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Hunter Biden’s lawyer says trial ‘not inevitable’ as scrutiny mounts

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:24:46 GMT

(CNN) — Hunter Biden’s lawyer on Sunday said a trial is “not inevitable,” days after the Trump-appointed US attorney investigating the president’s son was granted special counsel status following a breakdown in plea talks to resolve tax and gun charges.“We were trying to avoid one all along and so were the prosecutors who came forward to us and we’re the ones to say: ‘Can there be a resolution short of a prosecution?’ So they wanted it and maybe they still do want it,” Abbe Lowell, Biden’s attorney, told CBS’ “Face the Nation.”By naming David Weiss as a special counsel, Attorney General Merrick Garland gave him more powers than a typical US attorney and further independence from the Justice Department as he embarks on an unprecedented trial against the son of the sitting president, and as Republicans claim the department is politicized.The probe had appeared to reach its conclusion when a plea deal was announced in June. In a two-pronged agreement, Hunter Biden planned to plead guil...

Orioles designate Mychal Givens, their highest-paid relief pitcher, for assignment after pitching just 6 games in 2023

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:24:46 GMT

Mychal Givens was supposed to supply a veteran presence to the Orioles’ bullpen. In the end, he barely was a presence at all.Before Sunday’s series finale with the Seattle Mariners, the Orioles activated Givens from his second stint on the injured list and designated him for assignment. The 33-year-old right-hander, who also pitched for Baltimore from 2015 to 2020, made only six appearances after rejoining the organization this offseason on a contract that guaranteed him $5 million and included an option for 2024. Over four innings, Givens allowed five earned runs on four hits and six walks.At the start of the season, Givens was the Orioles’ only reliever with a salary above $2 million. He began the year on the IL with left knee inflammation and joined the Orioles’ bullpen May 21 before going back on the IL on June 2 with right shoulder inflammation. In the past two outings of his rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Norfolk, Givens allowed six earned runs...

Yankees Notebook: Aaron Judge celebrates seven-year anniversary of his MLB debut

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:24:46 GMT

MIAMI — In retrospect, Aaron Judge’s first two major league games were a sign of things to come.The outfielder debuted on Aug. 13, 2016 and hit a home run in his first major league at-bat off the Rays’ Matt Andriese. A highly-anticipated prospect, Judge proceeded to hit another home run the following day, and he added a two-hit day in his third game.“You think you got it all figured out,” Judge told the Daily News on Saturday, a day before the seven-year anniversary of his first MLB game. “You know, hitting a home run your first at-bat, your second game, third game, you kind of think you’ve got it all figured out. But the game adjusts to you.”Indeed, it does.Despite the strong first impression, Judge went on to hit .179/.263/.345 over 27 games in 2016. He only homered two more times, and he totaled just 10 RBI.While the numbers weren’t pretty, that cup off coffee proved to be an educational experience for Judge, who learned to tr...

South Carolina state Sen. John Scott, longtime Democratic lawmaker, dies at 69

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:24:46 GMT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — State Sen. John Scott, a longtime South Carolina lawmaker who served for more than three decades, died Sunday after a stint in the hospital, according to Democrats across the state. He was 69.Scott had been at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, since Friday, when he was hospitalized for an undisclosed medical issue, according to Senate officials.In a statement released by Senate President Thomas Alexander, Scott’s family said he “passed away peaceably while surrounded by family and close friends.”Scott, a Columbia Democrat, operated a realty company and had been in the Legislature for more than 30 years, serving most recently on the Senate’s judiciary, medical affairs and penology committees. First elected to the state House in 1990, he won election to the Senate in 2008 and would have been up for reelection next year. He ran unopposed in the 2020 general election.Marguerite Willis, who selected Scott as her running mate when sh...

Montreal Pride Parade draws thousands after abrupt cancellation of 2022 event

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:24:46 GMT

MONTREAL — There was a festive mood across downtown Montreal today as thousands of residents took part in the city’s Pride parade, which returned after last year’s sudden cancellation.Simon Gamache, head of parade organizer Pride Montréal, says around 15,500 people participated. He says people flocked to the parade to show they’re proud of who they are and because members of LGBTQ+ communities continue to face too many injustices.Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante participated in the parade, riding on a float with popular drag queen Barbada. Also in attendance were several provincial cabinet ministers, including Deputy Premier Geneviève Guilbault, as well as federal ministers Pascale St-Onge et Steven Guilbeault. Last year’s parade was cancelled hours before it was scheduled to begin, and a report later blamed miscommunication among Pride Montréal employees for the unexpected move. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 13, 2023.The Canadian Press

Police raided Kansas newspaper offices – but was it legal?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:24:46 GMT

MARION, Kan. (AP) — A small central Kansas police department is facing a firestorm of criticism after it raided the offices of a local newspaper and the home of its publisher and owner — a move deemed by several press freedom watchdogs as a blatant violation of the U.S. Constitution's protection of a free press.The Marion County Record said in its own published reports that police raided the newspaper’s office on Friday, seizing the newspaper’s computers, phones and file server and the personal cellphones of staff, based on a search warrant. One Record reporter said one of her fingers was injured when Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody wrested her cellphone out of her hand, according to the report.Police simultaneously raided the home of Eric Meyer, the newspaper’s publisher and co-owner, seizing computers, his cellphone and the home’s internet router, Meyer said. Meyer's 98-year-old mother — Record co-owner Joan Meyer who lived in the home with her son — collapsed and died Saturday, M...

Death toll from Maui fire reaches 93, but the effort to find and identify the dead is just beginning

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:24:46 GMT

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — As the death toll from a wildfire that razed a historic Maui town climbed to 93, authorities warned that the effort to find and identify the dead was still in its early stages. The blaze is already the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.Crews with cadaver dogs have covered just 3% of the search area, Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said Saturday.“We’ve got an area that we have to contain that is at least 5 square miles, and it is full of our loved ones,” he said, noting that the number of dead is likely to grow and “none of us really know the size of it yet.”He spoke as federal emergency workers picked through the ashen moonscape left by the fire that razed the centuries-old town of Lahaina. Teams marked the ruins of homes with a bright orange “X” to indicate an initial search, and “HR” when they found human remains.Pelletier said identifying the dead is challenging because “we pick up the remains and they fall apart." The remains have b...

Medics responding to boat, jet ski crash on Lake Travis Sunday

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:24:46 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin-Travis County EMS are responding to a crash on Lake Travis involving a boat and jet ski Sunday afternoon. Officials responded to Captain Pete's Boathouse at 18200 Lakepoint Cove just before 3 p.m. Medics said CPR was in progress on one patient, per Travis County Sheriff's Office and the North Lake Travis Fire Department. Travis County Starflight was also responding to the scene.This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

Spotty storms the next 3 days, but most stay dry

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:24:46 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Despite some morning clouds the sunshine pushed temperatures back into the triple digits in most areas on Sunday. High fire danger continues thanks to the dry air and southern breeze.The Red Flag Warning continues for every county today until 11 p.m.. As fire danger remains critically high, make sure you don't accidentally spark a dangerous situation this weekend.Tonight will be another night with mostly clear skies giving way to some areas of morning clouds. Overnight lows barely drop into the upper 70s.Monday starts the first of three days in a row with rain chances. Now, most of us will stay dry as rain coverage will be isolated to just 10%, but at least there's a chance.First day of school for some districts (including Austin ISD) on Monday.As high pressure moves northwest of us, there should be enough weakening of subsidence overhead to allow for some very isolated storms as a cool front approaches the Hill Country on Monday afternoon. Limited storm and shower ...

Meet undrafted rookie NaJee Thompson, the Vikings’ new special teams ace

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:24:46 GMT

It took roughly 10 seconds last week for undrafted rookie NaJee Thompson to show Vikings they might want to keep him around.Though most fans likely weren’t locked in when the Vikings punted to the Seattle Seahawks early in Thursday night’s preseason opener, that particular snap meant everything to Thompson in his pursuit of making the team.As a gunner on the outside, Thompson used his speed to weave through traffic in the middle of the field, eyed his target at the point of attack, then promptly leveled Seahawks returner Easop Winston Jr.The effort from @najee_thompson here pic.twitter.com/ohW4iWzOHZ— NFL (@NFL) August 11, 2023“You’re running down there with a plan,” Thompson said. “Sometimes the plan works, sometimes the plan doesn’t work. It comes down to effort.”That’s not an issue for Thompson. He prides himself on his special teams play; it’s a role he fully committed to while playing at Georgia Southern. After ...