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Debt ceiling talks making ‘progress’ McCarthy says, talks narrow on deal ahead of looming deadline

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 16:23:46 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Friday negotiators “made progress” on an agreement with the White House to raise the debt limit as they race to close out a deal ahead of a looming deadline to avert a potentially catastrophic default.McCarthy told reporters at the Capitol that there is still more work to do.The two sides are narrowing on a two-year agreement that would curb federal spending and lift the borrowing limit ahead of a deadline as soon as June 1 when Treasury could run out of money to pay the nation’s bills.President Joe Biden and the Republican speaker hope to strike a budget compromise this weekend. Any deal would need to be a political compromise, with support from both Democrats and Republicans to pass the divided Congress.A person familiar with the talks said the two sides are “dug in” on whether or not to agree to Republican demands to impose stiffer work requirements on people who receive government food stamps, cash assistance and he...

Homeless man rescued from garbage truck after nearly compressed to death in Pensacola

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 16:23:46 GMT

PENSACOLA, Fla. (CNN) — A near tragedy in Pensacola after a homeless man, who took shelter in a dumpster was accidentally dumped in a trash compactor and nearly compressed to death.When the garbage truck did its routine stops Wednesday morning, a man who was sleeping inside an apartment complex dumpster was put into the compactor along with bags of garbage. Fire Battalion Chief Kurt Isakson said someone from an apartment building nearby alerted police after hearing screams coming from inside the truck. “I heard the guy yelling from across the street. I don’t know if he needs medical attention or not. That’s why I’m calling,” said the woman. “The dispatch center contacted that trash company to let the driver know that they had picked up somebody that was in a trash truck. Otherwise, they would not have known,” said Isakson. The driver of that garbage truck stopped at a nearby gas station.“So he stopped right there [at the gas sta...

Heat head home to Miami, confident as ever with another chance to clinch

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 16:23:46 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — The Miami Heat insist they are as confident as ever, even after missing two chances to eliminate the Boston Celtics.They will get the next one, Jimmy Butler said.“It’s going to be all smiles,” Butler said after the Celtics won 110-97 on Thursday night to cut the Heat’s lead in the series to 3-2. “We are going to keep it very, very, very consistent, knowing that we are going to win the next game.”The Heat are headed home with still two more chances to clinch a spot in the NBA Finals. But they would be wise to do it in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday night and avoid a decisive seventh game in Boston.The eighth-seeded Heat won the first three games – two of them in Boston – to put the defending Eastern Conference champions on the brink of elimination. None of the other 150 teams in NBA history to fall behind 3-0 have come back to win a best-of-seven playoff series.But the Celtics won Game 4 in Miami by 17 points and then led by as many as 24 in a Game ...

Donald Trump and Boris Johnson talk Ukraine over dinner

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 16:23:46 GMT

LONDON — Donald Trump and Boris Johnson discussed “the situation in Ukraine and the vital importance of Ukrainian victory” this week, according to a spokesperson for the former British prime minister.Johnson, ousted from office last year, has been touring America to try and drum up support among top Republicans for Ukraine in the wake of Russia’s invasion.Pro-Ukraine think tankers this week hosted the ex-British leader for a private lunch in Texas, where he told a gathering of politicians, donors and captains of industry that America must stay the course in Ukraine. Talking to the Republican frontrunner appears to have been next on the list. The New York Times first reported that Trump — who has faced scrutiny over whether he supports Russia or Ukraine in the conflict and has promised to resolve the war in 24 hours — was planning to host Johnson for dinner.A spokesperson for Johnson confirmed a meeting had taken place when speaking to the BBC Friday, and discl...

Qatargate suspect Eva Kaili to resume her duties at EU Parliament

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 16:23:46 GMT

ATHENS — European parliamentarians could soon expect a reunion with their colleague Eva Kaili.Five months after being arrested by Belgian police as part of the ongoing investigation into corruption allegations that rocked the European Parliament, EU lawmaker Eva Kaili now intends to return to work.A day after the Belgian prosecutor’s office announced that the once-feted EU lawmaker is no longer under house arrest, Kaili’s lawyers said she’s set to resume her duties at the European Parliament.“As of today … Eva Kaili is free to leave her residence and to fully exercise all her rights and obligations, deriving from her status as a member of the European Parliament,” her lawyers Sven Mary and Michalis Dimitrakopoulos said in a joint statement.“The restrictive condition of the ban on leaving Belgium, which was imposed, does not upset her, since Kaili will return to Greece only after her judicial vindication,” they said, adding that “the evidence that documents Kaili’s innoce...

Attorney for 11-year-old Mississippi boy shot by police says there’s ‘no way’ he could have been mistaken for an adult

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 16:23:46 GMT

(CNN) — An attorney for an 11-year-old Mississippi boy who was shot by a police officer after he called 911 for help said Thursday there was “no way” the boy could have been mistaken for an adult.The attorney, Carlos Moore, is asking for “a full and transparent investigation” of the shooting.Aderrien Murry is recovering after being released from the hospital, according to his family, who has called for the officer to be fired and charged with the shooting. The boy is traumatized and will require counseling, according to Moore.Aderrien was shot in the chest by an Indianola Police Department officer early Saturday morning while the officer was responding to a domestic disturbance call at the child’s home, according to his mother, Nakala Murry, and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation.Moore told CNN Thursday there is “no way” the boy could have been mistaken by the officer for the adult who was the subject of the 911 call – a man “over 6 feet tall.”“This 11-year-old child was a...

Celine Dion cancels entire tour due to health issues

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 16:23:46 GMT

(CNN) — Celine Dion’s “Courage World Tour” dates through 2024 have been canceled as she continues to battle a rare neurological disorder, it was announced Friday.“I’m so sorry to disappoint all of you once again,” an announcement on the singer’s social media read. “I’m working really hard to build back my strength, but touring can be very difficult even when you’re 100%. It’s not fair to you to keep postponing the shows, and even though it breaks my heart, it’s best that we cancel everything now until I’m really ready to be back on stage again. I want you all to know, I’m not giving up… and I can’t wait to see you again!”Dion postponed several shows in December after she announced she had been diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome, a condition, she said, that doesn’t allow her “to sing the way I’m used to.”The disorder is “a rare, progressive syndrome that affects the nervous system, specifically the brain and spinal cord,” according to the National Institute...

After yearslong delay, DEA revokes license of drug distributor over opioid crisis failures

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 16:23:46 GMT

By JOSHUA GOODMAN and JIM MUSTIAN (Associated Press)The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration stripped one of the nation’s largest drug distributors of its license to sell highly addictive painkillers Friday after determining it failed to flag thousands of suspicious orders at the height of the opioid crisis.The action against Morris & Dickson Co. that threatens to put it out of business came two days after an Associated Press investigation found the DEA allowed the company to keep shipping drugs for nearly four years after a judge recommended the harshest penalty for its “cavalier disregard” of rules aimed at preventing opioid abuse.The DEA acknowledged the time it took to issue its final decision was “longer than typical for the agency” but blamed Morris & Dickson in part for holding up the process by seeking delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its lengthy pursuit of a settlement that the agency said it had considered. The order becomes e...

Orioles unveil new Camden Yards mural inspired by City Connect jerseys and designed by Baltimore artist

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 16:23:46 GMT

When the Orioles play Friday night for the first time in their newly released City Connect gear, another design that forges a connection with the city will also make its debut: a stadium mural that captures the spirit of Baltimoreans.“I’m a little shocked,” Baltimore artist Shan Wallace, 32, said of the opportunity to collaborate with the Orioles on the mural located on the concourse behind home plate. The new Camden Yards artwork “[pays] homage to…the neighborhoods, the artists, the everyday people who contribute to the brilliance and resilience of the city,” she added.In the mural, scattered among patches of color and darkness, there are depictions of Baltimoreans and their homes, of bicycles and hopscotch games.The unveiling of the newest Birdland Murals series design coincides with the Orioles City Connect campaign, which features jerseys that appear toned-down on the outside but boast a hidden burst of color inside.The mural project, in partn...

15 arrested at Pacific Beach DUI checkpoint

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 16:23:46 GMT

SAN DIEGO — Fifteen people were arrested at a driving under the influence (DUI)/Driver’s License Checkpoint in Pacific Beach Thursday night, authorities said.The San Diego Police Department said officers conducted the checkpoint 2475 Grand Ave. from 10 p.m. until 3 a.m. Friday. Suspected DUI driver collides with moped rider; man dies During that time, 15 drivers were arrested on suspicion of operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol at or near the checkpoint, authorities confirmed.The identities of those arrested have not been released.According to the police department, 1,208 vehicles traveled through the overnight checkpoint and 755 of them were screened by officers. Authorities say a total of 16 vehicles were impounded.SDPD says these types of checkpoints have been shown to lower DUI deaths and injuries. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), these checkpoints have provided the most effective documented results of any of the DUI...