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Live updates | Trump: Indictment is “election interference,” special prosecutor a “thug”

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:21:46 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — Follow along for live updates on former President Donald Trump, who made his first court appearance Tuesday after being indicted on 37 charges related to the mishandling classified documents. The indictment marks the first time in U.S. history that a former president faces criminal charges by the federal government he once oversaw. ___Donald Trump is characterizing the federal charges against him as “election interference and yet another attempt to rig and steal a presidential election.”He aired his grievances to hundreds of supporters at his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey, hours after becoming the first former president to face charges in federal court. He entered a plea of not guilty. Previewing a possible legal defense, Trump said he had a right to go through boxes and separate personal records from government documents. He also said he had not had a chance to review all the materials transferred from the White House before FBI agents searched h...

Sky5 LIVE: Authorities pursue reckless driver in Los Angeles County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:21:46 GMT

Authorities are pursuing an erratic driver in Los Angeles County on Tuesday night.The suspect is considered armed and dangerous and was initially wanted for reckless driving, according to the California Highway Patrol.The vehicle was seen traveling at high speeds on the freeway while weaving in and out of heavy traffic as patrol cars trailed closely behind.The pursuit began in the San Dimas area before the suspect eventually exited the freeway in Long Beach. Sky5 is overhead.

Philippine villagers flee ashfall, sight of red-hot lava from erupting Mayon Volcano

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:21:46 GMT

SANTO DOMINGO, Philippines (AP) — Truckloads of villagers on Tuesday fled Philippine communities close to the erupting Mayon Volcano, traumatized by the sight of red-hot lava flowing down its crater and fearful of sporadic blasts of ash.Nearly 15,000 people have left the mostly poor farming communities within a 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) radius of Mayon’s crater in northeastern Albay province in forced evacuations since volcanic activity spiked last week. Albay’s governor extended the danger zone by a kilometer (more than half a mile) on Monday and asked thousands of residents to be ready to move anytime.But many opted to flee from the expanded danger zone even before the mandatory evacuation order.“There’s lava and ashfall already,” Fidela Banzuela, 61, said from a navy truck where she, her daughter, grandchildren and neighbors clambered up after leaving their home in San Fernando village close to Mayon. “If the volcano explodes, we won’t see anything because it would be so...

Biden celebrates Juneteenth, the newest federal holiday, at the White House

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:21:46 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden hosted a massive concert on the South Lawn of the White House to commemorate Juneteenth, the country’s newest federal holiday which the president said will “breathe a new life in the very essence of America.” “To me, making Juneteenth a federal holiday wasn’t just a symbolic gesture. It was a statement of fact for this country to acknowledge the origin of the original sin of slavery, to understand the war was never fought over it, it wasn’t just about a union, but it was most fundamentally about the country and freedom.” Vice President Kamala Harris said Juneteenth is an occasion to “honor Black excellence, culture and community.”“America is a promise — a promise of freedom, liberty and justice,” Harris said. “The story of Juneteenth as we celebrate it is a story of our ongoing fight to realize that promise. Not for some, but all.”The concert also commemorated Black Music Month, and featured artists such as To...

Trump turns his day in court into a campaign event despite serious political and legal threats

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:21:46 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s four years in the White House, even on some of the most consequential days of his presidency, were punctuated by the spectacle and attempts at showmanship he cultivated from years as a tabloid fixture and reality star.The former president’s history-making appearance Tuesday as a criminal defendant in a Florida federal court was no different.The former commander in chief, accused of being careless with some of the country’s most sensitive secrets and obstructing authorities as they tried to recover critical documents, pleaded not guilty to 37 charges. But he treated the day like a campaign event, even as he faces serious threats to his political ambitions and his freedom.Takeaways from Trump’s day in federal court:ALWAYS CAMPAIGNINGDespite the seriousness of the charges, Trump, ever the showman, sought to maximize any political benefits from the day. The Republican had encouraged supporters to show up at the federal courthouse — and hundreds...

Tour boat capsize in underground cave wasn’t the first, agency says; passenger recounts ordeal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:21:46 GMT

LOCKPORT, N.Y. — Soon after a tour boat flipped over during a tour of a dimly lit cavern system, leaving one passenger dead, members of another group recalled a similar experience while taking the same tour eight years ago and questioned whether anything had been done since then to make the attraction safer.News of the 2015 capsizing emerged as the investigation into Monday’s accident continued — and a passenger who survived the most recent ordeal recounted how he fought to breathe under the upside down craft.The flat-bottomed boat carrying local hospitality workers capsized during a tour of a historic underground water tunnel off the Erie Canal in the western New York city of Lockport.Eight years earlier, clients and staff of the former Baker Victory Services ended up in the water when their boat also flipped, said John Pitts, spokesman for the agency, which has since been renamed OLV Human Services.Few details about the incident were available, according to Pitts, who arrive...

Chinese man arrested over graffiti at US Consulate in Hong Kong, police say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:21:46 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong police on Tuesday arrested a man who allegedly spray-painted graffiti on the wall and gate of the U.S. Consulate, according to media reports and the police.Photos from the South China Morning Post and other local media showed the English word “hegemony” and the Chinese words for “double standards” painted in white on the gate and a nearby wall.The protest in paint came amid a deterioration in US-China relations as the nations clash over trade issues and tensions over Taiwan, a self-governed island that China claims is part of its territory. Police said the consulate reported an act of vandalism at 5.22 a.m. Officers arrested a 47-year-old man from mainland China and surnamed Wen on suspicion of criminal damage.Offenders found guilty of destroying or damaging property face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. “The United States champions freedom of expression,” the U.S State Department said in a statement. “While we do not support the destruction of pro...

Pride Toronto director: Connection with Blue Jays still strong after Anthony Bass incident

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:21:46 GMT

Pride Toronto executive director Sherwin Modeste feels the organization’s relationship with the Blue Jays remains strong but notes there are still “mixed feelings out there” as a result of the Anthony Bass saga.“The entire community has not let go and has not forgiven,” Modeste said. “It’s going to take time. For some folks, it may take two weeks. For some folks, it may take a year.“But we have to allow people to deal with this as individuals.”Bass was designated for assignment last Friday before the start of Pride Weekend festivities at Rogers Centre. The move came nearly two weeks after the pitcher shared a social media post that supported anti-LGBTQ boycotts.“I think the Jays did what they should have done, which was provide opportunities for Anthony to really reflect on his behaviour,” Modeste said. “Clearly, I think Anthony as an individual has (his) own personal beliefs and the issues that (he) needs to wo...

Person critical after falling onto CTA tracks at Garfield Red Line Station

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:21:46 GMT

CHICAGO — A person is in critical condition after falling onto CTA tracks Tuesday evening, according to the Chicago Transit Authority.According to the Chicago Fire Department, they responded to a call of a person hit by a train at around 7:30 p.m. near the Garfield CTA Red Line Station on 55th Street. Suburban man charged after accidentally shooting himself while dreaming When firefighters arrived, they found one individual with injuries and took them to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition.According to the CTA, the injured individual fell onto the tracks, but did not hit the third rail. It is unclear at this time if they came into contact with a train.No other information is available at this time.

Cooling centers now open in Austin: How to find a location

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:21:46 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Cooling centers opened Tuesday in Austin with heat index values expected to range between 103°-113°, according to a City of Austin alert. First Warning Weather: No immediate end to dangerous heat and humidity A heat advisory was in effect from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Central Texas. Tuesday afternoon highs were expected to be near 100°."Due to extreme heat, all Austin Parks and Library facilities will serve as cooling centers during normal operating hours," the city's alert reads.Service animals will be permitted in the facilities.The addresses and hours for Austin Public Library facilities and Austin Parks are listed online.Severe temperatures audit It's the first week the city will see consecutive triple digit days since an audit came out about the city's response to severe hot and cold weather. The audit found the city's special operations plan for heat emergencies hadn't been updated since July 2020. But it also found that city facilities used for cooling cente...