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Members of Congress Make New Push to Free Julian Assange

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:48 GMT

A bipartisan duo in Congress has launched a fresh effort to push President Joe Biden to drop the Department of Justice’s extradition request against Julian Assange and to stop prosecutorial proceedings against him.Reps. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., are asking their colleagues in the House to sign on to a letter to the Biden administration by Thursday, noting that opposing Assange’s prosecution is important not only for press freedom, but also to maintain credibility on the global stage. McGovern, a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus who co-chairs the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission in Congress, told The Intercept that the charges against Assange are part of an alarming global trend of increasing attacks against the press, including in the U.S. “The bottom line is that journalism is not a crime,” he wrote in a statement. “The work reporters do is about transparency, trust, and speaking truth to power. When they are unjustly targeted, we a...

Stock market today: Wall Street rises after corporate profits top forecasts and oil prices sink more

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:48 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is ticking higher Tuesday after Verizon, General Electric and other big companies reported fatter profits for the summer than expected.The S&P 500 was 0.2% higher in midday trading and on track to break a five-day losing streak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 95 points, or 0.3%, as of 12:30 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.3% higher.Verizon jumped 8.7% after saying it increased its number of broadband subscribers by 20% and earned more than analysts expected during the summer.General Electric rallied 6.4% after delivering better-than-expected earnings and raising its profit forecast for the year. Coca-Cola rose 2.6% after it said growth in Mexico, India and other markets helped drive it to better profit during the summer than analysts expected.The pace is picking up for companies to report their results for the summer, with more than 30% of companies in the S&P 500 on the schedule for this week. The broad hope is for S&am...

New-look Rutgers is hoping to get back to the NCAA Tournament after missing a bid with a late slide

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:48 GMT

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Steve Pikiell is entering his eighth basketball season at Rutgers and this one could be very different.Change is the watchword for the Scarlet Knights. The roster is almost unrecognizable, the style of play is uncertain, and so is what’s in store for the program heading into another Big Ten season.“We’re really excited. We’ve added some newcomers. We jumped in the portal and got some really good players. We have a freshman class that I think is very, very good,” Pikiell said. “We’re just looking forward to another great year.”Last season had the potential to be a great year with the Scarlet Knights on the verge of a third straight NCAA berth with a 16-7 record. They went 3-7 down the stretch and missed the show with a 19-15 record, including 10-10 in the Big Ten. They got an NIT bid and lost to Hofstra in the first round.While center Cliff Omoruyi and forward Mawot Mag are back up front, guards Paul Mulcahy and Cam Spencer have transferred and two-time ...

No. 2 Duke and No. 13 Miami headline the ACC men’s basketball title chase

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:48 GMT

Duke spent much of its first season under Jon Scheyer building to another Atlantic Coast Conference title. Yet it was Miami that outlasted the rest of the league in March for the program’s first trip to the Final Four.They are the ACC headliners to start the 2023-24 season, with the second-ranked Blue Devils eager to live up to projections as a national title contender and the 13th-ranked Hurricanes aiming for a third straight deep postseason run.For Duke, that means relying on preseason Associated Press All-American Kyle Filipowski inside and a strong NBA draft prospect in Tyrese Proctor among four returning starters to go with another top recruiting class. Scheyer, in his first full season as Mike Krzyzewski’s successor, led Duke to the program’s league-record 22nd ACC Tournament title before falling to Tennessee in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.“We have a core group returning,” Scheyer said. “You see our freshmen can really help us and can really play....

Forced labor concerns prompt US lawmakers to demand ban on seafood from two Chinese provinces

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:48 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A group of U.S. lawmakers wants the Biden administration to ban seafood processed in two Chinese provinces from entering the U.S. market because of concerns about rights abuses. They also say that Chinese facilities using forced labor should be banned from doing business with American companies.The request was sent Tuesday by the chairs of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China to the Department of Homeland Security. The commission is a congressional group charged with monitoring China’s compliance with international human rights standards.It’s the latest effort by U.S. lawmakers to restrict imports of Chinese goods on the grounds of rights abuse, a move that is certain to irk Beijing at a time of tensions over trade and other issues.The commission cited investigations by the nonprofit journalist organization The Outlaw Ocean Project that revealed human rights abuses on China’s fishing fleet and the forced labor of ethnic Uyghurs from the north...

¿Por qué el Bitcoin está subiendo nuevamente?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:48 GMT

(CNN) — El Bitcoin se dispara y superó los US$ 35.000 por primera vez desde mayo de 2022. Subió un 20% en los últimos cinco días.La famosa criptomoneda volátil ha más que duplicado su valor este año a medida que los inversores se entusiasman con la perspectiva de poder comprar fondos de bitcoin que se negocian en las antiguas bolsas de valores en lugar de tener que lidiar con plataformas criptográficas menos reguladas y a veces incompletas (FTX, Binance, y demás).La más reciente ronda de entusiasmo se produjo cuando el fondo para bitcoin que cotiza en bolsa BlackRock apareció en una lista controlada por Depository Trust and Clearing Corp. (DTCC, por sus siglas en inglés), una cámara de compensación para acciones y ETF (o fondo cotizado en bolsa) operada por Nasdaq, según Reuters.La inversión de El Salvador en bitcoin ha caído en poco más de US$ 67 millonesBlackRock solicitó en junio registrar un ETF al contado de bitcoin, que está pendiente de aprobación. La empresa es el mayo...

Rebecca Loos dice que David Beckham se retrató “como una víctima” en la serie de Netflix

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:48 GMT

(CNN) — Rebecca Loos no parece contenta con que se repase su historia con David Beckham.La docuserie de Netflix “Beckham” hace un recorrido por la vida de la superestrella del fútbol, incluida una supuesta aventura de hace décadas con Loos, que fue su asistente personal.Loos, que ahora está casada y es madre de dos hijos en Noruega, habló con el Daily Mail sobre la reacción de Beckham ante el escándalo de hace casi 20 años.Victoria Beckham dice que es de “clase obrera”, pero su esposo David no está nada de acuerdoEn la docuserie, tanto él como su esposa Victoria Beckham recuerdan el dolor que sufrieron durante aquella época como consecuencia del escrutinio mediático. La estrella deportiva, en particular, recuerda lo dolida que se sintió su esposa.“Puede decir lo que quiera, por supuesto, y entiendo que tiene una imagen que cuidar, pero se está retratando a sí mismo como la víctima y me está haciendo parecer una mentirosa, como si me hubiera inventado estas hi...

Mike Rhoades ready to begin new era at Penn State after whirlwind offseason marked by roster rebuild

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:48 GMT

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Mike Rhoades didn’t have a team to coach when Penn State hired him in March.Graduations and defections following Micah Shrewsberry’s departure for Notre Dame gutted the Nittany Lions’ roster. Rhoades, plucked from VCU after three NCAA tournament appearances in the last four years, turned to familiar faces to jumpstart his new program.In less than 60 days, Rhoades signed 10 players from eight different schools, including former VCU star Ace Baldwin Jr. and former North Carolina standout Puff Johnson, who had a hand in North Carolina’s run to the 2022 NCAA championship game.Transfers from Miami, Georgetown, Dickinson, Lafayette and Temple rounded out the roster.“I see some pieces that I really like and we’ve still got a ways to go to get where we want to go,” Rhoades said. “But I do like what we’re becoming.”Rhoades’ VCU teams went 129-61 overall and 72-32 in six seasons of Atlantic 10 play. Baldwin and former VCU teammate Nick Kern Jr. are eager to bring his...

Photos: Behind the scenes of 'Denver's oldest haunted house'

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:48 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Frightmare Compound is one of the most popular haunted houses in Denver with lines out the door before the spot even opens. FOX31 got a sneak peek into that haunted house and what makes Denverites scream.This Halloween has been one of the most popular seasons for Frightmare Compound. The weekend before Halloween, the wait time was four hours. Photos: Denver homes go all-out on Halloween decorations Josh Holder, the owner of Frighmare Compound, says the scare is all about the five senses."Scares change every year," said Holder. "You always want to hit on people's five senses. So you always want something touching people, people are walking through something you want the ground to be moving, pop-out scares are good."Visitors will experience those five senses within the haunted house, which takes about 20 minutes to walk through.Inside Frightmare Compound (KDVR)Actors getting ready at Frightmare Compound (KDVR)Inside Frightmare Compound (KDVR)Inside Frightmare Compo...

Aurora ranks as deadliest DUI city in Colorado so far this year

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:48 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Out of all the cities in Colorado, Aurora ranks the highest in impaired-related car accident deaths.The Colorado Department of Transportation recorded the number of people killed in impaired-related accidents this year. From the start of the year up to early October, Aurora ranks significantly higher than any other city in the entire state of Colorado. Man accused of DUI in crash that killed boy and his grandparents This graph includes all the cities with impaired-related car accident deaths. The rest of the cities in Colorado have zero deaths for the year.Aurora is one of the biggest cities in Colorado, but not the biggest with both Denver and Colorado Springs having a larger population than Aurora. Still, Aurora almost doubles the number of deaths in the two larger cities.While Aurora's death toll is the highest for this year, impaired drivers aren't just a problem in Aurora. Adams County deputy accused of DUI after driving through cemetery fence On Oct. 19, C...