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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will run for president as an independent and drop his Democratic primary bid

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:29 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Longtime environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Monday he will run for president as an independent and drop his Democratic primary bid, adding a wrinkle to a 2024 race heading toward a likely rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.Kennedy, a member of one of the most famous Democratic families in politics, was running a longshot primary bid and has better favorability ratings among Republicans than Democrats. It’s unclear whether GOP support would translate to a general election when Kennedy would also be running against Trump. Both Biden and Trump allies have at times questioned whether Kennedy would be a spoiler against their candidate.Biden’s allies so far have dismissed Kennedy’s primary campaign as unserious. Asked for comment on his potential independent run, a Democratic National Committee spokesman responded with an eye roll emoji.Awaiting Kennedy’s remarks Monday, hundreds of s...

SWAT standoff ends peacefully in SW Miami-Dade neighborhood

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:29 GMT

A SWAT situation unfolded in Southwest Miami-Dade leading to one person in custody, Monday. The incident started at Southwest 178th Terrace and 152nd Avenue when police responded to a domestic dispute. A man barricaded himself inside the home, but after several hours, law enforcement successfully took the individual into custody. While the exact details of the domestic dispute remain undisclosed, authorities have yet to announce the charges the man may face.

Doctors disconnect half of 6-year-old’s brain in life-changing surgery

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:29 GMT

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, California (KABC) — When a doctor asked 6-year-old Brianna Bodley of San Bernardino about her headache, she tried not to move when she answered.“Tell him where your head hurts,” the girl’s mother told her while gently holding her hand.The stitches are still fresh after pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Aaron Robison at Loma Linda University Health meticulously took 10 hours to disconnect half of Brianna’s brain.“After surgery, her entire left side of her body is turned off,” said the girl’s mother, Crystal Bodley.Last year, Brianna was diagnosed with Rasmussen’s Encephalitis, a rare, chronic inflammatory disease that affects about 500 children in the U.S. every year. A vibrant young girl who used to love singing, dancing and reading had daily debilitating seizures that would eventually lead to learning disabilities and paralysis.“Her leg would bend up all the time and she would have trouble walking,” s...

Newly discovered snail in Florida Keys is named after Jimmy Buffett song

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:29 GMT

(CNN) — The late singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett has an unsuspecting figure to add to his legacy — a newly discovered species of sea snail found in the Florida Reef.Named Cayo margarita as a nod to Buffett’s song “Margaritaville,” the bright yellow specimen is a worm snail, a type of mollusk that sticks to hard surfaces within the coral reef and forms a tubular shell around itself, according to a study published Monday in the journal PeerJ. (Buffett died September 1 at age 76.)Biologist Rüdiger Bieler, the report’s lead author, first saw the snail while scuba diving and noted its citrusy color, which reminded him of the popular cocktail.“In some ways, our team was no stranger to the regional signature drink. And of course, Jimmy Buffett’s music,” Bieler said, calling himself “a bit of a Parrothead,” as fans of the singer are known. “So when we came up with a species name, we really wanted to allude to the color of the drink and the fact that it lives in the Florida Ke...

Graphic videos of Hamas attacks spread on X

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:29 GMT

Videos and images of mass shootings, kidnapped civilians and soldiers and other violence linked with Hamas’ attack on Israel are being widely shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, in violation of the company’s own rules against inciting violence.POLITICO’s review of Elon Musk’s social media platform in the wake of Hamas’ attacks, which began on October 7, discovered scores of videos that allegedly showed militants murdering civilians and Israeli soldiers; viral hashtags associated with the ongoing violence that praised Hamas’ activities; and social media posts that included graphic pictures of those killed and antisemitic hate speech.Such extremist material was also accessible on other social media platforms, most notably on Telegram. But the level at which the terrorist-related content was circulated on X was significantly higher compared to others, according to analysis by POLITICO and two outside researchers who independently reviewed the tec...

Native Americans celebrate their histories and cultures on Indigenous Peoples Day

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:29 GMT

Native people celebrated their history on Monday with events across the U.S. marking Indigenous Peoples Day, from a sunrise gathering in Minneapolis to a rally in Maine. The ceremonies, dances and speeches came two years after President Joe Biden officially commemorated Indigenous Peoples Day. At the time, he said the day is meant to “honor America’s first inhabitants and the Tribal Nations that continue to thrive today.”In Minnesota, about 150 people, including the governor and lieutenant governor, attended a sunrise prayer and ceremony at Bde Maka Ska, a lake surrounded by parkland on the south side of Minneapolis.“Today, we recognize our ancestors and predecessors who really laid the foundation for us to stand,” said Thorne LaPointe, an indigenous organizer and Native American. “And we will always recognize our elders who are here and those who have gone on before us, who really kicked open the doors in their time nationally and internationally, and really made a place for us par...

Heavy flooding in southern Myanmar displaces more than 14,000 people

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:29 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Flooding triggered by heavy monsoon rains in Myanmar’s southern areas has displaced more than 14,000 people and disrupted traffic on the rail lines that connect the country’s biggest cities, officials and state-run media said Monday.State television MRTV reported Monday evening that the number of displaced people in Bago township, about 68 kilometers (42 miles) northeast of Yangon, the country’s biggest city, had climbed to that figure, and they were taking shelter in 36 relief camps. It said almost 1,000 more people in Mon state’s township, just east of Bago, were sheltering in three relief camps, and there some evacuations in a northern part of Yangon.A senior official at the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, Lay Shwe Zin Oo, said that constant rainfall in the Bago region that began last week caused the flooding in the low-lying areas of its capital, Bago township. She said there were no casualties reported so far. Bago township record...

Workers at Mack Trucks reject contract and join the thousands of UAW picketers already on strike

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:29 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Union workers at Mack Trucks went on strike Monday after voting down a five-year contract agreement that negotiators had reached with the company. The United Auto Workers said 4,000 unionized workers walked out at 7 a.m., adding to labor turmoil in the industry that has ensnared all three big Detroit automakers. With those workers joining picket lines, the total number of UAW members that are on strike now exceeds 30,000 across 22 states, the union said Monday. Union President Shawn Fain said in a letter to Mack parent company Volvo Trucks that 73% of workers voted against the deal in results counted on Sunday.The UAW represents Mack workers in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Florida. Union leaders had reached a tentative agreement on the deal on Oct. 1. UAW Locals 171, 677, 1247, 2301, and 2420 in UAW Region 8 and Region 9 represent workers at Mack Trucks in Macungie and Middletown, Pennsylvania; Hagerstown and Baltimore, Maryland; and Jacksonville, Florida. The deal nego...

Kenya court temporarily bars security forces deployment to Haiti for two weeks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:29 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya’s high court temporarily barred on Monday deployment of the country’s security forces to other countries for two weeks until a case filed by a local politician challenging such action as unconstitutional is looked into.This came after Kenya agreed to lead a multi-national force to combat gang violence in Haiti following a United Nations Security Council resolution approved last week. The mission would be funded by voluntary contributions, with the U.S. pledging up to $200 million.Former presidential candidate, Ekuru Aukot, filed a petition Friday against the deployment of Kenyan forces, arguing that the law allowing the president to do so conflicted with articles of the constitution.Aukot’s petition also faulted President William Ruto for agreeing to lead the international peacekeeping mission while Kenya struggles with security issues arising from militant attacks and most recently ethnic clashes.High Court justice, Chacha Mwita, on Monday, a...

Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Jake Muzzin hired as pro scout

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:29 GMT

Long-time Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Jake Muzzin has joined the organization as a pro scout, general manager Brad Treliving announced on Monday.Muzzin, 34, has dealt with a number of injuries, including multiple concussions and a spine injury suffered during the 2022-23 campaign. He played only four games and was ruled out for the remainder of the season, as well as the upcoming season.The Maple Leafs acquired Muzzin in early 2019 from the Los Angeles Kings for Sean Durzi, Carl Grundstrom and a first-round pick in the 2019 draft. He signed a four-year, $22.5 million contract extension with the Maple Leafs in February 2020.RELATED: Leafs’ goalie Matt Murray undergoes hip surgery, out 6-8 monthsMuzzin, who remains on long-term injured reserve, has one year left on his contract that will pay him $5.6 million this season.The 34-year-old appeared in 187 games with Toronto, including 22 playoff games. In all, Muzzin played over 600 games with the Kings and Leafs and accrued 294 ...