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Freeland says drop in foreign-aid spending is not a cut, Ukraine fight is pivotal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:52 GMT

OTTAWA — Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland insists the government’s projected $1.3-billion drop in foreign aid spending does not amount to a cut.The Liberal budget released this week projects that Ottawa will spend nearly $6.9 billion for international development in the coming fiscal year, which is a 16 per cent drop from last year’s allocation.That’s despite Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tasking International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan to increase aid spending every year.The Liberals had delivered a historic boost in aid in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Asked about criticism from the aid sector about the cut, Freeland said she “wouldn’t characterize it that way.”She stressed that Canada is allocating $2.4 billion in direct financial aid to Ukraine, and called that country’s fight the world’s most important struggle. The Liberals have also allocated funding for infrastructure projects in developing...

Judge: Dominion defamation case against Fox will go to trial

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:52 GMT

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — A voting machine company’s defamation case against Fox News over its airing of false allegations about the 2020 presidential election will go to trial after a Delaware judge on Friday allowed a jury to decide whether the conservative network aired the claims with actual malice, the standard for proving libel.Superior Court Judge Eric Davis ruled that neither Fox nor Dominion Voting Systems had presented a convincing argument to prevail on whether Fox acted with malice without the case going to a jury. But he also ruled that the statements Dominion had challenged constitute defamation “per se” under New York law. That means Dominion did not have to prove damages to establish liability by Fox.“The evidence developed in this civil proceeding demonstrates that (it) is CRYSTAL clear that none of the statements relating to Dominion about the 2020 election are true,” Davis wrote in his summary judgment ruling.The decision paves the way for a trial start in mid-April...

2 men get 220-year terms in Indianapolis for killing 4

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:52 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Two men convicted of murder and other charges in the fatal Indianapolis shootings of three young men and a young woman were both sentenced Friday to 220 years in prison.Cameron Banks and Desmond Banks were sentenced after being convicted in early March of four counts each of murder, felony murder and robbery resulting in serious bodily injury following a five-day trial.A third co-defendant, Lasean Watkins, was convicted on the same charges, but his Friday sentencing was reset for April 28 and he was appointed a new attorney.The charges stem from the February 2020 shooting deaths of three men — Marcel Wills, 20; Braxton Ford, 21; and Jalen Roberts, 19 — and a woman, Kimari Hunt, 21. The victims’ bodies were found in a ransacked Indianapolis apartment.“This case serves as a tragic reminder of the lasting effects of gun violence,” Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement announcing Friday’s sentences.WXIN-TV reported that Cameron Banks and...

What is causing this severe weather system?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:52 GMT

A Tornado watch issued will cover the Chicago Metro Area through this evening per the NWS Storm Prediction Center in the wake of the warmest temps of 2023. Readings have flirted with 70-deg. Midway has hit 70. It's the first time temps have exceeded 60-deg this year and Chicago's warmest temp since a 76 at O'Hare back on Nov. 10—nearly 5 months ago.Such warmth renders the air buoyant. It want to rise—cooling in the process and producing clouds and thunderstorms.Powerhouse overhead winds with a directional and velocity shift is occurring with height late Friday. This is important in many ways and increases the severe weather risk.  Live Chicago severe weather: Tornado watch, storms through Friday night For one, it means thunderstorms poke up into powerful upper winds—allowing them to divert wind energy to the surface in powerful and potentially damaging wind gusts. Severe storm winds are selective in where they produce their strongest winds—but where they do in coming hour, the pot...

VIDEO: Tornado emergency issued for Little Rock and nearby areas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:52 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The National Weather Service issued a tornado emergency for Arkansas's capital of Little Rock and surrounding areas on Friday, warning that 350,000 people are in danger from a “confirmed large and destructive tornado.”Forecasters say “a large and destructive” tornado touched down Friday afternoon in Little Rock and North Little Rock. The violent twister was seen in video posted online plowing through neighborhoods and business districts of Little Rock and surrounding areas. Aerial footage showed several rooftops reduced to splinters in Little Rock and nearby Benton, vehicles were toppled over and debris was scattered across roadways.There were no immediate reports of injuries. Passengers and airport employees at Clinton National Airport in Little Rock took shelter in bathrooms. Dangerous storms and tornadoes forecast for the Midwest and South Video Credit: Timothy Smith via StoryfulMassive storms brewing over at least 15 state...

Austin soldier among 9 killed in Kentucky helicopter crash, US Army says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:52 GMT

Editor’s Note: The video above shows KXAN News Today’s top headlines for March 31, 2023.AUSTIN (KXAN) -- An Austin woman was identified as one of the nine people who died in a helicopter accident near Fort Campbell, Ky., according to a news release from the U.S. Army.The woman was identified as Cpl. Emilie Marie Eve Bolanos, 23, of Austin, the release said.A statement from Fort Campbell said the two HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, part of the 101st Airborne Division, crashed around 10 p.m. Wednesday in Trigg County in southwest Kentucky. The 101st Airborne confirmed the crash about 30 miles (48 kilometers) northwest of Fort Campbell. 9 killed in Army Black Hawk helicopter crash in Kentucky U.S. Army investigators were trying to determine what caused two Black Hawk medical evacuation helicopters to crash during a routine nighttime training exercise.“This was a training progression, and specifically they were flying a multi-ship formation, two ships, under night vision goggles at nigh...

New April forecast brings hope for rain to Central Texas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The latest outlook from the Climate Prediction Center shows increasingly likely odds of wetter weather for the month ahead. April rainfall outlook (CPC)The previous April outlook released mid-March suggested a wet April was possible and this latest outlook adds even more confidence for higher rainfall in Central Texas. Previous: Mid-March forecast for April April is typically not a wet month for Central Texas, it's actually our third driest month on average. Now that La Niña has ended and we've entered a "neutral" phase of ENSO, the temperature of the waters in the eastern equatorial Pacific has a much lower impact on the weather we see in Central Texas and indeed North America. While odds favor wetter weather for April, we’re still expecting warmer-than-normal temperatures across most of the south and southeastern United States.April temperature forecast (CPC)What’s normal for April in Austin?Average High: 80.3April 1 Average High: 78ºApril 30 Average High: 83ºAve...

Secretary Buttigieg reacts to Trump indictment, Austin's Project Connect

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A day after the indictment of former President Donald Trump, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg discussed his thoughts briefly on that legal development as well as talked about Austin's efforts to expand its public transit system. During an interview Friday with KXAN, Buttigieg shared his reaction to Trump becoming the first ex-president in the country's history to face criminal charges. The exact charges included in the indictment will remain unclear, though, until the former president appears in court for the first time. His arraignment will likely happen on Tuesday, according to sources. Texas GOP reacts to Trump indictment "Personally, I have the same reaction, I think, as all Americans, but this is a local law enforcement matter, not something the administration is involved with," Buttigieg said Friday. "So we're watching it like everybody else in the country."Buttigieg sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 to challenge Trump. President Bi...

Where did everybody go? Twin Cities shrink as suburbs grow in first years of pandemic

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:52 GMT

In the 2010s, Ramsey County’s population grew by nearly 44,000 people, or 8.6 percent, its strongest growth since the 1960s.It took just two years of the coronavirus pandemic to wipe away one-third of that growth, according to Census Bureau estimates released this week.Like metro areas across the country, the capital city became less appealing at a time when density implied danger and many office workers were told to stay home.Hennepin County is down 21,400 residents since the pandemic, or 1.7 percent, according to Census Bureau estimates released this week. Ramsey’s net loss of 15,300 marks a 2.8 percent drop, worse than every county in the state except Kittson, in the northwest corner.“The pandemic isn’t over, and businesses are still readjusting in terms of where they have their employees working,” said Jolie Wood, Ramsey County’s deputy director of policy and planning. “I think it’s going to take some time for this churn to settle down.”Ramsey County between April 2020 and 2022 ...

New Loon Sang Bin Jeong might make MLS debut Saturday in St. Louis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:52 GMT

A new Minnesota United player is on the verge of making his MLS debut against St. Louis City on Saturday, while two veteran Loons appear to be doubtful.Sang Bin Jeong, whom the Loons signed March 22, has received his work visa in Calgary and the South Korean attacker is expected to meet his new team in Missouri on Friday night, manager Adrian Heath said.Jeong, who played only 13 minutes for his old Swiss club since January, is a candidate to be a substitute when the Loons (2-0-2) play expansion franchise St. Louis City (5-0-0) at 7 p.m. at CityPark.Meanwhile, Loons midfielder Robin Lod and defender Michael Boxall have returned from national-team duties but both are ill and unlikely to play Saturday. They were kept away from Friday’s training session. Heath said Boxall was in better health than Lod.Fellow international players Dayne St. Clair, Bongi Hlongwane, Kervin Arriaga, Kemar Lawrence and Joseph Rosales each have returned to Minnesota and are available to play this weekend.Minn...