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Congressional watchdog describes border wall harm, says agencies should work together to ease damage

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:44 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — The construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border under former President Donald Trump toppled untold numbers of saguaro cactuses in Arizona, put endangered ocelots at risk in Texas and disturbed Native American burial grounds, the official congressional watchdog said Thursday. A report released by the Government Accountability Office offers the first independent assessment of damage caused by the building of more than 450 miles ( 724 km) of wall while in-depth environmental reviews were waived and the concerns of Native American tribes went largely ignored in the rush to finish the barrier. Now, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Interior Department should work together to ease the damage, the GAO said. It recommended that the agencies coordinate to decide how much repair work will cost, how to fund it, and how long it will take. A Customs and Border Protection spokesman said Wednesday that the agency is working on a response to the report. An Interior D...

North Korea says it has launched a new nuclear attack submarine to counter US naval power

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:44 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said Friday it has launched a purported nuclear attack submarine it has been developing for years, a step leader Kim Jong Un described as crucial in his efforts to build a nuclear-armed navy to counter the United States and its Asian allies.The North’s official Korean Central News Agency said the vessel – named “Hero Kim Kun Ok” – is designed to launch tactical nuclear weapons from underwater but did not specify the number of missiles it could carry and fire.In his speeches at the vessel’s launching ceremony on Wednesday and an onboard inspection on Thursday, Kim expressed satisfaction that the country has acquired its own nuclear attack submarine to counter the advanced naval assets of the U.S., KCNA said. In July, the U.S. docked a nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarine in South Korea for the first time since the 1980s.Kim said the country is also pursuing a nuclear-propelled submarine and plans to remodel its existing submarines and surf...

Texas AG Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial defense includes claims of a Republican plot to remove him

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:44 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has long denied corruption accusations that have dogged him for years. But as his impeachment trial gets underway, another defense is emerging: that fellow Republicans plotted to oust him.His attorneys have so far presented no evidence in the trial, which continued Thursday, that Paxton was the victim of an attempt to replace him. But as former aides give testimony about how Paxton pressured them to help a political donor who was under FBI investigation, Paxton’s attorneys have raised questions about lobbyists and a meeting at Gov. Greg Abbott’s office, and have brought up George P. Bush, who lost to Paxton in last year’s Republican primary.“It was not a mutiny,” Ryan Bangert, one of Paxton’s former aides, testified Thursday about a group of deputies who reported their boss to the FBI in 2020. “We were protecting the interest of the state and protecting the interest of the attorney general and, in my view, signing our prof...

Investigators say a blocked radio transmission led to a June close call between planes in San Diego

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:44 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Investigators said Thursday that a failed radio transmission and a distracted air traffic controller led to a close call between a Southwest Airlines jet and a smaller plane waiting to take off from San Diego in June.Both planes had been cleared to use the same runway. The National Transportation Safety Board said a controller told the crew of SkyWest plane to exit the runway, then directed the Southwest pilots to cut short their landing approach and instead circle around the airport. The call to the Southwest plane didn’t go through, however — likely because the controller and the pilots were talking at the same time and their transmissions canceled each other, the NTSB said.After that, according to the NTSB, audio recorded by LiveATC captured a Southwest pilot saying, “Ah, is that an airplane on the runway?” The SkyWest crew said they heard that while they were moving to leave the runway.The Southwest pilots said they heard the controller tell them no...

Little Amal, a 12-foot puppet of a Syrian refugee, began its journey across the US in Boston

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:44 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — Little Amal, a 12-foot puppet of a Syrian refugee, began its journey across the United States on Thursday in Boston.During the trip, the puppet and its puppeteers plan to visit key places in American history to raise awareness about immigration and migration.The puppet of the 10-year-old girl will visit the U.S. Capitol, Boston Common, Joshua Tree National Park and the Edmund Pettus Bridge among other sites during a trek that started in Boston and ends Nov. 5 along the U.S.-Mexico border.Stops are also planned for Philadelphia; Baltimore; Pittsburgh; Detroit; Chicago; Atlanta; New Orleans; the Tennessee cities of Nashville and Memphis; the Texas cities of Austin, Houston, San Antonio and El Paso; and the California cities of Los Angeles and San Diego.On Thursday, the puppet stopped in Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood and interacted with performers in lion dance costumes.As the puppet walked with its puppeteers, it was accompanied by drummers and musicians and a large cr...

Don’t try to dodge police checkpoints, B.C. fire zone residents are told

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:44 GMT

WEST KELOWNA, B.C. — Residents of wildfire evacuation zones around West Kelowna, B.C., are being warned not to try to dodge police checkpoints and to stay out of restricted areas or face possible fines.The Central Okanagan Regional District says in a statement people attempting to reach their properties by boat or forest access roads within the McDougall Creek wildfire restriction area could face $1,150 violation tickets.The district says a wildfire area restriction was implemented on Aug. 25 and remains in force until noon Friday, but could be extended.The district says safe re-entry to neighbourhoods continues to be a priority, and temporary access to West Kelowna’s Traders Cove and Pine Point neighbourhoods was granted Thursday for residents to retrieve important items, with a similar opening for Wilson’s Landing under consideration.The regional district estimates about 405 properties in the West Kelowna, Westbank First Nation and the Central Okanagan Regional Distric...

20 vehicles vandalized overnight in Chicago's Kenwood neighborhood

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:44 GMT

CHICAGO — Chicago police said a total of 20 vehicles were vandalized in the Kenwood neighborhood early Thursday morning.They happened in the 4400 and 4800 blocks of South Lake Park Avenue, 4900 block of South Blackstone Avenue and the 4900 block of South Dorchester Avenue. Teen boy killed on Labor Day saved 10-year-old friend in 2020 shooting "Everywhere you look there's always something," Judy Smith, who lives nearby, said. "I'm frustrated for the people who this has happened to because I know how I would feel if it happened to me."She said she kept hearing car alarms going off overnight. "It would stop and go off and then I decided to look out the window," she said. "And I could see the glass from the windows on various areas on each side of the street."Police are reminding people in the area to report suspicious activity, always be aware of their surroundings and not to leave any valuables in your car.

City considers moving migrants to West Fulton Market building

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:44 GMT

CHICAGO — Migrants could soon be transferred to a temporary shelter in West Fulton Market, which could help ease pressure on overcrowding police stations.Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson's office hasn't released details on how many asylum seekers could be moving to a five-story building on North Ogden Avenue.But an association of Fulton Market residents and businesses said housing people there is illegal due to honing restrictions.27th Ward Ald. Walter Burnett said the mayor's office is looking to lease the five-story, 50,000-square-foot building at 344 N. Ogden West Fulton MarketExisting tenants in the building were told to vacate their units in the weeks ahead, according to those familiar with the potential agreement.As City of Chicago agencies and Johnson struggle to deal with overcrowded police districts, where tensions remain high after altercations between police and migrants led to four arrests at the 12th district. CPD: 4 migrants arrested for threatening, assaulting 12th dis...

Cubs' strong second half helps 2023 team make franchise history

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:44 GMT

CHICAGO — It's been a second half of the season to remember for the Cubs, one that's made some franchise history along with putting the team in the race for the postseason. Thanks to a sweep of the Giants this week at Wrigley Field, the team currently sits 12 games over .500 at 76-64 as they prepare for a four-game series with the Diamondbacks starting on Thursday.That record has the Cubs in the second National League Wild Card spot with 22 games left to go in the season and just 1 1/2 games behind the Brewers for first in the NL Central division.Not bad for a team that was 26-36 on June 8 and was still looking to sell even a week before the MLB trade deadline - and that's why the 2023 team has made franchise history.They've become the first Cubs' squad to go to ten games over .500 in a season where they sat ten games under .500 at somepoint earlier in the campaign. Since June 9, they have a record of 50-28, which is the third-best record in Major League Baseball in that time frame...

Jimmy Fallon slammed with toxic workplace allegations; TV host responds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:44 GMT

(KTLA) — The "Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" has been off the air since May due to the writers' strike.However, there have been rumblings behind the scenes, which have been exposed in an explosive piece in Rolling Stone on Thursday morning about the "Saturday Night Live" alum.Two current and 14 former employees of the "Tonight Show" said Fallon's on-air likable persona is a facade. ‘That ’70s Show’ actor Danny Masterson gets 30 years to life in prison for rapes of 2 women The anonymous sources describe a toxic work environment and claimed that Fallon would act "erratic" and "dismissive."Jimmy Fallon attends The Museum Gala at the American Museum of Natural History on Dec. 1, 2022 in New York. (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)“You never knew which Jimmy we were going to get and when he was going to throw a hissy fit. Look how many showrunners went so quickly. We know they didn’t last long," one employee said.Those who spoke to the magazine claimed Fallon would belittle staffers out...