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Borenstein: Blue-state California lawmakers also undermining democracy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:14 GMT

Californians will face longer ballots next year as state lawmakers keep undermining democratic principles by putting their thumbs on the election scale.The ballot explanations for costly state and local measures, which should be informative but neutral, continue to be turned into opportunities for political propaganda.California’s attorneys general have often slanted the wording on statewide ballot measures. And for local spending measures, officials have abandoned plain language, often refusing even to identify taxes as taxes.The ballot politicization is about to get worse. Starting next year, candidates for office can campaign on the ballot by affixing their names to support or opposition of state or local measures. And a pending bill would provide even more space for electoral puffery.As liberal Californians express understandable outrage about red-state assaults on voting rights, they should also worry about more subtle, but similarly insidious, moves here to skew election outco...

Preakness day arrives with horse racing in spotlight, Triple Crown still a possibility

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:14 GMT

BALTIMORE (AP) — Preakness day has arrived with horse racing in the spotlight and Kentucky Derby winner Mage having a shot at being the first Triple Crown champion in five years.It’s not the spotlight the sport would like, though, after seven horses died at Churchill Downs in the leadup to the Derby. Two parallel investigations are ongoing into those deaths and a recent eighth death at the Louisville track to determine the causes.But with new national medication and doping rules set to go into effect next week, the industry is at something of a crossroads. The federally mandated Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, which already regulated racetrack safety and other measures, starting Monday will oversee drug testing requirements for horses that should standardize the sport nationwide.Before that, Mage has a chance in the Preakness to provide some on-track excitement. If he finishes first in the field of seven horses, the smallest in the race since 1986, he can go to Belmont o...

Messi en el PSG vs. Auxerre: a qué hora y cómo ver por TV e internet

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:14 GMT

(CNN Español) — Quedan solamente tres jornadas para el final de la Ligue 1 de Francia y el PSG de Lionel Messi está ante las puertas de un nuevo campeonato local.El PSG se ubica en primer lugar de la liga francesa con 81 puntos y, si gana su partido de este domingo frente al Auxerre, se podría coronar como el campeón de la temporada 2022/2023 y bicampeón del torneo.Además, para que esto suceda, se tiene que dar otro resultado: el Lens, que está en la segunda posición de la liga con 75 unidades, tendría que perder o empatar para que el PSG quede campeón.Lionel Messi fue abucheado por algunos seguidores del Paris Saint-Germain en su regreso de la suspensiónSi el Lens gana su partido ante el Lorient este domingo y el PSG hace lo propio contra el Auxerre, el conjunto parisino prácticamente es campeón, aunque matemáticamente el Lorient aún tendría posibilidades -muy remotas y casi imposibles- del campeonato.Pero si el Lens gana y el PSG empata o pierde, la Ligue 1 se apretara en pl...

Denver weather: Smoky skies, 70s, & isolated storms

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:14 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Denver’s weather will dry out over the weekend with only isolated storm chances on Saturday and Sunday but skies will be hazy from wildfires in Canada. Weather today: Smoky & 70sThe wildfire smoke from Canada will continue to bring poor air quality to parts of Colorado through the weekend.An air quality warning is in place through this morning as conditions should improve by the evening.Highs will reach the 70s with an isolated storm is possible, mainly to the south.Looking ahead: Wet next week againTomorrow through Monday we have more of the same - smoke, 70s, and isolated storm chance. Storm chances will increase midweek with the potential for a severe threat Wednesday and Thursday - something we will keep an eye to!

Construction controversy: Native Americans protest against new developments in Miami

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:14 GMT

Native American protestors gathered on May 13 near Brickell in the hope of persuading developers to call off their plans — building a luxury condominium on the site of an ancient settlement.Evidence of the Tequesta settlement was recently discovered, where pottery, stone tools, and even human remains were unearthed. Protestors argued that the new construction would desecrate a sacred and historic piece of land.“They’re just calling us artifacts. And when you call us artifacts, that makes it okay to dig us up and put us under a microscope and cut us into pieces to study our DNA,” said Betty Osceola, a Native American activist. “It’s not OK. We’re human beings just like everyone else, and we have the right to have our sacred sites protected.”Plans for the condominium remains tentative as the city considers making it a historical landmark.

Miramar police search for missing elderly couple

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:14 GMT

The Miramar Police Department is seeking the community’s help in finding Gemma and Winston Seales, last seen and heard from on Wednesday. A silver alert has been issued after their daughter reported them missing early Saturday morning. Police say they’re believed to be in the Fort Myers and Cape Coral area. Officials believe the Seales are driving a Lexus ES 330 with Florida tag 014YIH. If you have any information on the whereabouts of the couple, call the Miramar Police Department at 954-602-4000 or Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.

Meloni to return early from G7 due to deadly floods in Italy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:14 GMT

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is returning early from the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, as her country battles floods that have killed at least 14 people. The worst floods in 100 years in Italy have seen cities and towns in the the northern and eastern regions of Emilia Romagna and Le Marche submerged after around six months’ worth of rain fell in 48 hours. The devastation has precipitated Meloni’s early departure from the G7, Italian news agency ANSA and other media reported on Saturday. Italy’s Council of Ministers is set to meet Tuesday to discuss “the first urgent measures” to address the floods. In a tweet on Saturday, Meloni thanked the other leaders at the summit, saying that their closeness “is a tangible sign of our cohesion in difficult times.” Photographs captured Meloni showing her counterparts at the summit images of the floods. The floods have also opened questions about why billions of euros allocated for structural works to counter hydrogeolog...

Amid G7 diplomacy, Biden predicts a US debt limit deal will get done

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:14 GMT

HIROSHIMA, Japan — Amid a busy day of diplomacy at the G7 summit Saturday, President Joe Biden expressed cool confidence that the White House would eventually reach a deal with House Republicans and avoid a catastrophic default on the nation’s debt.Asked if he was worried about the talks hours after his press secretary seemed to indicate that talks had gone off the rails, Biden replied: “Not at all.”Noting that he’s been in the middle of similar negotiations many times over his career in politics, the president spoke about how talks “go in stages.” He appeared relaxed and expressed confidence that “we’ll be able to avoid a default and get something decent done.”Biden made the comments while in the midst of a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who was set to host him and the leaders of India and Japan in Sydney next week. The president just days ago canceled that part of his trip so he could return home and deal with the budget impasse and the looming possibilit...

Brittney Griner embraces Vice President Kamala Harris as basketball star marks return to WNBA

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:14 GMT

(CNN) — Vice President Kamala Harris was among those celebrating the return of Brittney Griner to the WNBA on Friday, five months after the Phoenix Mercury star was released from a Russian penal colony.Griner received a standing ovation from the road crowd as she was introduced during the announcement of the starting lineups at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, but her team ultimately succumbed to a 94-71 defeat against the Los Angeles Sparks in their season opener.Harris met with players from both teams before the game and thanked them for their support while Griner was in Russian custody for almost 300 days last year.“I know that was rough and that was so difficult for you,” she told the locker room. “A team is a team, that’s family.”In return, Los Angeles star and players’ union president Nneka Ogwumike thanked Harris and the Biden administration for securing Griner’s release.Griner, 32, led the way for her team, scoring a game high 18 points on ...

Devers homers twice, drives in 4 as Red Sox beat staggering Padres 6-1

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:14 GMT

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Rafael Devers homered twice and drove in four runs to help the Boston Red Sox beat San Diego 6-1 Friday night to hand the staggering Padres their 10th loss in 12 games.Devers and his friend and former teammate, Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts, took the lineup cards out for the pregame exchange and hugged. Devers then circled the bases in front of Bogaerts in consecutive innings in his 14th career multi-homer game.Devers hit a solo shot to right so hard leading off the second that he stumbled back a few steps before starting his trot. He hit a three-run homer nearly to the base of the batter’s eye in straightaway center field with no outs in the five-run third for a 6-0 lead. He has 13 homers this season.Both came off lefty Blake Snell (1-6), who allowed six runs and five hits in four innings.Before the game, Bogaerts said he hoped Devers didn’t hit any homers because “he’s a dangerous guy. He’s truly one of a kind.”Devers proved his fr...