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House Republicans aim to pass new asylum restrictions as Title 42 ends; Biden promises veto

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:40:39 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans are seeking Thursday to pass a sweeping bill to build more U.S.-Mexico border wall and impose new restrictions on asylum seekers, creating a hard-line counter to President Joe Biden’s policies just as migrants are amassing along the border with the end of coronavirus pandemic restrictions.The bill has virtually no chance of becoming law. Democrats, who have a narrow hold on the Senate, have decried the aggressive measures in the bill as “cruel” and “anti-immigrant,” and Biden has already promised he would veto it.But the House GOP pointedly scheduled the vote for the same day as the expiration of Title 42, a public health emergency rule that allowed border authorities to quickly return many migrants who crossed the border illegally. Biden has conceded that the southern border will be “chaotic for a while” as migrants weigh whether to cross and U.S. officials use a new set of policies that aim to clamp down on illegal immigration while ...

NFL season kicks off with Super Bowl champion Chiefs hosting Lions; Rodgers on MNF

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:40:39 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs will host the Detroit Lions on Sept. 7 to kick off the 2023 NFL season.And NFL fans will get their first look at star quarterback Aaron Rodgers in a Jets uniform when New York faces the Buffalo Bills on “Monday Night Football” on Sept. 11, according to early details released Thursday on this year’s NFL schedule.The NFL will release the full schedule on Thursday night.On Wednesday, the NFL announced that Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars will become the first NFL team to play two international games in the same season when they spend back-to-back weeks in London this year.The Jaguars will host the Atlanta Falcons at Wembley Stadium on Oct. 1 and visit the Bills at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Oct. 8. The Jaguars were set to play two designated home games in London in 2020 but the pandemic canceled those plans.The NFL also announced dates for three other international games. The Tennessee Titans will host the Baltim...

Project underway to transform old Georgetown heating plant into luxury Four Seasons Residences

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:40:39 GMT

The Georgetown Company and the Levy Group officially broke ground on the long-planned redevelopment of the old Georgetown West Heating Plant on Wednesday.The $300 million redevelopment as a Four Seasons Private Residences will include 70 for-sale units and is scheduled to be completed by 2026.The off-again, on-again redevelopment of the steam plant has been in the works for the past decade. The plant was officially decommissioned in 2000. The structure will be partially razed but the building’s original western facade, constructed in 1948, will be preserved.The building is designed by world-renowned architect Sir David Adjaye and Adjaye Associates, whose past projects have includes the Smithsonian’s Museum of African American History & Culture.Adjaye, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and former Mayor Anthony Williams were among the officials on hand for the groundbreaking, along with Richard Levy, CEO of The Levy Group.The project, at 1051-1055 29th Street NW, will also incl...

Do tornadoes ever hit Denver?

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:40:39 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Tornado season has started in Colorado and this is just the beginning. The season typically lasts until August. Tornado warnings were issued for parts of the Denver area on Wednesday, as well as in Arapahoe and Douglas counties and on the Eastern Plains. Tornado touches down near Brush during live newscast Do tornadoes ever hit Denver?Do tornadoes ever hit Denver? Well, it has happened. But strong tornadoes in the Denver metro are extremely rare.On June 15, 1988, meteorologist Chris Tomer said an EF2 and EF3 tornado hit the Denver metro.An EF3 tornado hit Windsor in May of 2008. It covered a 39-mile path and caused $100,000,000 in damage, the NWS said. Tornadoes in Colorado? This is ‘Hail Alley’ In June of 2015, an EF1 tornado touched down in East Denver and traveled to Aurora.Tornadoes in Denver are rare because of the city’s proximity to the foothills and mountains. “It takes some distance for the thunderstorms to mature, and the wind ...

How Denver plans to handle new influx of migrants

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:40:39 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Thursday, Denver city officials will host a press conference discussing how they plan to handle the influx of migrants arriving in the city.The city said just within the last couple of days, around 700 migrants have arrived. Over the last week, well over 1,000 arrived.Leaders have since activated the Denver Emergency Operations Center to help. This activation allows for quicker response times by opening four emergency shelters while continuing to look for more spaces to house them. Video captures gunshots that wounded 5 in southeast Denver This new influx is creating a strain on city resources. Denver Mayor Michael Hancock made a plea to homeland security asking for more resources and funding. The city had already spent more than $14 million to shelter, feed and support migrants.Officials said this influx is a direct response to Title 42 ending Thursday. The measure was a COVID restriction implemented in March 2020 which allowed U.S. Customs and Border Protection t...

Former police officer arrested for credit card fraud following man’s death

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:40:39 GMT

ST. CLOUD, Fla. (WSVN) — A former police officer just south of Orlando is facing charges of credit card fraud after allegedly stealing a deceased man’s credit card information and making personal purchases.According to St. Cloud Police Chief Douglas Goerke, the officer Dianne Ferreira responded to a 911 call made by the victim before allegedly stealing his credit card information. The victim’s wife noticed suspicious charges on her late husband’s credit cards a day after his death and called the police, leading to the arrest of the former officer.“We arrested her with her handcuffs,” said Goerke. “I think it’s very important that the community knows that.” The St. Cloud Police Department is “absolutely appalled” by the former officer’s actions, according to Chief Goerke, who also noted that she had no prior disciplinary actions at the department ahead of this incident.Ferreira was booked into jail on a $4,000 bo...

Peloton is recalling 2 million bikes because seats could break in the middle of a ride

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:40:39 GMT

(CNN) — Peloton is recalling 2 million bikes because of a safety hazard caused by the adjustable seat that could break during use and injure the rider.The US Consumer Product Safety Commission issued the recall Thursday, telling owners of Peloton bikes with model number PL-01 to stop using the bike immediately. Affected customers should contact the company for a free repair kit that they can install themselves.In a press release, Peloton said that the $1,400 bikes were sold from January 2018 to May 2023 in the United Sates only. It has identified 35 reports of “seat posts breaking” out of the 2,160,000 bikes sold as of April 30. The CPSC added of the 35 reports, 13 people said they were injured, including a “fractured wrist, lacerations and bruises due to falling from the bike.”“Our commitment to member safety is unwavering. For Peloton, it was important to proactively engage the CPSC to address this issue and to work swiftly and cooperativel...

Three MEPs denounced for racist, sexist and transphobic ‘hate speech’ in European Parliament

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:40:39 GMT

STRASBOURG — You can say pretty much anything in the European Parliament — but can you always get away with it? A trio of female EU lawmakers are demanding an immediate investigation into whether fellow MEPs committed hate speech during a debate on women’s rights in the European Parliament on Tuesday.MEPs Anders Vistisen, Isabella Adinolfi and Cristian Terheș “gave statements that we believe constitute hate speech,” according to a letter from the three to European Parliament President Roberta Metsola seen by POLITICO. MEPs Malin Björk, Evin Incir and Samira Rafaela alleged in the letter their colleagues breached Parliament’s rules on offensive language during a debate on the ratification of the 2011 Istanbul convention against gender-based violence. They urged Metsola to investigate.“All three of us reacted verbally and called out these speakers during the debate,” the EU lawmakers wrote in their letter. “But it is our firm belief that the European Parliament itself ...

The end of Erdoğan? — Turkey’s EU accession ambitions — Europe Day

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:40:39 GMT

Listen on Spotify Apple Music Google Play EN_Google_Podcasts_Badge Created with Sketch. Stitcher .st0{fill:#EB8A23;} .st1{fill:#FAC617;} .st2{fill:#612368;} .st3{fill:#3792C4;} .st4{fill:#C33727;} Acast This week, the focus is on Turkey and what’s at stake in elections happening May 14. We also hear from British writer and scholar Hugh Pope, who has written extensively on modern Turkey and tackles th...

Spain approves €2 billion package to alleviate drought impact

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:40:39 GMT

The Spanish government approved measures on Thursday valued at more than €2 billion to mitigate the impact of a prolonged drought that’s clobbering the country’s agricultural sector.“Spain is a country used to facing droughts, but climate change means that we must prepare for more frequent and severe periods like the current one,” said Ecological Transition Minister Teresa Ribera. “We need anticipation, structural and emergency measures.”The new measures come as the country goes into campaign mode ahead of regional and municipal elections on May 28, in which the impact of the drought is set to be a key issue. A number of other EU countries also are currently bracing for a repeat of last year’s bone-dry summer, or worse, with about a quarter of the Continent’s territory under drought warning or alert. The vast majority of Spain’s new package, some €1.4 billion, will be used to build new water infrastructure, boost the reuse of urb...