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As Russia ramps up ‘traditional values’ rhetoric − especially against LGBTQ+ groups − it’s won Putin far-right fans abroad
With LGBTQ+ rights continuing to expand across much of the world, Vladimir Putin’s Russia has doubled down on restricting them – and a new ruling has made the future even more uncertain for Russian LGBTQ+ groups and individuals.
The LGBTQ+ “movement” is “extremist,” and its activities will be banned beginning in 2024, ...Read more
Boomers have a drug problem, but not the kind you might think
Baby boomers – that’s anyone born in the U.S. between 1946 and 1964 – are 20% of the population, more than 70 million Americans. Decades ago, many in that generation experimented with drugs that were both recreational and illegal. Although boomers may not be using those same drugs today, many are taking medications, often several of ...Read more
Emory hailed students' award-winning app, then suspended them for it, lawsuit says
ATLANTA — At first, Emory celebrated an AI learning tool created and marketed by undergraduate students. Then the university worried it could be used for cheating and suspended the students for a semester.
Now one of the students, a history and economics junior, is suing the Atlanta institution in an attempt to undo his punishment. His ...Read more
Colorado's demand for water is slated to surpass supplies by 2050. Did lawmakers do enough to address the crisis?
DENVER — As Colorado’s rivers shrink and its soils dry out, state lawmakers this year passed a slew of water bills that advocates say will help reduce water use and protect the critical natural resource.
Nine major bills aim to reduce water use in cities, replace nixed federal protections of wetlands and minimize the amount of toxic “...Read more
Philly health officials detect a veterinary sedative more powerful than xylazine in drug samples
PHILADELPHIA — The animal tranquilizer xylazine's spread into Philadelphia's illicit opioid supply has introduced new hazards to an already-dangerous drug crisis, sending people in addiction into intense blackouts and leaving them with severe skin wounds.
Now, another veterinary sedative more potent than xylazine has emerged. The discovery of...Read more
Shifting migrant routes make San Diego the new hotspot for illegal border crossings
SAN DIEGO — San Diego County has become the busiest corridor for illegal crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border as popular migration routes have continued to shift west from Arizona and Texas, according to the latest U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.
Last month, U.S. Border Patrol encountered 37,370 migrants along the 60 miles of ...Read more
A Calif. man started a petition to ban Airbnb in his neighborhood -- and it worked
First came the all-night parties and music blaring from a neighbor's house in Long Beach that kept Andy Oliver up at night.
Then there were the "smoke outs," when visitors enjoying refuge from hostile cannabis laws in their home states blazed marijuana throughout the day, sending clouds of hazy smoke into Oliver's sanctuary, his house in the ...Read more
Democrats seek to make GOP pay for threats to reproductive rights
Democrat Lucas Kunce is trying to pin reproductive care restrictions on Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, betting it will boost his chances of unseating the incumbent in November.
In a recent ad campaign, Kunce accuses Hawley of jeopardizing reproductive care, including in vitro fertilization. Staring straight into the camera, with tears in her ...Read more
San Francisco tries tough love by tying welfare to drug rehab
Raymond Llano carries a plastic bag with everything he owns in one hand, a cup of coffee in the other, and the flattened cardboard box he uses as a bed under his arm as he waits in line for lunch at Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco. At 55, he hasn’t had a home for 15 years, since he lost a job at Target.
Llano once tried to get on ...Read more
'I'd rather be deported': In this Georgia immigration court, hope is scarce
On a recent Monday morning, Georgia immigration Judge Carmen Maria Rey Caldas found herself dispensing the same life-altering verdict time after time.
“I’m ordering you removed … Good luck to you.”
Rey Caldas presided over dozens of dazed-looking migrants dressed in monochromatic prison frocks, some in orange, some in blue, others in ...Read more
Disneyland costumed character employees vote to unionize
Disneyland Resort employees who portray costumed characters such as Mickey Mouse or Cinderella have voted to unionize under the Actors’ Equity Association.
The unit, which consists of 1,700 people, voted 953 in favor of unionization and 258 against, Actors’ Equity said Saturday night on the social media platform X. Of the votes tallied, 79%...Read more
Over 24 hours, 19 demonstrators at Penn taken into custody after attempting to seize a campus building, while a new encampment goes up at Drexel
Within a frenzied 24-hour period, 19 pro-Palestinian demonstrators were arrested Friday after attempting to occupy a building on the University of Pennsylvania campus, and hundreds of others on Saturday set up a protest encampment in the heart of nearby Drexel University.
The attempted takeover of the Penn building and the new Drexel encampment...Read more
TikTok considers letting users upload videos 60 minutes long
TikTok, a digital platform beloved for its short and snappy videos, is experimenting with letting users upload clips as long as 60 minutes.
Back when it first launched in the U.S. in 2017, TikTok featured clips lasting only 15 seconds. But the company, which is owned by ByteDance, has eased its time restrictions in the years since, with all ...Read more
3 killed after Amtrak train hits vehicle in Western NY
Three people were killed after a northbound Amtrak train struck a vehicle in western New York Friday night, according to multiple reports.
The incident occurred just before 8 p.m. in North Towanda, in the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area, fire officials said in a news release Saturday morning. When firefighters arrived at the scene, they...Read more
Educators call Gov. Gavin Newsom's slash to school funding 'unconstitutional'
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled his revised state budget last week with details of how he planned to close a $27.6 billion deficit. Now, outraged educational leaders across California are calling the cuts to school funding “unconstitutional” and has the potential for litigation.
Some of those cuts involve Proposition 98, a ...Read more
Dali cargo ship, which crashed into Key Bridge, is set to be refloated Monday morning
BALTIMORE — The Dali cargo ship is set to be refloated Monday morning, the Key Bridge Response Unified Command announced Saturday afternoon.
After sitting stuck in the Patapsco River following its March 26 crash into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, the vessel is scheduled to leave its position at high tide Monday morning around 5:...Read more
Secondary cockpit barriers signed into law by Biden, 2 decades after 9/11
One of the tragic flaws of 9/11 is now fixed.
President Joe Biden has signed into law the “FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024,” requiring secondary cockpit barriers on all commercial airplanes.
As The Boston Herald reported, the new rule was adopted by the U.S. House 387–26 this week, placing the matter before the president. Now it is the ...Read more
Rudy Giuliani 'unfazed' as he is served Arizona indictment papers for election scheme during 80th birthday party
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was served a patriotic-themed birthday cake during his 80th birthday party in Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday night — then served with a notice of indictment related to an alleged scheme to overturn the 2020 election results in Arizona.
Giuliani was indicted last month alongside 18 other allies of ...Read more
Suspect in random NYC attack on Steve Buscemi hit with assault charges; arraignment pending
NEW YORK — The homeless man accused of punching “Reservoir Dogs” actor Steve Buscemi was hit with assault charges following his arrest, cops said Saturday.
Suspect Clifton Williams’ arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court was expected to happen Saturday, officials said.
Williams, 50, was taken into custody on second degree assault ...Read more
After a 17-year wait, cicadas emerge a little early in Chicago area: 'It's a milestone'
CHICAGO — It’s official, Chicagoland. Periodical cicadas have arrived.
The large insects, which last emerged in the area 17 years ago, have been spotted in droves in pockets of the city and suburbs. On certain streets on the Far Southwest Side Saturday, cicadas dotted the sidewalks and blanketed the trees.
“It’s pretty exciting. It’s...Read more
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