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Mexico asks China’s help in curbing production of fentanyl

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:33:34 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president asked his Chinese counterpart for help Tuesday in halting chemicals from China used by Mexican drug dealers to illegally produce fentanyl, while also complaining of “rude” U.S. pressure to curb the drug trade.President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has previously said that fentanyl is America’s problem and is caused by “a lack of hugs” in U.S. families. On Tuesday he doubled down on those themes, but went further, venting in a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping about “rude threats” from U.S. legislators over the drug trade.López Obrador complained about calls in the United States to designate Mexican drug gangs as terrorist organizations. Some Republicans have said they favor using the U.S. military to crack down on the Mexican cartels.“Unjustly, they are blaming us for problems that in large measure have to do with their loss of values, their welfare crisis,” López Obrador wrote to Xi in the letter published Tuesday. “These positions are in t...

Trump in court reckoning: What happened and what’s ahead

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:33:34 GMT

Donald Trump sat solemnly in a New York City courtroom Tuesday as prosecutors charged him with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in a hush money investigation. The first former president to be charged with crimes pleaded not guilty on all counts.Trump has denied any wrongdoing, repeatedly assailed the investigation, called the indictment “political persecution” and predicted it would damage Democrats in 2024. Trump’s lawyers have said the former Republican president “did not commit any crime” and they will “vigorously fight this political prosecution in court.”A look at what happened Tuesday:WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE SURRENDER? Trump was booked. Before computers, information on every criminal suspect would be written down in a big book kept by court officials. Now, it’s all computerized, but the process is largely the same.Court officers take down the accused’s full name, age, birthdate, height and weight. They check for any outstanding warrants. ...

Thunderstorms blow into Chicago area

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:33:34 GMT

CHICAGO — Severe weather blew through the Chicago area and parts of Illinois Tuesday.Strong winds, hail and rain were reported throughout the area. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here A powerhouse northbound warm front is going to sweep into the Chicago area Tuesday evening introducing warm and humid air. Temps will be surging into the low 70s across our southern suburbs Tuesday while holding in the 40s as east winds blow into areas along Lake Michigan Tuesday from Chicago north. By and during tonight (Tuesday night), the warm humid air is to win out--taking control of the weather scene here. At times it's not raining, we'll actually be able to throw open the windows and bask in the warm air.Latest warnings and watches from the National Weather Service.It's the warm, humid air mass which threatens active and possible severe thunderstorms.A second severe weather potential comes together Wednesday as a cold front ploughs into the warm, humid air in place. Storms may occ...

Ex-Oklahoma jailers sentenced to probation in 'Baby Shark' torture case

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:33:34 GMT

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - The former Oklahoma County jail guards accused of torturing inmates with the children's song, "Baby Shark" have been sentenced to probation and fines after pleading no contest to several of the charges.In 2020, former detention officers Christian Miles and Gregory Butler, and their supervisor, Christopher Hendershott, were charged with four counts of cruelty to prisoners, four counts of corporal punishment to an inmate, and four counts of conspiracy.Prosecutors said that in 2019, Miles and Butler pulled at least five inmates out of their cells one at a time late at night to be handcuffed, forced them into a "standing stress position," and played "Baby Shark" on repeat at a loud volume for hours on end. Drag queen Heklina found dead in London Court documents state Miles and Butler used the booth to discipline inmates “and teach them a lesson because they felt that disciplinary action within the Detention Center was not working in correcting the behavior of th...

New autonomous vehicle company en route for testing in Austin

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:33:34 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- As autonomous vehicle technology advances, a new company will soon begin piloting its latest prototype here in Austin.Autonomous vehicle company Waymo will begin testing its fifth generation driver, called the Jaguar I-Pace, throughout central and east Austin. Pilot testing locations include downtown, along Rainey Street, within the Market District, near the State Capitol and in the Clarksville, Bouldin Creek and Holly neighborhoods, per a company news release.Currently, the company operates ride-hailing services in San Francisco and Phoenix. While there aren't "immediate plans" to launch in Austin, Waymo officials said "testing in the city will help us improve our underlying technology everywhere we drive." AV NEWS: General Motors' Cruise to roll out autonomous robotaxis in Austin this spring "A lot of the experiences you encounter on Austin's roads will help us improve the Waymo Driver everywhere we operate, both today and in the ...

Texas House Committee considers teacher pay raises

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:33:34 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — The Public Education Committee is considering two different bills on Tuesday that aim to increase retention in Texas public schools, as the state struggles with teachers leaving the profession in droves. IN-DEPTH: Why are Texas teachers quitting and what are the solutions? Two of the bills being considered are part of Speaker Dade Phelan's education priority bills this session.House Bill 11 — authored by Rep Harold Dutton (D-Houston) — attempts to codify many of the recommendations made by the Teacher Vacancy Task Force. The group consisted of more than 40 public school teachers and administrators, who spent more than a year looking at why teachers are quitting and retiring in order to identify possible solutions. One of the task force's recommendations that Dutton included in his bill is an increase in the state’s per-pupil funding – or basic allotment – from $6,160 to $6,210. MORE: 6 key bills on school safety and funding The state would also adopt a new t...

Nexstar honors this year's group of 'Remarkable Women'

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:33:34 GMT

(KTLA) - Each year, Nexstar Media Group celebrates International Women's Month by spotlighting "Remarkable Women" from coast to coast, with the big winner eventually being named "Nexstar Woman of the Year."This weekend, more than 100 remarkable women arrived in Los Angeles, all inspirational leaders from across the country making an impact in their communities — from helping the homeless to working with domestic violence victims. Remarkable Women 2023 Winner: Mona Highline Their work and contributions are in the spotlight as they descend on Hollywood and receive the star treatment.On Sunday, hours after their arrival in L.A., they walked the "purple carpet" and danced poolside at the Loews Hollywood Hotel, where they had their very own Remarkable Women decorative waterfall.They kicked off Monday with a double-decker bus tour of some of Los Angeles' most iconic landmarks.All 200 Nexstar TV stations in 116 markets around the U.S. accepted nominations for this prestigious honor. Nexs...

St. Paul’s local sales tax for roads, parks stalls as House lawmakers look to regional tax for affordable housing

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:33:34 GMT

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter’s pitch to voters to support increasing the city’s local sales tax for parks and road repair might not make it to ballot this November, given competing bills at the state Legislature.When the Minnesota Senate Committee on Taxes convened last week, the St. Paul mayor testified alongside counterparts from 18 other cities and counties pitching individual proposals to increase their local sales taxes to raise funds for roads, parks, public safety facilities or other favored projects.Don’t expect a similar showcase in the Minnesota House, at least not anytime soon. The House Committee on Taxes, chaired by state Rep. Aisha Gomez, DFL-Minneapolis, has declined to hear the same flurry of legislative bills, given somewhat clashing proposals for metro-wide sales taxes for housing and transportation.“The local option sales taxes … in a sense they are competing,” acknowledged state Rep. Mike Howard, DFL-Richfield, a lead author of...

‘Air’ review: Damon and Affleck team up for the story of Nike’s pursuit of Michael Jordan

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:33:34 GMT

Michael Phillips | Chicago Tribune“Air” is a good time, as well as a triumph of sports marketing in every conceivable way. It’s a docudrama — really more of a docucomedy-drama, with workplace banter and zingers for fuel — about how Nike marketing executive Sonny Vaccaro, played by Matt Damon, convinced his boss Phil Knight, played by co-star and director Ben Affleck, to cough up the funds to make the pitch to get the basketball star for the ages to sell their shoes. It’s a movie about winners, winning and millions.We do not see Michael Jordan in “Air,” aside from a few shots of an essentially nonverbal actor’s back, or the back of his head. He’s the guy in the room everyone’s talking about, a wondrous, never-fully-revealed figure. Like Jesus Christ in “Ben-Hur.”“Air” is also about spending money to make money, which would make it a period piece in much of corporate America today even if it weren’t, in fact, set 39 years ago. In sports movie terms “Air” is the opposite of director Be...

Loons’ dance party in St. Louis a show of their collective spirit this season

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:33:34 GMT

The connection Minnesota United players have formed this season was revealed moments after the Loons’ 1-0 victory over St. Louis City on Saturday.A dance party broke out in the visiting team’s locker room at CityPark. With the Latino hit song “Danza Kaduro” playing, team ham/midfielder Kervin Arriaga entered the scene with hips swiveling. Teammates Dayne St. Clair and Kemar Lawrence greeted him.The broader group encouraged more-reserved center back Micky Tapias to join in by chanting his name, and the Mexican obliged by doing “The Robot.” The party was in full swing and might have violated a noise ordinance.Franco Fragapane picked up the dance off, passed it to Luis Amarilla, then Wil Trapp, Bongi Hlongwane, D.J. Taylor and Mender Garcia. Arriaga capped it by going to the carpet to do “the worm,” while his best bud Joseph Rosales did some back-up moves.MNUFC has reasons to cut a rug. At 3-0-2, they are one of three MLS teams still unbeaten after knocking off previously perfect St. L...