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Debt limit deal heads to vote in full House while McCarthy scrambles for GOP approval

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:52 GMT

By LISA MASCARO, KEVIN FREKING and STEPHEN GROVES (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — Under fire from conservatives, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy worked furiously Tuesday to sell fellow Republicans on the debt ceiling and budget deal he negotiated with President Joe Biden and win approval in time to avert a potentially disastrous U.S. default.Leaders of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus lambasted the compromise as falling well short of the spending cuts they demand, and they vowed to try to halt passage by Congress. A much larger conservative faction, the Republican Study Committee, declined to take a position. Even rank-and-file centrist conservatives were not sure, leaving McCarthy desperately hunting for votes.The House Rules Committee voted 7-6 Tuesday to advance a bill dealing with the federal debt ceiling to the full House, with two Republicans joining Democrats to oppose.The full House is expected to vote Wednesday.With tough days ahead, the speaker went into overtime...

Blue Jays bats wake up as club opens homestand with 7-2 win

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:52 GMT

The Toronto Blue Jays’ once stagnant offense arose from its slumber on Tuesday with 14 combined hits as the club beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-2 to open its homestand at Rogers Centre.First baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and catcher Alejandro Kirk each had three hits on the night, while Whit Merrifield added two hits and two RBIs.Incredibly, Merrifield was the only Jays hitter to record an extra-base hit, as 13 of Toronto’s 14 hits were singles.That home cooking ????It's a FOUR-run first! pic.twitter.com/XcCskZ0suV— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) May 30, 2023Brewers starter Adrian Houser was tagged for 11 hits and six earned runs.Blue Jays starter Yusei Kikuchi, who entered Tuesday on a bit of a rough patch, limited damage across five innings despite battling his control with five walks. The 31-year-old struck out four, including his 500th career strikeout.Former top pitching prospect Nate Pearson continued to impress out of the bullpen, firing two shutout innings...

Brazilian president’s support of Venezuela’s leader mars unity at South America summit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:52 GMT

BRASILIA (AP) — The Brazilian president’s strong support of Venezuela’s authoritarian leader marred the unity Tuesday at a South American summit that Brazil convened in hopes of reviving a bloc of the region’s 12 politically polarized countries.Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva proposed during his opening speech the creation of a regional currency to rival the U.S. dollar in his bid for the dozen countries to work more closely together. But Lula’s warm embrace of Venezuela’s authoritarian leftist President Nicolás Maduro just ahead of the meeting drew pushback from some of his neighbors and threatened the sense of unity the Brazilian president was seeking.Uruguay’s President Luis Lacalle Pou said the “worst thing we can do” is pretend there are no significant human rights problems in Venezuela.Lula, in response, said that “no one is forced to agree with anybody”. Lula wants to revive the Union of South American Nations, or Unasur, which launched in 2008 ...

Truck driver indicted on manslaughter charges after deadly Oregon crash that killed 7 farmworkers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:52 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The driver of the semitruck involved in a fatal crash on Interstate 5 in Oregon earlier this month that left seven farmworkers dead has been indicted on charges of manslaughter, court documents show. A grand jury in Marion County Court on Tuesday indicted Lincoln Smith, a 52-year-old truck driver from California, on 12 counts, including seven charges of manslaughter, reckless driving and driving under the influence of intoxicants. His court-appointed defense attorney, Tiffany Humphrey, said she couldn’t comment on the open case. The Marion County District Attorney’s office, which filed the charges against Smith, said it won’t comment on the case until it has concluded.Smith was being held without bail in Marion County Jail, the sheriff’s office website showed.On May 18, seven people died and four more were injured when Smith’s semitruck ran off I-5 and slammed into their van as it was parked on the roadside near Albany, in an agricultural area...

Malaysia finds 100 old artillery shells on Chinese barge, says it likely plundered WWII shipwrecks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:52 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia’s maritime agency said Tuesday a Chinese barge likely plundered two World War II British shipwrecks in the South China Sea after discovering 100 more old artillery shells on the detained vessel.Malaysian media reported that illegal salvage operators are believed to have targeted the HMS Repulse and the HMS Prince of Wales, which were sunk in 1941 by Japanese torpedoes days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. A total of 842 sailors perished, and the shipwrecks off the coast of Malaysia’s central Pahang state are designated war graves. Fishermen and divers alerted authorities after spotting a foreign vessel near the area last month.The maritime agency detained the barge, registered in Fuzhou, China, on Sunday for anchoring without a permit off southern Johor state. Upon investigation, the agency found piles of scrap metal and an artillery shell believed to be from World War II on the vessel.The agency said a thorough search Tuesday foun...

6 teens arrested after fight outside Six Flags Great America

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:52 GMT

GURNEE, Il. -- Six teenagers have been arrested after a fight broke out outside Six Flags Great America in Gurnee Monday night.According to the Gurnee Police Department, multiple law enforcement agencies responded to reports of a fight at Six Flags Great America on Monday.Witnesses claimed the fight started between two groups inside the park, near the front gates, and spread to the parking lot.Officers, already located at the park, quickly intervened to stop the large crowd fighting. Initial attempts to disperse the crowd were unsuccessful, prompting a Gurnee Officer to deploy OC Spray into the disruptive crowd.  ORIGINAL: Reported pepper spray incident prompts police response at Six Flags Great America Four teenagers, ages of 14 to 17-years-old, all from La Porte, Indiana, were arrested. Two other teenagers from Lake County, ages 16 and 18-years-old, were also taken into custody.Three of arrested individuals were transported to Condell Hospital for minor injuries and were release...

Tennessee woman missing during cross-country trip with boyfriend found safe in California: police

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:52 GMT

REDDING, Calif. (WKRN) – Police in Redding, California say they have found a Tennessee woman reported missing while she was on a cross-country trip with her boyfriend.According to the Redding Police Department, police in Eureka, California contacted Nikki Alcaraz and confirmed she was safe. Additional details about Alcaraz or her boyfriend were not released. Alcaraz's family was desperately trying to find her after they say she disappeared during the trip with Tyler Stratton, who is currently wanted on an unrelated arrest warrant.Toni Alcaraz told Nexstar's WKRN that she last spoke with her 33-year-old sister three weeks ago. Nikki had set out in her Jeep with Stratton and a dog to visit family in Orange County, California.During their cross-country trip, the couple reportedly had a run-in with law enforcement in Torrance County, New Mexico. According to a May 4 sheriff's report filed in Torrance County, New Mexico, a witness saw Stratton punch Nikki in the face. The report went on ...

Man pleads guilty to shooting police officer during Granite Falls drug raid

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:52 GMT

A west-central Minnesota man accused of shooting a police officer and firing at two others as they executed a search warrant at a Granite Falls residence on April 10 has pleaded guilty to attempted homicide of a police officer.William Edward Schindler, 26, of Granite Falls, entered a guilty plea to one count of attempted murder in the first degree of a peace officer during a hearing Monday.Schindler will be sentenced on the charge Friday. He is expected to receive a sentence of 210 months in prison based on an agreement in the case, according to Yellow Medicine County Attorney Mark Gruenes.William Edward Schindler, 26, of Granite Falls, Minn., is charged with shooting a law enforcement officer who wax executing a search warrant in a drug investigation on April 10, 2023. (Forum News Service)Willmar police officer Jason Hay was the second of three officers working as part of a drug task force to enter a home owned by Jordan Keith Ross in Granite Falls just after 4 p.m. April 10. Hay w...

Kenta Maeda, Matt Wallner ignite Saints in 9-1 rout of Bisons

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:52 GMT

BUFFALO, N.Y. — All eyes were on pitcher Kenta Maeda at the beginning of the game for his first Major League rehab start. Those same eyes were fixated on Matt Wallner at the end of the game. Both were impressive as the St. Paul Saints swamped the Buffalo Bisons 9-1 on Tuesday night at Sahlen Field.The win improves the Saints to 28-22 on the season.Maeda, who missed all of the 2022 Twins season after Tommy John surgery, didn’t waste time showcasing his repertoire of pitches. He mixed in all five pitches in the first inning and struck out the side. He was even more efficient in the second inning, getting two fly outs before a two-out walk. He ended his night by striking out Otto Lopez looking. Maeda went 2.0 hitless, shutout innings while walking one and striking out four. He threw 29 pitches, 16 for strikes. He tossed five of seven fastballs for strikes, topping out at 91.0 mph and averaging 89.9 mph. His highest usage pitch was the slider, throwing seven of 14 for strikes.Wallner do...

Stillwater’s Drew Gilbert impresses in first full season of pro ball

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:52 GMT

HOUSTON — When the Twins drafted Drew Gilbert in the 35th round of the 2019 draft out of Stillwater High School, he was a prolific two-way player with a strong commitment to Oregon State.Much has changed in the ensuing years.He changed his commitment to Tennessee, where he became a standout outfielder. He pitched sparingly while there, instead becoming one of the best college hitters in the country. The Houston Astros snapped him up with the 28th overall pick in last year’s draft, and he has made a strong impression since that point, recently earning a promotion.Gilbert only played 11 professional games last year after being drafted as a result of a dislocated elbow, but healthy now, he has been showing off the tools that made him a first-round draft pick. He began this season at Class-A Advanced, hitting .361 with a 1.107 on-base plus slugging percentage before the Astros bumped him up to Double-A Corpus Christi earlier this month.“I think the thing that stands out a lot is obvious...