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Americans are divided along party lines over Trump’s actions in election cases, AP-NORC poll shows

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:33 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans are deeply divided along party lines in their views of President Donald Trump’s actions in the most recent criminal cases brought against him, a new poll shows, with about half saying his alleged attempt to interfere in Georgia’s 2020 vote count was illegal. The poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, which was conducted before Monday’s charges in the Georgia case, also shows that about half of Americans — 53% — approve of the Justice Department indicting Trump over his efforts to remain in office after losing the 2020 election.The poll finds 85% of Democrats approve of the criminal charges brought Aug. 2 by Special Counsel Jack Smith, compared with 47% of independents and just 16% of Republicans. Overall, 3 in 10 Americans disapprove, including about two-thirds of Republicans.The survey suggests that the unprecedented indictments of a former president have done little to shake up a fundamental divide in t...

Books banned in other states fuel Vermont lieutenant governor’s reading tour

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:33 GMT

WATERBURY, Vt. (AP) — On a recent Sunday afternoon, Vermont’s lieutenant governor was at a local library, reading a book about two male penguins to a crowd of nearly two dozen. This was not the first stop for Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman nor would it be the last.While officials in some other states are banning or restricting certain books in schools and libraries, Zuckerman, in liberal Vermont, has taken a different tack: reading and discussing them at libraries and bookstores around the state.″ These bans often target books that feature LGBTQ+ characters; talk about gender and sexuality; highlight racial disparities; or talk about difficult issues such as substance abuse and cases of police violence,” Zuckerman, a Democrat, said in a statement when he announced the tour in June. “Students, teachers, and curious minds should be able to access materials that spark critical thinking, cover difficult topics, and appeal to diverse interests without fear of government interference.”While Ver...

Homicide unit investigating fatal hit-and-run in downtown Toronto

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:33 GMT

The homicide squad is investigating after a fatal hit-and-run in downtown Toronto’s Moss Park neighbourhood on Tuesday night.Emergency crews were initially called to Queen Street East and Sherbourne Street around 10:50 p.m. Tuesday night for reports that a pedestrian was struck by a vehicle.A male victim was pronounced dead at the scene. Police say the vehicle fled the area before officers arrived.Toronto police tell CityNews the homicide unit has taken over the investigation, calling the incident a “suspicious death.”Police have identified the suspect vehicle as a four-door silver sedan.Sherbourne is closed in both directions between Queen and Shuter Street for the investigation.

The iPhone 'hang up' button may not be moving as much as we feared

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:33 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Almost a week after the Apple faithful collectively gasped at the first evidence that the iPhone’s red “end call” button might soon be vacating its center position to take up residence one column to the right, it looks like it might have been mostly a false alarm.The initial shock followed the release of last week's test, or beta, version of iOS 17, the next major update of the iPhone’s operating software. That's where users first saw the end-call button, which has traditionally lived in splendid isolation centered well below function buttons such as “mute,” “keypad” and “speaker,” instead joining its peers and taking a more assimilated position in the lower right-hand corner of a six-button block. Trump, 18 other defendants to be booked at Fulton County jail: reports Now, though, images of the latest iOS 17 beta shared by multiple media sites shows the red button right back in the center of the phone dialpad, pretty close to where it’s long staked o...

WATCH: Videos show power lines may be cause of Maui fire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:33 GMT

Awakened by howling winds that tore through his Maui neighborhood, Shane Treu went out at dawn and saw a wooden power pole suddenly snap with a flash, its sparking, popping line falling to the dry grass below and quickly igniting a row of flames.He called 911 and then turned on Facebook video to livestream his attempt to fight the blaze in Lahaina, including wetting down his property with a garden hose. Maui fire death toll reaches 106 as first two victims identified “I heard ‘buzz, buzz,’” the 49-year-old resort worker recounted to The Associated Press. “It was almost like somebody lit a firework. It just ran straight up the hill to a bigger pile of grass and then, with that high wind, that fire was blazing.”Treu’s video and others captured the early moments of what would become the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century. Now the footage has emerged as key evidence pointing to fallen utility lines as the possible cause. Hawaiian Electric Co. faces criticism for ...

Maui fire death toll reaches 106 as first two victims identified

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:33 GMT

LAHAINA, Hawaii (KHON/NEXSTAR) - Federal officials sent a mobile morgue with coroners, pathologists and technicians to Hawaii to help identify the dead, as Maui County released the first names of people killed in the wildfire that all but incinerated the historic town of Lahaina a week ago and killed at least 106 people.A week after the fires started, some residents still had intermittent power, unreliable cellphone service and uncertainty over where to get assistance.Some people walked periodically to a seawall, where phone connections were strongest, to make calls. Flying low off the coast, a single-prop airplane used a loudspeaker to blare information about where to get water and supplies. Remembering those lost in the Maui fires Just two victims have been named so far, while the county said it has identified three more and will release the names after notifying the next of kin. Robert Dyckman (74) of Lahaina and Buddy Jantoc (79) of Lahaina were identified by Ma...

'We have no funding for this.' Leander ISD won't have armed security when school starts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:33 GMT

LEANDER, Texas (KXAN) — Leander Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Bruce Gearing said the district doesn't expect to have an armed security guard on every district campus by the state's September deadline, despite a new law requiring it. Gearing said at this point that's just not realistic, and that of the district's 48 schools, only the high schools have school resource officers on campus. NEXT: Set for School Staffing issues are also hitting the district's auxiliary staff positions like bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and custodians particularly hard.To try and bring in more applicants, the district has hired recruiters to try and find potential workers. Gearing talked with KXAN about issues including staffing, safety, and school achievement ahead of the upcoming school year. Leander ISD Bus (KXAN Photo/Frank Martinez)Tom Miller: This is going to be your fifth year school year as superintendent, what have you learned about this community that informs where you go as ...

Lake Travis ISD in 'good shape' on staffing, superintendent says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:33 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — School is back in session for Lake Travis Independent School District and KXAN sat down with Superintendent Paul Norton to talk about the upcoming year.School safety and filling vacancies are a top priority for the district. NEXT: Set for School Last year, some bus routes had to be canceled because of a lack of bus drivers, but this year they have increased pay and hired 15 new drivers.Q&A with Lake Travis ISD Superintendent Paul NortonNabil Remadna: What are your goals for the school district this year?Norton: "There are a lot of things that are on people's minds when it comes to education. And now after this last legislative session, there is a lot that has changed, but still our number one priority is student safety. When you look at student safety, that has been a hot topic since Uvalde. We are very fortunate we have our own police department. We started a police department in 2021. This past school year, we had seven officers, including our police chief an...

Got a tomato crop? Here are 5 recipes to try

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:33 GMT

Juicy, acidic and sun-warmed sweet, a perfect summer tomato is a blessing. (A less perfect tomato is fine, if a little dull; a wan out-of-season tomato is to be avoided.) I eat tomatoes every day in August, sometimes at every meal. That’s why it’s Tomato Week here at Five Weeknight Dishes, with recipes that feature tomatoes: I can hardly think of anything else.Grated Tomato PastaIt’s tough to highlight peak summer tomatoes in pasta. To make the most out of their bright flavor, summer tomatoes should be minimally cooked. This recipe gently warms the fruit, so they keep their acidity and succulence. Since the tomato hasn’t had the liquid cooked out, it doesn’t cling to the spaghetti the way a cooked pomodoro would, but this keeps the dish light and bright, and makes it perfect for a hot summer day. Be sure to serve with plenty of bread to sop up the cheesy sauce that is left behind at the bottom of the bowl. If juicy, ripe tomatoes aren’t around, swap out for cherry tomatoes and blend...

Farah Stockman: How to make sure federal climate money helps everyone

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:33 GMT

After President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act one year ago, Teslas began popping up everywhere in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where I live. More solar panels appeared on my neighbors’ roofs. Mini split units that heat and cool became all the rage. In wealthy places, the tax credits that have been rolling out because of that landmark law nudged people who were on the fence to make big purchases that will reduce greenhouse gases.But in the neighborhood in Detroit where I’m renovating a house with my cousin, I have yet to spot a Tesla. People seem more focused on keeping a roof over their head than affixing solar panels to it. A contractor tried to talk us out of installing a mini split. “Gas is cheaper than electricity,” he said. We installed one anyway, but it doesn’t look likely that we’ll get a tax credit for it: Only owner-occupied residences are eligible, my tax preparer told me, and we don’t live in the house. That’s a hangover from the past, when tax credits aimed ...