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What to know about Ron DeSantis, Florida’s governor set to seek presidency

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:28:55 GMT

After months of anticipation, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to formally enter the Republican presidential primary contest on Wednesday. As of now, he is considered former President Donald Trump’s strongest GOP rival in the crowded 2024 contest, but many voters are only just starting to get to know the 44-year-old governor.Here are five things to know about DeSantis, the Republican Party’s newest presidential contender:DESANTIS’ EARLY LIFEA Florida native with family roots in the Midwest, DeSantis was a standout baseball player in his younger years. He represented the Dunedin, Florida, squad in the 1991 Little League World Series before becoming the captain of Yale University’s team.After a short stint teaching high school, he went on to Harvard Law School. He then became a Navy Judge Advocate General officer, a position that took him to Iraq and the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.DeSantis ran for Congress in 2012, won his Orlando-area district and became a f...

UN: Sudan conflict displaces over 1.3 million, including some 320K to neighboring countries

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:28:55 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — The fighting between Sudan’s military and a powerful paramilitary force has displaced more than 1.3 million people, the U.N. migration agency said Wednesday.The International Organization for Migration said the clashes have forced over 1 million people to leave their homes to safer areas inside Sudan. Some 320,000 others have fled to the neighboring countries of Egypt, South Sudan, Chad, Ethiopia, the Central African Republic and Libya.The fighting erupted on April 15 after months of escalating tensions between the military, led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces commanded by Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. The conflict derailed Sudanese hopes of restoring the country’s fragile transition to democracy, which was disrupted by a military coup led by the two generals in October 2021.The conflict has killed at least 863 civilians, including at least 190 children, and wounded more than 3,530 others, according to the most recent numbers from the Sudan...

Islamic scholar acquitted of rape by Swiss court, but potential trial awaits Tariq Ramadan in France

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:28:55 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — A Swiss court on Wednesday acquitted noted Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan on charges of rape and “sexual constraint,” citing lack of material evidence more than a decade after the alleged actions, contradictory witness statements and what resembled love messages to the accused.The court said it would pay Ramadan’s lawyers’ fees.It was a first victory for the former Oxford scholar with a worldwide reputation who had a brutal fall from grace with similar accusations still pending in France.Ramadan faces potential trial in France over allegations by several other women that emerged more than five years ago. Ramadan, a Swiss citizen, was jailed in February 2018 in France and handed preliminary rape charges over two alleged assaults in France, one in 2009 and another in 2012. A third woman filed a rape complaint against him in March. He was released on bail nine months later.The outspoken scholar has consistently denied any wrongdoing and filed a lawsuit sa...

WATCH LIVE | Mayor Johnson to preside over his first Chicago City Council meeting

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:28:55 GMT

CHICAGO — Newly inaugurated Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson will preside over his first Chicago City Council meeting Wednesday; a meeting with a packed agenda. In addition to officially organizing the councils many committees, to include chairperson appointments, a discussion and vote is expected on a $51 million aid package to assist migrants being moved into the city. If approved, the money will be used for staffing shelters, providing meals, and supporting the migrants in other ways such as with legal assistance. Retired Chicago officer shot while attempting to stop carjacking on West Side WGN plans to livestream the city council meeting, to include any pre-council press conferences and Mayor Johnson's expected post-council availability, within this story beginning at approximately 9:30 a.m.

2 men shot while walking in Portage Park

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:28:55 GMT

CHICAGO — Two men were shot while walking in the city's Portage Park neighborhood.The shooting happened just after 11 p.m. Tuesday in the 400 block of North Long. Police said two men were walking when they heard shots and felt pain.A 27-year-old man was shot in the inner right thigh and transported to Loyola Hospital in good condition. A 29-year-old man was shot twice in the right arm and transported to Stroger Hospital in good condition.No one is in custody. Area Four detectives are investigating.According to police, the victims are known to police.

Millionaire planned to escape Florida jail, fly private jet to French 'castle'

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:28:55 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Authorities say they’ve foiled an elderly businessman’s plan to escape a Florida jail and return to France where he had previously fled in an attempt to avoid child pornography charges.A tip from outside the jail sparked a two-month investigation of John Manchec, 78, and people he had enlisted in his escape plan, Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers said Monday during a news conference.“Essentially, the plan comes down to this,” Sheriff Flowers said. “These folks that are on the outside are going to wait until Manchec has a doctor's visit, and they are going to take out our corrections staff while he's out at the medical facility.”This photo provided by Indian River County Sheriff's Office shows John Manchec. Sheriff's deputies in Florida say they foiled an elaborate escape plan by Manchec, a 78-year-old, dual citizenship businessman who is facing multiple child pornography charges stemming from a 2014 arrest. A tip from the outside sparked a two mon...

'Robot dog' coming to Los Angeles police after vote

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:28:55 GMT

LOS ANGELES (KTLA) -- A four-legged “robot dog” is the newest member of the Los Angeles Police Department after the City Council voted 8-4 to approve its acquisition on Tuesday.The robot -- a quadruped unmanned ground vehicle called “Spot” -- is manufactured by Boston Dynamics and is valued at nearly $280,000.Spot was first offered as a gift to the LAPD's Metropolitan Division by the Los Angeles Police Foundation in March. The foundation is a nonprofit group that has "awarded more than $44 million in grants to the LAPD" since 1998, according to its website."Spot", a quadruped robot developed by Boston Dynamics, is displayed on June 9, 2022, during a presentation to the media at the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, near Naples, southern Italy. (Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP) LAPD said the robot will be used in a limited number of scenarios, including “incidents involving active shooters, assessment of explosives, hostage situations, natural disasters, hazardous materials assessment, ...

Texas Senate passes revamped school funding bill in last-minute bid to implement voucher program

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:28:55 GMT

AUSTIN (The Texas Tribune) -- A drastically different version of a school funding bill that’s being used as a last-ditch effort to enact a voucher-like program in Texas was given final approval by the Senate on Tuesday right before midnight. But the House is expected to reject the changes.The Senate voted 18-13 to advance its version of House Bill 100. Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, joined Democrats in voting against the bill. The bill now heads back to the House, where members will most likely have to negotiate the differences with the Senate. But with only five days left in the Legislative session, it's a race against time for both chambers to reach a compromise. Texas Senate committee advances teacher pay bill with addition of school voucher-like program The changes the Senate made to HB 100 are an attempt to avoid a special session after Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to call for one if he didn’t get a school voucher bill he liked. But that scenario might be diffi...

Austin Police Department starts 'No Refusal' initiative to curb drunk driving over Memorial Day weekend

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:28:55 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin Police Department officers will be on patrol and enforcing a DWI "No Refusal" initiative to curb drunk driving through the Memorial Day holiday. The initiative will be active May 24 through May 29. APD said the initiative is "an effort to enforce DWI laws, keep the public safe by encouraging drivers to make responsible decisions, and apply for blood search warrants on suspects who refuse to provide a breath or blood specimen as required by law."The initiative will also focus on highways and high-speed roadways, according to an APD release. APD often runs these "No Refusal" initiatives during holidays or school break periods like Spring Break and the Christmas/New Year holidays.APD made 85 arrests during a previous "No Refusal" effort that ran from Dec. 15 to Jan. 1.

Russia’s Wagner boss says more than 20,000 of his fighters died in Bakhmut battle

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:28:55 GMT

By SUSIE BLANN and JOANNA KOZLOWSKA (Associated Press)KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The head of the Russian private army Wagner says his force lost more than 20,000 men in the drawn-out battle for Bakhmut. He said about half of those who died in the eastern Ukrainian city were Russian convicts recruited to fight in the 15-month-old war. The figure stood in stark contrast to the widely disputed claims from Moscow that just over 6,000 of its troops were killed in the war as of January. That compares with official Soviet losses in the Afghanistan war of 15,000 troops between 1979-89. Ukraine hasn’t said how many of its soldiers have died since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.Analysts believe the nine-month fight for Bakhmut alone has cost the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers, among them convicts who reportedly received little training before being sent to the front.Russia’s invasion goal of “demilitarizing” Ukraine has backfired because Ky...