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Trump-Russia special counsel Durham at center of political clash as he appears before Congress

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:29:52 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The special counsel who investigated the FBI’s probe of ties between Russia and Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign found himself at the center of a heated political fight as he appeared before a congressional committee Wednesday, with Democrats denouncing his inquiry and Republicans arguing that its findings helped prove an anti-Trump bias within law enforcement.John Durham, the Justice Department special counsel who recently completed his report, testified before the House Judiciary Committee in a hearing that unfolded against the backdrop of a 37-count indictment of Trump on charges he illegally retained classified documents. Despite roughly six hours of testimony, the hearing broke little new ground. Under questioning from Republicans, he repeated many of the strongest findings of condemnation in his 306-page report and also faced criticism from Democrats over a four-year investigation that produced just one conviction and fell short of Trump’s claims that it wo...

'The Warehouse': The birthplace of house music receives landmark status

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:29:52 GMT

CHICAGO — The site where house music was first shared with the world has officially been designated a Chicago landmark.With the support of house music fans, Preservation Chicago, the city of Chicago, and Mayor Brandon Johnson, the building that once was the location of The Warehouse received landmark status by the Chicago City Council.“The Warehouse opened in 1977 with DJ Frankie Knuckles and a state-of-the art sound system per the vision of owner Robert Williams to convert an old industrial building into a vibrant nightclub creating dancefloor freedom for Chicago’s Black gay community,” Preservation Chicago stated. Chicago & House Music: A relationship over four decades in the making Located at 206 South Jefferson Street in Chicago’s West Loop, “The Warehouse” is considered sacred ground for house music as it “influenced and shaped the rich culture that was pioneered and purveyed.”Preservation Chicago created a petition in March 20...

Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks after City Council

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:29:52 GMT

CHICAGO — Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson addressed the media following Wednesday's City Council meeting.Taking the podium around 2:45 p.m., Johnson spoke about the newly designated Chicago landmark, 'The Warehouse,' which is viewed by many as sacred ground for house music as it “influenced and shaped the rich culture that was pioneered and purveyed.” ‘The Warehouse’: The birthplace of house music receives landmark status Johnson also spoke about his plans to curb crime in Chicago as the city enters its summer season."We're working collaboratively. It's a layered approach," Johnson said in response to Chicago’s interim police superintendent Fred Waller expressing concern about officer reduction while implementing the mayor's anti-crime strategy. "Everybody knows that police strategy, alone, is insufficient, it's a failure. And I don't know how you scramble to hire people - a process that takes 18 months. Do you really want to scramble to find police officers? I don't think we want ...

More than 100 teens takeover Bronzeville gas station

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:29:52 GMT

CHICAGO — Hundreds of Chicago teens met for another teen takeover Tuesday night at a gas station in Bronzeville.The teens looted a store and broke windows at a gas station near East 31st Street and South Michigan Avenue. 4 pedestrians in hospital after hit-and-run near Guaranteed Rate Field; man in custody No serious injuries were reported when the takeover began around 9:30 p.m."It was really horrible," Vanessa Boyd said. "They had ransacked the store."Boyd and other Bronzeville residents described the tumultuous scene as mischief and mayhem."There was a whole bunch of kids out here and they were all in the gas station causing a mess," Dennis Jones said. According to witnesses, hundreds of teens and young people migrated from a gathering on the lakefront to the intersection near the gas station.The crowd blocked traffic and in a few instances, even climbed up on the hoods of cars as motorists were startled. Eventually, windows were broken at the nearby gas station. Chicago Police...

Dad protects his kids, fatally shoots intruder on Father's Day: deputies

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:29:52 GMT

CLAYTON, N.C. (WNCN) — A North Carolina homeowner shot and killed an intruder Sunday night while the person was trying to break in, officials said.Around 9:03 p.m., sheriff's deputies in North Carolina's Johnston County responded to a home in Wilson's Mills, roughly 25 miles southeast of Raleigh.Deputies were told there was a breaking and entering in progress and that the homeowner had shot the intruder. Father of 13 dies after saving kids during whitewater rafting trip Upon arrival, deputies said they made contact with Wilson’s Mills Police and EMS personnel. At the request of the Wilson’s Mills police chief, the sheriff’s office took over the investigation.Through the investigation, authorities said they determined an unidentified male intruder had been shot after he made contact with the homeowner's children and then tried to break into the house, the sheriff's office said.The homeowner was present at the scene and fully cooperated with detectives. Authorities have not identifi...

Internet sleuths help radio host find man she kissed at festival

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:29:52 GMT

(NewsNation) — Natalie Jones and Cole Fitch shared a spontaneous kiss at a festival but didn't exchange contact info. With the help of a photo, Jones, a radio host in Cincinnati, launched a viral search to find her mystery man. Internet sleuths successfully solved the case.I saw him standing in line to get a drink. I kind of tried to cut in line to stand next to this really cute guy so I could get my drinks and get back to my friends," Jones recalled. "Then, we started chatting and immediately hit it off." Jones recounted that when Fitch asked if he could kiss her, she declined. However, somehow it ended up happening, and a stranger snapped a photo of them and texted it to Jones. Fitch said he thought it was a "joke-type situation.""I thought it was her friend that took the picture, and she thought it was my friend that took the picture," he said. "Just happened real quick, and we were both confused." NFL clarifies gambling policies amid rise in violations Despite her efforts the...

'Tiger King' star 'Doc' Antle convicted in Virginia wildlife trafficking case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:29:52 GMT

FREDERICK COUNTY, Va. (WFXR) – Bhagavan Antle, more commonly known as "Doc" Antle from the Netflix series "Tiger King," was convicted in Virginia court last Friday on multiple felony counts linked to wildlife trafficking.This image provided by the Horry County Sheriff's Office in Conway, S.C., shows Bhagavan “Doc” Antle, who was arrested by the FBI, Friday, June 3, 2022, on federal money laundering charges. (Horry County Sheriff's Office via AP)The Office of the Attorney General's Animal Law Unit began an investigation into the illegal purchase of these animals in 2019. It is believed that Antle allegedly purchased endangered lion cubs in Frederick County, Virginia, for display and profit at his zoo business in South Carolina. Virginia’s animal cruelty laws are not taken lightly by my office. I’m proud of my Animal Law Unit for their tireless work and I’m thrilled that the jury not only agreed with us but sent a message that Virginia does not tolerate wildli...

AI virtual girlfriend: Over 15,000 people on waitlist

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:29:52 GMT

(NewsNation) — Whether it’s truck driving, or writing a college exam, there is no denying that artificial intelligence is being pushed into many sectors of our lives. Now, AI appears to be venturing into a whole new terrain: Virtual lovers. New AI startup Forever Voices AI teamed up with social media influencer Caryn Marjorie to develop a "virtual girlfriend." Meet AI Ashley, Portland’s new artificial intelligence DJ The CarynAI voice chatbot can have two-way audio conversations with Marjorie’s fans using her own voice. For just one dollar a minute, users can have phone calls with CarynAI, asking it whatever they want. In the first week of its launch, Caryn Marjorie’s AI clone made $72,000 for the influencer. Based on her subscription growth trajectory, Marjorie estimates she could bring in $5 million a month with CarynAI.Marjorie, 23, is the first social media influencer to transform herself into AI. The CarynAI voice chatbot uses a GPT-4 plugin from OpenAI and was...

Police: Ohio man shot his 3 sons 'execution-style'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:29:52 GMT

MONROE TOWNSHIP, Ohio (NewsNation) — Bodycam footage shows the arrest of Chad Doerman, who is accused of shooting his three boys "execution-style" in front of their mother, right before Father's Day.Prosecutors said Doerman, 32, admitted to planning the killings for months. Doerman, who is also accused of wounding the boys' mother at the family’s home, has been charged with aggravated murder, authorities said. The victims' names have not been released. David Gast, Clermont County's chief prosecutor of municipal court, said during Doerman's arraignment Friday that one of the boys tried to flee into a nearby field but Doerman “hunted” his son down and brought him back to their home before killing him. Gast called the killings the worst crime he’d ever seen.Doerman's bail has been set at $20 million. Court records did not indicate whether he was represented by a lawyer at his arraignment. He is currently being held in Clermont County Jail.Officials have not released a motive behind the...

Texas surpasses 200K electric vehicle registrations statewide

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:29:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- As more drivers here in Austin and beyond embrace greener technology, the state of Texas just cleared a major electric vehicle milestone.More than 200,000 electric vehicles are now registered in Texas, according to data compiled by Dallas-Fort Worth Clean Cities. Of total EVs registered, the Dallas-Fort Worth metro accounts for the highest percentage, with 36.7%. Houston comes in second, accounting for 24.07% of EVs statewide, with Austin rounding out the Top 3 with 20.1% of registered EVs residing in the state capital. Is your vehicle’s A/C out? Could be a rat problem "It's tremendous growth," said Tom "Smitty" Smith, director of the Texas Electric Transportation Resources Alliance. Since last year, Smith said EV registrations had climbed 64%, with more than 72,000 EVs added to the state's vehicle registry.Smith credited increased variety and lower costs of EVs on the market as contributing factors to the bump, paired with state and federal efforts to expand EV c...