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A fire at a wedding hall in northern Iraq kills at least 100 people and injures 150 more

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:21:36 GMT

MOSUL, Iraq (AP) — A fire at a wedding hall in northern Iraq killed at least 100 people and injured 150 others, authorities said Wednesday, warning the death toll could rise higher.The fire happened in Iraq’s Nineveh province in its Hamdaniya area, authorities said. That’s a predominantly Christian area just outside of the city of Mosul, some 335 kilometers (205 miles) northwest of the capital, Baghdad. Television footage showed charred debris inside of the wedding hall as an man shouted at firefighters.Health Ministry spokesman Saif al-Badr gave the casualty figure via the state-run Iraqi News Agency. “All efforts are being made to provide relief to those affected by the unfortunate accident,” al-Badr said.Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani ordered an investigation into the fire and asked the country’s Interior and Health officials to provide relief, his office said in a statement online. Najim al-Jubouri, the provincial governor of Nineveh, said some of the i...

Former Speaker Paul Ryan says Republicans will lose if Donald Trump is nominee

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:21:36 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Former House Speaker Paul Ryan said Tuesday that Republicans will lose the presidential election if Donald Trump is the nominee and that he expects hard-right followers of Trump to force a government shutdown within days.Ryan, who left office in 2019 and had a sometimes contentious relationship with Trump, said he hoped that another Republican nominee would gain enough momentum early next year to overtake Trump after the first primaries. Ryan represented southeastern Wisconsin in Congress for 20 years, the last four as speaker.“The party that puts the first fresh face forward wins this election,” Ryan said at an event on the University of Wisconsin campus organized by the Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs.If the race is between Trump and President Joe Biden, Ryan said, “I think Biden wins.”“I think leaders should endeavor to be honest, ethical, moral people who try to set standards for themselves and lead by example across the country,&#...

California education chief Tony Thurmond says he is running for governor in 2026

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:21:36 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s top education official, Tony Thurmond, on Tuesday announced his bid for governor in 2026, a move that comes amid debates about the rights of students and parents, and what role the state should play as school boards approve class materials.If elected, Thurmond, the state superintendent of public instruction, would be the first Black person to become California’s governor. He says he wants to address income inequality, ensure schools are better funded and speed up the state’s transition to renewable energy.“Our campaign isn’t about any one person. It’s about people who are struggling across our state,” the Democrat said in an advertisement announcing his campaign. “California should be a place where everyone has a chance to succeed.”He joins an already crowded race for governor, though the election is more than three years away. California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis and former state Controller Betty Yee, both Democrats, ha...

Target to close 9 stores, including 3 in the San Francisco Bay Area, citing safety concerns

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:21:36 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Target said Tuesday that it will close nine stores in four states, including one in New York City’s East Harlem neighborhood, and three in the San Francisco Bay Area, saying that theft and organized retail crime have threatened the safety of its workers and customers.The closings, which will be effective Oct. 21, also include three stores in Portland, Oregon, and two in Seattle. Target said that it still will have a combined 150 stores open in the markets where the closures are taking place. It said it will offer affected workers the opportunity to transfer to other stores. The Minneapolis retailer said the decision to close the stores was difficult. “We know that our stores serve an important role in their communities, but we can only be successful if the working and shopping environment is safe for all,” Target said in a statement.Target said it has invested heavily in strategies to prevent theft, such as adding more security workers, using third-party ...

5 workers picketing in UAW strike hit by vehicle outside Flint-area plant

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:21:36 GMT

SWARTZ CREEK, Mich. (AP) — About five people picketing in the United Auto Workers strike outside a Flint-area General Motors plant suffered minor injuries Tuesday when a vehicle leaving the plant struck them, police said. The striking workers were blocking a driveway, and an employee was trying to leave the Flint Processing Center in Swartz Creek when the collision occurred just before 4 p.m., Chief Matthew Bade of the Metro Police Authority of Genesee County said.The employee drove through the picket line to leave the plant, Bade said. The employee has not been located.GM spokesperson Jack Crawley issued a statement saying the company “is committed to the health and safety of all employees.”“Plant leadership is working closely with local authorities to investigate and understand what happened,” the statement said.UAW Region 1-D President Steve Dawes told The Flint Journal that two of the five people struck were taken to a local hospital.“It was uncalled for,” Dawes said. “The...

Cook County prosecutors announce all charges dropped against Francisco Benitez

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:21:36 GMT

COOK COUNTY, Ill. — Tuesday marked the end of a decades-long ordeal for Francisco Benitez, a man falsely convicted of a 1989 fatal shooting of two teen boys. "It feels great," said Francisco 'Frankie' Benitez. "The judge—the state dropped charges and I’m done. [I'm] Free."Cook County prosecutors announced they will be dropping all charges against Benitez, who spent more than three decades behind bars for a crime testimonial evidence shows he didn't commit."Last year, we presented a hearing which showed that two new eyewitnesses, which were never known to him, identified the true perpetrators of this case," said Josh Tepfer, one of Benitez's attorneys. "We put on that evidence, and it was clear that they prosecuted and arrested the wrong person."Benitez was convicted of fatally shooting two 14-year-old boys in 1991, when he was just 18 years old, but throughout his incarceration, he maintained his innocence."What makes it so sad is that Francisco told everyone the moment he was arres...

The Hollywood writers strike ends after guild leaders approve contract with studios

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:21:36 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Leaders of the screenwriters union declared their nearly five-month-old strike over Tuesday after board members approved a contract agreement with studios, bringing Hollywood at least partly back from a historic halt in production.The governing boards of the eastern and western branches of the Writers Guild of America and their joint negotiating committee all voted to accept the deal, and afterward declared that the strike would be over and writers would be free to work starting at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday.Late-night talk shows — the first to go dark when writers walked out on May 2 — are likely the first shows that will resume. Video shows Jack-In-The-Box employee open fire on family in drive-thru The writers still have to vote to ratify the contract themselves, but lifting the strike will allow them to work during that process, the Writers Guild told members in an email.After Tuesday's board votes, the contracts were released to the writers, who had...

Wedding hall fire kills at least 100 people, injures 150 more in northern Iraq

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:21:36 GMT

BAGHDAD (AP) — A fire at a wedding hall in northern Iraq killed at least 100 people and injured 150 others, authorities said Wednesday.The fire happened in Iraq's Nineveh province in its Hamdaniya area, authorities said. That's a predominantly Christian area just outside of the northern city of Mosul, some 335 kilometers (205 miles) northwest of the capital, Baghdad.Television footage showed charred debris inside of the wedding hall as a man shouted at firefighters.Health Ministry spokesman Saif al-Badr gave the casualty figure via the state-run Iraqi News Agency.“All efforts are being made to provide relief to those affected by the unfortunate accident,” al-Badr said.Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani ordered an investigation into the fire and asked the country's Interior and Health officials to provide relief, his office said in a statement online.Najim al-Jubouri, the provincial governor of Nineveh, said some of the injured had been transferred to regional hospitals. He cauti...

California enacts first gun and ammunition tax in the country

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:21:36 GMT

(KTXL) — California Governor Gavin Newsom signed several firearms and ammunition-related bills into law on Tuesday, including one to tax guns and ammunition and another that places more rules on people seeking a concealed carry weapons permit. The federal government already taxes the sale of guns and ammunition at either 10% or 11%, depending on the type of gun. With the signing of AB 28 on Tuesday, California will now add an 11% excise tax on the purchase of guns and ammunition, an amount that the bill's author states is lower than the excise tax on marijuana sales. This makes California the only state with a separate tax on guns and ammunition, according to the gun control advocacy group Brady.The money will pay for security improvements at public schools and a variety of gun violence prevention programs, including those geared toward young people in gangs. The money from the federal tax, which has been in place for more than 100 years, pays for wildlife conservation and hunter ed...

Sweet and Spicy: McDonald's releasing 2 limited-time dipping sauces

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:21:36 GMT

(KTLA) — Fans of sweet heat will want to make a stop at McDonald's next month when the fast food behemoth unveils two new limited-time dipping sauces.On Oct. 9, McDonald's will release two new sauces, each offering a sweet and spicy promise, but each with its own sweet and spicy flavor profile.Promotional image of McDonald's Mambo Sauce and Sweet & Spicy Jam, which are set to debut for a limited time on Oct. 9, 2023. The first sauce is a breakfast-inspired "Sweet & Spicy Jam Sauce," which is a thick red pepper sauce with a "tongue-numbing Szechuan peppercorn kick" with an acidic finish courtesy of apple cider vinegar.McDonald's corporate chefs recommend pairing the sauce with a McMuffin, McNuggets or a McCrispy chicken sandwich.The second sauce is a spin on a regional favorite inspired by a beloved sauce in the Washington D.C. area. "Mambo Sauce" is tomato-based, with sweet, spicy and vinegar notes.Chefs recommend pairing that sauce with a Quarter Pounder with cheese, hash b...