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Documents: Read the two federal investigations of Massachusetts US Attorney Rachael Rollins

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:20:27 GMT

Two federal agencies on Wednesday released reports on investigations of Massachusetts US Attorney Rachael Rollins.  Ahead of the release of the reports, on Tuesday, Rollins said through her lawyer that she would resign her office by Friday.A report by the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General found that Rollins improperly used her office to influence the election in the race for Suffolk District Attorney. That report also concluded Rollins lied under oath to investigators, improperly attended a Democratic fundraiser featuring First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, and violated the policies of her office by improperly soliciting and receiving tickets to a Celtics game, among other things.A separate investigation by the Office of Special Counsel concluded she made an “extraordinary abuse” of the poower of her office in violation of the Hatch Act, which prohibits political activity by high ranking federal officials.You can read both reports below.Report from the Departm...

Dancers at Los Angeles bar to become only unionized strippers in US after 15-month battle

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:20:27 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Dancers at a Los Angeles bar could soon become the only unionized group of strippers in the U.S.The Actors’ Equity Association labor union says owners of the Star Garden Topless Dive Bar in North Hollywood have withdrawn their opposition and agreed to recognize the strippers’ union.For 15 months, dancers at the club have sought safer workplace conditions, better pay and health insurance, among other benefits. But their unionization drive was stalled by objections and legal challenges from the club’s management.The union announced this week that management had agreed to a settlement. A formal vote count by the National Labor Relations Board has been set for Thursday. “We’re hoping what we’ve done to unionize this club will have laid the groundwork for any other stripper in the country who decides that they want to also have a voice in the way their workplace is run,” Lilith, a dancer at Star Garden, told The Associated Press. Lilith asked not to be identif...

Breaking ice jams, rapid snowmelt flood homes, businesses and roads across Alaska

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:20:27 GMT

Flooding across Alaska has inundated scores of homes, with several of them knocked from their foundations by large ice chunks, and shut one of the state’s few east-west highways down to one lane.Ice jams on the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers caused most of the damage through a large swath of Alaska, while a quick melt of the snowpack caused Moose Creek to overflow near Glennallen, causing delays for motorists on the Glenn Highway which connects Anchorage to points east, including Canada.Multiple homes and buildings flooded in Glennallen, including a grocery store.The sewer system in Glennallen, about 180 miles (90 kilometers) northeast of Anchorage, was impacted by the flooding and portable restrooms were being brought in until repairs can be made, the Alaska Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management said in a statement.“Large pumps are dewatering flooded areas, gravel is being laid for emergency access repair, and emergency sewer line repairs are underway,” the sta...

Powerful earthquake shakes deep beneath Guatemala, with no immediate reports of damage

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:20:27 GMT

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 shook Guatemala on Wednesday, but there were no immediate reports of injuries.The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter was near Canilla, a town about 120 miles (193 kilometers) north of the capital. But it struck at a depth of 158 miles (255 kilometers) below the surface.People in the capital reported feeling the temblor, but there were no reports of damage.The Associated Press

Death toll from blinding May 1 dust storm crashes in Illinois rises to 8

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:20:27 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The death toll from numerous crashes on Interstate 55 that occurred amid a blinding May 1 dust storm has risen to eight, a coroner said Wednesday.Ruth Rau, 81, of Sorento, who was a passenger in a car that crashed in the dust storm, died of blunt force injuries Tuesday night at a Springfield hospital, Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon said.The crashes involved a total of 72 vehicles, with at least 37 people taken to hospitals.High winds had kicked up dangerous clouds of blinding dust off farm fields, police have said.The crashes closed I-55 in both directions in Montgomery County, 75 miles (120 kilometers) north of St. Louis. Gov. J.B. Pritzker described the scene as horrific. Winds at the time were gusting between 35 mph (56 kph) and 45 mph (74 kph), the National Weather Service said.The Associated Press

Connecticut lawmakers, shaken by death of a collegaue, pass bill to deter wrong-way drivers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:20:27 GMT

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut lawmakers, shaken by the death of a colleague killed in a wrong-way crash earlier this year, unanimously approved a bill Wednesday that attempts to curtail the growing problem of wrong-way drivers.The legislation calls for the installation of detection and notification systems on at least 120 high-risk highway exit ramps statewide. It also requires a new public education campaign to teach drivers how to reduce wrong-way incidents and handle an encounter with a wrong-way driver on the road.“This has been a difficult year for a lot of us. And it’s been a difficult year for a lot of Connecticut families across our state who have seen this dramatic increase,” said Democratic Rep. Roland Lemar, noting there were 13 wrong-way crashes in Connecticut in 2022, resulting in 23 fatalities. That was the most on record for the state. “I believe we have a bill before us that positions Connecticut to be proactive in addressing this issue,” the New Hav...

Effort to expel Santos falters as Republicans vote to send measure to Ethics Committee

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:20:27 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A resolution to expel Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., from Congress was referred to the House Ethics Committee on Wednesday as Republicans successfully sidestepped an effort to force them into a vote that could have narrowed their already slim four-seat majority.The House voted along party lines, 221-204, to refer the matter to the ethics panel, with Santos himself joining his GOP colleagues in voting to do so. The freshman congressman has been charged with embezzling money from his campaign, falsely receiving unemployment funds and lying to Congress about his finances. He has denied the charges and has pleaded not guilty.Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., introduced a resolution in February to expel Santos, something the House has only done twice in recent decades. He sought to force a vote on that resolution under a process that left three options for Republicans: a vote on the resolution, a move to table, or a referral to committee. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy chose the...

UN expert: Myanmar military imported $1 billion in weapons since 2021 coup

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:20:27 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Myanmar’s military has imported at least $1 billion worth of weapons and related material from Russia, China and other countries since its February 2021 coup, some of which it has used to carry out atrocities against civilians, according to a U.N. report released Wednesday.The weapons continue to flow to the military despite overwhelming evidence of its responsibility for the atrocities, including some that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, said Tom Andrews, the U.N. independent investigator on human rights in Myanmar.As an example of what he called the junta’s brutality, Andrews pointed to its April 11 airstrike using a Russian Yak-130 fighter jet on a ceremony attended by some 300 opponents of army rule, which was quickly followed by an attack by Russian Mi-35 helicopters on those who came to help. He said at least 160 people were killed, including many children.In addition, the machine guns and bombs used in the attacks included parts and mat...

Ecuador’s president dismisses legislature as it tries to oust him, in a move that promises turmoil

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:20:27 GMT

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — The president of Ecuador dismissed the legislature Wednesday in a move that promised more turmoil around a conservative leader who has been unable to enact a business-friendly agenda as the South American country experiences an alarming rise in crime.In disbanding the National Assembly, Guillermo Lasso made first use of the Ecuador presidency’s nuclear option under the constitution in conflicts with the legislative branch. His first move was to push a package of tax cuts, but criticism was swift and an appeal to stop him was filed hours after he announced his decision in a televised message in which he accused lawmakers of focusing “on destabilizing the government.” “This is the best possible decision,” he said after describing his move as a way to give Ecuadorians “the power to decide their future in the next elections.”Armed soldiers then surrounded the National Assembly in the capital. Lasso had been locked in a showdown with legislators who wanted to impeac...

Court record: Wife says California doctor purposely drove family off cliff

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:20:27 GMT

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (AP) — The wife of a California radiologist accused of trying to kill his family when he drove his Tesla off a cliff along the Northern California coast told rescuers her husband was depressed and needed a psychological evaluation, according to a newly unsealed search warrant affidavit. The San Francisco Chronicle reported Wednesday that Neha Patel repeatedly told rescuers that Dharmesh Patel intentionally drove off a San Mateo County cliff on Jan. 2 in a bid to kill her and their two children, ages 4 and 7. All four survived in what one official called an “absolute miracle.”Dharmesh Patel, a Pasadena radiologist, said he pulled off the road to check on a possibly flat tire, according to the warrant. Witness testimony does not appear to back up his account.“He drove off. He’s depressed,” Neha Patel told a California Highway Patrol officer as she was flown away from the crash site, according to the Chronicle. “He said he was going to drive off the cliff. He...