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Watchdog: White House press secretary has violated Hatch Act

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:46 GMT

By Chris Megerian | Associated PressWASHINGTON — Since taking on the role of White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre has become known for frequently dodging questions by citing the Hatch Act. The law bars civil servants from politicking during their day jobs, and Jean-Pierre uses it to deflect reporters’ questions involving campaigns.But apparently she wasn’t careful enough. The Office of Special Counsel, a government agency that enforces the Hatch Act, said in a recent letter that Jean-Pierre violated the law before last year’s midterm elections.Her offense: Making frequent references to “MAGA Republicans” during White House briefings.According to a letter from the Office of Special Counsel, Jean-Pierre “made those references to generate opposition to Republican candidates” and “accordingly, making the references constituted political activity.”The letter was posted online by The Washington Post. It was first reported by...

Driver dies on I-680 in San Jose after SUV bursts into flames

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:46 GMT

(KRON) -- An SUV was engulfed in flames on Interstate-680 in San Jose early Wednesday morning after a driver lost control and crashed. The driver never made it out of his Toyota RAV4, and died inside his vehicle, according to the California Highway Patrol. The fatal wreck happened around 4:45 a.m. According to the CHP, the Toyota was traveling northbound on I-680 near McKee Road when the driver lost control and crashed into a metal box on the busy interstate's right shoulder. The Toyota burst into flames moments after impact. No other vehicles were tangled in the crash. "The driver did not get out of the vehicle, and was pronounced deceased on scene. Officers closed the two right lanes of I-680 northbound to perform an on scene investigation," the CHP wrote. Firefighters doused the blaze and CHP officers reopened all lanes before 7 a.m. Investigators did not release the driver's name. "This crash is still under investigation. It is unknown at this time whether alcohol or drug impair...

FIFA makes European TV deal for Women’s World Cup, ends standoff with broadcasters

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:46 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — FIFA ended a standoff with broadcasters in five major European television markets by agreeing to a Women’s World Cup rights deal Wednesday just five weeks before the first match.The deal struck collectively with the European Broadcasting Union ended nine months of jibes aimed by FIFA president Gianni Infantino at free-to-air networks in England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.Infantino repeatedly aired his anger with the broadcasters — which all have national teams playing in the 64-game tournament — for offering as little as 1% of the fees they paid for the men’s World Cup.The July 20-Aug. 20 World Cup is being hosted by Australia and New Zealand with many group-stage games scheduled through the night and early hours of the European morning.No price was announced for adding the five countries plus Ukraine to the 28-nation rights deal FIFA already struck with the Geneva-based EBU last year.Instead, FIFA did hail European broadcasters committing to screen more women’s...

Stock market today: Wall Street drops as Fed signals more painful rate hikes to come

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:46 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are slipping on Wall Street Wednesday after the Federal Reserve hinted it may raise interest rates two more times this year, even if it’s taking a pause for now.The S&P 500 was 0.5% lower in afternoon trading after losing a modest gain from before the Fed’s announcement. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 391 points, or 1.1%, at 33,820, as of 2:22 p.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.6% lower.The Fed closed its latest policy meeting by saying it would hold rates steady, to give more time to see how its fusillade of rate hikes over the last 15 months is affecting the economy. It’s attempting the excruciating balancing act of slowing the economy just enough through rate increases to snuff out high inflation, but not so much as to break the job market and create a recession.The majority of Fed policy makers also indicated Wednesday that they expect its main interest rate to climb at least 0.50 percentage points by the end of the year. Th...

Thielen without a big-name running mate, but likes Panthers depth at wide receiver

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:46 GMT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Whether it’s been Justin Jefferson or Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen always seemed to have an elite running mate at wide receiver during his tenure with the Minnesota Vikings.That isn’t the case with his new team, the Carolina Panthers.Thielen caught 534 passes for 6,682 yards and 55 touchdowns in 10 seasons with the Vikings, including 30 TDs in the past three seasons. But he joins a Panthers wide receiving group that largely lacks another big-name receiver.“I think there’s always been that duo, right?,” Thielen said of his career. “But I think this is a talented group. It’s not just one or two guys; it’s a group effort. We are able to put a lot guys in there and not miss a beat.”The Panthers traded away their top wide receiver D.J. Moore as part of a package that allowed them to move up to the No. 1 spot in the NFL draft and select quarterback Bryce Young from Alabama.Carolina signed Thielen, D.J. Chark and Damiere Byrd and drafted Jonathan Mingo from Mississippi...

Tiafoe beats Lehecka to book Stuttgart quarterfinal against Musetti

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:46 GMT

STUTTGART, Germany (AP) — Third-seeded Frances Tiafoe overcame stubborn resistance from Jiri Lehecka to beat the Czech player 7-6 (2), 6-4 in his first appearance at the Stuttgart Open on Wednesday.The American player saved a break point at 4-4 in the first set, won the tiebreaker, and saved two more in the second set before wrapping up the win.“I enjoyed it, being on grass. It’s one of my favorite surfaces and I love being here, playing on grass. So let’s see how it goes,” said Tiafoe, whose speed helped his return game against Lehecka.The 25-year-old Tiafoe next plays sixth-seeded Lorenzo Musetti in the quarterfinals. The Italian player defeated Gregoire Barrere 6-3, 6-3 in their second-round match. Musetti saved all seven break points he faced.Also, in a meeting of two big-serving players, former Wimbledon semifinalist Hubert Hurkacz won 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5) against qualifier Yosuke Watanuki after feeling unwell during the match. Hurkacz is known as one of the tour’s top servers...

Even with lower inflation, a trip to the grocery store may still hurt your wallet

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:46 GMT

While inflation is down to 4% year-over-year, we’re not seeing a lot of relief at the grocery store check out line.On average, prices at the grocery store are still hovering just below 6%, more than they were last year, but many staples are still seeing high inflation.“We have two girls, my husband and I, we probably pay almost $200 in groceries a week,” Sarah Beightol told WTOP.She was pushing her two young daughters and groceries at the Giant on Wisconsin Avenue, near the Washington National Cathedral.“The giant berries are pretty good. But Trader Joe’s eggs are good. So I shop a lot of different places now for different things. I’ve started making my own bread, because it’s so expensive,” she said.The May consumer price index report shows bread and grain prices are up 10% over last year.Other baking essentials like margarine rose 22.5%. Sugar rose 11.1%.Frozen foods also are still seeing big jumps. Frozen fruit vegetables are up 12.9%.Other things that you may t...

Brothers killed in I-25 road rage shooting, family says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:46 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- The family of two men killed in a road rage shooting on Tuesday has identified them as brothers. Damon Lucas, 21, and Blake Lucas, 22, were named as the victims in the deadly shooting on Interstate 25 and 8th Avenue by their aunt and uncle on Wednesday. They said the men were both from Denver. 2 killed in road rage shooting on I-25 FOX31's Vicente Arenas spoke with the couple outside the Denver courthouse who said the two men were on their way to a job interview when the deadly shooting happened. The couple told FOX31 that Blake was high-spirited and had his own reptile company. They said Damon hoped to be a professional skater. The official identifications will be provided by the Denver Officer of the Medical Examiner. Police arrest suspect in deadly shootingStephen Long, 25, was being held on two counts of first-degree murder, according to the Denver Police Department.The circumstances behind the shooting are still under investigation but police believe th...

What is the Denver Nuggets NBA championship parade route?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:46 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- The Denver Nuggets are NBA champions and on Thursday the city will get to celebrate that victory with a parade and rally downtown.The Nuggets parade will follow the same route as last year's Colorado Avalanche parade and the Denver Broncos parade in 2016.FOX31 will carry the parade and rally live on air and on streaming at KDVR.com. News coverage will start at 4:30 a.m. as usual, with parade and rally coverage expected to kick into gear around 9 a.m.Nuggets parade routeThe parade will start at Union Station at 10 a.m. then travel 17th Street to Broadway and end at Civic Center Park after turning off Broadway onto 13th Avenue. What will the weather be like for the Denver Nuggets parade? The parade is expected to include firetrucks and other city vehicles that will carry the team and their families through downtown. The rally will start around noon in front of the Denver City and County Building.Road closures for the Nuggets paradeThe roads used for the parade will ...

Colorado ranked as one of the most fun states

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:46 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- There's a handful of good reasons people have flocked to Colorado in the last decade. Financial adviser site WalletHub ranked which states are the most fun, and Colorado comes in sixth place overall. California, Florida, Nevada and New York rank above it. Are the champion hats given to the Denver Nuggets misspelled? The study analyzed both recreation and nightlife in each city, crunching the number of restaurants, movie theaters, golf courses, performing arts theaters, fitness centers, ski slopes, marinas, access points to national parks, variety, personal expenditures and state and local expenditures on parks and recreation. Colorado is unique in that it has the same high rank for both entertainment and recreation and for nightlife. It has the sixth-best entertainment and recreation and the seventh-best nightlife. Colorado even beats Florida and New York for its nightlife. Overall ranksStateTotal scoreEntertainment and recreationNightlife1CA64.56142FL61.722113NV5...