week I’ll be listing out every fantasy-relevant player, sorted by position and bucketed into tiers with the higher-tiered players deemed more start-worthy. For specific start/sit advice between two players in the same tier, refer to numberFire ’s projections.These tiers are meant to reflect your typical 12-team, half-PPR scoring formats with only one starting quarterback — though the general rankings can be loosely applied to most formats.Any player not listed can be assumed sit-worthy in most leagues.All betting references refer to the NFL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. All statistics via NFL Next Gen Stats and Pro Football Focus unless otherwise stated.QUARTERBACKSTier 1: Lineup locks— Jalen Hurts (PHI vs. NYG)— Josh Allen (BUF at LAC)— Justin Fields (CHI vs. ARI)— Dak Prescott (DAL at MIA)— Lamar Jackson (BAL at SF)— Patrick Mahomes (KC vs. LV)Just start these guys a...

10 Americans freed, fugitive contractor ‘Fat Leonard’ to be extradited under Venezuela prisoner swap for Maduro ally

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:54 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — 10 Americans freed, fugitive contractor ‘Fat Leonard’ to be extradited under Venezuela prisoner swap for Maduro ally.Source

UN Security Council again delays vote on Gaza aid resolution amid talks on wording to avoid US veto

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:54 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council again on Wednesday delayed a vote on a new U.N. resolution on desperately needed aid to Gaza until the following day as the Biden administration struggles to change key wording in high-level negotiations seeking to avoid a U.S. veto.The United States seeks to change the text’s references to a cessation of hostilities in the Israel-Hamas war, and the part about putting the United Nations in charge of inspecting trucks to ensure they are actually carrying humanitarian goods, which Israel opposes.Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh of the United Arab Emirates, which sponsored the Arab-backed resolution, said very high-level discussions are taking place to try to reach agreement on a text that can be adopted.“Everyone wants to see a resolution that has impact and that is implementable on the ground,” she told reporters after the 15 council members held closed consultations. “We believe today, giving a little bit of space for additional diplomacy, co...

Stock market today: Wall Street drifts following strong economic data, disappointing profit reports

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:54 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street’s monster-sized rally since Halloween is easing off the accelerator Wednesday following mixed reports showing disappointing profits at companies but unexpected strength for the economy. The S&P 500 slipped less than 0.1% in afternoon trading and within 0.7% of its record set nearly two years ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 15 points, or less than 0.1%, coming off its own record. The Nasdaq composite edged up by 0.2%, as of 2:06 p.m. Eastern time.FedEx tumbled 10.9% after reporting weaker revenue and profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It also now expects its revenue for the full fiscal year to fall from year-earlier levels, rather than being roughly flat, because of pressures on demand.The package delivery company pumps commerce around the world, and the signaling of weaker demand could erode the hope that has fueled Wall Street’s recent rally: that the Federal Reserve can pull off a perfect landing for the economy by slow...