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President Biden is heading to Hollywood for a major fundraiser featuring Steven Spielberg and Shonda Rhimes

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:33 GMT

President Joe Biden will head to Los Angeles next week for a big-dollar event that will be his first since strikes by writers and actors effectively ground his fundraising to a halt in the heart of the entertainment industry, which has long served as the ATM for the Democratic Party.The event next Friday at the home of Michael Smith, a celebrity interior designer, and his partner James Costos, a former HBO executive who was President Barack Obama’s ambassador to Spain, is expected to raise millions and draw a star-studded crowd. Rocker Lenny Kravitz is slated to perform.Director Steven Spielberg and his wife, Kate Capshaw, who starred in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” are among the hosts of the event, as are recording industry mogul David Geffen, “Scandal” showrunner Shonda Rhimes and “This is Spinal Tap” director Rob Reiner, according to an invitation obtained by The Associated Press.Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is also a co-host. Barbra Streisand is set to...

33-year-old felon arrested in 3 homeless killings and follow-home slaying in Southern California

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:33 GMT

A 33-year-old Los Angeles man has been arrested on suspicion of killing three homeless people sleeping alone around the city at night.Jerrid Joseph Powell, a convicted felon, also is accused in a follow-home killing in San Dimas earlier this week, authorities said at a Saturday, Dec. 2 news conference.This photo released by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department shows suspect Jerrid Joseph Powell after he was linked to several homicide investigations in Los Angeles on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023. (Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department via AP)Beverly Hills Police Chief Mark Stainbrook, left, Mayor Karen Bass, and Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore announce the arrest of a suspect in three recent killings of homeless men, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna announces the arrest of a suspect in three recent killings of homeless men, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dova...

No SEC? Unbeaten P5 but left out? Final 4-team College Football Playoff will be unlike any other

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:33 GMT

The four-team version of the College Football Playoff is going out with drama and controversy.Championship weekend created as many questions as answers for the CFP committee and the selections Sunday will be the first in the 10-year history of the system where the field is truly hard to predict.No. 2 Michigan (13-0) and No. 3 Washington (13-0) appear to be safely in. There are three — and maybe even four — teams in contention for the final two spots that in most years would have cruised into the CFP.Not this year. And it won’t be a problem next year when the playoff expands to 12 teams.No. 4 Florida State (13-0), No. 7 Texas (12-1) and No. 8 Alabama (12-1) gave the 13-member committee a lot to think about Saturday night.The Seminoles finished a perfect regular season with an Atlantic Coast Conference championship, leaning on their defense to beat No. 15 Louisville while playing a third-string, freshman quarterback.No unbeaten Power Five champion has ever been left out of the C...

As host of UN COP28 climate talks, the autocratic UAE now allowing limited protests and critics in

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:33 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Participants at the United Nations’ COP28 climate talks Sunday found themselves greeted by the rarest sights in the United Arab Emirates — public protests. From the largest demonstration seen in the UAE since the start of the raging Israel-Hamas war to environmental issues, activists allowed into the UAE can protest under strict guidelines in this autocratic nation inside the summit. Meanwhile, human rights researchers from organizations long banned by the country also have been let in, providing them some the opportunity for the first time in about a decade to offer criticism — though many acknowledge it may see them never allowed back in the country.“One of our major issues with COP28 is the fact that the UAE government is using this to burnish its image internationally and the fact that limited protests are allowed … is a good thing,” said Joey Shea, now on her first trip to the Emirates as a researcher focused on the country at Huma...

Aeropuerto de Múnich reanuda operaciones: algunos vuelos siguen cancelados por las fuertes nevadas

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:33 GMT

BERLÍN – El aeropuerto de Múnich reanudó la actividad esta mañana de domingo tras verse obligado a cancelar el sábado todas las operaciones debido a las fuertes nevadas registradas en el sur de Alemania, aunque dos tercios de los vuelos previstos para este domingo no podrán realizarse. “Las operaciones de vuelo se reanudaron a las 4:00 p.m. Seguirá habiendo restricciones en el tráfico aéreo. Por ello, recomendamos a los viajeros que vuelen este domingo que comprueben el estado de su vuelo con su compañía aérea con tiempo suficiente antes de desplazarse al aeropuerto”, escribe el aeropuerto en su portal en internet.Según precisó un portavoz del aeropuerto, citado por la cadena regional BR, alrededor de 560 de los 880 vuelos previstos este domingo en el aeropuerto de Múnich serán cancelados. El primer avión en despegar esta mañana, a las 8.28 a.m. (6:28 GMT), fue un vuelo de la aerolínea alemana Lufthansa con destino Berlín. Tormenta de nieve causa caos...

Venezuelans vote in referendum over large swath of territory under dispute with Guyana

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:33 GMT

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelans are voting in a referendum Sunday to supposedly decide the future of a large swath of neighboring Guyana that their government claims ownership of, arguing the territory was stolen when a north-south border was drawn more than a century ago.Guyana considers the referendum a step toward annexation, and the vote has its residents on edge. It asks Venezuelans whether they support establishing a state in the disputed territory known as Essequibo, granting citizenship to current and future area residents, and rejecting the jurisdiction of the United Nations’ top court in settling the disagreement between the two South American countries. “We are solving through constitutional, peaceful and democratic means an imperial dispossession of 150 years,” President Nicolás Maduro said after voting in a military complex in Caracas, the capital.The International Court of Justice on Friday ordered Venezuela not to take any action that would alter Guyana’s ...

Melted Onions / Belkys

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:33 GMT

Ingredients: 6 medium onions (each 3 inches in diameter / 2 1/2 pounds total), halved crosswise through the center (not the root and stem), ends trimmed by 1/4 inch1/2 teaspoon kosher salt3 teaspoons freshly ground freshly ground black pepper2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, or your preferred cooking oilMethod of Preparation: Heat your oven to 425°F with a rack in the top position.Place the onion halves cut side up in the cups of a 12-cup muffin tin. Sprinkle the onions with the salt and pepper.Roast for 20 minutes, until the onions have softened slightly and sunk into the cups. Brush with butter and return to the oven. Bake until extremely soft and golden brown, about 40 minutes more.Enjoy!

3 dead, 3 in critical condition and 2 police officers injured in Queens stabbing and fire, officials say

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:33 GMT

(CNN) — 3 people are dead, three are in critical condition and two police officers were injured in a stabbing and fire in Far Rockaway, Queens on Sunday morning, fire officials said.Three people were pronounced dead at the scene and three victims were transported to local hospitals in critical condition, according to fire officials. The two police officers were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, the fire department said.First responders received a call of a stabbing around 5 a.m. Sunday and about 15 minutes later, the fire department was requested for a fire at the same location, authorities said.Fire marshals are on the scene investigating the fire, the fire department said.Far Rockaway is a long inlet along the shore of Long Island, in the southernmost part of Queens in New York.This is a developing story and will be updated.

Kyiv investigates allegations Russian forces shot surrendering Ukrainian soldiers

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:33 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian officials on Sunday launched an investigation into allegations that Russian forces killed surrendering Ukrainian soldiers, a war crime if confirmed, after grainy footage on social media appeared to show two uniformed men being shot at close range after emerging from a dugout.The video shows the servicemen, one of them with his hands up, walking out at gunpoint and lying down on the ground before a group of Russian troops appears to open fire. It was not immediately possible to verify the video’s authenticity or the circumstances in which it was filmed, and it was unclear when the incident took place. The Ukrainian General Prosecutor’s office on Sunday launched a criminal investigation, hours after the Ukrainian military’s press office said in an online statement that the footage is genuine.“The video shows a group in Russian uniforms shooting, at point-blank range, two unarmed servicemen in the uniform of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who were surrenderi...

Kiss says farewell to live touring, set to be first US band to go virtual with digital avatars

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:33 GMT

(AP) — On Saturday night, Kiss closed out the final performance of their “The End of the Road” farewell tour at New York City’s famed Madison Square Garden.But as dedicated fans surely know — they were never going to call it quits. Not really.During their encore, the band’s current lineup — founders Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons as well as guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer — left the stage to reveal digital avatars of themselves. After the transformation, the virtual Kiss launched into a performance of “God Gave Rock and Roll to You.”The cutting-edge technology was used to tease a new chapter of the rock band: after 50 years of Kiss, the band is now interested in a kind of digital immortality. McDonald’s making several big changes to Big Macs, other burgers The avatars were created by George Lucas’ special-effects company, Industrial Light & Magic, in partnership with Pophouse Entertainment Group, the latter of which was co-founded by ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus. The two...