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Missouri lawmakers ban gender-affirming care, trans athletes; Kansas City moves to defy state

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:57:50 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri lawmakers approved two bills Wednesday that ban gender-affirming health care for minors, and prevent transgender girls and women from participating on female sports teams. But local officials in Kansas City moved to defy the state, as they heard testimony about creating a sanctuary for people seeking gender-affirming treatment.Transgender minors in Missouri would no longer have access to puberty blockers, hormones or gender-affirming surgery under one bill passed by the Republican-led House. The ban also affects some adults — Medicaid health care won’t cover any gender-affirming care in the state, and surgery will no longer be available to prisoners and inmates.Another bill bans transgender student-athletes from joining girls’ and women’s teams from kindergarten through college, both at public and private schools. Schools that allow transgender girls and women to play on such teams would lose state funding.Gov. Mike Parson is expected to sign both...

Ohio Constitution change aimed at thwarting abortion rights push appears headed to August ballot

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:57:50 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — After a critical vote Wednesday, the Ohio House agreed to send to voters in August a measure making it more difficult to amend the state’s constitution, just months before an amendment guaranteeing abortion rights lands on the statewide ballot.It asks voters to raise the threshold for future constitutional amendments from 50% plus one to a 60% supermajority.The Ohio Statehouse resounded with protests before the House voted to approve the resolution. The measure needed to return to the Senate for a technical vote before heading to the Ohio Secretary of State’s office, which has set an 11:59 p.m. deadline.Its success capped a months-long effort led spearheaded by a faction of Republican lawmakers and the state’s GOP elections chief and carried out by anti-abortion and gun rights groups.Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned its landmark Roe v. Wade ruling guaranteeing abortion rights last year, other states’ amendments involving the procedure h...

Disney posts higher second-quarter earnings and revenue thanks to strong theme parks business

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:57:50 GMT

Ongoing strength at its theme parks and an improving streaming business propelled The Walt Disney Co. to higher profits and revenue in its fiscal second quarter.But the company lost 4 million streaming subscribers to its Disney+ service and its shares fell 4.5% in after-hours trading. The entertainment giant, which is in the midst of a “ strategic reorganization,” has been working on trimming about 7,000 jobs as part of a targeted $5.5 billion cost savings across the company.Bob Iger, who returned in November to take over the CEO post from Bob Chapek, has been working over the past six months to turn around Disney’s streaming business while simultaneously making sure that the financial might coming from its theme parks doesn’t waver.He’s also had to contend with trying to protect Disney World’s theme park district from a takeover by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Disney sued DeSantis in late April, alleging the governor waged a “targeted campaign of government reta...

Canada removes Terry Fox from passport, prompting backlash

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:57:50 GMT

The federal government’s decision to remove Terry Fox from Canadian passports is drawing some backlash.The Canadian hero’s image was removed as part of a broader overhaul of the travel document.It was not specific to him, with other iconic Canadian imagery, including a representation of Vimy Ridge, also being taken out.The move isn’t sitting well with many, including Dave Teixeira, the organizer of the Terry Fox Hometown Run.“I would advocate that he should be on more things. He’s one of Canada’s greatest heroes. He was a young person in the early 80s who inspired a nation and a world to do better. And because of him, there’s been a lot of suffering that’s been alleviated because of the money raised for cancer (research),” Teixeira told CityNews Wednesday.Related articles: Canada will allow online passport renewal services this fall, new design unveiledCanada’s passport application backlog now ‘virtually eliminated,’ minister say...

Idaho man who dangled from Senate balcony during Capitol riot receives 15-month prison sentence

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:57:50 GMT

An Idaho man who traveled to Washington in a car loaded with weapons and was photographed dangling from the Senate balcony during the Capitol riot was sentenced Wednesday to 15 months in prison. Josiah Colt, one of the first rioters to reach the Senate floor on Jan. 6, 2021, later pleaded guilty that year to obstructing Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s White House victory. Also Wednesday, a man who accompanied Colt to the District of Columbia in a rental car with two pistols, knives, a stun gun, body armor and other gear was sentenced to about three years in prison, according to court records. Las Vegas resident Nathaniel DeGrave, who also entered the Senate gallery, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and assault charges last year. Both men had agreed to cooperate with investigators as part of their plea deals. Prosecutors say Colt, DeGrave and a third man, Ronald Sandlin, came to Washington prepared for violence and were intent on stopping lawmakers from certifying the ...

Ex-officer pleads guilty to assaulting man during unrest in Minneapolis after murder of George Floyd

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:57:50 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A former Minneapolis police officer pleaded guilty Wednesday to assaulting a man during the unrest that followed the murder of George Floyd by another officer in 2020.Justin Stetson’s guilty plea to a felony charge of third-degree assault means he can never again work as a law enforcement officer in Minnesota. And under the terms, he offered a written apology to Jaleel Stallings that included an acknowledgement that he participated in a harmful institutional culture of policing.Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, whose office prosecuted the case, called Stetson’s admission historic. But Stallings filed an objection with the court calling the deal too lenient and saying it fails to hold him accountable because it keeps the former officer out of prison.Stetson and other officers were enforcing a curfew the night of May 30, 2020, when his group spotted four people in a parking lot. One was Stallings, an Army veteran with a permit to carry a gun. The...

German leaders fail to reach breakthrough in dispute over growing cost of hosting migrants

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:57:50 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised a further 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) Wednesday for communities struggling to provide housing, schools and other basic services to a growing number of migrants, but failed to reach a breakthrough in talks with state leaders on the underlying issue of federal funding.The pledge was part of a package of measures agreed between Scholz and the governors of Germany’s 16 states, who have been arguing for months over who has to pay for the rising costs.“This billion is important, but of course it doesn’t solve the fundamental question,” said Stephan Weil, governor of Lower Saxony state.Still, he said, the progress achieved so far made him confident that a broader agreement could be reached by November.Scholz called the meeting “very constructive,” adding that the two sides had also agreed to digitize the process of handling asylum requests and accelerating deportations for people whose bids are rejected.The federal government wi...

On heels of damning sex abuse verdict, Trump to face voters on live CNN town hall

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:57:50 GMT

WASHINGTON — Twice impeached, recently indicted and now on the hook for a $5 million judgment that found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation, a defiant Donald Trump is looking to make more must-see TV. The former U.S. president is bringing his bid to win back the White House to CNN in prime time, just one day after a jury in New York concluded that he sexually assaulted magazine writer E. Jean Carroll in the 1990s.  “It could be a total disaster for all, including me. Let’s see what happens,” Trump says in a video posted Wednesday to his Truth Social feed, claiming the live town hall in New Hampshire was the cable network’s idea. “CNN is rightfully desperate to get those fantastic Trump ratings back … they made me a deal I couldn’t refuse.”Wednesday night’s ratings will surely be higher, for better or for worse, now that Carroll has proven in court that Trump sexually abused her in a Manhattan department store dressing roo...

Skilling: Cloudy tonight, sunny tomorrow before possible showers

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:57:50 GMT

100% sunny Wednesday with a 25 degree lakeshore to inland temp spread. 58 Lake Forest & Waukegan to 83 Tinley Park. May's opening 10 days among the driest 25% since 1871. But more clouds and showers in our future later this week. Rain chances at 70% for Friday, flow off Lake Michigan plus clouds suggest cool weekend ahead.The skies were all but cloud-free Wednesday and temps responded in a bit way. You can't do much better than 100% of our possible sun--and that's what happened Wednesday.May's produced some blockbuster rainfalls--but in areas south and west of Chicago. The 3+" t-storm downpours in harder hit south and southwest suburbs this past weekend were great examples. But interestingly, in Chicago itself, May's opening 10 days rank among the driest 22% of all Mays over the past 151 years with only 0.29" on the books to date compared too the normal 1.03" to date.Wednesday was another gorgeous day--and temps away from Lake Michigan responded big time, reaching the upper 70s ...

Former President Obama launches new foundation initiative from Chicago

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:57:50 GMT

CHICAGO — Former President Barack Obama will be speaking shortly as his foundation launches a new initiative in Chicago.The Obama Foundation’s My Brother’s Keeper Alliance Impact in Action is set to launch a new initiative to support young men of color across the country on Wednesday. Former President Barack Obama is scheduled to speak at the event.Watch Former President Obama's remarks in the video player above.The event reportedly will highlight and celebrate communities across the country that have positively shifted population-level outcomes in the educational or violence reduction ecosystems throughout their municipal areas. Another solar storm may bring northern lights to US Wednesday, Thursday Also, the event will provide an opportunity to learn about positive systems-level changes that are working in other communities so that they too can improve the lives of boys and young men of color in their own communities.