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Julianna Margulies, Susan Sarandon issue apologies over recent controversial comments sparked by Israel-Hamas war

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:50:58 GMT

(CNN) — Julianna Margulies has released an apology after her recent comments on a podcast stoked controversy.In comments she made on an episode of the “Back Room with Andy Ostroy” podcast last month, the actress voiced criticism of certain marginalized communities for what she perceived to be their lack of support for Jews, among other things. The conversation between Margulies and Ostroy – who are both Jewish – was prompted by the Israel-Hamas war and the rise in antisemitism they have seen in this country since the war began.In a statement emailed to CNN on Friday via a representative, Margulies said she is “horrified” that her comments “offended the Black and LGBTQIA+ communities, communities I truly love and respect.”“I want to be 100% clear: Racism, homophobia, sexism, or any prejudice against anyone’s personal beliefs or identity are abhorrent to me, full stop,” she continued. “Throughout my career I have worked tirelessly to combat hate of all kind, end antisemitism, speak ou...

Former Colombian military officer accused in base bombing extradited to South Florida

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:50:58 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — A former Colombian military officer accused of injuring dozens, including three U.S. soldiers, in a bombing attack at a Colombian military base has been extradited to South Florida.A five-count indictment against Andres Fernando Medina Rodriguez, 39, was unsealed Friday in Miami federal court, according to court records. A federal grand jury brought charges last year that include conspiring to murder members of the U.S. uniformed services and attempted murder of members of the U.S. uniformed services. He faces a possible life sentence.A defense attorney for Medina Rodriguez didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment from The Associated Press.Court records list another man charged in the indictment, Ciro Alfonso Gutierrez Ballesteros, as a fugitive.According to the indictment, Medina Rodriguez and others planned a bombing attack against the Colombian 30th Army Brigade Base in Cucuta, Colombia. Medina Rodriguez used his status as a medically discharged Colomb...

Former prep school teacher going back to prison for incident as camp counselor

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:50:58 GMT

OSSIPPEE, N.H. (AP) — A former prep school teacher who served 11 months for sexually abusing two students in Pennsylvania is going back to prison for an earlier incident when he was a camp counselor in New Hampshire.Matthew Scavitto, 39, of West Chester, Pennsylvania, was sentenced Friday to 2 1/2 to five years in state prison for incidents involving a boy from 2002 to 2003 at Camp Tecumseh in Moultonborough, New Hampshire, according to Eric MacLeish, a lawyer for the victim in the case.The victim, Will Addis, of Camden, Maine, said future abuse at an all-boys boarding school in Pennsylvania could’ve stopped if camp officials had alerted New Hampshire Child Protection. In 2015, Scavitto pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct with students at The Phelps School in Malvern, Pennsylvania.“Had the camp reported the abuse, Scavitto would have been prosecuted 20 years ago and he would never have been able to gain access to other victims at the camp and the Phelps School,” Addis sa...

Massachusetts Republicans stall funding, again, to shelter the homeless and migrants

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:50:58 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — For a third consecutive day, Republicans thwarted attempts by the Democratic-controlled Massachusetts Legislature to approve a spending bill that includes money for temporary shelter spaces for migrant homeless families.Saturday’s session had hardly gotten underway before the Republican caucus used a procedural process to once again delay a vote on the $2.8 billion spending package. A fraction of that money — hundreds of millions of dollars — would support shelters that are being strained by a crush of migrant and homeless families.Legislators already wrapped up their formal session without approval of the supplemental budget, and won’t return for another formal session until next month.Legislation can be adopted in informal sessions but rules for those sessions allow a single lawmaker to derail the process. Action on the budget was delayed on Thursday and Friday. They’ve scheduled another informal session on Monday.Republicans...

Ticker: Some OPEC+ members will cut the oil that they send to the world to try to boost prices

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:50:58 GMT

The OPEC oil cartel and allied producers have made another big swipe at propping up lagging crude prices. The OPEC+ oil ministers came out of an online meeting with more than 2 million barrels per day in voluntary cuts through the first three months of next year.They also declared that Brazil will join the bloc in January, bringing one of the world’s fastest-growing oil producers into an alliance that is trying to rein in global supply. Sweeping cutbacks from OPEC+ and individual member countries since October 2022 haven’t made lasting changes to oil prices because of concerns about oversupply in a weakening global economy. That’s a good thing for U.S. drivers who have been getting cheaper gas.BMW recalls SUVs after Takata air bag inflator blows apart, hurling shrapnel and injuring driverBMW is recalling a small number of SUVs in the U.S. because the driver’s air bag inflators can blow apart in a crash, hurling metal shrapnel and possibly injuring or killing people.U.S. ...

Report: Contaminants being removed from vacant Chicago lot where migrant housing is planned

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:50:58 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — High levels of mercury and other contaminants are being removed from a vacant Chicago lot where a tent camp housing 2,000 migrants is planned, a report from a consultant hired by the city said.The Chicago Tribune reported that the nearly 800-page assessment by Terracon Consultants released Friday night said high levels of mercury and other chemicals were being removed from the Brighton Park lot where workers had already begun building the giant tents for incoming migrants this week. City officials did not respond to requests by The Associated Press for comment, or access to the report, on Saturday. The document was only released to those who filing an open records request, despite being at the heart of roiling controversy over the site and in spite of a repeated vow from Johnson to keep the public informed, The Tribune reported.Local residents have been protesting the project, saying it doesn’t meet zoning requirements and that the soil at the site, which has a long h...

Man arrested in Morocco allegedly behind fake bomb threats in Quebec: police

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:50:58 GMT

MONTREAL — Quebec police say authorities in Morocco have arrested a man who was allegedly behind a series of phony bomb threats sent to several institutions across the province.The provincial police force says the unnamed, 45-year-old male suspect was arrested in the Moroccan town of Tafraoute, roughly 230 kilometres southwest of Marrakech.The arrest follows what police describe as a mass e-mailing of fake bomb threats across Canada and other countries demanding money in exchange for the location of explosives.Quebec police say they’ve identified around 50 such cases in the province targeting schools, businesses, offices, governments and media outlets.The series of incidents between Oct. 18 and Nov. 27 led to an international investigation and the arrest in Morocco earlier this week.Ontario Provincial Police announced on Thursday that they had “strong reason” to believe a person arrested in Morocco by Belgian police was also allegedly behind bomb threats against sc...

Search for military personnel continues after Osprey crash off coast of southern Japan

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:50:58 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — A search continued Saturday for seven missing military personnel following the crash of an Osprey off the coast of southern Japan, and a body pulled from the ocean was formally identified.Air Force Staff Sgt. Jacob Galliher of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, was formally identified by the the Air Force Special Operations Command on Saturday, after tributes had begun pouring in the day before.His family issued a statement Saturday saying it was in mourning and asking for privacy and prayers for his wife, two children and other family members.“Jacob was an incredible son, brother, husband, father and friend to so many. His short life touched and made better the lives of hundreds, if not thousands in Pittsfield, in this region and everywhere he served,” the family said. “Jacob lived to serve his family, his country and the people he loved.”Galliher was the only crew member recovered while the others remained missing after the crash on Wednesday off Yakushima Island....

Father, 13-year-old son victims in Richmond, B.C. double homicide, investigators say

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:50:58 GMT

RICHMOND, B.C. — British Columbia’s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says a 13-year-old boy and his father were the victims in a double homicide in the suburban Vancouver city of Richmond. IHIT issued a statement Saturday saying the boy and his 46-year-old father were killed at their home on Thursday.It says the investigation is still in the early stages, but initial evidence suggests it was a targeted incident and police are still working to determine a motive.Richmond RCMP were called to a house on Goldsmith Road in the area of the Rocky View Playground and the London Sports Fields around 10:30 p.m. Thursday after two people were found dead in a home.IHIT Sgt. Timothy Pierotti says investigators are asking anyone who may have seen anything suspicious in the area of the Rocky View Playground or the adjoining pathways on the night of November 30 to contact the investigation team.RCMP say officers were called to the home after receiving a report of a “suspicious cir...

Trump’s VP: Ranking the candidates from most likely to least

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:50:58 GMT

(The Hill) — The Republican presidential primary calendar won’t officially kick off until the Jan. 15, 2024, Iowa caucuses, but former President Trump’s dominant position in the polls has already sparked chatter about who could join him on a general election ticket.Trump is leading his primary rivals by an average of 60 percent at the national level and more than 20 percent in state surveys, creating a sense that the nomination is his to lose.  Richard Branson says Virgin Galactic ‘should’ have ‘sufficient funds’ without his investment Some have started to look beyond the primary calendar and toward a rematch between Trump and President Biden, with former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and others weighing in on who should join Trump on the GOP ballot.Trump himself has offered fleeting insights into his view on a potential running mate. He told NBC’s Kristen Welker in a September interview that he liked the concept of picking a woman, “but we’re going to pick the best person.”He...