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DeSantis defends anti-LGBTQ video shared by his campaign and calls it a ‘fair game’ attack on Trump

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:36 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is defending an anti-LGBTQ video his campaign shared online that attacks rival Donald Trump for his past support of gay and transgender people, despite some of his fellow Republicans calling it homophobic.DeSantis, in an interview Wednesday on the podcast of conservative commentator Tomi Lahren, did not address accusations that the video was homophobic but said the intent was “identifying Donald Trump as really being a pioneer in injecting gender ideology into the mainstream where he was having men compete against women in his beauty pageants.”“I think that’s totally fair game because he’s now campaigning, saying the opposite, that he doesn’t think that you should have men competing in women’s things like athletics,” DeSantis said.His presidential campaign shared the video on Twitter last week, on the last day of June’s LGBTQ+ Pride Month, saying, “To wrap up ‘Pride Month,’ let’s hear from the politician who did more than any other Republica...

OceanGate suspends all exploration and commercial operations following Titan submersible implosion

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:36 GMT

(CNN) — OceanGate – the owner of the Titan submersible that imploded during a voyage to the Titanic, killing five – says it has suspended its exploration and commercial operations, according to its website.“OceanGate has suspended all exploration and commercial operations,” the top of the company’s official website says.The website still features highlight reels of equipment and expeditions, and descriptions of expedition offerings, including to tour the Titanic wreckage.CNN is reaching out to OceanGate for more information.Its CEO, Stockton Rush, was among those who perished when the Titan submersible imploded.

EU border agency chief does not rule out suspending operations in Greece

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:36 GMT

BRUSSELS — The EU border agency’s chief left the door open to ending its operations in Greece during a parliamentary hearing on Thursday on a migrant shipwreck off the Greek coast in June which resulted in over 500 deaths.The incident raised questions about Greece’s human rights record, with criticism that the local coast guard did not do enough to save those onboard the ship.“We’re in the stage of asking for more information on a total of three incidents — two earlier and now this one — and define if they have any consequences on the cooperation with Greece,” executive director of Frontex Hans Leijtens told a packed session of EU lawmakers in Brussels.Tensions in the room flared when two right-wing MEPs suggested that immigration was responsible for the violent protests which erupted in France last week.“This is one of the results of uncontrolled migration, and let’s be honest migrants in France have a much better life than in Africa,” said Slovak non-aligned MEP Milan Uhrík, promp...

Keir Starmer’s got 5 missions. Can the UK Labour boss accomplish them?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:36 GMT

MEDWAY, England — Keir Starmer is a man on five missions. But the Labour leader’s big plan for government may soon have to contend with reality.Starmer launched the last in a five-strong list of “missions” for the U.K. on Thursday if — as current polls suggest — he becomes the country’s next prime minister at the upcoming general election.Speaking at a college in Gillingham, Kent, the opposition leader argued only his party could break the “class ceiling,” and vowed to put education at the heart of his governing plan.But while the promise of five “missions” might make for a snappy headline, converting them into actually policy could prove more tricky.Starmer’s not the first leader to give the pledges tactic a try. Labour’s last election-winner, Tony Blair, rode to power with five key promises — printed on physical cards — in 1997. Starmer’s Tory opponent Rishi Sunak is currently working his way through five key priorities, with limite...

Philadelphia mass shooting was ‘obviously planned,’ DA says. But investigation could still take months

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:36 GMT

(CNN) — The man facing murder charges in a mass shooting that left five people dead in a Philadelphia neighborhood Monday “obviously planned” the rampage, but the investigation could take months as authorities dig for more details, a district attorney said.Authorities believe Kimbrady Carriker, 40, acted alone when he carried out the shootings, but investigators are still combing through his social media history and looking into possible mental health issues, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner told CNN on Wednesday. He is being held without bail and has not entered a plea.“I can certainly tell you that there are indications of mental health issues. There are indications of irrational behavior. There are indications of irrational statements and irrational acts,” Krasner told CNN.Krasner’s comments came as new details emerged Wednesday about a possible motive for the shootings in Philadelphia’s Kingsessing neighborhood. Five people, including a 15-year-ol...

Will the doctor see you now? The health system’s changing landscape

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:36 GMT

Julie Appleby, KFF Health News, Michelle Andrews | (TNS) KFF Health NewsLucia Agajanian, a 25-year-old freelance film producer in Chicago, doesn’t have a specific primary care doctor, preferring the convenience of visiting a local clinic for flu shots or going online for video visits. “You say what you need, and there’s a 15-minute wait time,” she said, explaining how her appointments usually work. “I really liked that.”But Olga Lucia Torres, a 52-year-old who teaches narrative medicine classes at Columbia University in New York, misses her longtime primary care doctor, who kept tabs for two decades on her conditions, including lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, and made sure she was up to date on vaccines and screening tests. Two years ago, Torres received a letter informing her that he was changing to a “boutique practice” and would charge a retainer fee of $10,000 for her to stay on as a patient.“I felt really sad and abandoned,” Torres said. “This was my PCP. I was like, ‘Dude, I t...

What is Threads? All your questions about Meta’s new Twitter rival, answered

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:36 GMT

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS (AP Business Writer)NEW YORK (AP) — Threads, a text-based app built by Meta to rival Twitter, is live.The app, billed as the text version of Meta’s photo-sharing platform Instagram, became available Wednesday night to users in more than 100 countries — including the U.S., Britain, Australia, Canada and Japan. Despite some early glitches, 30 million people had signed up before noon on Thursday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Threads. New arrivals to the platform include celebrities like Oprah, pop star Shakira and chef Gordon Ramsay — as well as corporate accounts from Taco Bell, Netflix, Spotify, the Washington Post and other media outlets.Threads, which Meta says provides “a new, separate space for real-time updates and public conversations,” arrives at a time that many are looking for Twitter alternatives to escape Elon Musk’s raucous oversight of the platform since acquiring it last year for $44 billion. But M...

Mayo Clinic Minute: Sunscreen has a shelf life and other facts to know

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:36 GMT

Deb Balzer | (TNS) Mayo Clinic News NetworkDid you know sunscreen has a shelf life and can expire? Or that too much heat or cold can ruin a new bottle?Protecting your skin from harmful sun rays will help against inflammation, burns, premature aging and, most importantly, skin cancer.Dr. Dawn Davis, a Mayo Clinic dermatologist, has more on sunscreen shelf life and other facts to help make decisions as you head into the sun.You might think a dermatologist is going to ask you to ban the sun.“There’s nothing wrong with being outside in the sun,” says Dr. Davis.UV, or ultraviolet light, is a carcinogen. That’s where sunscreen helps.“Sunscreen can act as a carcinogen barrier to help keep your skin safe,” says Dr. Davis.Keep these sunscreen facts in mind when you’re reaching for your favorite bottle:— Sunscreen can expire, affecting the active ingredient and the preservative.— Sunscreen is sensitive to extreme temperatures. Keep it out ...

Is baseball’s Shohei Ohtani worth a $701 million contract?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:36 GMT

One big-money California business deal to watch is how rich Angels baseball star Shohei Ohtani will become once his current contract ends this year.Ohtani, who’s making $30 million in 2023, will be a free agent when the season ends. He’ll be available for hire by any of Major League Baseball’s 30 teams to pursue. It’s all but given he’ll sign the priciest long-term contract in baseball history.Now, it’s hard to argue that anybody paid $30 million in a single year is underpaid. Hey, it’s the 15th biggest paycheck in baseball, according to Spotrac. But if you’re not a sports fan, please realize this athlete is arguably the game’s best batter and pitcher – a two-way feat nobody else has pulled off.Next week’s All-Star Game will serve as another billboard for Ohtani’s talents. He’s been named to the American League team twice thanks to his unique mix of skills. The festive gathering will only fuel wild speculation a...

Tribal sovereignty bill falters as Maine lawmakers fail to override governor’s veto

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:36 GMT

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine lawmakers failed Thursday to override the governor’s veto of a bill that would have expanded the sovereignty of Native American tribes in the state by ensuring more federal laws apply to them.It’s a defeat for the tribes, which are bound by a land claims settlement that puts them on different footing then the nation’s other 570 federally recognized tribes.Both chambers had voted to enact the bill with big-enough majorities to override the veto, but some House members backtracked under pressure by Democratic Gov. Janet Mills. She contends the bill was vague and would lead to lengthy and costly litigation in coming years.The 84-57 House vote fell short of a two-thirds majority after tribal Rep. Aaron Dana, a Passamaquoddy, implored lawmakers to vote for the tribes, saying they want the same thing that the nation’s Founding Fathers wanted.“We seek equality. We seek life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And we seek the liberty and the ...