Saturday, April 12

News

Blake Snell and Dodgers reportedly agree to $182 million, 5-year contract
News

Blake Snell and Dodgers reportedly agree to $182 million, 5-year contract

According to someone with firsthand knowledge of the talks, Blake Snell has agreed to a five-year, $182 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the winners of the World Series. Because the arrangement is contingent on a successful physical, the individual spoke to The Associated Press Tuesday night under the condition of anonymity. The two-time Cy Young Award winner personally broke the news by sharing a picture of himself wearing a No. 7 Dodgers uniform on social media. The specifics of his contract were initially published by ESPN. The Dodgers would get their first big deal of the summer with Snell joining two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani in a star-studded rotation after Ohtani signed a $700 million, 10-year contract last winter. During his recuperation from elbow surgery, Ohtani did not ...
Trump transition signs White House agreement after delay
News

Trump transition signs White House agreement after delay

A memorandum of understanding between the White House and President-elect Donald Trump's transition team has been signed after a protracted delay, enabling the incoming administration to interact with government agencies. Susie Wiles, Trump's incoming White House chief of staff, said in a statement that the signing of the memo enables important preparations to start. President-elect Trump is embarking on the next stage of his administration's transition by signing a Memorandum of Understanding with President Joe Biden's White House, Wiles said in a statement after concluding the selection of his incoming Cabinet. Through the agreement, a new administration can start the presidential transition process and gain access to federal resources, including federal agency staff and documents. Trump...
Appeals court agrees to dismiss Trump’s classified documents case
News

Appeals court agrees to dismiss Trump’s classified documents case

An appeals court on Tuesday agreed to dismiss charges related to Donald Trump s alleged mishandling ofclassified documents, effectively ending Special Counsel Jack Smith's prosecution of Trump. Smith's office on Mondaysought to dismiss charges, first made in June 2023, against Trump on allegations that he willfully retained national defense information after he left office and that he directed the deletion of security video at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Additionally, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan granted the special counsel's office's request on Monday to drop charges against Trump for his attempts to rig the 2020 election. A request for comment on the decision on Tuesday night was not immediately answered by a Trump lawyer. Smith's office representative chose not to comment. Th...
Local law enforcement prepares to ramp up ICE partnership amid Trump’s mass deportation plans
News

Local law enforcement prepares to ramp up ICE partnership amid Trump’s mass deportation plans

Bel Air, Md. Local law enforcement agencies are getting ready to expand a contentious program that permits them to collaborate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement as President-elect Donald Trump's incoming administration tightens its plan for mass deportations. The new administration will probably use the 287(g) program, which gives state and local law enforcement officials the authority to assist in enforcing federal immigration law, to increase its workforce as it prepares to begin what it claims is the greatest deportation campaign in American history. But as Inauguration Day approaches, it might also serve as a trigger for an impending judicial battle. Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, traveled to Texas on Tuesday to promote the incoming administration's mass deportation plans. Ho...
Millions to hit the roads for Thanksgiving ahead of ‘Arctic’ temperatures Thursday
News

Millions to hit the roads for Thanksgiving ahead of ‘Arctic’ temperatures Thursday

As millions of passengers started their trips to reach loved ones for what forecasters anticipate will be a frigid Thanksgiving, dozens of flights were canceled and others more delayed. Two weather systems are predicted to spread a "Arctic outbreak" throughout the Central United States until Thanksgiving, according to the National Weather Service. In its national forecast discussion on Tuesday, the meteorological service stated that "a significant arctic outbreak will arrive in the northern Plains on Thanksgiving and advance farther south and east on Friday into the weekend." During the lead-up to the holiday, ground travel may also be challenging due to congested highways. Although there haven't been any reports of significant disruptions thus far, air travelers in particular may see sign...
How one ‘Wicked’ interview ‘holds space’ above all others
News

How one ‘Wicked’ interview ‘holds space’ above all others

The Oscars. The Met Gala. Olympic Games. Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo have gone all out to promote the upcoming "Wicked" film, donning an entire wardrobe of pink and green outfits. However, one of their interviews with Out magazine seemed to defy gravity in an unexpected way. In a snippet of the recorded chat, reporter Tracy E. Gilchrist shared with the "Wicked" cast a finding she's noticed among gay fans about the Broadway musical-turned-movie's theme song: "I've seen this week people are taking the lyrics of 'Defying Gravity' and really holding space with that and feeling power in that." To which Erivo remarked, "I didn't know that was happening," "I've seen it, yeah," agreed Gilchrist. A quiet "That's really powerful," Erivo murmured. "That s what I wanted." Erivo paused for a moment...
Biden proposes weight loss drug coverage for people on Medicare and Medicaid
News

Biden proposes weight loss drug coverage for people on Medicare and Medicaid

For those seeking treatment for obesity, the Biden administration intends to mandate that Medicare and Medicaid provide coverage for weight-loss drugs. The government on Tuesday proposed a new rule that would significantly increase access to anti-obesity drugs like Novo Nordisk's Ozempic and Wegovy and Eli Lilly's Mounjaro and Zepbound. Weight loss medications are not covered by Medicare unless they are prescribed to treat diabetes or to control an elevated risk of heart disease. Medicaid may or may not cover obesity medications, however most states do not. By categorizing obesity pills as treatment for a "chronic disease," as opposed to weight reduction therapies, the Biden administration is attempting to reinterpret the statute that prohibits coverage. "The medical community today agrees...
Ex-FBI informant charged with lies at ‘heart’ of Biden impeachment effort indicted on new tax charges
News

Ex-FBI informant charged with lies at ‘heart’ of Biden impeachment effort indicted on new tax charges

Washington A former FBI informant has been charged with tax offenses. The informant's fraudulent allegations regarding President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden were "the heart" of the Republican impeachment investigation into the president. Ten different tax-related charges have now been brought against Alexander Smirnov, the former FBI informant who was accused of lying to the FBI regarding President Joe Biden and his son Hunter. According to the new indictment, Smirnov earned over two million dollars in 2020, 2021, and 2022 from a variety of sources. He also purchased a Bentley, a $1.4 million condominium in Las Vegas, and hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of clothing, jewelry, and accessories for himself and his domestic partner from upscale stores in Las Vegas and Los Angel...
Angry Rudy Giuliani argues with judge overseeing defamation payout: ‘I can’t pay my bills’
News

Angry Rudy Giuliani argues with judge overseeing defamation payout: ‘I can’t pay my bills’

In court on Tuesday, a furious Rudy Giuliani yelled at the judge overseeing the collection process for the $146 million defamation judgment against him, claiming he was struggling to make ends meet. Giuliani said, "The implications you are making against me are wrong," in response to U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman's statement that Donald Trump's former personal attorney had not been following court orders to turn over his assets. All of my possessions are tied up, including my automobile, credit card, and cash. I am unable to pay my invoices because they have placed stop orders on my company accounts. The judge cautioned Giuliani from having any more outbursts and stated that he did not seem to be impoverished. Attorneys representing former Georgia election workers Shaye Moss and Ruby Fre...
Israel’s Cabinet approves ceasefire deal at Netanyahu’s urging
News

Israel’s Cabinet approves ceasefire deal at Netanyahu’s urging

Jerusalem His office declared that the ministers had approved a ceasefire with Hezbollah to end hostilities in Lebanon, shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that he had suggested the measure. Although his administration stated that Israel "reserves its right to act against any threat to its security," In a televised speech, Netanyahu stated, "The ceasefire allows us to focus on the Iranian threat." "We will complete the elimination of Hamas, the return of all the hostages and the return of the residents of the north." President Joe Biden praised the U.S.-brokered agreement, which will go into effect Wednesday at 4 a.m. local time. A senior Israeli intelligence officer who was informed on the parameters of the ceasefire earlier told NBC News that Israel's forces ...