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Judge rejects military contractor’s effort to toss out Abu Ghraib torture lawsuit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:20:40 GMT

FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — A federal judge has again refused to dismiss a lawsuit brought by former Abu Ghraib inmates against a military contractor they accuse of being complicit in torture at the infamous Iraqi prison.The horrific mistreatment of prisoners there two decades ago sparked international outrage when photos became public of smiling U.S. soldiers posing in front of abused prisoners.Virginia-based CACI, which supplied interrogators at the prison, has long denied that it engaged in torture, and has tried more than a dozen times to have the lawsuit dismissed. The case was originally filed in 2008 and still has not gone to trial. The most recent effort to dismiss the case focused on a 2021 Supreme Court case that restricted companies’ international liability. In that case, the high court tossed out a lawsuit against a subsidiary of chocolate maker Nestle after it was accused of complicity in child slavery on African cocoa farms. CACI argued that the Nestle case is one o...

Students’ lives thrown into disarray after West Virginia college announces plans to close

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:20:40 GMT

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — The lives of hundreds of students like Ashton Miller were thrown into disarray after a debt-ridden university in West Virginia announced just before the start of fall classes that it plans to cease operations.Alderson Broaddus University’s Board of Trustees voted Monday night to develop a plan to disband after another board overseeing the state’s four-year colleges and universities revoked the small private school’s ability to award degrees effective Dec. 31. Now, the 625 students on the Baptist university’s Philippi campus are looking elsewhere — and fast. College campuses everywhere soon will be bustling with activity.The decision left students feeling a wide range of emotions, including sadness, frustration, anger and bewilderment.“I’ve got pretty much two weeks to find a new school and get everything set up to go there, just reset the whole process,” said Miller, a sophomore.Miller was a member of the Battlers wrestling team...

Michigan prosecutors charge Trump allies in felonies involving voting machines, illegal ‘testing’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:20:40 GMT

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A former Republican attorney general candidate and another supporter of former President Donald Trump have been criminally charged in Michigan in connection with accessing and tampering with voting machines after the 2020 election, according to court records.Matthew DePerno, a Republican lawyer who was endorsed by Trump in an unsuccessful run for Michigan attorney general last year, was charged with undue possession of a voting machine and conspiracy, according to Oakland County court records.Daire Rendon, a former Republican state representative, was charged with conspiracy to commit undue possession of a voting machine and false pretenses.Both were arraigned remotely Tuesday afternoon, according to Richard Lynch, the court administrator for Oakland County’s 6th Circuit.Those charged in Michigan are the latest facing legal consequences for alleged crimes committed after embracing Trump’s lie that the 2020 election was stolen. The charges come as the former pre...

Poilievre says Canada’s immigration system is broken, sidesteps target cut questions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:20:40 GMT

OTTAWA — Pierre Poilievre says Canada’s immigration system is broken, but the Conservative leader is sidestepping questions about whether he would change current targets. Appearing before reporters on Parliament Hill, Poilievre criticized Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s recent comments on housing and pledged to speed up entry for immigrants skilled in the building trades. The federal government has set a target of welcoming 500,000 immigrants per year by 2025, although some worry about the pressure that could add to the country’s housing crisis, driven by what experts agree is a supply shortage.Ottawa has defended its ambitious target as necessary given the labour shortage and thousands of job vacancies that employers continue to experience since the COVID-19 pandemic, which triggered widespread lockdowns. Poilievre slams the Liberal target as driven by Trudeau’s “ideology,” but he did not answer repeated questions about whether he would consider ...

Aurora man facing homicide charge after deadly cocaine overdose

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:20:40 GMT

WHEATON, Ill. — An Aurora man is facing a homicide charge after being accused of supplying the cocaine involved in the deadly overdose of a 62-year-old man.On March 29, 2021, authorities arrived to an overdose call in the 2000 block of West Roosevelt Road in Wheaton. They found an unresponsive man, later identified as Raul Torres, 62, who was pronounced dead at the scene.Cocaine was found on the floor in front of him. Following an investigation into his death, police allege Markwon Wilson, 21, of Aurora, sold Torres the cocaine. $50K reward offered after armed robbery of USPS carrier in River Grove Wilson was taken into custody on Wednesday on the charge of a drug-induced homicide. His bond was set at $500,000.Wilson's next court date is scheduled for Aug. 23.

Here’s what’s coming to Netflix in August

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:20:40 GMT

BestReviews is reader-supported and may earn an affiliate commission. Details.Zombies, documentaries, Gal Gadot and moreAs the summer winds down, the temperature is not the only thing heating up this August. Netflix is releasing an exhilarating lineup of shows that feature everything from A-list actors to zombies. This month, you get Gal Gadot, Matthew Broderick, stories about the indefatigable drive of the human spirit, zombies and more. So turn on your television, fire up that soundbar and get ready to end the summer with this sizzling slate of sublime streaming fare.The top August Netflix releasesNetflix is continuing its run as the must-subscribe streaming service this summer. Over the past couple of months, the impressive lineup has included Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chris Hemsworth, Amy Schumer, Adam DeVine, Pierce Brosnan and more. And the momentum isn’t slowing down. Netflix has a bevy of blockbuster-sized content to keep you on the edge of your couch throughout ...

CPD: 28-year-old missing from West Town neighborhood

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:20:40 GMT

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Police Department is asking for the public's help in locating a missing 28-year-old woman who was last seen on Saturday, July 29.Grace McManus, 28, was last seen at her residence on the 1800 block of West Evergreen Avenue in Chicago's West Town neighborhood at 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 29. CPD searching for endangered, missing elderly woman from Portage Park McManus is described as 5-foot-5, weighing 150 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes. She was last seen wearing a black tank top, jean shorts, sandals, and she also has multiple tattoos on her shoulder, arm, and ankle areas.Anyone with information regarding Grace McManus whereabouts are asked to contact the Chicago Police Department at 312-746-6554.

There's good news for beach towns threatened by massive seaweed bloom

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:20:40 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – Many late summer vacationers to Florida, the Caribbean and parts of Mexico will have cleaner beaches to look forward to, thanks to a shrinking seaweed mass that threatened to overwhelm coastal communities. University of South Florida researchers said Monday the quantity of seaweed in the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt "decreased substantially" between June and July. The seaweed belt remains huge – there's an estimated 6 million tons of sargassum still floating around – but it's down several million tons in just a few months. That's good news for residents, visitors and workers of beach areas of the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. Massive sargassum seaweed bloom takes surprising turn The problem with this type of seaweed, sargassum, isn't with it floating out in the ocean. The issues start when it comes on land and starts to rot. As it decays, sargassum lets off hydrogen sulfide and smells like rotten eggs, explains the Florida Department of Health.It can irritate people’...

MedWatch Daily Digest: Maternal mental health is being neglected in most states

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:20:40 GMT

For Tuesday, Aug 1, WGN's Lourdes Duarte has new medical information, including: More Coverage: WGN's Medical Watch Most states neglect maternal mental health According to a new report released by the nonprofit Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health, maternal mental health is neglected in most states. All but 10 states received either a "D" or "F" grade on policies and access to care, including therapists and treatment programs. Illinois was among the states to score a "C," but it's also one of the few states that require OB-GYN'sto conduct maternal mental health screenings before and after birth. California was the only state to earn a "B" grade. No state made an "A." "Long Covid" possible treatment trialsIf you are experiencing so-called "Long Covid," possible treatments may be coming. The National Institutes of Health is launching some studies to test potential care. One of the first two trials will examine brain fog and other cognitive problems. Two more studies will begin ...

Why the winner of the $1.1B Mega Millions jackpot would take home way less

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:20:40 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — Mega Millions players are likely well aware of the record-setting prize that's up for grabs Tuesday night. After going without a winner yet again last week, the jackpot has reached an estimated $1.1 billion. Even if you beat the jackpot odds (1 in 302.6 million) to win the grand prize, you won't be an instant billionaire. It's all thanks to how a jackpot winner claims their prize, and where they live. Mega Millions jackpot winners can receive their payout in one of two ways: as an annuity, which is one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments that grow by 5% each time, or as a lump sum cash payment. These are the best, worst states to win the lottery in Regardless of the payment method selected, state lotteries are required to immediately withhold 24% in federal taxes. With additional taxes, about 37% of the prize money will be taken out in total.Certain states also withhold taxes on winnings, while others, like California, don’t withhold any. E...