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Doug Emhoff, America’s Jewish second gentleman, on how he navigated tragedy in Israel and Gaza

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:34:55 GMT

By Courtney Subramanian, Los Angeles TimesDoug Emhoff had a job to do, but first he had to gather himself.Four days earlier, on the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah, Hamas terrorists had launched a brutal surprise assault on Israel, killing more than 1,400 people. Vice President Kamala Harris and her boss, President Biden, had been fully briefed on the attacks the next morning, and she had called Israeli President Isaac Herzog to offer her condolences. Later that week, she told reporters she had been “completely outraged” by the “extreme acts of terrorism.” Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and the European Union.But Emhoff, Harris’ husband and the first Jewish spouse of a president or vice president, had a special role to play, he said in an interview this week with The Times.For more than a year, Emhoff had led the Biden administration’s efforts to fight antisemitism. The work was not always easy —...

Bailey Zappe unsure if he’ll remain Patriots’ emergency third QB

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:34:55 GMT

FOXBORO — The Patriots have not publicly fully explained why they made a quarterback change in Week 6, but Bailey Zappe was demoted.The second-year pro had been Mac Jones’ backup quarterback through the first five weeks of the season before being made inactive as the team’s emergency third QB against the Raiders with hybrid quarterback/wide receiver Malik Cunningham serving as the backup.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Callahan: It’s time for a Patriots kitchen sink game against Buffalo New England Patriots | Patriots extra points: Running back, pass rusher replace wide receiver, D-tackle New England Patriots | How Patriots are using Malik Cunningham in practice ahead of Bills game New England Patriots | Patriots-Bills injury report: Rhamondre Stevenson among 20 players listed after Wednesday practice New England Patriots | Patriots get bad news at Wednesday practice ahead of Bi...

Palestinians in Gaza find nowhere is safe amid steady bombing, as Israeli ground invasion looms

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:34:55 GMT

By NAJIB JOBAIN, SAMYA KULLAB and RAVI NESSMAN (Associated Press)KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli airstrikes pounded locations across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, including parts of the south that Israel told Palestinians to take refuge, heightening fears among more than 2 million Palestinians trapped in the territory that nowhere was safe. Israel’s defense minister told ground troops to be ready to enter Gaza, though he didn’t say when the invasion will start.With authorities still working out logistics for a delivery of aid into Gaza from Egypt, overwhelmed hospitals tried to stretch out ebbing medical supplies and fuel for diesel generators to keep the equipment running. Doctors in darkened wards stitched wounds by mobile phone light. A doctor at the largest hospital said staff were using vinegar from the corner store to treat infected wounds.The Israeli military has relentlessly attacked Gaza in retaliation for a devastating Hamas rampage in southern Israel almost two...

Big federal dollars for small state projects aim to get more cars off the roads

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:34:55 GMT

By Erika Bolstad, Stateline.orgA 60-mile pedestrian and cycling trail in Arkansas, an electric street sweeper in Oregon and truck parking facilities in Florida don’t appear to have much in common — let alone any similarity with a conversion of California highways to toll roads or a roundabout in Michigan.But all of the projects will be paid for by the Carbon Reduction Program, a five-year, $6.4 billion federal program to reduce the tailpipe emissions that contribute to global warming. The program, known as the CRP, was authorized in the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the $1.2 trillion federal investment in everything from roads and bridges to the electrical grid.The CRP is small in comparison to, say, the infrastructure law’s $40 billion pledge to fix the nation’s bridges. Yet it could be mighty for bringing to life what are known as transportation alternatives, or small-scale infrastructure designed to take cars off the road and therefore reduce emissions. They include sidewal...

How to protect yourself from student loan scams as bills resume

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:34:55 GMT

By Eliza Haverstock | NerdWalletAs borrowers gear up for federal student loan bills resuming this fall, they face a revamped landscape that includes a new repayment plan, servicer switches and long call wait times. Another imminent concern: scammers who want to take advantage of the moment.“Whenever there’s confusion in the marketplace, that’s when the criminal fraudsters get active,” says Clayton LiaBraaten, senior executive advisor at Truecaller, an app that blocks spam calls.Borrowers need to protect themselves, even as regulators crack down on scammers. In August, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) caught a group of scammers who brought in roughly $8.8 million with false promises of “Biden Loan Forgiveness” in exchange for hefty upfront fees. The group claimed to be affiliated with the U.S. Department of Education and primarily targeted borrowers via calls and texts, the FTC said.If you receive an unsolicited call or text about your student lo...

Medicare enrollees can switch coverage now. Here’s what’s new and what to consider

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:34:55 GMT

By Julie Appleby, KFF Health NewsConsumers know it’s fall when stores start offering Halloween candy and flu shots — and airwaves and mailboxes are filled with advertisements for Medicare options.It’s annual open enrollment time again for the 65 million Americans covered by Medicare, the federal health program for older people and some people with disabilities.From Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, enrollees in either the traditional program or Medicare Advantage plans, which are offered by private insurers, can change their coverage. (First-time enrollees generally sign up within a few months of their 65th birthday, whether that’s during open enrollment season or not.)There are a few new features for 2024, including a lower out-of-pocket cost limit for some patients taking expensive drugs.No matter what, experts say, it’s a good idea for beneficiaries to examine their current coverage because health and drug plans may have made changes — including to the pharmacies or medical providers in their n...

House fire prompts evacuations in Jamacha-Lomita neighborhood

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:34:55 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A house fire in the Jamacha-Lomita neighborhood prompted the evacuation of neighboring residences Thursday morning.According to the San Diego Police Department, a call came in around 7:03 a.m. reporting a a residential fire on the 740 block of 71st Street. Woman killed in Mission Bay crash Police said responding crews with the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department found a one-story home on fire. The house appeared to be abandoned. Residents on the sides of the home were evacuated, FOX 5 confirmed at the scene. At this time, there are no reported injuries or road closures in the area. SDPD said SDG&E was also called to the scene. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Will Smith joins Jada Pinkett Smith at book talk, calls their relationship brutal and beautiful

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:34:55 GMT

BALTIMORE (AP) — Will Smith joined Jada Pinkett Smith on stage as she promoted her new memoir in her Baltimore hometown Wednesday night, pledging lifelong support for her just a week after she revealed that the couple had been separated since 2016.“Jada is the best friend I have ever had on this planet, and I am going to show up for her and support her for the rest of my life,” he told the crowd at the Enoch Pratt Free Library, crediting Pinkett Smith’s sacrifices for his successes, news outlets reported. Smith’s appearance with their two children, Jaden and Willow, and his son Trey Smith, was apparently a surprise for Pinkett Smith. It came at the end of a talk about her book, “Worthy.” Pinkett Smith said the family, including her aunt and uncle and Will Smith’s mother and sister, was in town to celebrate the 70th birthday of her mother, Adrienne Banfield-Norris, on Wednesday.Smith called their relationship “brutiful,” explaining that it was both brutal and beautiful.“It is a...

Israel-Hamas war cannot become another 9/11 moment, says anti-Islamophobia envoy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:34:55 GMT

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s special representative for combating Islamophobia is warning against allowing the Israel-Hamas war to become a catalyst for the stereotyping of Muslim Canadians. Amira Elghawaby, who was appointed to the new role in January, released a statement on the impact the war is having on members of Canada’s Muslim communities. She says people are expressing fear about a “resurgence” in Islamophobia that “has troubling echoes of the past.”She refers to the years following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, when Muslims and Arabs “felt collectively blamed, stereotyped and racially profiled.” Elghawaby says that locally, Muslims and Arabs “felt pressured to condemn actions unrelated to our communities” and experienced what she calls “a silencing effect” when it came to community members voicing their views about human rights. Her statement says the legacy of 9/11 is “being rekindled&...

Drones attack a US military base in southern Syria and there are minor injuries, US officials say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:34:55 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A military base in southern Syria where U.S. troops have maintained a presence to train forces as part of a broad campaign against the Islamic State group was attacked by drones on Thursday, two U.S. officials told The Associated Press. One drone was shot down, but another caused in minor injuries, said one of the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter before an official announcement about the incident.The attacks follow similar drone strikes over the past few days against U.S. and coalition bases in Iraq amid simmering anger in the region after an explosion at a Gaza hospital killed hundreds of people. The al-Tanf garrison in southeastern Syria is located at a sensitive juncture often used by Iranian-backed militants to ferry weapons to Hezbollah. Syrian opposition activists also said Thursday a drone attack was conducted on an oil facility in eastern Syria that houses American troops.Omar Abu Layla, a Europe-based activist who heads ...