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Virginia man charged in baseball bat attacks on three women, including congressional staffers

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 17:39:58 GMT

By MATTHEW BARAKAT and DENISE LAVOIE (Associated Press)FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — A man with untreated schizophrenia, according to his father, was arraigned Tuesday on charges involving baseball-bat attacks on three women, including two staffers for U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly.Xuan-Kha Tran Pham, 49, of Fairfax heard the charges by video hookup from the Fairfax County jail. A judge ordered him held without bond pending a preliminary hearing in July.The four counts include aggravated wounding and malicious aggravated wounding in the attack at Connolly’s district office in Fairfax, and counts of felony destroying property and misdemeanor hate crime for an episode less than an hour earlier, when police say he hit a car windshield with the bat and chased a woman after asking if she was white.Capitol Police and Fairfax City Police said they are jointly investigating the case, and the suspect’s motivations aren’t clear.Pham’s father, Hy Pham, told The Washington Post h...

With Aaron Rodgers at the helm, Strat-O-Matic projects Jets to end long playoff drought

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 17:39:58 GMT

The Jets will finally end their playoff drought this season.At least that is what Strat-O-Matic is predicting after the sports simulation company played out Gang Green’s season following last week’s official 2023 schedule release.Strat-O-Matic has the Aaron Rodgers-led Jets finishing 10-7 and sixth in the AFC and securing one of the conference’s three wild card spots.Now the bad news. In the simulation, the Jets lose to the Bills 38-14 in the wild card round.The New York-based company has the Jets splitting games against the Bills and Miami Dolphins while sweeping the New England Patriots for the first time since 2000. The Jets other victories come against the Washington Commanders, Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns, with losses against the Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, L.A. Chargers, Giants and Atlanta Falcons.Strat-O-Matic also simulated Rodgers’ stats for his first season with the Jets. They h...

Ukraine says it downed Russian hypersonic missiles during ‘exceptional’ air attack on Kyiv

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 17:39:58 GMT

By SAMYA KULLAB (Associated Press)KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian air defenses, bolstered by sophisticated Western-supplied systems, thwarted an intense Russian air attack on Kyiv early Tuesday, shooting down all missiles aimed at the capital, officials said.The bombardment, which targeted locations across Ukraine, included six Russian Kinzhal aero-ballistic hypersonic missiles, the most fired in a single attack in the war so far, according to Ukrainian air force spokesman Yurii Ihnat. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly touted the Kinzhals as providing a key strategic competitive advantage and among the most advanced weapons in his country’s arsenal. The missiles are difficult to detect and intercept because of their hypersonic speed and maneuverability. If Ukraine’s claim of having shot down six fired Tuesday is confirmed, it would mark another blow to Putin’s war efforts and show the increasing effectiveness of the country’s air defenses. ...

Cannes Film Festival kicks off with Johnny Depp, ‘Jeanne du Barry’ and plenty to talk about

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 17:39:58 GMT

By JAKE COYLE (AP Film Writer)CANNES, France (AP) — The Cannes red carpet sprang to life again Tuesday with the premiere of the Louis XV period drama “Jeanne du Barry,” with Johnny Depp, as the French Riviera movie pageant launched a star-studded and potentially controversy-rife 76th edition. Throngs of onlookers shouted “Johnny!” as Depp, in purple-hued sunglasses signed autographs and edged back into the spotlight following his explosive trial last year with ex-wife Amber Heard. “Jeanne du Barry,” directed and co-starring Maïwenn, has been billed as Depp’s comeback — though his prominent presence at Cannes has been hotly debated. A coterie of stars streamed down Cannes’ famous red carpet for the opening night ceremony, including Brie Larson, Uma Thurman, Gong Li, Elle Fanning, Catherine Deneuve (who graces this year’s festival poster) and a blue-haired Helen Mirren, who carried a fan labeled #worthit. During th...

ChatGPT chief says artificial intelligence should be regulated by a US or global agency

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 17:39:58 GMT

By MATT O’BRIEN (AP Technology Writer)The head of the artificial intelligence company that makes ChatGPT told Congress on Tuesday that government intervention “will be critical to mitigate the risks of increasingly powerful” AI systems.“As this technology advances, we understand that people are anxious about how it could change the way we live. We are too,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman testified at a Senate hearing Tuesday.Altman proposed the formation of a U.S. or global agency that would license the most powerful AI systems and have the authority to “take that license away and ensure compliance with safety standards.”His San Francisco-based startup rocketed to public attention after it released ChatGPT late last year. ChatGPT is a free chatbot tool that answers questions with convincingly human-like responses.What started out as a panic among educators about ChatGPT’s use to cheat on homework assignments has expanded to broader concerns abo...

Oshawa man bilked rental scam victims of more than $50K, police say

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 17:39:58 GMT

Durham Regional Police allege an Oshawa man defrauded over 35 people out of more than $50,000 in an apartment rental scam.According to investigators, the suspect posted apartment ads on Facebook Marketplace, advertising apartments for rent in London, Ontario.Police say the suspect would collect first and last month rent from his alleged victims, and then vanish, ceasing all communications.On Sunday, May 14, 2023, police arrested Ghana Ariharan, 27, in the Simcoe Street North and Conlin Road area of Oshawa.He’s facing several charges including fraud over $5,000 and possession of proceeds obtained by crime.On Monday, Toronto police issued a release in a separate, but similar rental scam investigation.In that case, police said they’re searching for Cem Devrim Turetken, 49, after he was accused of defrauding several people with phony online apartment listings. Police say Turetken used a variety of different aliases and company names online, including Smart Rental Property Ma...

Recalled Gerber baby formula was sent to US retailers after recall began, wholesaler says

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 17:39:58 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — An infant formula recalled over potential bacteria contamination was distributed to retailers across eight states after the recall began, according to a release published by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration this week.Perrigo Co. issued a voluntary March recall of certain lots of its Gerber Good Start SoothePro Powdered Infant Formula “out of an abundance of caution” due to the possible presence of Cronobacter sakazakii, a germ that can cause serious or deadly infections in infants. The recall includes Gerber Good Start formula manufactured between Jan. 2 and Jan. 18 at the Perrigo’s Eau Claire, Wisconsin, facility. The recalled formula was sold in three different sizes at retailers nationwide, according to a March 17 recall notice.Cooperative food wholesaler Associated Wholesale Grocers, however, distributed the 12.4-ounce version of the recalled product to its Nashville Division retailers after Perrigo’s initial recall notice was published.As a result, th...

Biden vetoes bid by Congress to reinstate tariffs on solar panel imports from SE Asia

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 17:39:58 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday vetoed a congressional resolution that would have reinstated tariffs on solar panel imports from Southeast Asia, settling for now a long-running dispute over whether to punish China for trade violations that bypass U.S. rules limiting imports of cheap solar panels from Asia.The result of Biden’s veto is that a two-year delay on tariffs will continue until at least June 2024. Lawmakers from both parties have expressed concerns about what they call unfair competition from China, which has long dominated the global market for manufacturing solar panels. Some U.S. manufacturers contend that China has essentially moved operations to four Southeast Asian countries — Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia — to skirt U.S. anti-dumping rules.A Commerce Department inquiry last year found likely trade violations involving Chinese products and recommended steep penalties. Biden halted tariffs for two years before the Commerce investigation was ...

June byelections will be monitored for foreign interference, government says

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 17:39:58 GMT

OTTAWA — The federal government says the Security and Intelligence Threats Task Force will be closely monitoring byelections in four ridings next month for signs of interference. Votes are being held June 19 in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce–Westmount, Oxford, Portage–Lisgar and Winnipeg South Centre. The task force, known as SITE, is expected to provide regular assessments of foreign interference threats to a committee of deputy ministers, who will brief members of cabinet if needed. SITE is also tasked with preparing two reports — one classified, and one unclassified — about any attempts at interfering in the byelections. The measures come in response to growing concerns about China’s alleged attempts to meddle in the last two federal elections, and accusations that Beijing has tried to intimidate members of Parliament and their families. Conservative MP Michael Chong is set to testify this evening at the House of Commons procedure committee about a CSIS report that alleges a Chinese d...

Chicken loose on subway tracks halts service in Mexico City

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 17:39:58 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Service was temporarily halted on a line of Mexico City’s subway system after a chicken got loose on the tracks.Video distributed by the city’s Metro system showed the electricity cut off at a station near the city’s center on Monday.The video showed maintenance personnel and civil defense officers in hard hats chasing the chicken around the tracks with brooms, gloves and a trash bag.The chicken eluded several attempts to capture it before one worker tossed his coat over the animal. The metro system said service was quickly restored after the incident.Mexico City’s subway system has been plagued by a series of incidents that city officials had claimed were sabotage. Earlier this year a woman was arrested, but later released, after bits of a plastic washing machine agitator fell on the subway tracks at another station. It was later determined the incident was accidental.Accidents on the subway have been a recurrent embarrassment for Mexico City Mayor Claudia ...