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Judge questions FBI’s role in post-9/11 sting and orders 3 of ‘Newburgh Four’ freed from prison

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:51:29 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Three men ensnarled in an infamous post-9/11 terrorism sting have been ordered freed from prison by a judge who deemed their lengthy sentences “unduly harsh and unjust” and decried the FBI’s role in radicalizing them in a plot to blow up New York synagogues and shoot down National Guard planes.Onta Williams, David Williams and Laguerre Payen — three of what’s known as the “Newburgh Four” — were “hapless, easily manipulated and penurious petty criminals” caught up in a scheme driven by overzealous FBI agents and a dodgy informant, U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon said in her ruling Thursday.“The real lead conspirator was the United States,” McMahon wrote in a 28-page decision granting the men’s request for compassionate release, effective in three months.The judge, citing concerns for the men’s health and her own qualms about the case, cut the 25-year mandatory minimum sentences she imposed on the men in 2011 to time served plus ...

Florida woman who stole nearly $3 million from Holocaust survivor gets over four years in prison

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:51:29 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A Florida woman who drained an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor’s life savings by posing as a love interest and then lived lavishly off the $2.8 million she got was sentenced Thursday to over four years in prison.Peaches Stergo, 36, of Champions Gate, Florida, was described by U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos as “unspeakably cruel” and motivated by greed as he announced the sentence in Manhattan federal court.Given a chance to speak, Stergo said: “I’m sorry.” She pleaded guilty in April to wire fraud, admitting that she drained the life savings of a man she met on a dating website seven years ago.Stergo began asking the once successful businessman for money in May 2017, claiming she needed money to pay a lawyer who was refusing to release the payout from a bogus injury settlement, prosecutors said. He paid her $25,000. Over the next four years, she used lies to coax the man to write 62 checks totaling over $2.8 million until he was broke, they added.She got him ...

As cyclists ride across Iowa, they are seeing craft breweries driving small-town tourism

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:51:29 GMT

RIPPEY, Iowa (AP) — On a long stretch of road just outside the small Iowa town of Rippey, where thousands of cyclists were passing through during a 100-plus mile day on the world’s longest and oldest recreational ride, five men and two women rode single-file down the left side, each wearing a jersey worth remembering.If you’re a beer connoisseur.There was one from Toppling Goliath with images from its flagship Pseudo Sue pale ale. Another from Exile Brewing Company, based in the state capital of Des Moines. And another from Big Grove Brewery.Hundreds of other breweries also can be seen on the backs of the estimated 50,000 riders taking part in RAGBRAI, the annual bike ride across Iowa. And together, the small- and medium-sized breweries are a testament to not just how rapidly the craft beer industry has expanded but to its fast-growing importance in rural America.“The state is littered with great breweries. Fantastic breweries,” says Clark Lewey, who along with his wife,...

Black lawmakers press Justice and Education Departments to investigate Florida’s race curriculum

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:51:29 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Congressional Black Caucus is pushing the White House, Justice Department and the Department of Education to adopt an “aggressive legal strategy” to scrutinize recent changes to Florida’s Black history curriculum.The caucus wants the federal agencies to examine whether Florida school districts are violating federal discrimination law following changes to the curriculum in the state — from banning books covering racial themes to a recent decision to add language about the positive impacts of slavery.Caucus Chairman, Nevada Rep. Steven Horsford said at a Thursday press conference he met with Education Secretary Miguel Cardona this week to discuss actions that might be taken. He added that “we have discussed with the White House the need to have a very aggressive legal strategy to want to uphold the law.” However, lawmakers did not lay out the specifics on how the departments might use use their resources.The departments have a number of tools. In June, the ...

Angels say they won’t trade Shohei Ohtani. He celebrates with a 1-hitter, 2 homers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:51:29 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Shohei Ohtani looked his manager in the eye and in just a few words, left no doubt of his intentions.“I’ll finish it,” Los Angeles Angels manager Phil Nevin recalled Ohtani telling him after the eighth inning of what became his first complete game in Major League Baseball. “He wanted it. I could see it, too.”Ohtani polished off his one-hit shutout of the Detroit Tigers, then continued his extraordinary day in the second game of Thursday’s doubleheader, hitting two homers to increase his major league-leading total to 38 before leaving the game with cramps.The two-way superstar became the first player in major league history to throw a shutout in one half a doubleheader and hit one homer — much less two — in the other.Hours before Ohtani delivered the message to his manager, the Angels delivered one of their own.The franchise, desperate to make the playoffs for the first time since 2014, made a win-now trade to bolster its pitching staff and confirmed that Ohtani ...

Biden dispatches top adviser for talks with Saudi crown prince on normalizing relations with Israel

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:51:29 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden dispatched his national security adviser Jake Sullivan to Saudi Arabia on Thursday for talks with the kingdom’s de facto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as the White House pushes for a normalization of relations between the country and Israel. The White House in a brief statement said that Sullivan arrived in Jeddah on Thursday for talks with the crown prince, who is often referred to by his initial MBS, and other Saudi officials. The wide-ranging talks covered initiatives to “advance a common vision for a more peaceful, secure, prosperous, and stable Middle East,” and efforts to find a permanent end to the years-long conflict between the Saudis and Iran-allied Houthis in Yemen, according to the White House.Sullivan and MBS also discussed the Biden administration’s hopes to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, according to a White House National Security Council official familiar with the matter. The off...

Help for Huntley: Fundraiser concert set for boy thrown from Antioch carnival ride

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:51:29 GMT

ANTIOCH, Ill. — An upcoming concert in Antioch will raise money for a 10-year-old boy thrown from a carnival ride.  On Aug. 10, a summer concert from rock cover band 'Mike and Joe,' will serve as a fundraiser for the family of Huntley Daniels, who suffered severe injuries at Taste of Antioch earlier this month. The planned fundraiser is part of a summer concert series held Thursday nights beginning at 7 p.m. at the Antioch Bandshell at the William E. Brook Entertainment Center in the 900 block of Skidmore Drive. Family speaks out after 10-year-old boy flung from Antioch carnival ride Huntley slipped through his harness on the 'Moby Dick' ride and was flung from the attraction. Huntley suffered multiple facial and jaw fractures and significant injuries to the bones in one of his legs.His injuries are considered to be life-threatening.An investigation into the July 16 incident is ongoing. Officials said it could take months before their findings are revealed. Child thrown from ca...

Loretto Hospital workers 'poised' to strike on Monday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:51:29 GMT

CHICAGO — Hundreds of workers at a West Side hospital say they're ready to walk off the job. SEIU Healthcare Illinois, the union representing employees at Loretto Hospital, said Thursday that contract talks have stalled.PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Loretto Hospital workers announce strike notice"We are poised to strike on Monday, despite our best attempts to negotiate and get through to Loretto management, they walked away from the table yesterday," said Erica Bland, executive vice president for SEIU.The July 26 negotiations without an agreement. Three bargaining sessions were scheduled for late July in hopes that a strike could be avoided.The union representing the hospital's frontline service, care, and technical workers accuses Loretto administrators of stonewalling at the bargaining table. The hospital has offered pay raises and more personal days, but they argue the union's demands are unsustainable. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlinesIf a deal isn’t reached...

Trump charged with trying to delete Mar-a-Lago surveillance footage in new indictment

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:51:29 GMT

(The Hill) — The Justice Department is accusing former President Trump of attempting to delete surveillance footage at his Mar-a-Lago property in a new superseding indictment filed in the classified records case on Thursday. DOJ says Trump acted with a new co-conspirator to try to delete the footage, and also charged him with an additional Espionage Act charge.  READ: Superseding indictment says Trump team tried to delete Mar-a-Lago surveillance footage The superseding indictment brings to 42 the total number of counts facing the former president.It accuses Trump of acting with Carlos de Oliveira, the property manager of the hotel, and Trump’s other co-defendant Walt Nauta, with trying to delete the footage.This is a developing story.

How scammers are using 'Barbie' craze to steal personal information

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:51:29 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – After a massive opening weekend, the buzz around "Barbie" is seemingly everywhere – but experts say scammers are also enjoying the blockbuster's popularity."Cybercriminals are always on the lookout for opportunities to make phishing and other scams more attractive and believable,” said Steve Grobman, CTO of McAfee, in a news release a week ago. “They often leverage popular and well-publicized events such as movie premieres, concerts, or sporting events to trick users into clicking on malicious links." Map shows which areas of the US will be underwater in 2050 McAfee has detected dozens of malware files with Barbie-related names this month, with 37 percent in the U.S. Some phishing attempts are disguised as a "Barbie"-related video that contains a link directing potential victims to a Discord server or another website. There, they are promised fake tickets or otherwise convinced to download a file that turns out to be malware. In some cases, McAfee says, that malware is...