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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivers surprise commencement speech to Johns Hopkins

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:45 GMT

BALTIMORE (AP) — During a surprise commencement address to graduates of Johns Hopkins University on Thursday morning, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told them to take advantage of the time and resources they have to pursue their passions and uphold the democratic values at stake in his country’s war against Russia. He spoke via livestream from Ukraine, where the ongoing conflict has impacted the futures of countless young Ukrainians, robbing them of opportunities and loved ones, Zelenskyy said. He told Hopkins graduates to make the most of every moment. “Time is the most valuable resource on the planet,” he said. “Some people realize this sooner, and these are the lucky ones. Others realize it too late, when they lose someone or something.”He also thanked U.S. leaders for their support since the Russian invasion, including significant investments in humanitarian and military aid.President Joe Biden announced last week an agreement between the United States and European nati...

As South Carolina governor signs new law, abortion restrictions strain providers in US South

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:45 GMT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A wave of newly approved abortion restrictions in the Southeastern United States has sent providers scrambling to reconfigure their services for a region with already severely limited access.South Carolina joined the Southern states putting stiff restrictions on the procedure Thursday when the governor signed a bill banning most abortions around six weeks of pregnancy, setting up an anticipated legal challenge from providers. The law goes into effect immediately.“This is a great day for life in South Carolina, but the fight is not over. We stand ready to defend this legislation against any challenges and are confident we will succeed,” Republican South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said in a statement. Pending bans at varying stages of pregnancy in North Carolina and Florida — states that had been holdouts providing wider access to the procedure — are threatening to further delay abortions as appointments pile up and doctors work to understand the new limitation...

Republican Karrin Taylor Robson says she won’t run for Sinema’s Senate seat in Arizona

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:45 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Karrin Taylor Robson, a wealthy Republican businessperson who was seen as the likeliest establishment candidate for a crucial Arizona Senate contest, said Thursday that she won’t run for the seat now held by independent Kyrsten Sinema.Robson ran for governor last year but lost the GOP primary to Kari Lake, a Donald Trump ally and darling of his Make America Great Again movement. Lake went on to lose the general election to Democrat Katie Hobbs and said this week she is considering a run for Senate. The Arizona Senate race is a pickup opportunity for the GOP, but many traditional Republicans worry Lake, who would be the clear front-runner in a GOP primary, can’t win a general election.Sinema left the Democratic Party last year. She is raising money for a potential campaign but has not said whether she will seek a second term, a decision that could set up a complicated three-way contest. U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego is the only major Democratic candidate in the r...

Video: el dramático momento en que se derrumba parte de un edificio en llamas

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:45 GMT

SÍDNEY, Australia – Un edificio de siete pisos en un céntrico vecindario de la ciudad australiana de Sídney se incendió este jueves provocando el colapso de una de sus gigantescas paredes en una calle aledaña, sin causar víctimas mortales ni heridos graves.Las imágenes captadas por el Servicio de Incendios y Rescate del estado de Nueva Gales del Sur mostraron la dramática caída de una de las paredes del edificio, así como algunos vehículos quemados, mientras las tomas aéreas divulgadas por los medios de comunicación local daban cuenta de las gigantescas lenguas de fuego en una estructura totalmente destruida.Un portavoz del Servicio de Incendios y Rescate del estado de Nueva Gales del Sur dijo en una rueda de prensa en Sídney que el incendio — cuyo humo se vio desde varios puntos de la ciudad — ya fue controlado, aunque tomó varias horas para aplacar las llamas. “Yo no creo en la Virgen”: la captan en video incendiando una capilla de la Guadalupe ...

When will Casa Bonita open? Theories suggest this weekend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:45 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- The highly-anticipated grand reopening of the Casa Bonita restaurant has yet to be announced as May nears the end.When “South Park” aired an episode highlighting the restaurant in 2003, it launched the restaurant’s reputation as an iconic Denver destination. Casa Bonita will open in May, but when? It first opened around 1974, and hasn’t been open since the spring of 2020, then the previous owners of Casa Bonita filed for bankruptcy in April of 2021 By September, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of “South Park”, entered into a purchase agreement to buy Casa Bonita.Throughout this year, the restaurant has been releasing teaser images of some of the work that was done inside, and this month it released a series of GIFs that show painting and other finishing touches. The fountain outside the restaurant also underwent reconstruction, but as of March this year there was water in it - a sign that an opening was nearly upon us. Photos show renovations of Ca...

Denver mayoral candidates discuss school safety

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:45 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — The safety of students has been a top priority for many. Parents in Denver are especially concerned about this given the shootings taking place at or near East High School this year where two students died and two administrators were hurt in separate incidents of gun violence.It is another complex issue facing the city's next leader.No one wants students to fear for their lives while learning, but what's the right answer? For these two candidates, it comes down to keeping kids busy and away from guns.Kelly Brough and Mike Johnston both want to see a change in the city's relationship with public schools. Denver mayoral candidates discuss their plans for public safety Brough said she wants to bring back an initiative the city used to utilize for years."When I was chief of staff to John Hickenlooper, we really partnered with Denver Public Schools. We had what we called a City-School Coordinating Committee. I would reinstate that committee where the school board, city ...

US study finds 1 in 10 get long COVID after omicron, starts identifying key symptoms

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:45 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — About 10% of people appear to suffer long COVID after an omicron infection, a lower estimate than earlier in the pandemic, according to a study of nearly 10,000 Americans that aims to help unravel the mysterious condition.Early findings from the National Institutes of Health’s study highlight a dozen symptoms that most distinguish long COVID, the catchall term for the sometimes debilitating health problems that can last for months or years after even a mild case of COVID-19.Millions worldwide have had long COVID, with dozens of widely varying symptoms including fatigue and brain fog. Scientists still don’t know what causes it, why it only strikes some people, how to treat it -– or even how to best diagnose it. Better defining the condition is key for research to get those answers.“Sometimes I hear people say, ’Oh, everybody’s a little tired,'” said Dr. Leora Horwitz of NYU Langone Health, one of the study authors. “No, there’s something differe...

Father, daughter rescued from burning home by good Samaritan, officer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:45 GMT

HALLOWELL, Maine (WMTW) — The Hallowell Fire Department received the call at 9:40 p.m. Tuesday: A single-family home at 1 Franklin Street in the downtown district was on fire.Massive flames were coming from the front of the house as neighbors rushed out of their homes.“I’m just devastated for this family. Fire is so scary,” said Sylvia Katz, who lives up the road.Hallowell police Officer Noah Lebel and a good Samaritan grabbed a ladder and put it up to the second landing on the back side of the building. The two rescuers were able to get to a father and his young daughter.Officials said the dad took his daughter to a relative’s house, so she didn’t have to see her house burn down.“That was wonderful, probably saved their lives,” Katz said.Peter Schumacher, and his young daughter, Lilli, lived in the home. Schumacher is well-known in town as a former city councilor, and a volunteer firefighter.A firefighter on scene said it’s a go...

Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes sentenced to 18 years in prison for plot to keep Trump in power

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:45 GMT

(CNN) — Stewart Rhodes, the founder and leader of the Oath Keepers, was sentenced to 18 years in prison on Thursday for leading a far-reaching plot to keep then-President Donald Trump in power after he lost the 2020 election.The sentence is the first handed down in over a decade for seditious conspiracy.“A seditious conspiracy, when you take those two concepts and put it together, is among the most serious crimes an American can commit,” said District Judge Amit Mehta. “It is an offense against the government to use force. It is an offense against the people of our country.”Mehta on Thursday previously ruled that Rhodes’ actions amounted to domestic terrorism.“He was the one giving the orders,” Mehta said. “He was the one organizing the teams that day. He was the reason they were in fact in Washington DC. Oath Keepers wouldn’t have been there but for Stewart Rhodes, I don’t think anyone contends otherwise. He was the one who gave the order to go, and they went.”Rhodes was convi...

Is the housing shortage overblown? This analyst thinks so

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:45 GMT

John Burns’ real estate research shop has become one of the housing industry’s top analytical firms by taking a more holistic view of what drives homebuying.For two-plus decades, his eponymous Southern California-based company has become a critical cog in homebuilding thinking because its research looks far beyond real estate basics to encompass broader economic and demographic changes – not to mention the fleeting desire of house hunters.So the company has now shed “real estate” from its corporate monicker, morphing into John Burns Research and Consulting from John Burns Real Estate Consulting.Let me give you a noteworthy example from the novel Burns thinking: The company’s analysis suggests the nation is only 1.7 million homes short of what’s needed – a fraction of other housing shortage estimates.Why so small, especially considering how high prices have become?“Truthfully, it’s because they haven’t done their research,” Burns says. “They use back-of-the-envelope calculations: We ...