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Maryland’s US attorney charges out-of-state police chiefs, firearms dealers with machine gun conspiracy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:45 GMT

This content was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for Maryland Matters’ free email subscription today.Former police chiefs in North Dakota and North Carolina are facing charges in Maryland in connection with a conspiracy to illegally acquire machine guns and other firearms — and court records indicate the case could reach into other states as well.The charges are similar to those faced by Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins (R), who sought during a hearing in U.S. District Court on Thursday to have the case against him dismissed.“A top priority of the U.S. Attorney’s Office remains holding accountable those who illegally possess or traffic firearms,” a spokesperson for U.S. Attorney Erek Barron said in an emailed statement.At issue in both cases are the use of “law letters” sent to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to obtain firearms that are generally prohibited from sale in the U.S., such as fully automatic...

Buhai, Lee tied for third-round lead at the LPGA tournament in South Korea

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:45 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Former Women’s British Open champion Ashleigh Buhai shot a 3-under 69 Saturday to move into a share of the third-round lead at the LPGA South Korea tournament.Buhai and Minjee Lee, who shot 71, had 12-under totals of 204 on the Seowon Valley Country Club course outside Seoul.Defending champion Lydia Ko, a South Korean-born New Zealander, shot 69 and was a stroke behind and tied for third with American Alison Lee, who shot 67.Celine Boutier, who won the Scottish Open and the LPGA major Evian Championship back to back in August, had the lead briefly on the back nine but bogeys on 17 and 18 left her with a 68 and she she was tied for fifth with American Lauren Coughlin (67), two strokes behind the leaders.No. 1-ranked Lilia Vu shot a 74 Saturday and was well back at 3-over.The South Korea tournament is the second of four in the LPGA Tour ’s Asian swing. Angel Yin, who shot 71 Saturday and is four strokes off the lead, won the LPGA Shanghai event last wee...

OPINIÓN | Una buena semana para Biden, una mala semana para el mundo

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:45 GMT

Nota del editor: David Mark es periodista político, autor y orador público. Es autor de “Going Dirty: The Art of Negative Campaigning” y coautor de “Dog Whistles, Walk-Backs, and Washington Handshakes: Decoding the Jergon Slang and Bluster of American Political Speech”. Las opiniones expresadas en este comentario son suyas.(CNN) — Los presidentes demócratas recientes han buscado la reelección limitando las campañas abiertas y, en cambio, asegurándose de que se los vea centrándose en los aspectos prácticos de su trabajo.El presidente Bill Clinton, en su exitoso intento de reelección en 1996, pasó los últimos meses de su campaña negociando acuerdos legislativos con un Congreso de mayoría republicana. Y el presidente Barack Obama, a finales de octubre de 2012, se tomó un tiempo fuera de la campaña electoral en su intento finalmente ganador de liderar la respuesta federal al huracán Sandy en el noreste.A poco más de un año del día de las elecciones de 2024, el presidente Joe Biden...

Humanitarian aid convoy begins crossing into Gaza Strip from Egypt

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:45 GMT

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Humanitarian aid convoy begins crossing into Gaza Strip from Egypt.Source

MLB playoffs 2023: Wheeler vs Gallen with NLCS tied 2-all; Astros head home with 3-2 lead in ALCS

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:45 GMT

A couple of late comebacks made Friday the most dramatic night of baseball’s postseason so far. Jose Altuve hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning and the Houston Astros, following another bench-clearing scuffle with the rival Texas Rangers, rallied for a wild 5-4 victory in Game 5 of the AL Championship Series.A few hours later in Phoenix, pinch-hitter Alek Thomas tied the score with a two-run homer in the eighth and Gabriel Moreno followed with a go-ahead single as the Arizona Diamondbacks stunned the Philadelphia Phillies 6-5 to even the NLCS at two games apiece.That marked the first time in major league history two teams rallied to win postseason games on the same day after trailing by two runs or more in the eighth inning or later.After taking all three matchups at streaky Texas, the defending World Series champion Astros head back home to Houston needing one win to capture a third consecutive AL pennant. They lead 3-2 in the best-of-seven playoff going into Game 6 on ...

Aid enters Gaza as Rafah border crossing opens

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:45 GMT

The Egyptian-controlled Rafah border crossing from the Gaza Strip opened on Saturday morning, letting trucks carrying humanitarian aid into the blockaded enclave, which has been under siege from the Israeli military for almost two weeks.The first of 200 trucks loaded with about 3,000 tons of aid, which have been blocked near the Rafah crossing for days, started moving toward Gaza early Saturday, the Associated Press reported.Earlier this week, U.S. President Joe Biden said Egypt had agreed to open the border and let 20 trucks enter the Palestinian enclave, while Israel said it would allow the delivery of food, water or medicine — but no fuel — from Egypt, provided they were limited to civilians in the southern part of Gaza and would not go to Hamas militants.European leaders were quick to welcome the border’s opening. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on social media that the crossing’s opening was “an important first step that will alleviate ...

US, EU blamed as climate fund talks break down over World Bank push

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:45 GMT

Recriminations were spreading Saturday morning after the failure of talks on the creation of a new fund to help vulnerable countries rebuild from climate disasters.During fraught talks that were partially webcast, negotiators from developing countries blamed the U.S. in particular for insisting on housing the proposed fund in the World Bank, an institution dominated by highly developed economies.“If wealthy nations do not come to the next meeting prepared to let go of this unrealistic proposal, meet their international obligations, and set up a stand-alone, rights-based and resourced fund, they might as well not show up at all,” said Lien Vandamme, an observer at the talks for the Center for International Environmental Law.Vandamme accused the EU, which also backs the idea of the World Bank as host, of hiding behind the U.S. A European Commission spokesperson said the 24-member committee of government officials from rich and poor countries tasked with designing the fu...

Israel-Hamas war cuts deep into Germany’s soul

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:45 GMT

It’s as if one front in the Israel-Hamas war is playing out on the streets of Berlin.The main battleground has been an avenue lined with chicken and kebab restaurants in Neukölln, a neighborhood in the south-east of the city that’s home to many Middle Eastern immigrants. Some pro-Palestinian activists have called for demonstrators to turn out almost nightly, and, as one post put it, turn the area “into Gaza.”On October 18, hundreds of people, many of them teenagers, answered the call.“From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” chanted many in the crowd as a phalanx of riot police closed in on them. Berlin public prosecutors say the slogan is a call for the erasure of Israel, and have moved to make its utterance a criminal offense.While similar scenes have played out across much of the world, for Germany’s leaders, they are profoundly embarrassing and strike at the heart of the nation’s identity, on account of the country’s Nazi past. Germany’s “history and our re...

Egypt border crossing opens, letting a trickle of desperately needed aid into besieged Gaza

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:45 GMT

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The border crossing between Egypt and Gaza opened on Saturday to let a trickle of desperately needed aid into the besieged Palestinian territory for the first time since Israel sealed it off in the wake of Hamas’ bloody rampage two weeks ago.Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians, half of whom have fled their homes, are rationing food and drinking dirty water. Hospitals say they are running low on medical supplies and fuel for emergency generators amid a territory-wide power blackout. Israel is still launching waves of airstrikes across Gaza as Palestinian militants fire rocket barrages into Israel.The opening came after more than a week of high-level diplomacy by various mediators, including visits to the region by U.S. President Joe Biden and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Israel had insisted that nothing would enter Gaza until some 200 people captured by Hamas were freed, and the Palestinian side of the crossing had been shut down by Israel...

Horoscopes Oct. 21, 2023: Glen Powell, discover what makes you happy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:45 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Blanca Suarez, 35; Glen Powell, 35; Matt Dallas, 41; Judge Judy Sheindlin, 81.Happy Birthday: Reach for what resonates with you, and distance yourself from pushy people who try to manipulate you emotionally. Focus on the changes that make you happy and go about your business behind the scenes, where you’ll experience less interference. Use your intelligence and innovative spirit to discover what makes you happy, and refuse to let anyone take liberties to disrupt your plans. Your numbers are 6, 10, 21, 27, 32, 34, 40.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Refuse to let emotions cloud your vision or lead to a misunderstanding. Pay attention, be kind and don’t start something that leads to regret. Choose your battles and your words wisely, and make your focus self-improvement instead of trying to change others. 2 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): You’ve got more going for you than you realize. Try something new and reach out to experts who can shorten y...