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Hundreds call for ceasefire in Gaza during march, rally in Boston

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:36:24 GMT

Hundreds of people marched through Boston and rallied at the JFK Federal Building Wednesday as they called for a ceasefire in Gaza. While the war between Hamas and Israel continues, march attendees from a multifaith coalition gathered first at Boston Common. Marchers then moved to the JFK Federal Building where organizers said they planned to call on Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey to back a ceasefire. The crowd numbered roughly 400 people, at one point, and remained gathered around 6:30 p.m. as faith and community leaders spoke outside the federal building. Inside, some people were staging a sit-in. More than a dozen people were initially seated inside the federal building. By 6:30 p.m., just two remained after others were taken away in handcuffs.Some counterprotestors also met those calling for a ceasefire as they moved through Boston.Calls for a ceasefire in Gaza have grown in recent days and weeks. On Thursday, Gaza was again lit up by flares and explosion...

Chicago White Sox tab Paul Janish — a former big-league infielder — as their new director of player development

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:36:24 GMT

Former big-league infielder Paul Janish has been named the director of player development for the Chicago White Sox.Janish, 41, played parts of nine seasons with the Cincinnati Reds (2008-11), Atlanta Braves (2012-13) and Baltimore Orioles (2015-17), appearing in 473 career games.He spent the past two seasons as associate head coach for Rice’s baseball team after originally joining the the Owls as an assistant coach in August 2017.Janish takes over the role previously held by Sox general manager Chris Getz.“Paul brings a wealth of experience to our organization,” Getz said in a statement. “He has lived every step of the development ladder, from being a national champion player at Rice, to being drafted, reaching the majors and then coaching successfully at a high-level program like Rice.” ()

Mike Preston’s Ravens mailbag: Answering questions about Mike Macdonald’s future, Lamar Jackson’s input and more | COMMENTARY

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:36:24 GMT

Baltimore Sun columnist Mike Preston will answer fans’ questions throughout the Ravens season. Coming off Baltimore’s 31-24 win in Week 8 against the Arizona Cardinals, plenty of questions remain heading into a Week 9 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks.Here’s Preston’s take:(Editor’s note: Questions have been edited for length and clarity.)I am sure Mike Macdonald will be getting a number of interviews for head coaching vacancies once the season is over. I would hate to see the Ravens lose him. Do you think there is any way the Ravens can keep him? Perhaps give him a hefty raise and promise him that he will be the Ravens’ head coach once Harbaugh steps down? — Joe DeaselIt depends on the team making the offer. Macdonald is young, smart and will have his options if the defense continues to play well. There will probably be teams that pursue him, but I’m not sure that Macdonald wants to go work for an unstable franchise such as the Las...

Migrant arrested on Cape Cod convicted of murder in Venezuela

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:36:24 GMT

A Venezuelan national convicted of murder back home was arrested by local ICE agents while living in migrant shelter housing on Cape Cod.Jordano Gotopo-Lopez, 38, was convicted of murder in 2006 yet made his way across the southern border in July and ended up in state housing at Joint Base Cape Cod in Bourne, the Herald has learned.He was arrested a week ago without incident at his state-funded residence, a local law enforcement source with knowledge of the case said. The Cape base has been used as one of the state’s emergency shelters for migrants since June.“What is the vetting for those shelters? Who knows,” the source said.Immigration officials did say the illegal immigrant they arrested at the base “failed to disclose his previous homicide conviction to U.S. Border Patrol officials when they arrested him for unlawfully entering the United States in Eagle Pass, Texas, on July 31.”Yet, border agents let him pass into the country while giving him a no...

Ticker: Apple’s sales fall for the fourth straight quarter; Jury begins deliberating fate of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:36:24 GMT

Apple’s sales remained on a downward slope during the summer, resulting in a full year of declining revenue at the technology trendsetter with a long history of steady growth that turned it into the world’s most valuable publicly traded company.The slight sales deterioration announced Thursday for the July-September period marked the end of Apple’s fiscal year — a stretch that saw the company suffer a revenue decrease from the prior year in each quarter.Although this past fiscal year’s revenue only dipped by 3% from the previous fiscal year, it was still a noteworthy anomaly in a business that has been so successful that Apple became the first U.S. company to be valued at $3 trillion earlier this year.Jury begins deliberating fate of FTX founder Sam Bankman-FriedA New York jury began deliberating on Thursday whether FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried was guilty of fraud in the disappearance of billions of dollars from his customers’ accounts on the cryptocurrency exchange he created four...

House approves $14.5B in assistance for Israel as Biden vows to veto the GOP’s approach

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:36:24 GMT

By Lisa Mascaro, Associated Press Congressional CorrespondentWASHINGTON (AP) — The House approved $14.5 billion in military aid Thursday for Israel, a muscular U.S. response to the war with Hamas but also a partisan approach by new Speaker Mike Johnson that poses a direct challenge to Democrats and President Joe Biden.In a departure from norms, Johnson’s package required that the emergency aid be offset with cuts in government spending elsewhere. That tack established the new House GOP’s conservative leadership, but it also turned what would typically be a bipartisan vote into one dividing Democrats and Republicans. Biden has said he would veto the bill, which was approved on a largely party-line vote.Johnson, R-La., said the Republican package would provide Israel with the assistance needed to defend itself, free hostages held by Hamas and eradicate the Palestinian terrorist group, accomplishing “all of this while we also work to ensure responsible spending and reduce the size of t...

Chicago Bulls are excited for the NBA In-Season Tournament — and the new courts — even if they’re not sure how it works

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:36:24 GMT

The NBA designed its In-Season Tournament with the goal of bringing a new energy to the early months of the season.That goal has been accomplished in Chicago, where the Bulls are buzzing — with interest, at least — as they prepare for their tournament debut Friday against the Brooklyn Nets at the United Center.“With 82 games, you almost look for something to get you up and ready every game,” guard Zach LaVine said. “This is just another opportunity to have some fun in the season. Obviously during those times you want to have a good game or put on a show — and win, obviously.”One detail particularly stirred up the Bulls locker room: the courts.Each team will have a new court design specifically for its In-Season Tournament games. The United Center court will be painted red from baseline to baseline with a white Bulls logo emblazoned at center court over the image of the tournament trophy.When the league revealed all of the court designs last ...

‘He was a good man’: Family of First Nations man question Winnipeg in-custody death

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:36:24 GMT

WINNIPEG — Loved ones of a First Nations man who died in police custody say officers failed to help him when he needed it most. Family and friends of Elias Whitehead, along with First Nations leaders in Manitoba and Ontario, held a news conference Thursday calling for changes to how police approach wellness checks. They also voiced concern about the force Winnipeg officers used while taking the 37-year-old into custody last month. “The police are supposed to keep people safe. They’re supposed to help people, but this wasn’t the case for Elias. Where was his help?” said Jody Beardy, Whitehead’s partner. “Elias was a good man. He was kind. He would help anyone who needed it, and he would befriend anyone.”Police have said officers were called to the West Broadway neighbourhood shortly before 11 p.m. on Oct. 15 after receiving reports of a man “in distress running into traffic and acting erratically.” Officers took him into custody, ...

MLB settles lawsuits from minor league teams, avoids possible antitrust challenge at Supreme Court

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:36:24 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball avoided a possible U.S. Supreme Court challenge to its antitrust exemption when it settled a federal lawsuit and two in New York State court filed by minor league teams who lost their big league affiliations.James W. Quinn, a lawyer for the teams who sued, said Thursday that a settlement had been reached in all three cases. Quinn said the terms of the settlement were confidential.MLB declined comment.MLB cut the minimum guaranteed minor league affiliation agreements from 160 to 120 in September 2020 and took over running the minors from the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, which had been in charge since 1901.The parent companies of the Staten Island Yankees, Tri-City ValleyCats, Salem-Keizer Volcanoes and Norwich Sea Unicorns sued MLB in December 2021 in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, alleging a violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act caused by “a horizontal agreement between competitors that has artificially reduced and ...

US to send $425 million in aid to Ukraine, US officials say

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:36:24 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is expected to deliver $425 million in new military aid to Ukraine for its fight against Russia, including about $300 million in long-term funding to buy laser-guided munitions designed to take out drones, U.S. officials said Thursday.According to officials, the long-term money will be provided through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which funds contracts for larger weapons systems that need to be either built or modified by defense companies. In addition, the Biden administration will send about $125 million in weapons and equipment through presidential drawdown authority, which pulls weapons from existing U.S. stockpiles. According to officials, the weapons will include munitions for High-Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), as well as artillery rounds, anti-tank missiles, demolition equipment and cold weather gear.The officials spoke on condition of anonymity becau...