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Justice Department opens federal hate crime investigation into fatal stabbing of 6-year-old Palestinian-American boy

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:19:38 GMT

(CNN) — The US Justice Department has opened a federal hate crime investigation after an Illinois landlord allegedly stabbed a 6-year-old Palestinian-American boy to death and seriously wounded his mother because the family is Muslim.Joseph M. Czuba, 71, was charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, two counts of a hate crime and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, the Will County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.The sheriff’s office said Czuba did not make a statement to detectives, but investigators determined the victims were “targeted by the suspect due to them being Muslim and the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis.”The Justice Department “will use every legal authority at our disposal to bring to justice those who perpetrate illegal acts of hate,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.“This incident cannot help but further raise the fears of Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian co...

Potential Red Sox candidate Kim Ng not returning as Marlins GM

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:19:38 GMT

One of the more intriguing possibilities for the Red Sox head of baseball operations position has just hit the open market.The Miami Marlins announced Monday morning that Kim Ng will not return as general manager, with principal owner Bruce Sherman saying the decision to leave was her’s.“Although the club exercised its team option for her to return for the 2024 season, Kim has declined her mutual option,” Sherman said in a statement. “We thank Kim for her contributions during her time with our organization and wish her and her family well.”Ng made history when she was hired in late 2020 as the first woman to lead an MLB club’s baseball operations department, and over the past three seasons the Marlins have steadily improved under her leadership. This year the Marlins finished 84-78 and reached the postseason for the first time in a full 162-game season since 2003.Though it’s not known why Ng made the decision to leave, her departure will fue...

Is Kendrick Bourne playing his final games with the Patriots?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:19:38 GMT

Last season, several NFL front offices called the Patriots with trade interest in Kendrick Bourne.According to The Athletic, those calls continued before the start of this season. The Pats declined.But after Bourne starred in Sunday’s loss at Las Vegas, which dropped the Patriots to 1-5, it’s fair to wonder whether Bill Belichick might change his mind.Bourne, who’s playing out the final year of a team-friendly contract, represents one of the Patriots’ few clear and obvious assets. He caught a game-high 10 passes on 11 targets for 89 yards versus the Raiders. On the season, Bourne leads the team in both categories by a wide margin and is tied for the team lead with two touchdowns.Through six games, he’s on pace for 79 catches, 870 yards and six touchdowns, all would-be career bests. Bourne can play inside the slot and outside the numbers. The Pats have three young receivers, rookies Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte and 2022 second-round pick Tyquan Tho...

Rite Aid seeks Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as it deals with lawsuits and losses

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:19:38 GMT

By TOM MURPHY and ELAINE KURTENBACH (Associated Press)Rite Aid has filed for bankruptcy protection and plans to sell part of its business as it attempts to restructure while dealing with losses and opioid-related lawsuits.The drugstore chain said late Sunday it also has obtained $3.45 billion in fresh financing from some of its lenders, which will help support the company through its voluntary Chapter 11 process.The plan will “significantly reduce the company’s debt” while helping to “resolve litigation claims in an equitable manner,” Rite Aid said. The company also said it expects to receive court approval for several motions it made to support its business. Those include paying employee wages and benefits without interruption. The company also said it still plans to pay vendors in full. Rite Aid Corp. runs more than 2,100 stores in the United States, mostly on the East and West Coasts and has posted annual losses for several years.The Philadelphi...

Indonesia’s top court rules against lowering presidential candidates’ age limit, but adds exception

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:19:38 GMT

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia’s top court on Monday ruled against lowering the minimum age of presidential and vice presidential candidates as the country gears up for election in 2024, but allowed an exception for those who served or been elected as regional leaders allowing them to run at younger age.The ruling could pave the way for President Joko Widodo’s eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, 36, to run in the election next year. Gibran, who currently serves as Mayor of Surakarta, hasn’t announced that he would run. But politicians publicly backing former general Prabowo Subianto running for the 2024 presidential election have tapped Gibran to become his running mate. Gibran is currently 36.The Constitutional Court’s decision is final.In August, seven politicians — including from the Indonesian Solidarity Party chaired by the youngest son of current President Joko Widodo — filed a petition against the current age limit for candidates, asking it to be lowered to 3...

Poles vote in huge numbers for the centrist opposition after 8 years of nationalist rule

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:19:38 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The majority of voters in Poland’s general election supported opposition parties that promised to reverse democratic backsliding and repair the nation’s relationship with allies, including the European Union and Ukraine, according to projections Monday.After a bitter and emotional campaign, turnout was projected at almost 74%, the highest level in the country’s 34 years of democracy and surpassing the 63% who turned out in the historic 1989 vote that toppled communism. In the city of Wroclaw, the lines were so long that voting continued through the night until nearly 3 a.m. Young voters particularly came out in force to flood polling stations.A so-called late exit poll by Ipsos suggested that voters had grown tired of the governing nationalist Law and Justice party after eight years of divisive policies that led to frequent street protests, bitter divisions within families and billions in funding held up by the EU over rule of law violations.I...

Celebrity birthdays for the week of Oct. 22-28

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:19:38 GMT

Celebrity birthdays for the week of Oct. 22-28:Oct. 22: Actor Derek Jacobi is 85. Actor Christopher Lloyd is 85. Actor Tony Roberts is 84. Director Jan de Bont (“Twister,” “Speed”) is 80. Actor Catherine Deneuve is 80. Musician Eddie Brigati of The Rascals and Joey Dee and the Starlighters is 78. Actor Jeff Goldblum is 71. Keyboardist Greg Hawkes of The Cars is 71. Director Bill Condon (“Twilight” films, “Dreamgirls”) is 68. Actor Luis Guzman (“Code Black”) is 67. Bassist Cris Kirkwood of Meat Puppets is 63. Actor Bob Odenkirk is 61. Christian singer TobyMac (dc Talk) is 59. Singer-songwriter Wesley Stace (John Wesley Harding) is 58. Actor Valeria Golino (“Rain Man,” “Hot Shots!”) is 57. Comedian Carlos Mencia is 56. Country singer Shelby Lynne is 55. Reggae rapper Shaggy is 55. Director Spike Jonze is 54. Rapper Tracey Lee is 53. Actor Saffron Burrows (“Boston Legal”) is 51. Actor Carmen Ejogo (“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” “Selma”) is 50. Actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson (“...

Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford gets involved in union contract talks in an uncommon presentation

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:19:38 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Ford Motor Co. Executive Chairman Bill Ford is scheduled to make a rare speech Monday about the future of American manufacturing with the company near an impasse with striking autoworkers.The speech near the company’s huge pickup truck plant in the company’s hometown of Dearborn, Michigan, is expected to address the monthlong strike by members of the United Auto Workers union.Last week 8,700 union members walked out at the largest and most profitable Ford plant in the world, the Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville. After the walkout, a top company executive said on a conference call with reporters that Ford had reached the limit in how much it was willing to spend to end the strike. Ford announced the speech with a short advisory early on Monday. Bill Ford is likely to appeal to workers about how the company can’t afford to saddle itself with high labor costs and still be competitive with Tesla and other nonunion automakers with U.S. factories. The sp...

Stock market today: Wall Street opens higher as some signs of worry ease

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:19:38 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are opening higher as some of last week’s moves driven by worries about war in the Middle East unwind. The S&P 500 was 0.4% higher early Monday. The Dow rose 220, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.4%. Treasury yields were edging higher after tumbling last week on worries that fighting in Gaza will escalate. The price of gold also slipped as last week’s flight toward safer investments waned a bit. Crude oil prices were mixed after a volatile week spurred by worries that the war could result in disruptions to supplies from Iran or other big producers.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.BANGKOK (AP) — World shares fell and oil prices were mixed as investors braced Monday for an expected invasion by Israel in the Gaza Strip.The future for the S&P 500 rose 0.2% and that for the Dow industrials gained 0.3%. Germany’s DAX was down 0.1% at 15,168.16 and the CAC 40 in Paris declined fell less than 0.1%, to 6,999.82. Britain...

Manufacturing sales, wholesale trade climb in August: Statistics Canada

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:19:38 GMT

OTTAWA — Two key indicators of the economy climbed in August as Statistics Canada says manufacturing sales rose 0.7 per cent to $72.4 billion that month, while wholesale trade sales excluding petroleum, petroleum products and other hydrocarbons, and excluding oilseed and grain, increased 2.3 per cent to $83 billion.StatCan says manufacturing sales were boosted by the petroleum and coal, food and machinery subsectors.The agency says sales of petroleum and coal products rose 10.5 per cent to $8.4 billion in August on higher volumes and prices, while sales of food products rose 1.5 per cent to $12.6 billion in August, the highest level on record.It attributes the overall monthly increase to higher prices as sales in real terms decreased 0.7 per cent in August.Meanwhile, the agency says the increase in wholesale sales was driven by the machinery, equipment and supplies subsector and the miscellaneous subsector.It says sales in the machinery, equipment and supplies subsector rose 5.2 per...