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Media workers stage sit-in at New York Times headquarters to call for ceasefire in Gaza

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:31 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Pro-Palestinian demonstrators occupied the lobby of The New York Times on Thursday, accusing the media of betraying a bias toward Israel in its coverage of the Israel-Hamas war and demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the publication’s Manhattan headquarters. Many entered the building’s atrium for a sit-in and vigil that lasted more than an hour.Led by a group of media workers calling themselves “Writers Bloc,” demonstrators read off the names of thousands of Palestinians killed in Gaza, including at least 36 journalists whose deaths have been confirmed since the war began.They scattered editions of a mock newspaper — “The New York War Crimes” — that charged the media with “complicity in laundering genocide” and called on the Times’ editorial board to publicly back a ceasefire.The sit-in followed a series of actions at high-profile locations in New York intended to bring attention to the growing death toll in Gaza.On Tuesda...

Man sentenced to life for fatally shooting 2 Dallas hospital workers after his girlfriend gave birth

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:31 GMT

DALLAS (AP) — A man was sentenced to life in prison Thursday after being convicted of fatally shooting two workers at a Dallas hospital last year as he argued with his girlfriend, who had just given birth to their child.Nestor Hernandez, 31, was found guilty of capital murder in the October 2022 shooting deaths of Jacqueline Pokuaa, 45, a social worker, and Katie Annette Flowers, 63, a nurse, at Methodist Dallas Medical Center. He received an automatic sentence of life without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors didn’t seek the death penalty.Defense attorneys had asked jurors to consider a lesser charge, acknowledging that Hernandez opened fire but saying he didn’t mean to kill anyone. Taking the stand at the trial, Hernandez admitted to shooting the two women but said it was an accident. Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot told jurors that Hernandez went to the hospital that day with “rage, resentment, anger and a plan to kill.” Prosecutor George Lewis said Hernan...

Mexico City prosecutors accused of asking for phone records of prominent politicians

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:31 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — An opposition candidate for the mayorship of Mexico City accused the city prosecutor’s office of having filed a request for his phone records and those of other prominent politicians Thursday. The allegation is the latest suggestion that city prosecutors have abused their power for political ends. The prosecutors office “categorically denied” the accusations Thursday. The city is governed by the Morena party of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who pledged to end political espionage in Mexico but apparently has not done so. The case, first reported by The New York Times, involves Santiago Taboada, the borough chief of a wealthy part of the city. Taboada plans to run for mayor in 2024. He said the phone record request constituted “political persecution.” “Now more than ever, the political persecution I have been subject to for months has been exposed,” Taboada wrote in his social media accounts.City prosecutors allegedly asked a private phone company to turn o...

Class-action lawsuit alleges unsafe conditions at migrant detention facility in New Mexico

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:31 GMT

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A new class-action lawsuit alleges that U.S. immigration authorities disregarded signs of unsanitary and unsafe conditions at a detention center in New Mexico to ensure the facility would continue to receive public funding and remain open.The lawsuit announced Wednesday by a coalition of migrants’ rights advocates was filed on behalf of four Venezuelans ranging in age from 26 to 40 who have sought asylum in the U.S. and say they were denied medical care, access to working showers and adequate food at the Torrance County Detention Facility, all while being pressed into cleaning duties, sometimes without compensation.The detention center in the rural town of Estancia, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) from the Mexico border, is contracted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to accommodate at least 505 adult male migrants at any time, though actual populations fluctuate.Advocates have repeatedly alleged in recent years that the the facility has inadequate ...

Police investigate vandalism at US Rep. Monica De La Cruz’s Texas office over Israel-Hamas war

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:31 GMT

McALLEN, Texas (AP) — Texas police said Thursday they are investigating messages spray-painted on U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz’s office that condemn the Republican’s support for Israel in the war with Hamas.De La Cruz is a first-term congresswoman whose district is on the U.S.-Mexico border. Spokesperson Ryan Saylor said the district office was vandalized twice this week with messages that included “Monica murders” and “Israel kills Jews too.” The majority of both parties have historically stood firmly on the side of Israel, although divisions have emerged in the Democratic Party about the U.S. response to the war. In a statement, De La Cruz said the vandalism would not silence her support for Israel. The McAllen Police Department said it was made aware of the vandalism on Tuesday and that the investigation is ongoing. The Associated Press

Justice Department asks to join lawsuits over abortion travel

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:31 GMT

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday said Alabama cannot use conspiracy laws to prosecute people and groups who help women leave the state to obtain an abortion.The Justice Department filed a statement of interest in consolidated lawsuits against Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall seeking to block him from using conspiracy statutes to prosecute people who help Alabama women travel to obtain an abortion. Marshall has not prosecuted anyone for providing such assistance, but he has made statements saying that his office would “look at” groups that provide help.Alabama is one of several states where abortion is almost entirely illegal after after the U.S. Supreme Court, in a decision known as Dobbs, handed authority on abortion law to the states. Alabama bans abortion at any stage of pregnancy with no exceptions for rape and incest. The only exemption is if it’s needed because pregnancy seriously threatens the pregnant patient’s health.The Justice Depa...

Canada investigating ‘threats’ to Air India, say transport minister and RCMP

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:31 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada’s transport minister and the RCMP say an investigation is underway into what they call “threats” against Air India, after an online video warned people not to fly on the airline on Nov. 19.Pablo Rodriguez says in a social media post that the government takes any threat to aviation “extremely seriously.”He says Canada and its security partners are investigating the “recent threats circulating online,” and his press secretary confirms Rodriguez was referring to comments about Air India.RCMP spokeswoman Kristine Kelly says police are collaborating with domestic and international partners and “industry stakeholders” in an investigation into the threat against Air India flights.The original remarks about Air India were made by Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a U.S.-based organizer of unofficial referendums on Sikh independence, including recent votes in Surrey, B.C. Pannun says in a video, delivered in a mix of Punjabi and En...

President Biden speaks at Stellantis plant in Illinois in support of labor unions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:31 GMT

CHICAGO — President Joe Biden visited Illinois on Thursday to celebrate the reopening of a suburban auto plant while highlighting his support of labor unions. Biden, the first sitting President to join a picket line, praised the tentative deal between the United Auto Workers Union and the three major US automakers. As part of the deal, a Stellantis plant will re-open in Belvidere, returning more than a thousand jobs to the community. The visit further highlighted Biden's support of organized labor as he prepares for the 2024 election. “The entire UAW proved what I already believed: Wall Street didn't build America, the middle class built America and unions built the middle class,” Biden said.  Stellantis closed its Belvidere assembly plant back in March. A resolution was struck following a 46-day strike of UAW members, however.“What saved Belvidere was UAW workers all over the country willing to do whatever it takes,” said national UAW president Shawn Fain.  Five takeaways from th...

Younger veterans feel uncomfortable when told thank you for service: Poll

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:31 GMT

(The Hill) — A majority of younger veterans said they feel uncomfortable when they are told “thank you for your service,” a new poll found.Ahead of Veterans Day on Saturday, a survey found disparities between young military members and their older counterparts in how they prefer to be recognized for their service.Among younger military members and veterans — age 18 to 29 — 70 percent said they feel uncomfortable or awkward when they are thanked for their service. Only 24 percent of older members, 65 years and up, say the same, the Endeavor Analytics and YouGov poll found. Winners and losers from the third Republican debate “This data shows that military service members and our veterans want Americans to go beyond small talk to connect with them on a deeper level, including learning more about their service, honoring each veteran’s service in ways in which they feel comfortable talking about it,” Robert F. Whittle Jr., retired Army major general and United Services Automobile Assoc...

Chicago City Council passes ordinance giving employees 10 paid days off

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:31 GMT

CHICAGO — The Chicago City Council has passed the paid leave ordinance with a 36-12 vote.It will require employers to provide a total 10 days of paid time off for employees. It includes five sick days and five vacation days. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines Some opponents said the ordinance could create significant financial strain on small businesses.This story will be updated.