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Fewer Venezuelan arrivals lead to drop in illegal entries to US after pandemic asylum limits

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:14:53 GMT

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A 98% drop in Venezuelans arriving at the U.S. southern border has help lead to a steep decline in migrants crossing illegally from Mexico since pandemic-related asylum limits expired last week, U.S. officials said Wednesday.The Border Patrol has stopped migrants an average of 4,400 times a day since Friday, when a public-health rule known as Title 42 ended. The average includes the less than 4,000 migrants each of the last two days, said Blas Nuñez-Neto, assistant homeland security secretary for border and immigration policy. That’s down from a daily average of more than 10,000 in the four days leading to the end of Title 42.“We continue to see encouraging signs that the measures we have put in place are working,” Nuñez-Neto told reporters, adding on a cautious note, “It is still too soon to draw any firm conclusions here about where these trends will go in the coming days and weeks.”The Biden administration has been promoting a carrot-and-stick strategy that...

Philadelphia mayoral primary returned Democrats to familiar themes of crime, inequality

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:14:53 GMT

Democrat Cherelle Parker turned back challenges from the left Tuesday to win Philadelphia’s mayoral primary, a contest that serves as the nation’s latest barometer of the mood of big cities in dealing with issues such as crime, poverty and inequality.Her primary win in the heavily Democratic city puts Parker on track to become the first woman elected mayor of Philadelphia. It is the latest local election to represent a clash between moderates and progressives on concerns such as policing and education and to show the power of union support in big city politics.In Chicago, progressive Democrat Brandon Johnson began serving as mayor this week, promising the city will “grow by rerouting the rivers of prosperity to the base of disinvestment.” In Los Angeles, new Democratic Mayor Karen Bass wants to spend more than $1 billion to get unhoused people into shelter and treatment programs.And in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, Allegheny County’s top public defender, Matt Dugan, ran some 11 perce...

Blue Jays’ Jay Jackson says was tipping pitches against Aaron Judge

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:14:53 GMT

TORONTO (AP) — Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Jay Jackson says he believes he was tipping his pitches when New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge homered against him Monday night.That at-bat was quickly scrutinized when cameras caught Judge taking unusual glances toward the first-base line moments before Jackson delivered. Many questioned whether someone on the Yankees was signaling to the 2022 AL MVP an indication of which pitch Jackson was about to throw, based on either sign stealing or pitch tipping.Jackson told The Athletic on Wednesday that he believes a Yankees coach was able to see which grip he was using while holding the ball in his glove, and that coach relayed the info to Judge, helping him hit a 462-foot home run. Jackson was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday, and Toronto recalled right-hander Thomas Hatch from the Bisons.There is no prohibition on teammates or coaches using the naked eye to study pitchers and relay that info to batters. When the 2017 Houston Astros...

CNN names Kaitlan Collins to fill prime-time vacancy in Chris Cuomo’s old slot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:14:53 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — CNN said Kaitlan Collins will host a new hourlong show at the center of the prime-time lineup, filling a slot left vacant since the firing of Chris Cuomo and as the network’s ratings are at a low ebb.Collins will begin regularly hosting the 9 p.m. Eastern show next month, the network said Wednesday, making the announcement during a Warner Discovery sales presentation to advertisers.The ex-White House correspondent moderated CNN’s town hall with former President Donald Trump last week, but was generally held blameless for criticism the event received.“She is a smart and gifted journalist who we’ve all seen hold lawmakers and newsmakers accountable,” CNN Chairman Chris Licht said in a memo to staff members. “She pushes politicians off their talking points, gets real answers — and as everyone who’s worked with her knows — breaks a lot of news.”It’s the biggest move by Licht, who became CNN’s leader last year, to put his imprint on the...

South Africa minister denies extensive ANC corruption at power utility, concedes ‘naughty’ few

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:14:53 GMT

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A senior South African government minister denied Wednesday there was extensive corruption within the ruling African Nations Congress party in relation to the country’s financially-crippled power utility, although he did concede a “few” might have engaged in “naughty activity.”Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan was answering questions from lawmakers in Parliament at a hearing focusing on the graft at the state-owned national electricity supplier that has contributed to Africa’s most developed country facing a power crisis and daily blackouts. It has raised fears that the electricity supply could collapse.“You can’t put everything on the shoulders of the ANC,” Gordhan said in relation to what’s accepted as rampant corruption and mismanagement at national electricity company Eskom. “There are within the ANC very honest, dedicated activists who want the public interests to be primary and who want this country to work, and ...

Death toll up to 7 after hippo capsized canoe in Malawi; 17 missing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:14:53 GMT

BLANTYRE, Malawi (AP) — The death toll has risen to seven after a hippopotamus charged into and capsized a canoe on a river in the southern African nation of Malawi.Six bodies were recovered floating in the river on Wednesday, police said, following the incident on Monday. A 1-year-old child was confirmed dead on Tuesday. The six new bodies recovered included a teenage boy and a teenage girl, police said.Police said 17 people are still missing and the search for them continues, although they are also feared dead.Authorities said the canoe was carrying 37 people in the Nsanje District in southern Malawi.___More AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africaSource

More than a dozen guns stolen out of parked truck

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:14:53 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- The Denver Police Department said 16 guns were recently stolen out of a pickup truck parked in front of a hotel.According to DPD, the firearms were wrapped with graphics advertising “We Buy Guns” and have not been recovered. The thief only had to break a window to get into the truck and grab the guns. An investigation is still underway to locate a suspect and the stolen weapons. Police remind gun owners to safely lock them upDPD said 261 firearms have been reported stolen from cars during Jan. 1 through May 11, which is 16 more than the 245 reported in the same time frame last year. ‘Large amount’ of stolen mail found in stolen car out of Windsor The department is reminding gun owners to safely lock and store their weapons properly or not leave them in the car at all to avoid these kinds of thefts. A total of 768 firearms were stolen out of cars in 2022. "Stolen firearms provide criminals with a means to commit future violent crimes in our community," DPD said in...

What happens when you lose something at Denver International Airport? Well, it depends

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:14:53 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Have you ever lost something in the Denver International Airport?Maybe, while rushing to your flight, you realized you dropped your AirPods or a pair of sunglasses, and you couldn't retrace your steps to find your lost item without missing your flight.You might think that item is lost forever, but that might not be the case. Denver has had 5 times more rain than Seattle so far this May Depending on what it is, it could be picked up and stored in DIA's lost and found. What items are kept in lost and found?If you lost it in a public area of the airport -- including restrooms, TSA checkpoints, or any public indoor or outdoor area -- it may be turned in to the lost and found, according to DIA.There are exceptions, however. Any blankets, hats, pillows and water bottles that aren't in a backpack or suitcase are disposed of for policy reasons. How many countries can you fly to directly from Denver? Also, if an item seems to be "abandoned," or deliberately left, it is a...

Pompano Beach dedicates new fire station to fallen firefighter

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:14:53 GMT

A new fire station was dedicated to the life of a fallen firefighter in Pompano Beach. Pompano Beach Fire Station 61 was rededicated on Wednesday in memory of William J. Elliot, who died in the line of duty during a training incident.During the ceremony, city officials and Elliot’s loved ones watched as a fire hose was uncoupled, symbolizing the cutting of a ribbon. The firefighter’s family expressed their appreciation for the honor.“It means everything to me that my son has been remembered after 11 years,” said Joann Elliot, William’s mother. “This is a beautiful tribute. It’s amazing what they’re doing to keep this memory going.”The new station measures over 16,000 square feet and will also serve as a training facility for new firefighters. The station includes a table that was carved with mementos of William Elliot.Elliot served on the force for 22 years before his death in 2012 when he fell from a fire truck during a training...

The Cap versus The Pumpkin: Bulgaria’s mafia state reaches breaking point

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:14:53 GMT

Netflix, eat your heart out. Bulgaria’s latest political crisis hinges on a roadside bomb, an Israeli munitions expert and Godfather-style death threats. The lead characters are thuggish Chief Prosecutor Ivan Geshev, nicknamed “The Cap,” and (equally thuggish) former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, nicknamed “The Pumpkin.”Confused? No worries, everyone is. But it’s undoubtedly a crux moment for rule of law in Bulgaria and efforts to turn the Balkan country of 7 million people into a fully-fledged democracy, so POLITICO will attempt to unpick the wild twists and turns of the high drama since May 1, when Geshev claims someone attempted to blow up his bullet-proof SUV as it passed a bend on a country road.   At the heart of the crisis lies the all-important role of chief prosecutor. Geshev has long been identified by anti-corruption and pro-democracy activists as one of the biggest obstacles to Bulgaria’s convergence with EU norms. (He is dubbed “The Cap” because of his tradem...