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Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor’s staff prodded colleges and libraries to buy her books

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:02:55 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — For colleges and libraries seeking a boldfaced name for a guest lecturer, few come bigger than Sonia Sotomayor, the Supreme Court justice who rose from poverty in the Bronx to the nation’s highest court.She has benefited, too — from schools’ purchases of hundreds, sometimes thousands, of the books she has written over the years.Sotomayor’s staff has often prodded public institutions that have hosted the justice to buy her memoir or children’s books, works that have earned her at least $3.7 million since she joined the court in 2009. Details of those events, largely out of public view, were obtained by The Associated Press through more than 100 open records requests to public institutions. The resulting tens of thousands of pages of documents offer a rare look at Sotomayor and her fellow justices beyond their official duties.In her case, the documents reveal repeated examples of taxpayer-funded court staff performing tasks for the justice’s book ventures, whic...

Aid group says 2 children died as families fled Taliban demolition of their Kabul shantytown

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:02:55 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Two children died as scores of Afghan families fled a Taliban demolition this week of their shantytown homes in Kabul, an international aid group said Tuesday. The Norwegian Refugee Council said the demolition of the ramshackle settlement in the Pul-e-Shina area outside of Kabul this week left 280 families, or around 1,700 people, homeless. The group said it received reports of two children — one aged 4 and another aged 15 — dying as families evacuated their homes.The group did not know the immediate cause of death. No one from the Taliban-led government or the Kabul municipality was immediately available for comment. More than 6 million people are internally displaced in Afghanistan, mostly due to decades of war. But worsening living conditions since the Taliban takeover in August 2021 — as U.S. and NATO forces were withdrawing from the country after 20 years of war — and increased economic hardship are also forcing people to move. The economic collapse has driven ...

China says its foreign minister is ill. A senior diplomat will take his place at ASEAN

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:02:55 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang is unwell and the country’s senior diplomat will take his place at a two-day summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations this week in Jakarta, Indonesia, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin gave no details of what was ailing Qin, who has not been seen in public in more than two weeks. “State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang is unable to attend this series of foreign ministers’ meetings due to health reasons,” Wang said at a daily briefing Tuesday. Wang Yi, a former foreign minister and the current head of the ruling Communist Party’s Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, will represent China at the meetings Thursday and Friday, Wang Wenbin said. Wang Yi drew controversy last week with comments saying Westerners are incapable of distinguishing among Chinese, Koreans and Japanese, and suggesting the three countries with vastly different societies and polities form an allia...

Millennial Money: Stop using paper checks, already

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:02:55 GMT

Sure, you’re probably not using paper checks for most things. But are you returning payments to medical providers and insurance companies in the mail? Paying by check for the random parking ticket or your child’s piano lessons? Now is a good time to stop: Check fraud tied to mail theft is up nationwide, according to a February alert from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. And letter carrier robberies are also on the rise.This is partially due to the effects of the pandemic, when thieves targeted government relief checks in the mail. “Fraudsters just went back to tried-and-true potential attack factors that seemed to be working,” says Michael Bruemmer, head of global data breach resolution for Experian.The U.S. Postal Service is vulnerable, and thieves who can access your checks can change the amount and ferret those funds right out of your bank account. And then it can take weeks to get the funds back.“It’s absolutely a life disruption event when you mail a check and it’s bee...

16-year-old girl critical after shooting in South Shore

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:02:55 GMT

CHICAGO — A 16-year-old girl is among two people injured following a shooting in the city's South Shore neighborhood.The shooting happened just before 10 p.m. Monday in the 7100 block of South Yates. Police said officers responded to a person shot and found two female victims struck by gunfire.According to police, a 16-year-old girl was transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition. A 32-year-old woman was transported to the same hospital in good condition. String of robberies, carjackings hit North Side neighborhoods Police said the two unidentified offenders fled the scene on foot. No one is in custody.Area One detectives are investigating.

Tuesday Forecast: Temps in mid 80s with chance for storms

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:02:55 GMT

CHICAGO — Sun and clouds Tuesday with a chance of isolated showers and thunderstorms. Air quality is in the Good category. Winds: WSW/NNE 5-15 mph. High 85/82 lakeside.Increasing clouds tonighy. Rain/t-storms return overnight. Winds: ENE 10-15 mph. Low 66. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here Wednesday Forecast: Rain at times and muggy. Cooler temps, especially by the lake. Winds: ESE 10-15 mph. High 76/72 lakeside.Extended outlook calls for drying out and warming up as we get into Thu with temps back in the 80s with partly sunny skies and a slight chance of a t'storm. Friday we're see more warmth with highs back towards upper 80s to low 90s with a slight chance of showers/t'storms. The weekend will see temps in the 80s and a slight chance of showers/t'storms each afternoon. Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog

FDA to import more Chinese cancer drugs amid shortage

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:02:55 GMT

(The Hill) - The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is opening the way for more cancer drugs from China as the U.S. continues to deal with an ongoing shortage in key chemotherapy treatments.A spokesperson for the FDA confirmed on Monday that the agency is permitting 10 additional lots of the common cancer drug cisplatin to be distributed by the Chinese company Qilu Pharmaceutical.Cisplatin is currently under shortage along with another common cancer drug carboplatin. These two drugs, oftentimes prescribed together, are used to treat a wide variety of cancers such as those of the breast, lung and prostate.The latest move was first reported by Bloomberg.The FDA last month issued a letter allowing the "Temporary Importation of CISplatin Injection with non-U.S. Labeling" in order to address the shortage of chemotherapy medications. At the time, four lots were allowed to be distributed.While cisplatin is a commonly used drug in the U.S., the cisplatin product being imported by Qilu — man...

Man shot, injured in north Austin; Suspect at large

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:02:55 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A man is in the hospital with life-threatening injuries after he was shot at a north Austin apartment complex Monday night, according to the Austin Police Department. The shooting happened around 11:30 p.m. at the Aubry Hills apartment complex, which is on North Lamar Boulevard near the intersection of West Rundberg Lane. APD said the victim was inside the apartment, and the gunshot came from outside of the apartment. The victim was transported to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. Police said the suspect has not yet been found. It's unclear if the suspect and victim knew each other. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Maureen Dowd: It’s seven grandkids, Mr. President

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:02:55 GMT

WASHINGTON — Even my Republican sister is not immune to Joe Biden’s gregarious Irish charm.She met him at media holiday parties over the years and was so impressed that she got seduced to the other side for a time, voting for the Obama-Biden ticket in 2008 and writing in Biden’s name for president in 2012. She sent out a Christmas card one year with a picture of herself cheek to cheek with Biden — and some of her Republican friends stopped speaking to her.So I was surprised recently when I discovered my sister writing a letter to Biden, a plea that she had started in the middle of the night, after mulling over the matter for quite a while.“I watched as you told the nation that you had six grandchildren and you loved each one of them,” she wrote. “I believe that. What I cannot believe and what I find unconscionable is that you refuse to admit or accept the fact that there is a beautiful little 4-year-old girl living in Arkansas by the name of Navy Joan who is your seventh grandchild....

Celebrate Christmas in July with Great Sacandaga Brewing Company

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:02:55 GMT

BROADALBIN, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The most wonderful time of the year is so nice, it's happening twice. On Wednesday, July 26, the Great Sacandaga Brewing Company will celebrate "A Very Merry Christmas In July." Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! The event, starting at 6 p.m., will take place at the Sacandaga Brewery, located at 3647 NY 30 in Broadalbin. The celebration will include paint, ceramic trees, bulbs, stars, and more. Come and enjoy decorating trees without the pain of the winter chill. The cost of the event is $75.00. To RSVP, you must call (518) 661-7881.