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PM’s brother denies Trudeau Foundation was involved in foreign interference

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:52 GMT

OTTAWA — The prime minister’s brother insisted to members of Parliament on Wednesday that the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation has not been part of any foreign interference attempts by China, as the organization continues to be dogged by questions about controversial donations. Alexandre Trudeau, who has been involved in the foundation since its early days and was an executive director until 2020, said the donations from Chinese businessmen were negotiated before his brother became prime minister.“I must insist there was no foreign interference, no possibility of interference, no intention or means of interference at or in the Trudeau Foundation,” he told the House of Commons ethics committee. “This is a waste of time.”The committee is investigating the circumstances around a pair of 2016 and 2017 donations from Chinese billionaire Zhang Bin and another Chinese businessman, Niu Gensheng, that totalled $140,000. The Globe and Mail had reported in Februa...

Quebec flooding: Bodies of firefighters found two days after being swept away

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:52 GMT

BAIE-SAINT-PAUL, Que. — Searchers recovered two bodies Wednesday believed to be those of volunteer firefighters swept away by a swollen river this week, as residents of Quebec’s Charlevoix region began cleaning up from the devastating flooding.  Provincial police spokeswoman Sgt. Béatrice Dorsainville said the bodies were found by a police helicopter in St-Urbain, Que., around 110 kilometres northeast of Quebec City. They were in the Rivière du Gouffre, about 500 metres from each other, she told reporters. While police said the bodies appear to be those of the missing firefighters, formal identification will have to come from the coroner.Media reports have identified the firefighters who went missing Monday as Christopher Lavoie, 23, and Régis Lavoie, 55, who were reportedly not related.Quebec Premier François Legault spoke about the men Wednesday during a visit to heavily flooded Baie-St-Paul, which is just downriver from St-Urbain. He noted that one of them was in his 50s an...

White House warns of recession as debt limit fight drags on

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:52 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House economists on Wednesday warned of “severe damage” to the U.S. economy in the event of a debt default, warning that a prolonged default could cause 8.3 million job losses and the stock market to tumble 45%.But the new report from the Council of Economic Advisers shows that even less severe scenarios would hamper the U.S. economy, evidence that the political showdown over the debt limit carries major financial costs. Without a deal in place between Congress and the White House, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned that the federal government will lack the accounting tools to keep borrowing and potentially begin to default as soon as June 1.The first and most dangerous scenario is a “protracted default.” The second is a “short default” in which Congress acts swiftly to allow the nation to borrow again after defaulting. The third is “brinkmanship,” in which lawmakers take the country’s full faith and credit to the wire, but avert d...

Ex-Miss Florida pageant director goes to prison for fraud

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:52 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — The former executive director of the Miss Florida pageant has been sentenced to more than a year in federal prison for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the organization.Mary Wickersham, 77, was sentenced last Friday in Miami federal court, according to court records. Earlier this year, she pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, while six other counts were dropped. In addition to prison time, Wickersham, who is also known as Mary Sullivan, must pay $243,000 in restitution.Wickersham began serving as the executive director of the Miss Florida Scholarship Program in 2002. The program offers educational and financial assistance to young women across the state, and each year the state winner goes on to compete in the Miss America pageant, which Florida has won twice.According to a criminal complaint, Wickersham formed a Florida corporation named Miss Florida LLC in 2011 and used it to open a bank account in the same name. Without the knowledge or consent of...

Since his ouster, embarrassing reports on Carlson pile up

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:52 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A week after Fox News fired star host Tucker Carlson — for reasons that remain unexplained — he has been the subject of a handful of embarrassing stories about some of his private messages and statements while at the network.The latest was in The New York Times on Wednesday, reporting on a text message that had been redacted as part of a recent defamation case targeting the network. In it, Carlson declared that a group of Trump supporters beating a protester was “not how white men fight.”The sentiment was not out of character for Carlson, who has promoted the view that whites are being “replaced” by people of color. But the Times suggested the timing was crucial, as members of Fox’s board found out about the message as part of documents uncovered in the defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems, shortly before a trial was to begin last month.The newspaper said the discovery “contributed to a chain of events” that led to Carlson being fired April 24, l...

Washington governor rolls back limitations on police chases

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:52 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — With the stroke of a pen Wednesday, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee rolled back some requirements for police to chase people in vehicles, a partial reversal of a controversial pursuit policy first enacted in the state at the height of racial injustice protests following George Floyd’s murder.Under the new law, police no longer need probable cause to initiate a pursuit. Instead, reasonable suspicion that a person inside a vehicle has committed or is committing a crime would be enough to give chase.The bill reflects a call for a return to more flexibility for law enforcement after Washington lawmakers passed an array of reforms to reduce violence and death in police response, covering everything from background checks officers undergo before they’re hired to the circumstances under which they can pursue vehicles.“Sometimes the pendulum swings too fast,” said John Bandler, a lecturer at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. “The criminal justice system is not a well-oiled whe...

Guatemala seeks arrest of ex-guerrilla leader in 1980 blast

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:52 GMT

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — A judge in Guatemala issued an arrest warrant Wednesday for Gustavo Meoño, a former leftist guerrilla leader and transparency activist, in connection with a 1980 bomb attack. The bombing in Guatemala City’s main plaza killed several people and was blamed on the rebels of the Guerrilla Army of the Poor. The attack occurred during the country’s 1960-1996 civil war between the army and leftist rebels in which over 200,000 people died, most at the hands of the military. Meoño was leader of the Army of the Poor at the time of the attack. He later went on to head the National Police Historic Archive, a collection of millions of documents found in a warehouse in 2005 that documented rights abuses during the conflict. Meoño faces homicide and other charges in the case. He had not been charged until now because the case was based on a complaint filed by citizens in 2017.The Associated Press

Chicago Park District after-school program relocated to accommodate migrants

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:52 GMT

CHICAGO — A Chicago Park District after school program in Avondale is being relocated in order to help migrants arriving in the City.The City of Chicago is converting the building found at Brands Park on North Elston Avenue into a temporary shelter for migrants, meanwhile, the park district is moving children enrolled in programming at the park to Horner Park on Montrose Avenue and Linne Elementary on Sacramento Avenue.Parents who picked up their kids from after school programming at Brands Park Wednesday learned their children couldn't come back."Honestly the kids were confused. My child was very upset," said Courtney Roman. "I told my son to clean out his locker and bring everything home because we wouldn’t be returning. That was really inconsiderate."Mayor Lori Lightfoot's Office provided a statement Wednesday on the City's latest efforts to accommodate migrants arriving in Chicago:"As a welcoming city, Chicago continues to receive new arrivals and tend to their immediate needs. ...

1 in critical condition after 3-car crash in Hobart

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:52 GMT

HOBART, Ind. — One person is in critical condition after a crash on Wednesday afternoon in Hobart, according to the Hobart Fire Department.The crash happened around 3 p.m. near 37th Avenue and North Lake Park Avenue. Man runs red light, dies after being hit by semi-truck driver in Northwest Indiana According to a Facebook post from the Hobart Fire Department, one person was removed from the car and taken to a hospital in critical condition.The Hobart Police Department said three cars were involved in the crash.The South Lake County Accident Reconstruction Team is investigating.Additional details haven't been released at this time.

Aurora man accused of hurling death threats at Pritzker

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:52 GMT

WHEATON, Ill. — An Aurora man is accused of threatening harm to Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker by voicemail last month. Steven WoletzSteven Woletz, 46, is charged with one felony count of threatening a public official after prosecutors allege Woletz called the Governor’s Office of Constituent Affairs on April 15 and left a threatening voice message directed at Pritzker. SEE ALSO | AG: Chicago man charged with hate crimes after threatening Foxx, LightfootAccording to prosecutors, some of the comments left by Woletz included: “(Expletive) you and your (expletive) mother” and “I’m going to (expletive) kill you, you (expletive) silly (expletive) (expletive).” Illinois State Police troopers identified Woletz as the suspect. He was taken into custody on Tuesday and released on Wednesday after posting bond.Read more: Latest Chicago news headlinesHis next appearance in court is scheduled for Monday, May 22.