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Man pleads guilty to stealing ‘Wizard of Oz’ ruby slippers from Minnesota museum in 2005

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:42:37 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A man charged with the museum heist of a pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in the “The Wizard of Oz” pleaded guilty Friday, pulling back the curtain on a whodunit mystery dating back 18 years. Terry Jon Martin, 76, was indicted in May on one count of theft of a major artwork. The shoes from the film were stolen in 2005 from the Judy Garland Museum in the late actor’s hometown of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, and recovered in 2018 by the FBI. No one was arrested until Martin, who lives near Grand Rapids, was charged this year. Martin’s attorney, Dane DeKrey, said before the change-of-plea hearing in federal court in Duluth that his client, who is in poor health, has been cooperative with him, if not with authorities.“I think Terry is facing his own mortality, and I think when people are reaching that point in their life, they cut through the pleasantries and talk turkey,” DeKrey said in an interview.The one-page indictment gave no details of the path that...

Lawsuit to block New York’s ban on gas stoves is filed by gas and construction groups

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:42:37 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Gas and construction trade groups are suing to block New York’s controversial state ban on gas stoves and furnaces in new buildings. The organizations argue the law violates the federal government’s rules around how gas appliances are regulated, and filed the case against New York on Thursday in federal court.Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, approved the ban this spring on the installation of fossil-fuel equipment in new buildings. It’s set to take effect in 2026 for structures of seven stories or less and in 2029 for larger buildings. The law would not apply to existing buildings.Similar policies have been approved by dozens of Democrat-controlled cities and local governments as supporters say they are aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve indoor air quality. The rule quickly became the source of partisan outrage over climate change, with Republican officials and other opponents criticizing it as an infringement on consumer choice...

GOP quickly eyes Trump-backed hardliner Jim Jordan as House speaker but not all Republicans back him

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:42:37 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Increasingly desperate Republicans convened behind closed doors again Friday as the endless search for a House speaker drags deeper into a second week leaving the GOP majority spiraling into chaos for the foreseeable future.Attention swiftly turned to Rep. Jim Jordan, the hardline Judiciary Committee chairman and founder of the hardline Freedom Caucus as the next potential candidate after Majority Leader Steve Scalise abruptly ended his bid when it became clear hardline holdouts refused to back him.But not all Republicans want to see Jordan as speaker, second in line to the presidency. Overwhelmed and exhausted, anxious GOP lawmakers worry their House majority is being frittered away to countless rounds of infighting over rules, personalities and direction of the GOP.“Someone said ‘You know, you could put Jesus Christ up for Speaker of the House, and he still wouldn’t get 217,” said Rep. Mark Alford, R-Mo., about the number needed to win a floor vote.Ne...

YouTube gets reminder to follow EU law over Hamas content

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:42:37 GMT

Google’s Sundar Pichai is the latest tech chief to receive a letter from Brussels urging him to be “very vigilant” to ensure Hamas-connected disinformation and illegal content doesn’t spread on YouTube. Thierry Breton, the European Union’s internal market commissioner, today reminded Pichai of the EU’s content-moderation law, the Digital Services Act (DSA), including rules to quickly take down illegal content — like incitement to violence or propaganda for terrorist organizations — flagged by users and law enforcement authorities. Meta and TikTok CEOs Mark Zuckerberg Shou Zi Chew, respectively, as well as Elon Musk, owner of X (formerly Twitter), were warned and given deadlines to respond to the European Commission in public letters in the past news days. Since the end of August, over a dozen large online platforms have had to comply with rules to better handle illegal and harmful content under the DSA. Non-compliance can lead to fines of up ...

Huawei pushes back on the EU calling it ‘high-risk’

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:42:37 GMT

Chinese technology giant Huawei has had it with European Union officials calling it a “high-risk” supplier.The firm, a leading manufacturer of telecoms equipment, filed a complaint with the European Ombudsman office last month after the bloc’s industry chief Thierry Breton described Huawei and its smaller Chinese rival ZTE as “high-risk suppliers” at a press conference on June 15. Breton was presenting a report reviewing the EU’s policies on secure 5G, which allow member countries to restrict or prohibit “entities considered high-risk suppliers, notably because they are subject to highly intrusive, third countries laws on national intelligence and data security,” the commissioner said, naming both Huawei and ZTE in his statements.Huawei told POLITICO in a statement Friday that the company “strongly opposes and disagrees with the comments made by the European Commission representatives publicly naming and shaming an individual com...

Police ID man sought in connection with Dorchester shooting that left 8 wounded near Caribbean festival

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:42:37 GMT

Boston police have identified a man wanted on firearm and assault charges as they continue to investigate a shooting in Dorchester that left eight people wounded.Authorities are seeking Lynn resident Hubman Hunter, 31, who is wanted on a warrant issued by Dorchester District Court.The charges, which include Assault with intent to Murder, were related to a shooting that occurred on Talbot Avenue and left at least eight people wounded on Aug. 26, near the annual Caribbean festival.In a news release, officials described Hunter as a Black male with a height of 5’7″ and weight of 170 pounds, as well brown eyes and black hair. Authorities also noted that the suspect was wanted on a warrant out of Essex Superior Court for Probation Violation.Those who come in contact with Hunter are asked to call 911 immediately, while police request that anyone with information on his whereabouts call Boston PD’s District B-3 Detectives at (617) 343-4712.The department also shared an ima...

18-year-old motorcyclist killed in Bridgewater after colliding with two vehicles

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:42:37 GMT

Authorities in Bridgewater say they are investigating a fatal motorcycle crash that involved at least two other vehicles on Thursday.The Bridgewater Police Department said both officers and firefighters were called to the area of 1001 Bedford Street around 4:15 p.m. for a crash involving a motorcycle and a van.First responders arrived to find an 18-year-old man from Bridgewater lying in the northbound side of the roadway, with a damaged 2006 Kawasaki motorcycle nearby.Officials also found both a 2014 Ford economy van and a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee that had been damaged in the crash.Based on a preliminary investigation, police found the motorcyclist had been traveling south on Bedford Street “at a high rate of speed” while operating in the breakdown lane, passing traffic.Investigators determined that the 18-year-old then allegedly hit the Ford van while it was traveling north and attempting to make a left turn.“After colliding with the van, the motorcycle and its op...

Biden awards $7 billion for clean hydrogen hubs across the country to help replace fossil fuels

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:42:37 GMT

By MATTHEW DALY and MARC LEVY (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — Large-scale clean energy projects from Pennsylvania to California have been selected by the Biden administration for a $7 billion program to kickstart development and production of hydrogen fuel, a key component of President Joe Biden’s agenda to slow climate change.His goal is to establish seven regional hydrogen hubs to help replace fossil fuels such as coal and oil with cleaner-burning hydrogen as an energy source for vehicles, manufacturing and generating electricity.Biden is expected to make the official announcement during an economic-themed visit to Philadelphia on Friday.The White House calls clean hydrogen “essential to achieving the president’s vision of a strong clean energy economy” and net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. by 2050.“As a clean fuel, hydrogen complements the role played by other clean energy sources, like wind and solar, to help the U.S. reduce emissions in energy-intensive sectors ...

Harvard president defends free speech on campus after students’ anti-Israel statement: ‘We do not punish or sanction people for expressing such views’

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:42:37 GMT

As controversy continues to swirl at Harvard after dozens of student groups blamed Israel following the Hamas terrorist attacks, the university’s president is defending the students’ right to free speech — even when it comes to “outrageous” beliefs.Harvard President Claudine Gay in a video addressed the chaotic week at the Cambridge university, where the student groups have been condemned and railed against for their anti-Israel statement after the Hamas terrorists murdered Israelis and took hostages.The dozens of groups in the statement entirely blamed Israel for the terrorist attacks.“Our University embraces a commitment to free expression,” Gay said in the video. “That commitment extends even to views that many of us find objectionable, even outrageous.“We do not punish or sanction people for expressing such views,” the president added. “But that is a far cry from endorsing them.”Harvard was recently ranked a...

Flag football and cricket are among five sports nearing inclusion for 2028 Los Angeles Olympics

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:42:37 GMT

MUMBAI, India (AP) — Flag football and cricket were among five sports that took their next step Friday toward inevitably being added to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.The International Olympic Committee executive board recommended all five sports — including baseball-softball, lacrosse and squash — that were formally requested Monday by organizers of the LA Games.The final elevation to the 2028 program should come Monday at a meeting of about 100 IOC members who typically rubberstamp the board’s views.“These proposals have been accepted as a package,” said IOC president Thomas Bach, who chairs the 15-member board, hailing a showcase of “iconic American sports to the world while bringing at the same time international sports to the United States.”Cricket is a big-ticket item for the IOC. The sport is expected to raise broadcast revenue from India by at least $100 million when the country’s favorite sport joins the Olympics.“For the Olympic movement, it is the opportunity to engage wit...