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Trump (Allegedly) Broke the Law for No Reason

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:40:45 GMT

Donald Trump’s former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen arrives for a second day of testimony before a grand jury on March 15, 2023, in New York.Photo: Mary Altaffer/APThere are many funny aspects to former President Donald Trump being arrested on Tuesday in Manhattan. But a little-noticed one is that if Trump had had better lawyers, he likely could have gotten away with his alleged schemes to cover up unflattering stories without any legal entanglements at all — including paying hush money to Stormy Daniels, the ultimate basis for all the charges he now faces.Moreover, with just a little bit of extra care, it might have gone completely unnoticed.The same things generally apply to the National Enquirer, which was forced to pay a fine for its own hush money payments to former Playboy playmate Karen McDougal over her relationship with Trump.One thing to understand is that there’s a lot about McDougal in the prosecutors’ statement of facts, but none of the charges involve her. The N...

Idaho governor signs ban on gender-affirming care for youth

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:40:45 GMT

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho’s governor has signed a bill criminalizing gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth.Idaho is at least the 12th state to enact a law restricting or banning gender-affirming care for minors, and nearly two dozen more are considering bills that would ban or restrict the care. Idaho Gov. Brad Little, a Republican, signed the legislation Tuesday evening.The law is set to go into effect next January, making it a felony to provide hormones, puberty blockers or other gender-affirming care to people under age 18. Opponents of the legislation have warned it will likely increase suicide rates among teens, but proponents of the bill said it was necessary to “protect children” from medical or surgical treatments for gender dysphoria. Still, supporters have acknowledged there has been no indication that gender-affirming surgeries are being performed on transgender youth in Idaho.“In signing this bill, I recognize our society plays a role in protecting mi...

Polish-Ukrainian friendship masks a bitter, bloody history

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:40:45 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland has emerged as one Ukraine’s most ardent supporters during Russia’s invasion despite historical grievances between the neighboring nations that stir up bad feelings to this day.The tensions between the country at war and its staunch ally were acknowledged Wednesday when Ukrainian President President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a state visit to Poland, where President Andrzej Duda received him with honors.Duda promised that Poland would keep helping Ukraine fight off Russia’s agression, but he also acknowledged at a joint news conference with Zelesnkyy that the relationship was complicated. ”There are still open wounds in the memory of many people,” Duda said, an obvious reference to the massacres of some 100,000 Poles by Ukrainian nationalists during the 1940s. Poland considers the killings genocide.The difficult past in Poland-Ukraine relations goes back even further than than. In a part of Europe where entire nations have disappeared fro...

No Russians, Belarusians expected at swimming worlds in July

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:40:45 GMT

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — No Russian or Belarusian athletes are expected to compete at this year’s swimming world championships in Japan because the sport’s governing body isn’t expected to rule on their eligibility until it’s too late for them to enter.World Aquatics said Wednesday it will create a task force to look at how Russia and Belarus could return to swimming, diving and water polo as neutral athletes. The update is expected in July, the same month of the world championships in Fukuoka.Entry deadlines for swimming and diving is June 27. For water polo, the entry deadline is July 3. The championships start on July 14.Governing bodies like World Aquatics were asked by the International Olympic Committee last week to look at ways of reintegrating Russian and Belarusians with neutral status ahead of the 2024 Paris Games.Swimming is one of the three biggest sports on the Olympic program. Track and field has already excluded Russia and Belarus from its world championships this...

No driver? No problem. Robotaxis eye San Francisco expansion

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:40:45 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Two trailblazing ride-hailing services are heading toward uncharted territory as they seek regulatory approval to transport passengers around the clock throughout one of the most densely populated U.S. cities in vehicles that will have no one sitting in the driver’s seat.If Cruise, a subsidiary of General Motors, and Waymo, a spinoff from Google, reach their goal before year’s end, San Francisco would become the first U.S. city with two totally driverless services competing against Uber, Lyft and traditional taxis — all of which depend on people to control the automobiles.But Cruise and Waymo still must navigate around potential roadblocks, including complaints about their vehicles making unexpected, traffic-clogging stops that threaten to inconvenience other travelers and imperil public safety.Cruise already has been charging people for driverless rides in less congested parts of San Francisco during night-time hours since last June. Waymo has been giving...

The ultimate guide to mid-Maryland’s Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:40:45 GMT

This content was provided by the Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area.Above the Potomac River and below the Mason Dixon Line, a visit to mid-Maryland’s Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area may tick off a few items on your must-do life list. Whether you base your stay in Frederick, Hagerstown or Westminster – or any of the nearby towns and hamlets – a diverse array of experiences assures there is something for all kinds of travelers.Explore Civil War battlefieldsHome to three major Civil War battlefields (Antietam, Monocacy and South Mountain), and a stone’s throw from several others, there may be no better location to check battlefields off your bucket list. Maryland’s Civil War Trails guide travelers to battlefields along driving routes that are rich with stories offering glimpses into the impact of war in our border state.In 2023, follow the Gettysburg Invasion and Retreat route on the 160th anniversary of the battle, tracing the path of war through Maryland. Family-friendly event...

Swiss to end auto import tax exemption for electric cars

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:40:45 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — The Swiss government said Wednesday that it plans to impose an automobile import tax on electric cars, which so far have been exempted from the charge, starting next year.The governing Federal Council said the move was meant to counter a fall in income from the auto tax and is part of a wider plan to bolster public finances.The auto tax is a levy of 4% on the import value, rather than the final sales price, of vehicles. Electric cars have been exempted since it was introduced in 1997 in an effort to make them an attractive option.The government said the exemption is no longer necessary in view of a steady rise in the number of electric cars and the fact that their prices have come closer to those of cars with combustion engines.It said that the number of electric cars imported annually increased from about 8,000 to over 45,000 between 2018 and 2022, and they made up nearly one-fifth of all auto imports last year.That has meant a decrease in income from the auto tax — t...

Masters Tournament Tee Times

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:40:45 GMT

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) _ Tee times for Thursday’s first round of the Masters Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club (all times ET)8 a.m. _ Kevin Na, Mike Weir8:12 a.m. _ Matthew McClean, Vijay Singh, Scott Stallings8:24 a.m. _ Talor Gooch, Jason Kokrak, Sandy Lyle8:36 a.m. _ Fred Couples, Russell Henley, Alex Noren8:48 a.m. _ Kevin Kisner, Adrian Meronk, Louis Oosthuizen9 a.m. _ Harrison Crowe, Min Woo Lee, Larry Mize9:12 a.m. _ Sergio Garcia, Kazuki Higa, Keith Mitchell9:24 a.m. _ Patrick Reed, Adam Svensson, Sahith Theegala9:36 a.m. _ Mackenzie Hughes, Shane Lowry, Thomas Pieters9:48 a.m. _ Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira, Seamus Power, Bubba Watson10:06 a.m. _ Abraham Ancer, Keegan Bradley, Chris Kirk10:18 a.m. _ Viktor Hovland, Xander Schauffele, Tiger Woods10:30 a.m. _ Patrick Cantlay, Kurt Kitayama, Adam Scott10:42 a.m. _ Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Cameron Young10:54 a.m. _ Sungjae Im, Hideki Matsuyama, Cameron Smith11:06 a.m. _ Cameron Champ, Jose Maria Olazabal11:18 a.m. _ ...

How to use the new Barbie Selfie Generator

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:40:45 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- There is a new photo meme tool taking social media by storm and clogging up your newsfeed.It's called the Barbie Selfie Generator. It was created to promote "Barbie: The Movie," which is coming out this summer. Police stop driver with tags from 2020 in Wheat Ridge How to use itOnce you're at the barbieself.ai website, you can click "start."From there, you can upload a photo from your photo album, or you can take one from the website by giving access to your camera.Once your photo is uploaded, it will take you to the next screen where it shows your photo with the background removed. This is where you can get the best burger in Colorado On the next screen, it will generate your meme. You can adjust the height and width of your picture to fit in the meme.You can also say what your Barbie is by typing something. We went with News Anchor for our examples.Here are some of the memes of our FOX31 team:Barbie selfie generator - Shaul TurnerBarbie selfie generator- Talya ...

Elderly woman rushed to hospital after hit-and-run in Miami

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:40:45 GMT

A hit-and-run incident that occurred at the intersection of Northwest 60th Street and Northwest 17th Avenue left a woman injured and in need of emergency medical attention, Wednesday morning.According to a witness, he was heading to his car in the morning when he heard a woman shouting for help.“I saw a lady who said ‘help’ so she told me to call 911 somebody hit her, and kept on going,” said the witness. The impact of the collision was so severe that the victim’s shoes were thrown off. Paramedics arrived at the scene and transported the woman to the hospital. Although she was conscious, she continued to scream in pain as she was wheeled away into the emergency vehicle.The area has since been cleared, but the investigation into the incident is ongoing.If you have any information on this crime, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.Please check back ...