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Titan implosion has searchers hunting for clues, officials grappling with complex investigation

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:55:48 GMT

By PATRICK WHITTLE and JENNIFER McDERMOTT (Associated Press)A day after revelations that the Titan submersible imploded, officials grappled Friday with vexing questions about who is responsible for investigating the international disaster.The U.S. Coast Guard said an official inquiry had not yet been launched because the agencies involved are still looking for clues about what caused the vessel to fall apart.“I know there are also a lot of questions about how, why and when did this happen. Those are questions we will collect as much information as we can about now,” Rear Adm. John Mauger of the First Coast Guard District said Thursday. On Friday, the Coast Guard said all of the agencies involved are trying to determine who has the authority to lead an inquiry, which is sure to be complex because of the international nature of the mission. After the Titan imploded in international waters, the U.S. Coast Guard led the search and rescue mission. OceanGate Expeditions, the c...

2024 GOP candidates call for federal abortion limits ahead of anniversary of Roe reversal

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:55:48 GMT

By WILL WEISSERT and MICHELLE L. PRICE (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — Top Republican presidential candidates called Friday for imposing federal limits on abortion, declaring at a gathering of some of their party’s most influential evangelical Christian leaders that the year-old Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade didn’t go far enough. Hundreds of attendees of the Faith & Freedom Coalition’s annual conference believe abortion policy can continue to be a strength for Republicans, even as Democrats insist the issue will buoy them in 2024. “The battle for life is far from over. We’ve not come to the end of our cause,” former Vice President Mike Pence said. “We’ve simply come to the end of the beginning.”Former President Donald Trump, whose three Supreme Court nominees allowed for the reversal of nationwide abortion rights, will give the keynote address Saturday night, the one-year anniversary of the Dobbs v...

Live updates | Titan’s fatal implosion highlights murky regulations for deep-sea voyages

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:55:48 GMT

By The Associated PressFollow along for live updates on the submersible that imploded deep in the Atlantic Ocean, killing all five people aboard during a voyage down to the Titanic shipwreck.___TITAN’S IMPLOSION HIGHLIGHTS MURKY REGULATIONS FOR DEEP-SEA VOYAGESThe Titan’s voyage down into the North Atlantic highlights the murkily regulated waters of deep-sea exploration.It’s a space on the high seas where laws and conventions can be sidestepped by risk-taking entrepreneurs and the wealthy tourists who help fund their dreams. At least for now.Thursday’s announcement by the U.S. Coast Guard that the Titan had imploded near the Titanic shipwreck, killing all five people on board, has drawn attention to how these expeditions are regulated.The Titan operated in international waters, far from the reach of many laws of the United States or other nations. It wasn’t registered as a U.S. vessel or with international agencies that regulate safety, nor was it class...

SDPD plan to activate smart street lights, license plate readers moves forward with board recommendation to reject

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:55:48 GMT

SAN DIEGO—The debate over smart surveillance street lights and license plate readers in the city of San Diego is heating up again. The San Diego Privacy Advisory Board voted unanimously to push the Option 2 plan to reject SDPD’s proposal forward to the city council. The proposal would make San Diego the largest city to use street lights with license plate readers.According to Seth Hall with Trust SD Coalition, the Board voted to approve sending Option 2 to the city council, which is a document to the city council recommending the council reject the policy. But some are worried about privacy.“Put the cameras away. Who watches who?” said community members at the meeting.Community members expressed their opposition to more surveillance technology potentially hitting the streets of San Diego.“Our biggest concern is this money should be going to our communities not towards cameras and surveillance,” said Stacey Uy with Asian Solidarity Collective. “We all know it’s not cameras that ...

Guatemalans are fed up with corruption ahead of an election that may draw many protest votes

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:55:48 GMT

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — As Guatemala prepares to elect a new president Sunday, its citizens are fed up with government corruption, on edge about crime and struggling with poverty and malnutrition — all of which drives tens of thousands out of the country each year.And for many disillusioned voters — especially those who supported three candidates who were blocked from running this year — the leading contenders at the close of campaigning Friday seem like the least likely to drive the needed changes.Guatemala’s problems are not new or unusual for the region, but their persistence is generating voter frustration. As many as 13% of eligible voters plan to cast null votes Sunday, according to a poll published by the Prensa Libre newspaper.Rolando Quiroa, 62, a lawyer in downtown Guatemala City, said he had no hope for positive change in Guatemala because he sees the leading candidates as just a continuation of failed politics.Quiroa, who declined to say who he would vote for, said Guatema...

Quebec wildfires: Cree community orders evacuation due to heavy smoke

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:55:48 GMT

MONTREAL — A Cree community in northern Quebec was being evacuated Friday because of heavy smoke from a nearby forest fire.The wildfire in Mistissini, Que., the second largest Cree community in the province, is located about 10 kilometres from the road to southern Quebec — and about 30 kilometres from the town itself.“We have time to evacuate,” said Chief Michael Petawabno in a video posted on the Cree Nation of Mistissini’s Facebook page, adding that he wanted to ensure the evacuation wasn’t rushed.He said the community’s almost 4,000 residents should check in at a local sports complex and that transport would be provided for those who don’t have vehicles.Evacuees were being sent to Chicoutimi, Que., around 446 kilometres to the southeast.Mistissini was the second Quebec community to order an evacuation within the past 24 hours. The northern Quebec city of Lebel-sur-Quévillon ordered residents to leave by Thursday evening, after a fire cut off on...

Infowars ‘War Room’ host Owen Shroyer pleads guilty to entering restricted area during Capitol riot

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:55:48 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Infowars host Owen Shroyer, who promoted baseless claims of 2020 election fraud on the far-right internet platform, pleaded guilty on Friday to joining the mob of Donald Trump supporters who rioted at the U.S. Capitol.Shroyer, who didn’t enter the Capitol but led rioters in chants near the top of the building’s steps, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of illegally entering a restricted area. The charge carries a maximum sentence of one year behind bars. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly scheduled a Sept. 12 sentencing hearing for the 33-year-old Shroyer, who has hosted a daily show called “The War Room With Owen Shroyer” for the website operated by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Outside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Shroyer stood in front of a crowd with a megaphone and yelled that Democrats are “tyrants.”“And so today, on January 6, we declare death to tyranny! Death to tyrants!” he shouted.Near the top of steps on the Capitol’s east side, S...

Judge considers which records to release in case against ex-officers accused of killing Tyre Nichols

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:55:48 GMT

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Five former Memphis police officers charged in the beating death of Tyre Nichols appeared in court Friday as a judge considered which records should be released to the public as part of the highly-publicized case that intensified calls for police reform in the U.S.The five officers — Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin, Desmond Mills and Justin Smith — stood before Shelby County Criminal Court Judge James Jr. with their lawyers. They have pleaded not guilty to charges including second-degree murder in the beating of the 29-year-old Nichols during a Jan. 7 traffic stop and his death three days later in a hospital. Defense attorneys said they were still receiving evidence from state prosecutors as part of the investigation into the beating, which was caught on video and resulted in the firings of the five officers charged in the case. Two other officers were fired but not charged, and another officer retired before he could be fired.Jones also said he ...

Defense industry dollars flowed to a Democratic senator after he gained a key role on spending

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:55:48 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — As Democrat Jon Tester headed for a surprise victory in his 2006 U.S. Senate race, he attacked his incumbent Montana Republican rival’s close ties to lobbyists and committed himself to a rigorous ethics standard.Now as he looks to win a fourth term in a race that could decide control of the Senate, Tester is embracing a practice he once held against his opponent: taking contributions from lobbyists and executives of corporations while helping craft a government spending package that directs billions of dollars.After Tester became chair of the Senate Defense Appropriations subcommittee in 2021, he received campaign contributions totaling over $160,000 from employees and committees representing the defense industry. At one point last year, 49 Lockheed Martin executives and lobbyists — none of whom had given to the senator in the past — gave Tester’s campaign a combined total of nearly $50,000. There is no indication the contributions swayed Tester’s decis...

Man charged in sexual assault after arranging date with victim in Toronto: police

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:55:48 GMT

A Toronto man was arrested and charged with the alleged sexual assault of a victim after they agreed to go on a date with him.Toronto police responded to a sexual assault call on April 28 just after 7:30 a.m. in the Church Street and Charles Street East area in the Church-Wellesley neighbourhood.It’s alleged that the accused and the victim met at a park a day earlier, where the pair arranged a date.Police said the victim agreed to meet in a public place, but the man instructed them to meet at his residence. It’s alleged the accused then sexually assaulted the victim, who was then driven home by the man.Authorities arrested and charged 29-year-old Wang Li of Toronto with sexual assault. Li appeared in court on June 9.Police believe there may be more victims.