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Southern EU nations urge for a new migration and asylum deal and beefed-up surveillance

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:14 GMT

VALLETTA, Malta (AP) — Leaders of nine southern European countries called Friday for the EU to finalize a new migration and asylum deal, and to beef up efforts to prevent departures from North Africa during a summit in Malta. The gathering came as another shipwreck drama unfolded off Libya’s coast. A joint statement issued at the end of the meeting said the needs of front-line countries — such as Italy — that receive the vast majority of migrants, must be “adequately met.” It said the European Union as a bloc must strengthen its response by beefing up surveillance operations of Europe’s external borders to prevent departures and break up human trafficking networks.The one-day huddle included host Malta, as well as Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain. Slovenia and Croatia, which have coastlines on the Adriatic Sea, were added to the so-called “Med Group” in 2021. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President C...

What Dianne Feinstein’s death means for control of the Senate and the looming government shutdown

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:14 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s death creates a vacancy in the Senate at a time when her Democrats hold the slightest majority in the chamber.Feinstein, a centrist Democrat who had represented California since 1992, had medical struggles in recent months that already had prompted questions about whether she’d resign and who might replace her.California Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to pick a replacement soon. An election to pick the state’s next senator serving a full six-year term is scheduled for next year.Here’s a look at what Feinstein’s death means for the Senate at a critical time on Capitol Hill:HOW DOES IT IMPACT CONTROL OF THE SENATE?Before Feinstein’s death, Democrats held a 51-49 majority. They had control of 48 seats, plus three independent members who generally vote with Democrats. Until her seat is filled, Democrats will be at least one vote short of a majority as they try to advance their priorities. There are no major votes looming in the Senate th...

Trump looks to set up a California primary victory with a personal pitch to Republican activists

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:14 GMT

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Donald Trump will make a personal pitch Friday to California Republicans in a bid to solidify his support in a GOP presidential contest he has dominated for months, while Ron DeSantis and other rivals get another chance to break the front-runner’s momentum with time fast vanishing to reorder the race.Trump’s afternoon speech at a state Republican Party convention in Anaheim comes two days after he bypassed the second GOP debate held at Ronald Reagan’s presidential library northwest of Los Angeles, signaling again that he sees no need to appear side-by-side with lesser-known contenders.At stake in the state’s March 5 primary will be 169 delegates, making it the biggest prize in the Republican contest. Any candidate who collects more than 50% of the votes in the primary would win all the delegates up for grabs.The kickoff Iowa caucuses that mark the start of the nominating season are less than four months away, and the trajectory of the race could sh...

Suspect in killing of Baltimore tech entrepreneur held without bail

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:14 GMT

BALTIMORE (AP) — The man accused of killing Baltimore tech entrepreneur Pava LaPere last week and committing a rape and arson days earlier will be held without bail pending trial in those cases, a judge ruled Friday.Jason Billingsley, who is charged with first-degree murder in LaPere’s death, was released from prison last October after serving a shortened sentence for a 2013 rape because he earned good behavior credits behind bars. He is also charged with two dozen counts in a Sept. 19 rape in which a woman and man were bound with duct tape before being set on fire, and police had been actively searching for him since then.Police believe LaPere was killed Friday night, although her body wasn’t discovered until after someone reported her missing Monday morning. LaPere, who founded the tech startup EcoMap Technologies from her dorm room at Johns Hopkins University, died from strangulation and blunt force trauma, court records show.During a bail review hearing Friday morning in Baltimo...

Chicago agency finds no wrongdoing in probe of officers’ alleged sex misconduct with migrants

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:14 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago’s police oversight agency said Friday it has closed an investigation after finding no wrongdoing by city officers followings allegations that they engaged in sexual misconduct with migrants housed at police stations.The Civilian Office of Police Accountability said its investigators had not “substantiated any claim of sexual misconduct between members of the Chicago Police Department and any new arrivals.” COPA added in a statement that “to date no victim or witness has come forward or been identified.The agency said the case “will be closed without allegations or findings of misconduct” but said it has the authority to reopen the investigation if it receives “new material evidence.”Chicago is among the U.S. cities struggling to provide shelter and other help to hundreds arriving from the southern border, with families sleeping in police station lobbies. Migrants, largely from Central American countries, have been bused to Chicago and other major U...

Proud Boy who disappeared ahead of his Jan. 6 sentencing was found unconscious by agents at his home

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:14 GMT

A member of the Proud Boys extremist group who disappeared days before he was supposed to be sentenced for his role in the U.S. Capitol riot was found unconscious by federal agents after he tried to “covertly return” to his home, the FBI said on Friday. Christopher Worrell, of Naples, Florida, was taken to a hospital where he remained on Friday, according to the FBI’s Tampa office. The FBI did not provide further details about his condition. Authorities had been searching for weeks for Worrell, who had been on house arrest when he went missing last month ahead of his sentencing in Washington. Prosecutors had been seeking 14 years in prison for Worrell on convictions for assault, obstruction of Congress and other offenses. The FBI said that agents quickly surrounded and entered Worrell’s home on Thursday after he returned, found the man unconscious and “immediately provided medical attention.” Authorities say agents found night-vision goggles, $4,000 in cash, and survival...

Committee of Immigrant and Refugee Rights address migrant crisis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:14 GMT

CHICAGO -- The city council Committee of Immigrant and Refugee Rights held a meeting Friday to discuss the ongoing Migrant crisis. Emotions were running high with questions over how the city is balancing the urgent needs of newly arriving migrants and those of long-term residents. "We are being made to choose one set of people over the other and it's wrong," Ald. Jeanette Taylor said. City officials said 36 buses carrying migrants have arrived in the past week and the number one priority is getting people out of police stations. The committee also heard from mutual-aid groups, volunteers who are spending their own time and money to respond to the crisis at police stations. They said they need more support, and the city should be investing in community solutions instead.Sara Uzquierdo from the Mobile Migrant Health Team said they are seeing children who have been cut by barbed wire, poorly stitched up in Texas and shipped to Chicago police stations wit...

Friday Forecast: Temps in mid 70s with mostly sunny conditions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:14 GMT

CHICAGO — Patchy dense fog with mostly sunny conditions Friday and cooler lakeside. Winds: E 5-10. High: 75/72. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storms here Dense Fog Advisory until 9 a.m. for: McHenry, Kane, DuPage, DeKalb, LaSalle, Kendall, Grundy, Will, Kankakee, Jasper counties.Mostly clear tonight with calm conditions. Winds: E 0-5. Low: 59.Saturday Forecast: Mostly sunny, cooler lakeside, SSE 0-5. High: 82/77.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog

MedWatch Digest: Spider venom may treat erectile dysfunction — and more

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:14 GMT

For Friday, Sept. 29, WGN’s Lourdes Duarte has new medical information, including: More Coverage: WGN's Medical Watch Exxua approved to treat major depressive disorder The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the medication Exxua to treat major depression. The maker of Exxua says, unlike many anti-depressants, it doesn't have side effects like sexual dysfunction and weight gain.   The FDA had previously rejected the drug's approval twice, reportedly because of some failed studies. But drugmaker Fabre-Kramer Pharmaceuticals says recent studies were conducted on over 5,000 patients and Exxua proved safe. The anti-depressant is expected to be available in pharmacies next year. Spider venom may treat erectile dysfunction A Brazilian spider may hold the key to curing erectile dysfunction. A pharmaceutical company created a synthetic version of the wandering spider's venom and says it's getting good results in early testing. The following testing phase will focus on patients who...

Study finds link between drinking some diet soda during pregnancy and autism in boys

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:14 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – A team of researchers say they have observed a link between autism diagnosis in boys and their mothers drinking at least one diet soda daily or consuming an equivalent amount of the sweetener aspartame during pregnancy or while breastfeeding, according to a new study. In the study, the researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio asked the parents of 235 children with an autism spectrum disorder and 121 children without autism, who were the study’s controls, to complete a retrospective questionnaire about their diet soda and aspartame intake while pregnant or breastfeeding their children. Researchers asked biological mothers, “While you were pregnant or breastfeeding your child, how often did you drink diet drinks containing artificial sweeteners? Please count diet sodas first, such as Diet Coke, Diet Dr. Pepper, and Diet Sprite, and then other diet drinks, such as Crystal Light, sugar-free Kool-Aid, Slim-Fast, and other ‘lite’ drinks."...