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DeSantis curtails diversity, equity and inclusion programs in Florida state colleges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:59 GMT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a bill that blocks public colleges from using federal or state funding on diversity programs, addressing a concern of conservatives ahead of the Republican governor’s expected presidential candidacy.The law, which DeSantis proposed earlier this year, comes as Republicans across the country target programs on diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education.The signing builds on the governor’s larger push to shape Florida’s education system through regulating how schools deal with subjects such as race and gender, with DeSantis arguing that he is challenging inappropriate liberal ideology in the classroom.DeSantis, who is expected to announce his presidential run in the coming weeks, has focused heavily on divisive cultural issues as he moves to win over the conservative voters who typically decide Republican primary elections.Diversity, equity and inclusion offices in higher education often spea...

France to train Ukrainian fighter pilots

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:59 GMT

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday his country has “opened the door” to training Ukrainian fighter pilots, a day after meeting Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris and agreeing to send Kyiv more tanks.“We have opened the door to training pilots, and this with several other European countries who are also ready,” Macron said during an interview with the TV channel TF1.The president also said that “discussions were underway with the Americans.” Zelenskyy is touring European capitals to drum up support ahead of a Ukrainian counter-offensive that is expected to take place in the coming weeks. He was in Paris on Sunday for a working dinner with the French president before heading to London on Monday. Kyiv is now particularly focused on getting fighter jet donations from allies to regain control of its skies in the face of Russian air and drone strikes.In the U.K., Zelenskyy said he wanted to create a “fighter jet coalition” to supply modern planes to...

Police: At least 3 dead, more wounded in New Mexico shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:59 GMT

FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — At least three people were dead and multiple others wounded Monday after a shooting in Farmington, police said. Schools were put on lockdown.“There are multiple civilian victims,” Farmington police said in a Facebook post that said one suspect “was confronted and killed on scene.”Two officers were shot, it said, including one city police officer and one New Mexico State Police officer. Both were reported to be in stable condition at San Juan Regional Medical Center.“The suspect’s identity is unknown and there are no other known threats at this time,” the police message said, adding that city, San Juan County and state police were involved.An official at the San Juan County sheriff’s office, Megan Mitchell, called the incident “an open and active ongoing investigation.” MItchell said she did not immediately have more information.

Special counsel John Durham concludes FBI never should have launched Trump-Russia probe

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:59 GMT

(CNN) — Special counsel John Durham concluded that the FBI should never have launched a full investigation into connections between Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia during the 2016 election, according to a report compiled over three years by the Trump-administration appointee and released on Monday.Durham’s 300-plus page report also states that the FBI used “raw, unanalyzed, and uncorroborated intelligence,” to launch the “Crossfire Hurricane” investigation into Trump and Russia but used a different standard when weighing concerns about alleged election interference regarding Hillary Clinton’s campaign.The special counsel, however, did not recommend any new charges against individuals or “wholesale changes” about how the FBI handles politically charged investigations, despite strongly criticizing the agency’s behavior.“Based on the review of Crossfire Hurricane and related intelligence activities, we conclude ...

Veterans exposed to chemical at Camp Lejeune faced a 70% higher Parkinson’s risk, study says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:59 GMT

(CNN) — Marines who were stationed at Camp Lejeune had a 70% higher risk of Parkinson’s disease than veterans who served at a post across the country, a new study found.The difference may have been in the Camp Lejeune vets’ exposure to a chemical known as trichloroethylene (TCE), a ubiquitous environmental contaminant, the researchers warn. And the risk of developing this disorder of the nervous system may be higher for millions more people.The number of people with Parkinson’s disease has been increasing around the world. Some estimates suggest that nearly 20 million people could have it by 2040.Scientists aren’t exactly sure what causes Parkinson’s. Age is a factor, and the growth of the disorder is in part related to the graying population, scientists believe. But some also say that exposure to chemicals like TCE is helping drive the growth.Dr. Ray Dorsey, the David M. Levy professor of neurology at the University of Rochest...

MBTA: All Foxboro Commuter Rail trains cancelled after vehicle strikes rail overpass in Dedham

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:59 GMT

All Foxboro trains have been cancelled until further notice after a rail bridge in Dedham was struck by a vehicle, according to officials.The MBTA Commuter Rail said on Monday that passengers heading to Foxboro would need to board a regular Franklin Line train and disembark at Walpole to then catch a shuttle bus.“This diversion will allow for necessary track work following the vehicle striking a bridge near Endicott,” the official Commuter Rail Twitter account stated.https://twitter.com/MBTA_CR/status/1658168966336897037The cancellations were announced hours after what the Dedham Police Department called a “vehicle collision” occurred at the East Street train bridge.Drivers were detoured away from the bridge that was hit, allowing MBTA engineers to respond and inspect any damage to the tracks, according to Dedham PD.https://twitter.com/DedhamPD/status/1658129913705005056This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest upda...

Prosecutor ends probe of FBI’s Trump-Russia investigation with harsh criticism, but no new charges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:59 GMT

By ERIC TUCKER and LINDSDAY WHITEHURST (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — A special prosecutor has ended his four-year investigation into possible FBI misconduct in its probe of ties between Russia and Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign with withering criticism of the bureau but a meager court record that fell far short of the former president’s prediction he would uncover the “crime of the century.”The report Monday from special counsel John Durham represents the long-awaited culmination of an investigation that Trump and allies had claimed would expose massive wrongdoing by law enforcement and intelligence officials. Instead, Durham’s investigation delivered underwhelming results, with prosecutors securing a guilty plea from a little-known FBI employee but losing the only two criminal cases they took to trial.The roughly 300-page report catalogs what Durham says were a series of missteps by the FBI and Justice Department as investigators undertook a ...

TSA is testing facial recognition at more airports, raising privacy concerns

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:59 GMT

By REBECCA SANTANA and RICK GENTILO (Associated Press)BALTIMORE (AP) — A passenger walks up to an airport security checkpoint, slips an ID card into a slot and looks into a camera atop a small screen. The screen flashes “Photo Complete” and the person walks through — all without having to hand over their identification to the TSA officer sitting behind the screen.It’s all part of a pilot project by the Transportation Security Administration to assess the use of facial recognition technology at a number of airports across the country.“What we are trying to do with this is aid the officers to actually determine that you are who you say who you are,” said Jason Lim, identity management capabilities manager, during a demonstration of the technology to reporters at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. The effort comes at a time when the use of various forms of technology to enhance security and streamline procedures is on...

Ravens agree to deal with center Sam Mustipher, an Owings Mills native and former Bears offensive lineman

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:59 GMT

The Ravens have been without a backup center since Trystan Colon bolted for the New York Jets in free agency this offseason. Monday, they filled that vacancy.Free agent Sam Mustipher, who spent his first three years with the Chicago Bears, has agreed to a deal with the Ravens, a source with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed to The Baltimore Sun. It’s reportedly a one-year contract.For Mustipher, it’s also a homecoming. The 26-year-old grew up in Owings Mills and starred at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Olney before going to Notre Dame.The Bears declined to extend a restricted free agent tender to Mustipher in March.Undrafted out of Notre Dame in 2019, Mustipher surprisingly became the Bears’ center late in the 2020 season, starting the last six games of the year. The following season, he started all 17 but struggled, with a Pro Football Focus grade of just 51 for 2021.Though he improved last season, earning a 63.4 mark from PFF, Mustipher was at...

How a decades-old Holocaust mystery fueled Anne Berest’s ‘The Postcard’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:59 GMT

When Anne Berest began work on “The Postcard,” she didn’t know how the novel would end. In fact, she didn’t know if there was an end to the mystery based on her own family’s investigation into the origin of an unusual postcard.“I was anxious,” the French author confesses over a video call during her recent stay in Los Angeles.“The investigation took me four years,” Berest explains. “In the book, it’s four months, but, in reality, it’s almost four years.”Related: Sign up for our free newsletter about books, authors, reading and moreThe award-winning work of autofiction, originally published in France in 2021 as “La Carte Postale” and recently translated into English by Tina Kover and published via Europa Editions on May 16, begins in 2003 with the arrival of a postcard. On it are the names Ephraïm, Emma, Noémi and Jacques, the parents and siblings of Berest’s maternal grandmother, who were killed during the Holocaust. Years later, Berest and her mother, Lélia, embark on a mission to ...