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Residents, aid workers surprised by closure of Iraqi camp

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:47:44 GMT

IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — Iraq on Tuesday shut down a camp housing internally displaced Iraqis with alleged ties to the Islamic State group, the migration and displacement ministry announced.The statement said the camp’s closure came as part of a government program aiming to “end the displacement file” in the country, where 1.2 million Iraqis remain internally displaced after years of conflict. Aid workers criticized the closure as hasty and chaotic.On Monday, residents and aid workers at the Jadah 5 camp in northern Iraq’s Qayyarah — which housed some 300 families — were informed by government and security officials that they had to leave the camp by Wednesday, a day before the beginning of the Muslim celebration of Eid al-Fitr.Iraq has long sought to close down the displacement camp, one of the last remaining in federally controlled areas, but faced pushback from aid groups concerned over the integration of vulnerable families, including many women and children, stigmatized for their per...

NRA shows gun rights power but pushback grows from shootings

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:47:44 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The roster of Republican presidential hopefuls who flocked to the National Rifle Association’s annual convention reflects the political potency of gun rights, despite the group’s eroding revenues and an opposition movement that’s growing increasingly vocal as the drumbeat of mass shootings marches on.Even amid internal turmoil and legal woes, the gun ownership culture and movement that the NRA helped build remains formidable. And the landmark Supreme Court ruling on the Second Amendment last summer has given new strength to gun-rights activists seeking to invalidate firearm restrictions across the country.“On the one hand, the gun-rights movement has never been stronger,” said Adam Winkler, a law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles who wrote “Gunfight: The Battle over the Right to Bear Arms in America.” But “one of the interesting things about this moment is the NRA, in some ways, has never faced more organizational incohe...

Maryland company settles with DC for $835K in suit over construction worker benefits

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:47:44 GMT

A Maryland construction company has agreed to pay $835,000 to settle a suit brought by D.C. alleging the company denied workers sick leave and other benefits by intentionally misclassifying them as independent contractors.Maryland Applicators, which provides drywall installation services, was accused by the D.C. Office of the Attorney General of misclassifying dozens of workers it directly hired, as well as procuring the services of hundreds of other workers also improperly classified as independent contractors through subcontracts.Misclassifying the workers as independent contractors allowed the company to deny them basic rights they would be entitled to as employees, such as the minimum wage, overtime pay and paid sick leave, according to a news release from the attorney general’s office.It can also leave workers on the hook for a big tax bill, and deprives the District of tax revenue.“This not only cheated the workers but gave Maryland Applicators an unfair advantage ...

Twitter removes policy against deadnaming transgender people

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:47:44 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Twitter has quietly removed a policy against the “targeted misgendering or deadnaming of transgender individuals,” raising concerns that the Elon Musk-owned platform is becoming less safe for marginalized groups.Twitter enacted the policy against deadnaming, or using a transgender person’s name before they transitioned, as well as purposefully using the wrong gender for someone as a form of harassment, in 2018. On Monday, Twitter also said it will only put warning labels on some tweets that are “potentially” in violation of its rules against hateful conduct. Previously, the tweets were removed.It was in this policy update that Twitter appears to have deleted the line against deadnaming from its rules. “Twitter’s decision to covertly roll back its longtime policy is the latest example of just how unsafe the company is for users and advertisers alike,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, the president and CEO of the advocacy group GLAAD. “This decision to roll back LGBTQ...

Fox News and Dominion reach last-minute $787 million settlement

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:47:44 GMT

Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems have agreed to a blockbuster settlement over the network’s coverage of former President Trump’s false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election. The settlement comes after months of courtroom fighting between the two parties, in what had been widely seen as a precedent-setting moment for defamation law that could severely alter the financial and reputational health of the country’s largest cable news company.   The settlement, which came just hours before opening arguments in the defamation trial were slated to begin in a Delaware courtroom, shields Fox from what was likely to have been a grueling and potentially embarrassing span of several weeks focusing on its internal strife around the time of the 2020 election. Details of the deal were not immediately disclosed but Dominion lawyer Justin Nelson said the settlement was reached at around $787.5 million.In a statement, Fox News Media said the network was “pleased” to reach ...

Aircraft slides off runway at Miami Executive Airport

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:47:44 GMT

There were plane problems Tuesday morning after a small aircraft slid off the runway while coming in for a landing at Miami Executive Airport. According to officials, the landing gear collapsed, which caused the accident. First responders rushed to the rescue, but thankfully no injuries were reported.

Fox News settles with Dominion at the last second, averting defamation trial over its 2020 election lies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:47:44 GMT

(CNN) — A last-second settlement has been reached in the historic defamation case between Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems, the parties announced Tuesday in court.“The parties have resolved their case,” Superior Court Judge Eric Davis said.“Your presence here… was extremely important. And without you, the parties would not have been able to resolve their situation,” the judge told the jurors, before dismissing them.The settlement between Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems totals $787,500,000, according to Dominion attorney Justin Nelson.The settlement represents “vindication and accountability,” Nelson said in a press conference Tuesday afternoon.“We are pleased to have reached a settlement of our dispute with Dominion Voting Systems,” Fox News said in a statement. “We acknowledge the Court’s rulings finding certain claims about Dominion to be false. This settlement reflects FOX’s continued...

John Cena sends signed shoes to Kowloon Restaurant in Saugus

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:47:44 GMT

West Newbury native John Cena recently sent a pair of shoes he wore to Wrestlemania back to Massachusetts and the Kowloon Restaurant in Saugus, the restaurant announcedThe red, black and gold sneakers were released in February after Kowloon teamed up with Sway of blueswaydshoes to make some 100, hand-painted Nike Air Force 1 sneaks inspired by the restaurant.Kowloon’s owner said the restaurant sent the custom shoes to Cena because they had developed a strong bond over the years. Cena was then seen wearing the shoes at Wrestlemania earlier this month.Cena signed the pair and sent them to Kowloon along with a picture of himself.

Student drawings of official Massachusetts state dinosaur now on display at State House

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:47:44 GMT

Local children headed to the Massachusetts State House this week to check out their artwork on display. Decorating walls inside the building, the drawings and paintings all depict Massachusetts’ new official state dinosaur. Speaking this week, children said they were excited for the opportunity. “It’s crazy,” said Emelia Leavitt, an eighth grade artist from Taunton. State Rep. Jack Lewis was the lawmaker who pushed for the state to have its own designated dinosaur several years ago. Along the way, he encouraged children like Leavitt to get involved and vote on their favorite dinosaur.Leavitt ended up as one of more than 35,000 children weighing in, ultimately choosing Podokesaurus Holyokensis as their winner. The Podokesaurus Holyokensis later became Massachusetts’ state dinosaur last year.Leavitt’s art teacher sent her drawing of the dinosaur in for consideration to be included in the recent display at the state house. Leavitt said she recently received a l...

Citing quicker games, some MLB teams are now selling beer through the 8th inning. The Orioles had already been doing that.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:47:44 GMT

Looking to squeeze some more sales out of shorter games this year, some MLB teams are serving alcohol until the end of the eighth inning this season — as opposed to the decadeslong standard of the seventh.New rules this season, including a pitch clock that hurries the pace, have made games about 30 minutes faster than last season. To give fans more time to buy alcoholic beverages, several MLB teams have altered their alcohol policy to allow fans to drink longer.For the Orioles, however, no change was made: The Orioles had already been selling alcohol until the end of the eighth inning.It’s unclear exactly how long that has been the case, but an Orioles spokesperson confirmed that the team’s policy this season is consistent with last year’s. A 2020 academic study noted the Orioles were one of the few teams to allow alcohol sales until the eighth inning, and Clarence “Fancy Clancy” Haskett, a celebrity beer vendor who has worked Orioles games for ne...