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Scott criticizes DeSantis over his support for Florida’s slavery curriculum as they stump in Iowa

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:34 GMT

ANKENY, Iowa (AP) — U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina has criticized fellow Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for supporting new standards that require teachers to instruct middle school students that slaves developed skills that “could be applied for their personal benefit.”“What slavery was really about was separating families, about mutilating humans and even raping their wives. It was just devastating,” Scott, the sole Black Republican in the Senate, told reporters on Thursday after a town hall in Ankeny. “So I would hope that every person in our country — and certainly running for president — would appreciate that.”“People have bad days,” Scott added. “Sometimes they regret what they say. And we should ask them again to clarify their positions.”DeSantis has been facing criticism from Florida teachers, civil rights leaders and President Joe Biden’s White House on the school standards. Vice President Kamala Harris, the nat...

StatCan says economy grew 0.3% in May, estimates 1% growth for second quarter

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:34 GMT

OTTAWA — The Canadian economy grew by 0.3 per cent in May, Statistics Canada said Friday.In its latest report on economic growth, the federal agency’s preliminary estimate suggests real gross domestic product grew at an annualized rate of 1 per cent in the second quarter.The May figure came in slightly lower than was expected by Statistics Canada as mining and oil and gas companies reduced their operations in Alberta at the outset of the record-breaking wildfire season.The energy sector was down 2.1 per cent in May, the release shows.“This was the sector’s first decline in five months and its largest since August 2020,” the agency said.The modest GDP increase in May was driven, in part, by a rebound in the public administration sector as most federal public servants on strike returned to work by the end of April. However, 35,000 Canada Revenue Agency workers remained on strike for three days in May, which dampened the rebound.That modest growth is unlikely to hold, as th...

An inflation gauge that is closely tracked by the Fed falls to its lowest level in more than 2 years

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:34 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A measure of consumer prices that is closely monitored by the Federal Reserve fell last month to its lowest level since March 2021, the latest sign that inflation in the United States is steadily cooling from its once-painful highs. Prices rose just 3% in June from 12 months earlier, down from a 3.8% annual increase in May, though still above the Fed’s 2% inflation target. On a monthly basis, prices rose 0.2% from May to June, up slightly from 0.1% the previous month.Last month’s sharp slowdown in year-over-year inflation largely reflected falling gas prices, as well as milder increases in grocery costs.Still, a measure of “core” prices, which excludes volatile food and energy costs, remained elevated even though it also eased last month. Those still-high underlying inflation pressures are a key reason why the Fed raised its short-term interest rate Wednesday to a 22-year high. The Fed’s policymakers consider core prices a better measure of where inflation mi...

4 die in fiery crash on interstate highway south of Atlanta

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:34 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — A fiery two-vehicle crash on an interstate highway south of Atlanta killed four people early Friday, police said.The crash involved two vehicles on Interstate 75 around 1 a.m., Clayton County police said in a statement. One vehicle caught fire after flipping and ejecting two people.All of those killed were in the same vehicle, and three of them were siblings ranging in age from 12 to 21, police said. Authorities were trying to identify the fourth victim, a female.A dog in the vehicle was also killed.Traffic on the busy interstate was backed up for hours after the crash.The Associated Press

Homeless struggle to stay safe from record high temperatures in blistering Phoenix

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:34 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Homeless in America’s hottest big metro, Stefon James Dewitt Livengood was laid out for days inside his makeshift dwelling, struggling to breath, nauseous and vomiting.Every day this month, temperatures have soared past 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 degrees Celsius). Livengood said he stopped briefly at a free clinic that took his blood pressure and declared it acceptable. But he received no other medical help for his apparent heat exhaustion, or for the peeling skin on his arms he believes was caused by sun exposure. He is careful when he walks through the sprawling tent city, cognizant that if he falls, the simmering black asphalt could seriously burn his skin. “If you’re going outside, let somebody know where you’re going so you can be tracked so you don’t pass out out there,” he said. “If you fall out in the heat, you don’t want a third degree burn from the ground.” The 38-year-old sleeps in a structure cobbled together with a frame of scavenged wood and meta...

The labour movement is back, or is it?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:34 GMT

In today’s Big Story Podcast, since the last COVID lockdowns ended in 2021, barely a month has passed without major job actions—union drives at huge companies, or massive strikes in the public or private sectors—making headlines. From Hollywood’s writers and actors, to Canada’s federal government workers, to Ontario’s education support staff and BC’s port workers, employees from all over are fighting for higher wages and working conditions.Dr. Stephanie Ross is an associate professor in the School of Labour Studies at McMaster University. She says that the uptick in labour unrest may be fueled by a sense of injustice as large companies report historically high profits, while workers’ salaries fail to keep up with inflation.“It reflects the unequal pain and unequal gain coming out of the pandemic, and I think that is definitely driving people’s militancy,” says Ross. Could this be the beginning of a widespread workers movement in Canada? Or will employe...

Russian and Belarusian players banned from a women’s tennis tournament in Prague

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:34 GMT

PRAGUE (AP) — Russian and Belarusian players will not be allowed to participate in next week’s Prague Open, the organizers of the women’s tennis event said Friday.The announcement came a day after police prevented a Russian player from entering the country, organizers said.Miroslav Malý, the director of the hard-court tournament, didn’t identify the player. Malý said she was the first participant with a Russian passport to arrive in the country.He said organizers approached other Russian and Belarusian players through the Women’s Tennis Association to tell them not to travel to Prague.Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus was to play singles in Prague while three Russians, Diana Shnaider, Polina Kudermetova and Erika Andreeva, were to play in qualifying.The WTA Tour allows Russians and Belarusians to play tournaments as neutral athletes.The Czech government has banned athletes from Russia and Belarus from sports competitions on Czech territory because of Russia’s ...

Unmarked Senegal beach graves hold untold number of West African migrants, officials and locals say

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:34 GMT

SAINT-LOUIS, Senegal (AP) — The small mounds of sand that dot the beach in northern Senegal blend into the terrain. But thick rope juts out from beneath the piles. Pieces of black plastic bags are scattered nearby, and green netting is strewn on top. That’s how residents in the small fishing town of Saint-Louis say they know where the bodies lie. These unmarked beach graves hold untold numbers of West African migrants who are increasingly attempting the treacherous journey across parts of the Atlantic to Europe, Senegalese authorities, residents along the coast and survivors of failed boat trips told The Associated Press. Bodies wash ashore or are found by fishermen at sea, then are buried by authorities with no clarity as to whether the deaths are documented or investigated as required by Senegalese and international law, according to lawyers and human rights experts. Most of the families of those buried will never know what happened to their loved ones.The route from West Af...

Dean's Weekender: Ed Sheeran, Deon Cole and more

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:34 GMT

Check out Dean's Weekender for the latest events coming to the Chicagoland area this weekend. Get Dean's reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean's Downloads weekly newsletter. You'll also get his Dean Cooks recipes too!

Dean's Reviews: Disney's 'Haunted Mansion'

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:34 GMT

Check out Dean's reviews on the new Disney film, 'Haunted Mansion.'Get Dean's reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean's Downloads weekly newsletter. You'll also get his Dean Cooks recipes too!