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Debt options abound, but can Biden, McCarthy strike a deal?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:28 GMT

The White House and Congress could strike a deal to raise the debt ceiling in exchange for budget cuts. Or they could agree to a stopgap measure to keep paying the nation’s bills while negotiations continue. They also could let the negotiations unravel, sending the economy into a chaos.As President Joe Biden prepares to meet with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and the congressional leaders this week for the first time over the debt ceiling crisis, the options for easing out of the standoff are many.But the political incentive for compromise is harder to come by, with no easy endgame ahead of a June 1 deadline to raise the debt ceiling or risk defaulting on the nation’s $31 trillion debt.“We have to avoid default, period. Full stop,” the House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said over the weekend.At Tuesday’s first high-stakes meeting, it’s extremely unlikely there will be any quick resolution. Biden and the big four congressional leaders of the House and Senate wil...

Indiana judge deals blow to state’s lawsuit against TikTok

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:28 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An Indiana judge has ruled that downloading the free social media app TikTok doesn’t amount to a consumer transaction under state law, dealing a blow to the state attorney general’s lawsuit claiming the Chinese-owned video-sharing platform misleads its users about the level of inappropriate content and security of consumer information.The decision issued last week denied the request from Republican Attorney General Todd Rokita for a court order preventing TikTok from stating on online app stores that it has “none” or “infrequent/mild” references to drugs, sexual or other inappropriate content for children as young as 12.Judge Craig Bobay of Allen County Superior Court in Fort Wayne also ruled that state courts don’t have authority over TikTok’s statements to Apple’s app store as both companies are based in California.“No aspect of the age rating process takes place in Indiana,” the judge wrote. “This suit-related conduct is not related to and does not arise out o...

Pop-punk band Sum 41 to split up after finishing tour and final album, band says

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:28 GMT

TORONTO — Canadian pop-punk band Sum 41 will split up following the release of their final album and a farewell world tour. In a social media post Monday, the band said they will finish all upcoming tour dates this summer in Europe and the U.S. as they look forward to the release of their final album, “Heaven x Hell.” Details of the album release and the final tour have yet to be announced. In a social media post announcing the split, the band said being a group since 1996 has led to some of the best moments in their lives.The Ontario-formed band won a Juno for group of the year in 2003 and rock album of the year in 2005. Its current members are frontman Deryck Whibley, guitarists Dave Baksh and Tom Thacker, bassist Cone McCaslin and drummer Frank Zummo.This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 8, 2023.The Canadian Press

Simulation suggests 2020 census missed many noncitizens

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:28 GMT

New results from a U.S. Census Bureau simulation suggests a significant number of noncitizens were missed in the 2020 census, a national head count during which the Trump administration tried but failed to prevent people in the country illegally from being tallied.A simulated head count by the statistical agency utilized 31 types of administrative records from government agencies and third-party sources to produce estimates of the U.S. population on April 1, 2020 that could be compared to the survey-like responses used in the last official tally of every U.S. resident. The simulation was an experiment which doesn’t change the results of the once-a-decade count of every U.S. resident that helps determine political power and the distribution of $1.5 trillion in federal funding in the U.S. Almost a fifth of noncitizens found in the administrative records had addresses that couldn’t be matched in the 2020 census, suggesting that “a significant fraction of noncitizens” were missed,...

Bank of Canada launches public consultations on digital currency

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:28 GMT

The Bank of Canada says it wants to hear from Canadians on what kind of features it should include in a potential digital currency.In an online survey running until June 19, the central bank asks what people think about a range of design options including being able to use the currency offline, to recover funds lost from theft and to make transactions without a bank account.A digital currency would be different from cryptocurrencies as it would be backed by the central bank and its value wouldn’t change since it would be just another form of Canadian currency.The Bank of Canada says that while it doesn’t see a need for a digital dollar now, it’s preparing for the potential need ahead.It says a digital currency might be necessary if cryptocurrencies or digital currencies issued by other countries become widely enough used in the country that they start to compromise the role of an official, centrally issued currency.The Bank of Canada says a digital currency could a...

Waukegan High School volleyball coach shot and killed while driving: police

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:28 GMT

WAUKEGAN — A Waukegan High School volleyball coach was shot and killed while driving over the weekend.Niolis Collazo, 23, of Waukegan, was killed in a shooting on 10th Street and Lewis Avenue in Waukegan around 10:45 p.m. Saturday. Police said Collazo's vehicle was one of two vehicles struck by gunfire.According to officials, a man, who occupied the first vehicle that was hit, was not injured. The second vehicle was occupied by Collazo, who was struck by the gunfire. She was transported to Vista East Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.The school sent out the following email Monday to its community confirming Collazo's death, saying, in part:It is with great sadness that we report the unexpected passing of Ms. Niolis Collazo. Ms. Collazo worked as an assistant boys volleyball coach at Waukegan High School. She was also a counselor with Youth Guidance’s Working On Womanhood program, where she worked with young ladies at Smith Middle School. CPD investigates death of 24-ye...

Police name suspect accused of hitting 18 at Texas bus stop, killing 8

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:28 GMT

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (KVEO) — A Brownsville resident with a lengthy criminal history has been identified by police as the driver accused of smashing into a crowd at a bus stop in the Texas border town Sunday. Eighteen people were hit, eight of whom were killed. At a Monday press conference, Brownsville Police Chief Felix Sauceda identified the suspect as 34-year-old George Alvarez. Sauceda said he attempted to flee the scene after the crash, but was held down by people on the scene.Alvarez was charged with eight counts of manslaughter, 10 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. His bond is set at $3.6 million. Gerardo Salinas/ValleyCentralThe crash happened at 8:30 a.m. Sunday in front of the Ozanam Center, which is a shelter for migrants and homeless people in Brownsville. The SUV ran a red light, lost control, flipped on its side and hit the 18 victims, Sauceda said. 8 dead, 10 injured when SUV strikes crowd near migrant shelter When police arrived on scene, officers f...

Soft lockdown lifted at Glenbrook South HS after fake school threat

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:28 GMT

GLENVIEW, Ill. — Police in Northbrook responded to Glenbrook South High School after receiving a "swatting call," though the threat was deemed false. The school has since resumed its normal activities. Glenbrook High Schools District 225 announced on social media Monday that the school was under a suspended schedule.SEE ALSO | Friday classes canceled after fire at Glenbrook South High SchoolThe soft lockdown was lifted after the 'all clear' was given by Northbrook police. Last month, several Illinois counties were targeted with swatting calls, with Illinois State Police investigating nearly two dozen in one day alone. All threats were unfounded. SEE ALSO | Illinois police investigate nearly 2 dozen school threatsThe "swatting call" response comes days after classes were canceled at Glenbrook South High School on Friday following a fire the day prior. No one was injured.

Special Olympics to take off at Solider Field Tuesday

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:28 GMT

CHICAGO — The Special Olympics are coming to Soldier Field, representing Chicagoans from all across the city. More than 2,000 athletes gathered for the opening ceremonies Monday morning for the special Olympics which date back to 1968.Competitors are coming from 77 neighborhoods, a variety of schools, community organizations and city parks.The Spring Games will have more than 25 track and field events held at Dunbar Park starting Tuesday and running through Friday, including retired Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke, who was there since the beginning. Justin Fields has a big weekend at Ohio State "We had a hard time encouraging people to really support people who had learning differences but we got 26 states to come and here we are 55 years later. The world thinks people of differences are not different anymore," Burke said. "What do you think of seeing all these athletes here with you? Well, I’m so happy because these fans I love them so much," athlete Jorge Herandez sai...

The Frenchie becomes a favorite — and a dog-show contender

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:28 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The United States' new favorite dog breed — the comical, controversial French bulldog — has never won the nation's pre-eminent dog show. Yet here, at an obliging trot, comes Winston. The Frenchie with NFL connections is a strong contender at this week's Westminster Kennel Club dog show, less than two months after the release of rankings showing that his kind has become the country’s most prevalent dog breed. Frenchies' rise has been stunning: from 83rd most popular to No. 1 in three decades. It also has been dogged by concerns about their health, debate over the ethics of breeding, denunciations of a gold-rush-like market with ever more “exotic” variations, and a recent spate of high-profile and sometimes fatal robberies.If all that says something about these stumpy-snouted, pointy-eared, deep-chested, quizzical little bulldogs, what does it say about the culture that loves them? THEIR MEDIA IMAGE IMPACTS THEIR POPULARITY“Just like humans, dogs get characterized for ...