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VP Harris, 1st woman to give commencement speech at West Point, welcomes cadets to ‘unsettled world’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:40 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris, the first woman to deliver a commencement speech at West Point, lauded graduating cadets Saturday for their noble sacrifice in serving their country, but noted they were entering an “unsettled world” because of Russian aggression and the rising threats from China.“The world has drastically changed,” Harris told the roughly 950 graduating cadets. She referred to the global pandemic that took millions of lives and the fraught shifts in global politics in Europe and in Asia.“It is clear you graduate into an increasingly unsettled world where long-standing principles are at risk,” she said.As the U.S. ended two decades of war in Afghanistan, the longest in the country’s history, the vice president again condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the first major ground war in Europe since World War II.She also warned cadets to be wary of China, as it rapidly modernizes its military and muscles for control of parts of the high s...

Germany expects Russia to expel German diplomats, teachers, cultural staff

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:40 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Russia will start expelling German diplomats, teachers and employees of German cultural institutions next month — a move that will further enhance tensions between the two countries that have already had very fraught ties since Russia invaded Ukraine early last year.The German foreign ministry sharply criticized Russia’s move, calling the upcoming expulsions a “unilateral, unjustified and incomprehensible decision.”The expulsion will affect several hundred German state employees, including teachers and staff of the Goethe Institute, which promotes German culture and language abroad, daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported.The expulsion comes in response to the reduction of the presence of Russian intelligence services in Germany earlier this year.“The Russian Foreign Ministry had made public in April its decision to introduce a cap on the number of staff at our missions abroad and at German intermediary organizations in Russia,” according to the German Foreign Office...

Firefighters put out Montreal heritage building fire over 24 hours after it ignited

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:40 GMT

Montreal fire department says a fire that swept through a heritage property in the city’s downtown core was brought under control today, more than 24 hours after it began.The fire broke out late Thursday afternoon at the Monastère du Bon Pasteur, a 19th century former monastery, and quickly became a five-alarm blaze requiring the intervention of 150 firefighters.They spent more than 24 hours battling the fire, which was difficult to tame because of the construction and materials used in the building. An investigation into the cause is set to begin on Monday and the full extent of the damage is unknown.Firefighters are still on site today to ensure a new fire doesn’t start, and authorities are also inspecting the building to see whether it is safe to enter.The monastery was built in 1846 and maintained its religious vocation until the 1960s. Quebec officially recognized It as a heritage site in 1979 and it now serves as a mixed use building that includes a residence for s...

5 questions to consider as you get ready for the ‘Succession’ finale

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:40 GMT

There’s no Iron Throne, but the stakes feel just as high.“Succession,” the critically acclaimed drama chronicling a Murdoch-esque feuding billionaire family, wraps its four-season run on Sunday with a highly anticipated 88-minute finale.And just like another tentpole HBO show, “Game of Thrones,” there’s no shortage of theories over how the series will end and who will prevail. But instead of a throne, the Roy siblings are battling over the sprawling Waystar Royco media empire.The Shakespearean-level intrigue has prompted speculation among fans looking for clues in past episodes, characters’ names and elsewhere. Even the final episode’s title, “With Open Eyes,” has critics poring through the John Berryman poem that has been used for each season finale’s title.Here are some of the questions that remain as the finale nears.WHERE DO THINGS STAND WITH THE ROY FAMILY?“Succession” has been about who will ultimately run the media conglomerate founded by Logan R...

Saturday Forecast: mostly sunny and mid 70s

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:40 GMT

Saturday: Mostly sunny & warmer, except lakeside. NE 5-15 mphHigh: 75, mid 60s lakeside. Chicago Weather | Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center's Forecast (wgntv.com)Saturday Night: Partly to mostly cloudy. NE 0-5 mph. Low: 53Sunday: Clouds & sun. NE 5-15 mph. High near 80 inland, near 70 by the lake. 

Weekend Break: Belmont-Sheffield Music Fest

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:40 GMT

Marcella visits the Belmont-Sheffield Music Fest.Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

Former 'Family Feud' contestant trial: Internet searches revealed

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:40 GMT

(NewsNation) – Testimony at the trial of a former “Family Feud” contestant accused of murdering his estranged wife revealed part of his internet history.Timothy Bliefnick, 39, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and home invasion connected to the death of his estranged wife Becky Bliefnick, 41, in Quincy, Illinois.In court Wednesday, the defendant’s internet history was discussed with prosecutors highlighting the following searches from Timothy Bliefnick:“How to open a door with a crowbar”“How to make a homemade silencer”“How to wash off gunpowder”“Average Quincy Police Department response time” Nearly half of US murders going unsolved, data shows Becky Bliefnick’s body was discovered by a family member inside her home after she did not pick up her children from school. Authorities say she had been shot multiple times.According to reports, the Bliefnicks were separated and going through divorce proceedings at the time of Becky Bliefnick’s death. A restraining order had a...

9 of America's most charming airports

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:40 GMT

(NerdWallet) - Not every airport needs to be a stressful, chaotic experience. You shouldn’t have to stand in long lines only to dig deep into your budget for an overpriced, bland meal and perhaps end up sprinting to your gate.While some people rightfully detest airports, NerdWallet has rounded up a collection of nine U.S. airports that are enjoyable to spend time in. Some are like a cozy coffee shop, while others have retro vibes that harken back to the golden age of aviation. These airports were chosen for several reasons, some of which might include their unbeatable views, unique amenities, charming atmosphere — or a combination of it all.But NerdWallet also included key details that can impact the airport experience, including on-time arrivals rate, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics data between February 2022 and February 2023. For comparison, the national average on-time arrivals rate is 76.98%.To qualify for this list, airports also had to have fewer than 1.5 million...

These Illinois cities are most affordable for home buyers: report

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:40 GMT

ILLINOIS (WQRF) – Affordability continues to be a top concern for home buyers across the country, but those buyers might get the most bang for their buck in certain Illinois cities.A new report from WalletHub suggests several cities in Illinois are some of the most affordable cities for home buyers across the country. Some of those cities even rank among the top 10.To come to its findings, WalletHub used data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the National Association of Realtors, the Council for Community and Economic Research, and the Insurance Information Institute, to determine city ranking in the report. It compared 300 U.S. cities across 10 key metrics, including housing affordability, insurance costs, real estate taxes, and appreciation rates, among others. (See how they weighted each of the 10 criteria in their methodology here.)Lastly, WalletHub found each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate overall scores and used them to rank the cities. (Scores for each cit...

What happened to Gadzooks, the iconic mall store of the 1990s?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:40 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — Remember the black-walled, neon-lit stores that populated so many malls back in the 1980s and 90s? It was the clothing store with the goofy name: Gadzooks. The Carrollton, Texas-originated retailer was known for selling lots of T-shirts and for having a full-size Volkswagen Beetle replica inside every store.It's probably not news to you that you don't see Gadzooks stores anymore — and you likely haven't since the mid-2000s. But did you know that there's one business decision widely believed to be the teen fashion retailer's downfall? Does Radio Shack still exist? In 2003, Gadzooks — which was founded in 1984 — decided to change its branding after two fiscal years of losses (around $62 million, according to the company's bankruptcy filing). To refresh the brand, the company decided to stop carrying men's clothing and dedicate its stores to women's clothing only, particularly the "juniors" category for women ages 16-22.Gadzooks wrote that it hoped the shift would help th...