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Wisconsin GOP threatens to impeach justice over donations, but conservatives also took party cash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:24 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Republicans talking about impeaching a state Supreme Court justice before she’s heard a case are pointing to the nearly $10 million she received from the Democratic Party as proof that she can’t fairly rule on redistricting cases that could weaken the GOP’s hold on the Legislature.But the state GOP and other conservative groups have given campaign cash to other sitting justices, and they’re not recusing themselves on cases involving donors. All but one sitting justice — liberal Ann Walsh Bradley — have received contributions from a party at the national, state or county level, according to data from Wisconsin’s campaign finance system and an analysis by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, which tracks campaign spending.Conservative Justices Brian Hagedorn and Rebecca Bradley have received contributions from the state Republican Party totaling roughly $150,000 and $70,000 respectively. The state Democratic Party has given lib...

First offer from General Motors falls short of demands by the United Auto Workers, but it’s a start

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:24 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — General Motors first wage-and-benefit offer to the United Auto Workers on Thursday falls far short of the union’s initial demands.The offer comes just a week before the UAW’s national contracts with GM, Stellantis and Ford expire, and even though both sides are far apart, it’s a sign of movement on economic issues. Union President Shawn called the offer “insulting.” He is threatening to strike against any automaker that hasn’t reached a tentative agreement by the time contracts expire at 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 14. A strike against one or more automakers by up to 146,000 auto workers is a real possibility.GM said in a letter to workers that it’s offering a 10% wage increase during a new four-year contract, plus two more 3% one-time payments. It’s also offering a $6,000 inflation payment, $5,000 more in lump sums to protect against inflation during the contract, and a $5,000 contract ratification bonus. The company wouldn’t s...

Victoria’s Secret overhauls its racy fashion catwalk in its latest moves to be more inclusive

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:24 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — For more than 20 years, Victoria’s Secret had bolstered its image built on a man’s vision of sexiness with one big annual event: its fashion catwalk extravaganza, with supermodels like Naomi Campbell sashaying down the runway in Swarovski-crystal covered wings, thongs and million dollar fantasy bras.Now, after a four-year hiatus, the lingerie brand came back Wednesday night with a complete overhaul that was part fashion event and part preview of a documentary-style film featuring 20 global creatives. It celebrated all different body shapes — girth and all. Top models like Winnie Harlow, who has vitiligo, a skin condition, showed up in some of the designs. The event also showcased the creators’ looks on headless mannequins of all body types. The Victoria’s Secret World Tour, to be aired globally on Amazon Prime Video on Sept. 26, marks the company’s biggest marketing investment in the past five years and its latest efforts to reverse its supercharged sexy image that l...

Movie Review: Oh, sister, what happened? ‘The Nun II’ is a face-plant horror splat

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:24 GMT

“The Conjuring” Universe celebrates 10 years in business this fall with the dull “The Nun II,” a movie that seems destined to pound a nail into this franchise’s undead coffin.A new directing and writing team fails to shock or scare with a color-by-numbers plot and a meandering, languid wannabe frightfest. A few audience members fired up their phones halfway through a recent preview, a bad sign for anyone hoping for a gripping experience.A sequel to “The Nun” — the top-earning film in the franchise, with more than $366 million worldwide — was never going to be denied and the sequel hews carefully to the previous success. You could even say it’s haunted by its better precedent.This time it is 1956 — four years after the events of “The Nun” — and a demon is once again stalking Europe. It’s the same horrific Valak we met last time and suspected didn’t die, despite being splashed by the blood of Christ. “The demon lives,” we are told.Returning are Taissa Farmiga —...

‘Flood the city,’ ‘Freedom Convoy’ organizers’ trial delves into social media videos

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:24 GMT

OTTAWA — “Freedom Convoy” organizer Chris Barber called for people to “flood the city” in one of a mountain of social media videos put to the court as part of his criminal trial Thursday.Barber, who operated a trucking business in Swift Current, Sask., is co-accused with his fellow protest organizer Tamara Lich from Medicine Hat, Alta.The trial is in its third day of testimony in Ottawa.Lich and Barber face charges related to their role in organizing the protest against COVID-19 health restrictions last year that blockaded Ottawa city streets for weeks with big-rig trucks and encampments.They were both among thousands of protesters who recorded and streamed videos from the protest as it unfolded.In a video showed to the court, Barber told supporters he believed riot police were on their way to Ottawa. He said that if protest organizers’ “phones go dark,” people should use whatever means possible to come to the city and protest peacefully. &#...

Ontario’s long-term care inspections collapsed when COVID hit: Ombudsman

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:24 GMT

Ontario’s ombudsman is calling for an overhaul of the province’s long-term care inspection system after his investigation found it was “completely overwhelmed” during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.The damning report from Paul Dube released Thursday morning suggests there was a complete lack of inspections of long-term care homes for seven weeks when COVID-19 arrived. He says no inspection reports were issued over a two-month period.“The Ministry of Long-Term Care was unprepared and unable to ensure the safety of long-term care residents and staff during the pandemic’s first wave,” says Dube.NEW – Ontario’s Ombudsman Paul Dubé calls for an overhaul of Ontario’s long-term care inspection system, after his just released investigation found it was “completely overwhelmed” during the first wave of COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/AJPTN7DELV— Richard Southern (@RichardCityNews) September 7, 2023The report notes the inspections stopped because t...

Legal sports betting opens to fanfare in Kentucky; governor makes the first wager

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:24 GMT

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear plunked down a $20 bet Thursday on two home-state college football teams — and against an arch-nemesis school — in a quick transaction signaling that legal sports wagering is off and running in the Bluegrass State.The Democratic governor placed the first sports bet at historic Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, fulfilling a pledge that his administration would launch sports wagering in time for the NFL regular season.“This is entertainment,” Beshear said. “It’s what Kentuckians were looking for. It’s going to boost tourism. It’s going to make sure we don’t lose that many people to Vegas in the first couple rounds in the NCAA tournament.”With an eye toward public approval from voters in a state election year, the governor bet that the University of Kentucky and University of Louisville football teams will win more games this season than oddsmakers predict. A third part of the $20 parlay, all of which must happen for Be...

French President Macron: ‘There can’t, obviously, be a Russian flag at the Paris Games’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:24 GMT

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron said the Russian flag has no place at next year’s Paris Olympics because of the war crimes committed by Vladimir Putin’s regime in Ukraine.Russia has not been allowed to fly its flag at the Olympics since the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. Since then, Russians have been competing at the Summer and Winter Olympics under various names because of doping issues.In an interview with L’Equipe newspaper published Thursday, Macron said he didn’t want them to fly their flag in Paris because of the war in Ukraine.“Russia, as a country, has no place at a time when it has committed war crimes and deported children,” Macron said.The interview was published a day after a Russian missile tore through an outdoor market in eastern Ukraine, killing 17 people and wounding dozens.The IOC has encouraged governing bodies of individual sports to allow Russians and Belarusians to compete as “neutral athletes” without national symbols or flag...

A man is back in prison despite a deal reducing his sentence. He’s fighting to restore the agreement

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:24 GMT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A lawyer for a man sent back to prison in South Carolina after a deal reducing his sentence was canceled said he plans to ask for the agreement to be restored. Attorney Todd Rutherford said Wednesday that he and his client Jeroid Price did nothing wrong to warrant the state Supreme Court’s emergency order in April that sent Price back to prison.“Jeroid Price is being treated as someone who did something wrong, when in fact he did nothing wrong,” Rutherford said at a news conference Wednesday after the full order explaining the court’s 3-2 decision was issued.The court ruled that Solicitor Byron Gipson and now retired Judge Casey Manning didn’t follow the law when they secretly cut 16 years off Price’s 35-year sentence. Among their mistakes was not holding a public hearing or publicly filing documents, the justices said.The court ordered Price back to prison in April, but he did not turn himself in and was taken into custody in New York City 11 weeks...

Wetlands permit dispute pauses construction on $2 billion Scout Motors electric SUV plant

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:24 GMT

BLYTHEWOOD, S.C. (AP) — Construction work has been temporarily stopped on a $2 billion new electric vehicle plant in South Carolina being built by a Volkswagen Group-backed group trying to revive a brand that was a forerunner to today’s SUVs.State and local officials said they need more time to obtain wetland permits to continue clearing land at the Blythewood site for Scout Motors. But they said the pause shouldn’t delay the planned opening of the plant in 2026 or the hiring of 4,000 workers.The delay also will give officials more time to collect public comment about the plant just off Interstate 77 north of Columbia and its environmental impacts, South Carolina Commerce Secretary Harry Lightsey and Richland County Economic Development Director Jeff Ruble said in a joint statement.“We value the people who call Blythewood home and want to make sure they stay informed about the project’s progress — especially as construction efforts will ebb and flow until completion,” they sai...