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Biden pledges to address ‘hard issues’ related to democracy as he meets with Israel’s Netanyahu

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:18:51 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — President Joe Biden pledged Wednesday to raise “hard issues,” including protecting the “checks and balances” in a democracy, as he sat down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for their first meeting since Netanyahu took office at the helm of his country’s far-right government late last year.Netanyahu tried to play down concerns about his contentious proposed judicial overhaul, saying there is “one thing that will never change and that is Israel’s commitment to democracy.”The location of the long-anticipated meeting — a New York hotel room on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly meetings rather than the grandeur of the Oval Office — has been widely interpreted in Israel as a sign of U.S. displeasure with Netanyahu’s new government.Netanyahu has been a frequent White House visitor over the years, and Israeli leaders are typically invited within weeks of starting their tenure to the Oval Office. But his judicial proposals have raised concer...

Abortion-rights group rebrands to Reproductive Freedom for All in post-Roe world

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:18:51 GMT

NARAL Pro-Choice America, an influential abortion-rights group, announced Wednesday that it is changing its name to Reproductive Freedom for All.The rebrand was needed to better reflect how people think about abortion access little more than a year after the U.S. Supreme Court revoked the constitutional right to the procedure, according to the advocacy organization.“The fight for abortion rights and access is at a critical moment. With the coalition of Americans who support reproductive freedom growing by the day, our leadership identified a clearer and more inclusive path forward to mobilize this new and expanded base of support,” said Mini Timmaraju, president of the group, in a statement. For decades, abortion-rights advocates used the term “pro-choice” while pushing for policies protecting reproductive rights and women’s health services. But when the nation’s highest court decided to overturn Roe v. Wade, supporters and opponents of abortion rights scrambled to adjust their mess...

Alberta set to release report on whether to ditch CPP for provincial pension plan

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:18:51 GMT

EDMONTON — The Alberta government is to release its long-promised report on whether the province should quit the Canada Pension Plan and pursue its own provincial program.Premier Danielle Smith, along with Finance Minister Nate Horner and panel chair Jim Dinning, are to release the report at a news conference in Calgary on Thursday.Both Smith and her predecessor, Jason Kenney, have extolled the potential of a go-it-alone program, given Alberta’s wealth and comparatively young population.Smith has said regardless of the report’s conclusions, Albertans would have the final say on whether to abandon CPP in a referendum.The Opposition NDP has said Smith is playing politics by seeking another wedge issue with the federal government.The NDP has also said the idea is offside with public sentiment, given opinion polls suggest ditching CPP is deeply unpopular with Albertans.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2023.The Canadian Press

Ukraine, Russia’s and the tense U.N. encounter that almost happened – but didn’t

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:18:51 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — It was a moment the diplomatic world was watching for — but didn’t get. In the end, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov avoided staring each other down Wednesday across the U.N. Security Council’s famous horseshoe-shaped table. Zelenskyy left before Lavrov arrived.The near-miss was somewhat to be expected. Yet the moment still spoke to the U.N.’s role as a venue where warring nations can unleash their ire through words instead of weapons. Yet the choreography also underscored the world body’s reputation as a place where adversaries sometimes literally talk past each other. Zelenskyy denounced Russia as “a terrorist state” while Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia sat facing him near the other end of the table’s arc. As Zelenskyy launched into his remarks, the Russian briefly looked at his phone, then tucked the device away. Zelenskyy left before Lavrov’s arrival, which came as U....

Google sued for negligence after man drove off collapsed bridge while following map directions

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:18:51 GMT

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The family of a North Carolina man who died after driving his car off a collapsed bridge while following Google Maps directions is suing the technology giant for negligence, claiming it had been informed of the collapse but failed to update its navigation system.Philip Paxson, a medical device salesman and father of two, drowned Sept. 30, 2022, after his Jeep Gladiator plunged into Snow Creek in Hickory, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Wake County Superior Court. Paxson was driving home from his daughter’s ninth birthday party through an unfamiliar neighborhood when Google Maps allegedly directed him to cross a bridge that had collapsed nine years prior and was never repaired.“Our girls ask how and why their daddy died, and I’m at a loss for words they can understand because, as an adult, I still can’t understand how those responsible for the GPS directions and the bridge could have acted with so little regard for human life,” his wife, Alicia Paxs...

Gates Foundation commits $200 million to pay for medical supplies, contraception

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:18:51 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pledged $200 million to help save the lives of mothers and children during child birth, as the largest American philanthropic donor throws its weight behind the issue during the nonprofit’s annual Goalkeepers conference on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. Melinda French Gates, who says the issue is personal to her, smiled broadly as she introduced herself not just as the co-founder and co-chair of the foundation but as “Nona,” or grandmother, gesturing to her oldest daughter, Jennifer, who was seated in the audience in New York on Wednesday. The foundation pledged $100 million each to health products manufacturer Unitaid, and UNFPA, the U.N. agency for reproductive health, to fund access to health care and contraceptive supplies and information in low- and middle-income countries. The Gates Foundation has been a major supporter of Unitaid, donating $50 million in each 2012 and 2017, according to the foundation&...

In Kentucky governor’s race, Democrat presses the case on GOP challenger’s abortion stance

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:18:51 GMT

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky’s debate over abortion access intensified Wednesday as the Democratic governor pounded away at his rival’s longstanding support for the state’s existing abortion ban shortly after Republican challenger Daniel Cameron had signaled new willingness to accept exceptions for rape and incest.Gov. Andy Beshear’s campaign tried to keep Cameron on the defensive with a pointed TV ad featuring a young woman from Owensboro who reveals her childhood trauma while slamming the GOP nominee.“Anyone who believes there should be no exceptions for rape and incest could never understand what it’s like to stand in my shoes,” Hadley Duvall says in the ad coming out Wednesday on statewide TV.It’s the latest salvo in a campaign that has gotten more contentious over hot-button social issues. Cameron and his allies have blasted Beshear for vetoing a sweeping transgender bill that included a ban on gender-affirming care for young transgender people....

Bank of Canada watching its words to avoid spur rate cut speculation, summary reveals

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:18:51 GMT

OTTAWA — The Bank of Canada was watching its words at its last interest rate announcement as it sought to avoid spurring speculation that rate cuts are on the table any time soon. That’s according to the central bank’s summary of deliberations released today that detail the governing council discussions leading up to its last rate decision.The Bank of Canada held its key interest rate steady at five per cent earlier this month amid signs of a weakening economy.The summary says that although the governing council decided holding rates steady was the right decision for now, it considered the possibility that its decision could be misinterpreted as a sign that rates will not rise further or that rate cuts are coming. To curb this risk, the Bank of Canada decided to emphasize that it will monitor incoming economic data and assess whether rates need to rise further. Earlier this year, the central bank announced a pause on rate hikes to assess the effects of previous rate incr...

Elijah McClain’s death sparked protests and led to police reforms. Now, 2 officers are on trial

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:18:51 GMT

BRIGHTON, Colo. (AP) — The trial of two suburban Denver police officers was set to open Wednesday in the killing of Elijah McClain, a Black man put in a neck hold and injected with a powerful sedative whose 2019 death later became a rallying cry for nationwide protests and spurred police reform in Colorado.In the first of several trials stemming from the death of McClain, lawyers for the two sides are expected to paint contrasting pictures of the deadly struggle between the officers and the 23-year-old, who was stopped by police while walking home from a convenience store listening to music on his headphones while carrying only a plastic bag and his phone. One question jurors could be asked to decide is whether it was lawful for officers Randy Roedema and Jason Rosenblatt to detain and use force against McClain, who a 911 caller had reported as being suspicious. If prosecutors can convince jurors the stop was unjustified, that would undermine any argument that McClain’s injuries wer...

New court documents show how Oscar Pistorius may have been wrongly denied parole over error

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:18:51 GMT

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Oscar Pistorius was eligible for parole in March under South African law and the double-amputee Olympic runner may have been wrongly denied early release from prison because of an error over when he began serving his sentence for murder, new court documents show.Justice and correctional services authorities submitted the documents to the country’s apex Constitutional Court on Tuesday and said they won’t oppose an appeal by Pistorius arguing that he has served the prescribed amount of time in prison and should immediately be declared eligible for parole.Offenders sentenced to more than two years in prison in South Africa must serve half their sentence to be eligible for parole.Pistorius’ appeal says he was eligible six months ago when he attended a parole hearing and was denied early release. He attended the hearing on March 31 and a parole board ruled he was not eligible until August next year.The new papers submitted to the Constitut...