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New details of Jeffrey Epstein’s death and the frantic aftermath revealed in records obtained by AP

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:11 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Two weeks before ending his life, Jeffrey Epstein sat in the corner of his Manhattan jail cell with his hands over his ears, desperate to muffle the sound of a toilet that wouldn’t stop running.Epstein was agitated and unable to sleep, jail officials observed in records newly obtained by The Associated Press. He called himself a “coward” and complained he was struggling to adapt to life behind bars following his July 2019 arrest on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges — his life of luxury reduced to a concrete and steel cage.The disgraced financier was under psychological observation at the time for a suicide attempt just days earlier that left his neck bruised and scraped. Yet, even after a 31-hour stint on suicide watch, Epstein insisted he wasn’t suicidal, telling a jail psychologist he had a “wonderful life” and “would be crazy” to end it.On Aug. 10, 2019, Epstein was dead.Nearly four years later, the AP has obtained more than 4,000 pages of docum...

Journalists to strike June 5 at the largest US newspaper chain

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:11 GMT

Journalists across the U.S. will walk off their jobs next week at roughly two dozen newsrooms run by Gannett, the largest newspaper chain in the U.S., their union said Thursday.The mostly one-day strike, which will start June 5, aims to protest Gannett’s leadership and cost-cutting measures imposed since its 2019 merger with GateHouse Media.According to the NewsGuild, the union representing workers at more than 50 Gannett newsrooms, those measures include job cuts and the shuttering of dozens of newsrooms; squeezed pay and benefits; and a failure to negotiate pay and working conditions in good faith.In a statement, Gannett Chief Communications Officer Lark-Marie Anton said the company “strives to provide competitive wages, benefits, and meaningful opportunities for all our valued employees.” She added that “there will be no disruption to our content or ability to deliver trusted news” as a result of the expected work stoppage.The walkout will coincide with Gannett’s annual sharehold...

Bill to ban gender-affirming care for transgender youths in Louisiana resurrected

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:11 GMT

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Amid mounting pressure from Republicans, a bill banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender youths in Louisiana that was narrowly killed by a legislative committee last week has been resurrected.In a rare occurrence, the Senate voted to recommit the controversial bill to a different committee, giving it a second chance at life. The measure, which was rejected by the Senate Health & Welfare Committee last week, received statewide and national attention after a Republican cast the tie-breaking vote to kill the bill.Sen. Fred Mills, the Republican chairman of the Health & Welfare Committee who cast last week’s decisive vote, told his colleagues on the chamber floor Thursday that he opposed reviving the bill, adding that if lawmakers respect the vote of the majority of the committee, they will uphold the decision. But the Senate voted 26-11 — along party lines, with the exception of Mills – to recommit the bill to the Senate Judiciary Committee,...

Federal government provides $5.9M for Indigenous clean energy projects in B.C.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:11 GMT

VANCOUVER — The minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada has announced the government is giving nearly $6 million for Indigenous communities in British Columbia to develop clean energy projects. Harjit Sajjan says the funding shows Canada is committed to working with First Nations to help them grow their economy and take advantage of opportunities in the technology sector.He says more than $3.9 million of the funding, provided by PacificCan and Indigenous Services Canada, will be given to the BC Indigenous Clean Energy Initiative to help 14 communities develop clean energy projects.Sajjan says the agency is also providing another $2 million for the Digital Horizons technology employment training program, which will be offered by the First Nations Technology Council.He says this program will train more than 700 Indigenous people with skills they need to work in the technology sector.Sajjan says he hopes graduates from those programs will bring knowle...

Audit finds National Highway Traffic Safety Administration auto safety defect probes take too long

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:11 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. government agency charged with keeping the roads safe is slow to investigate automobile safety defects, limiting its ability to handle rapidly changing or severe risks, an audit made public Thursday found.Problems at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Office of Defects Investigation limit the agency’s ability to respond to rapidly evolving problems or severe risks to auto safety, the audit by the Department of Transportation’s Inspector General found.The agency also doesn’t have an integrated computer system for its probes, and doesn’t consistently follow its own procedures for making safety problems a high priority, the audit found.The office has made progress in restructuring and modernizing its data and analysis systems, auditors determined, but weaknesses in meeting its own goals for timely investigations increase possible delays in probing important safety issues.The office also doesn’t always record key document...

Library cancels trans speaker after Montana bans drag readings

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:11 GMT

Montana’s new law banning drag reading events at public libraries has led to the cancellation of a Native American transgender speaker in a southwestern Montana city on Friday.The Butte-Silver Bow Public Library canceled its “First Friday” speaker, Adria Jawort, at the recommendation of county attorneys, library director Stef Johnson said in a statement on the library’s website.On Monday, Jawort posted online that she was going to do an LGBTQ and two-spirit history lecture at a library on Friday. “Two-spirit” is a Native American term for people with both male and female spirits.The speech might be illegal in Montana “as a flamboyantly dressed trans woman,” she posted. On Thursday she said her Tweet was meant to mock the law that bans drag reading events at public schools and libraries. Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte signed it on May 22 and it took effect immediately.Under the law, “drag queen” is defined as a performer who adopts a “flamboyant … femini...

Oregon youths’ climate lawsuit against US government can proceed to trial, judge rules

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:11 GMT

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge ruled on Thursday that a lawsuit brought by young Oregon-based climate activists can proceed to trial years after they first filed the lawsuit in an attempt to hold the nation’s leadership accountable for its role in climate change. U.S. District Court Judge Ann Aiken ruled that the plaintiffs can amend their case, known as Juliana v. United States, and go to trial. A previous trial was halted by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts days before it was to begin in 2018.Aiken wrote in her decision, “It is a foundational doctrine that when government conduct catastrophically harms American citizens, the judiciary is constitutionally required to perform its independent role and determine whether the challenged conduct, not exclusively committed to any branch by the Constitution, is unconstitutional.”The 21 plaintiffs, who were between the ages of 8 and 18 when the lawsuit was filed in 2015, will move forward on the question of whether the fed...

Judge: Diamond Sports must pay full value of contracts to Diamondbacks, Guardians, Twins, Rangers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:11 GMT

A federal bankruptcy judge has ordered Diamond Sports to pay the full value of its media contracts to the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Guardians, Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers.Judge Christopher Lopez made the ruling on Thursday in Houston. Diamond Sports, which owns 19 networks under the Bally Sports banner, has been in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in the Southern District of Texas since it filed in March. Diamond said in a financial filing last fall it had debt of $8.67 billion.In April, the judge ruled Diamond to pay half of what the teams were owed in rights fees.“I think the contract rate is the right answer here,” said Lopez in using his decision after two marathon days of testimony.The decision is another chapter in what has been a contentious week in the strained relationship between MLB and Diamond Sports. On Tuesday, the last San Diego Padres game was aired on Bally Sports San Diego after Diamond Sports missed a rights payment fee and let the grace period expire...

Motorcyclist dead after crash in Brampton

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:11 GMT

A motorcyclist has died following a collision in Brampton.Peel Regional Police were notified of a crash in the Airport Road and Steeles Avenue area just after 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.Officers confirmed the collision involved a motorcycle and a vehicle.Paramedics transported the motorcyclist to a trauma centre in life-threatening condition, but the victim died from their injuries.The driver of the vehicle remained at the scene.The Major Collision Bureau is investigating.COLLISION:– Airport Rd/Steeles Ave #Brampton– Collision involving vehicle and a motorcycle– Motorcyclist transported to trauma centre in life-threatening condition– Driver of vehicle remained on scene– C/R at 5:35 p.m.– PR23-0177421— Peel Regional Police (@PeelPolice) June 1, 2023

Arizona to restrict some new construction in fast-growing areas of Phoenix reliant on groundwater

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:11 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona will not approve new housing construction on the fast-growing edges of metro Phoenix that rely on groundwater thanks to years of overuse and a multi-decade drought that is sapping its water supply. In a news conference Thursday, Gov. Katie Hobbs announced the pause on new construction that would affect some of the fastest-growing areas of the nation’s fifth-largest city. Driving the state’s decision was a projection that showed that over the next 100 years, demand for almost 5 million acre-feet of groundwater in metro Phoenix would be unmet without further action, Hobbs said. An acre-foot of water is roughly enough for two to three U.S. households per year.Officials said the move would not affect existing homeowners who already have assured water supplies.Despite the move, the governor said the state isn’t running out of water. “Nobody who has water is going to lose their water,” Hobbs said.Years of drought in the West worsened by climate change ha...