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Art or evidence? Closest U.S. Supreme Court has looked at rap lyrics is for ‘true threat’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:50 GMT

Grethel Aguila | Miami Herald (TNS)The closest the U.S. Supreme Court has come to assessing whether rap lyrics can be used in prosecutions was in a case where it looked at whether they were a “true threat” that made someone believe they would be seriously harmed.In 2014, the nation’s highest court heard the case of Anthony Elonis, marking the first time the justices reviewed a true threats case involving lyrics.Elonis had been found guilty of posting on Facebook rap lyrics containing violent language and imagery concerning his ex-wife, coworkers and law enforcement. The U.S. Supreme Court reversed Elonis’ conviction and ruled that prosecutors must prove that a defendant intended to carry out alleged threats.Another Supreme Court decision from June of this year will likely influence how these types of cases are handled in the future, said Clay Calvert, a professor of law and the former director of the Marion B. Brechner First Amendment Project at the University of Florida. The court ...

Lawsuit alleges State Bar of Wisconsin minority program is unconstitutional

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:50 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A conservative law firm filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday alleging that the State Bar of Wisconsin’s “diversity clerkship program” unconstitutionally discriminates based on race. The program offers summer internships for first-year law school students at top law firms, private companies and government offices. Past participants have included Alliant Energy, Froedrert Health, the Kohler Co., the city of Madison, the Wisconsin Department of Justice and the state Department of Corrections. The lawsuit is the latest of its kind to be filed across the country targeting diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the private and public sectors after the U.S. Supreme Court in June struck down affirmative action in college admissions, declaring that race cannot be a factor.The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty filed the latest lawsuit targeting the bar association’s internship program. It argues that the bar is violating the equal protection rights of ...

Eric Haase agrees to deal with Brewers as they attempt to add catching depth

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:50 GMT

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Catcher Eric Haase and the Milwaukee Brewers agreed Wednesday to a one-year contract.The 31-year-old hit .201 with a .247 on-base percentage, four homers, 26 RBIs and four steals in 89 games with the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians last season. He played 86 games for Detroit and three for Cleveland.Haase batted .254 with 14 homers and 44 RBIs in 110 games for Detroit in 2022 and .231 with 22 homers and 26 RBIs in 98 games with the Tigers in 2021.The Brewers were seeking a backup catcher as they attempt to replace Victor Caratini, who signed a $12 million, two-year contract with the Houston Astros. Haase also played 23 games in left field last season.Milwaukee returns William Contreras as its starting catcher after he hit .289 with 17 homers, 78 RBIs and an .825 OPS.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlbSource

Trevor Lawrence still in concussion protocol, leaving the Jags preparing to play without star QB

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:50 GMT

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Trevor Lawrence was in the facility but still in the NFL’s concussion protocol Wednesday, leaving the Jacksonville Jaguars preparing to play without their star quarterback for the first time in three seasons.Coach Doug Pederson said Lawrence is “progressing well” but declined to speculate on Lawrence’s chances of gaining clearance before Sunday’s game at Tampa Bay (7-7).“Still in the protocol,” Pederson said. “Progressing well, but we have to follow the steps; we can’t skip anything.”The Jaguars (8-6) believe Lawrence sustained a head injury while scrambling up the middle on the team’s final drive in a 23-7 loss to Baltimore on Sunday. Lawrence misfired on seven of his final eight passes after the hit, a stretch that raised concerns on the sideline about his health. Lawrence reported symptoms after the game.“He’s doing better,” backup quarterback C.J. Beathard said. “He’s been in the building today. I go...

Congo’s presidential vote is extended as delays and smudged ballots lead to fears about credibility

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:50 GMT

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Lengthy delays at the polls led voting in Congo’s presidential election to be extended Wednesday as the West African nation faced steep logistical and security challenges that raised questions about credibility.It was not clear whether balloting would extend into Thursday after the election commission said it would continue “to allow every voter until the last.”Some 44 million people — almost half the population — were expected to vote, but many, including several million displaced by conflict in the vast country’s east, struggled to cast ballots. The fighting prevented 1.5 million people from registering to vote.At stake is the future of one of Africa’s largest nations and one whose mineral resources are increasingly crucial to the global economy. Congo has a history of disputed elections that can turn violent, and there’s little confidence among many Congolese in the country’s institutions.“In time of coup d’état and autocracy in Afri...

Jury convicts boy and girl in England of murdering transgender teenager in frenzied knife attack

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:50 GMT

LONDON (AP) — A boy and a girl were found guilty Wednesday of murdering a transgender teenager in northwest England earlier this year, in a frenzied knife attack that was described as “horrific” by police.Brianna Ghey, 16, was stabbed with a hunting knife 28 times in her head, neck, chest and back in broad daylight after being lured to a park in the town of Warrington on Feb. 11.The convicted pair, who are identified only as girl X and boy Y, are 16 now but were 15 at the time. They denied killing Ghey, and each blamed the other for the fatal stabbing. It is not known which one or if both wielded the knife. Neither had been in trouble with police before.A jury of seven men and five women convicted the two following a four-week trial at Manchester Crown Court. The jurors deliberated for just four hours and 40 minutes of deliberations.“You probably didn’t anticipate sitting on a case as emotionally difficult as this one,” Justice Amanda Yip told them.The trial heard that the you...

Did you see those red dots in the sky Tuesday night?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:50 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Did you see those red dots in the sky over Denver Tuesday night? They weren't drones and it wasn't Starlink. Those dots were the Denver Broncos Thunderstorm skydivers -- and they're actually orange.On Tuesday night around 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., you may have seen four dots in the sky that had a red-orange tint. Broncos’ chances for the playoffs are declining, but not impossible What you saw was the pregame show. The Broncos' skydiving team was practicing for the upcoming Broncos game, according to Frank Casares, the owner of Mile High Skying.A member of the Denver Broncos Thunderstorm Skydiving team is shown before an NFL football game against the Houston Texans Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)A member of Thunderstorm parachutes into Empower Field at Mile High before a preseason NFL football game between the Denver Broncos and the Los Angeles Rams Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)A member of Thunderstorm, the Denver ...

National Signing Day: Players signing to Colorado Buffs football

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:50 GMT

BOULDER, Colo. (KDVR) -- Wednesday is National Signing Day for college football. This week, high school recruits around the country are choosing colleges and signing letters of intent.After a season that sold out Folsom Field for the first time ever, brought celebrities to games and brought an estimated $113.2 million to the local economy, the University of Colorado Buffaloes football is bringing new recruits for the coming season. FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get Broncos, Nuggets, Rockies and more sports news Here is a list of the athletes signing commitment letters with CU this week, with their positions, previous schools and hometowns.High school signees:Kam MikellAthleteStatesboro High SchoolStatesboro, GeorgiaEric Brantley Jr.Defensive lineValdosta High SchoolValdosta, GeorgiaBrandon Davis-SwainDefensive lineWest Bloomfield High SchoolDetroit, MichiganDrelon MillerWide receiverSilsbee High SchoolSilsbee, TexasMicah WelchRunning backBaldwin High SchoolMilledgeville, GeorgiaTr...

Germany aims to seize €720 million of frozen Russian money

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:50 GMT

BERLIN — At a time when Germany’s ruling coalition is scrambling to find money due to its still-simmering budget crisis, it might be getting an unexpected windfall: a large chunk of frozen Russian money.Germany’s top federal prosecutor on Wednesday announced a motion to confiscate about €720 million held by a Russian financial institution in a Frankfurt bank account.“We will not allow Russian funds used to finance the illegal war of aggression against Ukraine to be held unchallenged in German accounts,” Justice Minister Marco Buschmann wrote on X, adding: “Liberal democracy defends itself on the side of the attacked and opposes violence with the law.”The motion represents an escalation of Germany’s efforts to sanction Russia. If prosecutors are successful, the frozen Russian funds would flow into Germany’s federal coffers, according to an official with knowledge of the case, providing the government with a potential financial boon.Until now, Germany has...

Gretchen’s table: Lamb tagine with dates and shallots

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:50 GMT

Gretchen McKay | (TNS) Pittsburgh Post-GazetteMost would agree one of the best parts of being on vacation is getting to try unfamiliar foods and cuisines and realizing, with the right recipes, you can re-create those tastes at home.While my husband and I weren’t too crazy about the skewered sardines and fried cuttlefish found in seafood restaurants and in the beach bars on a recent trip to southern Spain, we couldn’t get enough of tagine, the traditional Moroccan dish we ate several times after taking the ferry from Tarifa in the province of Cádiz, Andalusia, to Tangier, Morocco, to celebrate a pretty big anniversary this fall.Tagine refers to two things in this city famous for its mosques and medinas: a slow-cooked North African stew of spiced meat and vegetables that’s communally eaten with bread to soak up the fragrant sauce, and the namesake earthenware vessel with a conical lid it’s cooked in.The perfect balance of sweet and savory, tagine is typically m...