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On the front lines of the writers strike, meet the true rat czar of NYC: Scabby the Rat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:21:15 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — For decades, a giant, inflatable rat with beady eyes, sharp teeth and a pustule-covered belly has loomed over union protests, drawing attention to various labor disputes.As New York City deals with an influx of actual rats, Scabby the Rat has become that rare thing, like Pizza Rat or Buddy the Rat — a rodent New Yorkers can rally behind.But in the era of TikTok and influencer culture, middle-aged Scabby faces a new challenge: staying relevant.“It’s kind of unfortunate, changing times, older members of the public know exactly what the rat is for,” said James Smith, union activity administrator for the NYC District Council of Carpenters. “The newer generation sometimes doesn’t — one person thought that we were protesting a building that needed an exterminator.”Nevertheless, Scabby’s not collecting hard-won retirement benefits just yet. Most recently, Scabby has been making the rounds at various picket lines in New York for the Hollywood writers strike organized b...

DeSantis, Trump look to sway Iowa GOP activists at dueling events

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:21:15 GMT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump will share the spotlight in Iowa on Saturday, providing a chance to sway influential conservative activists and contrast their campaign styles in Republicans’ leadoff voting state.DeSantis, expected to announce his 2024 presidential campaign any day, is set to wade into Iowa’s hand-to-hand politicking at a congressman’s annual picnic and an Iowa Republican Party fundraiser, while Trump, a candidate since November, hopes to show strength with an outdoor rally with supporters. Although the two men will be hours away from each other, the split-screen moment in Iowa is a first for the two national Republican powerhouses. It’s an early preview of a match-up between the former president, well ahead of his party rivals in early national polls, and DeSantis, who is viewed widely as his strongest potential challenger. It will be DeSantis’ first trip to the early testing ground si...

North Carolina governor to veto abortion limits, launching override showdown

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:21:15 GMT

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s Democratic governor will veto legislation Saturday that would ban nearly all abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy, capping a week of attempting to generate enough opposition to block the Republican measure he said is much more restrictive than meets the eye.Abortion-rights activists plan to gather on a plaza in Raleigh near Gov. Roy Cooper’s office and the Legislative Building to see him veto the bill, which also would place additional duties upon physicians, abortion clinics and the women seeking the procedure.The veto will launch a major test for leaders of the GOP-controlled General Assembly to attempt an override vote after they recently gained veto-proof majorities in both chambers.Cooper, a strong abortion-rights supporter, has until Sunday night to act on the measure that would tighten current state law that bans abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Override voting could begin next week.Party-line votes for passage last week in t...

Debt ceiling talks push Washington toward new era of deficit cuts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:21:15 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — One outcome is clear as Washington reaches for a budget deal to end the debt ceiling standoff: The ambitious COVID era of government spending — to cope with the pandemic and rebuild in its aftermath — is giving way to a new fiscal focus on tailored investments and stemming deficits.President Joe Biden has said that recouping unspent COVID-19 funds is “on the table” in budget talks with Congress. And while the White House has threatened to veto Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s debt ceiling bill with its “devastating cuts” to federal programs, the administration has signaled a willingness to consider other budget caps.The end result is a turnaround from just a few years ago, when Congress passed and then-president Donald Trump signed the historic $2.2 trillion CARES Act at the start of the COVID crisis in 2020. And it’s a dramatic realignment even as Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law and Inflation Reduction Act are now investing billions of dollars into ...

Brittney Griner plays in first WNBA preseason game since detainment in Russia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:21:15 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Brittney Griner strolled down the sideline about 1 1/2 hours before the Phoenix Mercury played Friday night and hugged and high-fived her teammates, coaches and opposing players.Then it was a little stretching, a little shooting and a little agility work to prepare for a basketball game.Just like old times.Griner returned to game action for the first time since a nearly 10-month detainment in Russia on drug-related charges ended with a prisoner swap in December. The seven-time All-Star, who missed the entire 2022 season because of the detainment, finished with 10 points and three rebounds in a WNBA preseason game against the Los Angeles Sparks.The 6-foot-9 Griner looked good, especially considering the long layoff, casually throwing down a one-handed dunk during warmups. She received a loud ovation from the home crowd when she was introduced before tipoff.Once the game started, the 32-year-old immediately went to work, scoring on a turnaround jumper early in the first...

Chaos on Mexico border averted, for now, as US turns page in migration rules

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:21:15 GMT

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — The U.S. turned the page on pandemic-era immigration restrictions with relative calm at its border with Mexico as migrants adapted to strict new rules aimed at discouraging illegal crossings and awaited the promise of new legal pathways for entering the country.A full day after the rules known as Title 42 were lifted, migrants and government officials on Friday were still assessing the effects of a switch to new regulations adopted by President Joe Biden’s administration in hope of stabilizing the Southwest border region and undercutting smugglers who charge migrants to get there.Migrants are now essentially barred from seeking asylum in the U.S. if they did not first apply online or seek protection in the countries they traveled through. Families allowed in as their immigration cases progress will face curfews and GPS monitoring. And for those expelled from the U.S., they can now be barred from entering the country for five years and face possible criminal pro...

Twins’ bullpen gives up five runs in loss to Cubs, offense mostly quiet

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:21:15 GMT

Rocco Baldelli has seen games like Friday night’s too many times already this season.One in which the Twins’ starting pitcher — in this instance, Sonny Gray — puts together an outing more than good enough to keep the team competitive, and the offense is unable to deliver on its end, forcing the bullpen into pressure-packed situations.“It feels like we’ve played a very similar — really the same — game routinely right now,” the Twins manager said. “… We need to create some separation in some of these games, because over time, you can’t play like that every day and expect the bullpen to be able to hold and be able to do these things.”Some days, the bullpen has been able to hold strong, despite little room for error. Friday was not one of those days. The Cubs surged ahead in the seventh inning, eventually scoring five runs off a trio of relievers to capture a 6-2 win in the series opener at Target Field.Chicago’s (19-19) late offense stood in stark contrast to Minnesota’s (21-18)  — the...

Young mother killed, kids hospitalized in Hesperia DUI crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:21:15 GMT

A young mother of two was killed after a DUI driver slammed head-on into her vehicle in Hesperia on Thursday.The victim was identified as Lisette Villasenor, 36, from Victorville. Her two children — a 6-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl — suffered moderate to major injuries, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.The suspect was identified as Jose Vargas, 41, from Adelanto.Deputies responded to a crash on Highway 395, between Poplar and Main Streets around 6:31 p.m.Vargas was driving south on Highway 395 when he drove into the oncoming northbound lanes, crashing head-on into the Villasenor's vehicle, authorities said.The crash left Villasenor with major injuries and despite life-saving measures, was pronounced dead at the hospital. Flesh-eating ‘zombie drug’ saturating Los Angeles streets Villasenor's two young children suffered moderate to major injuries, officials said. They were transported to a local trauma center.The suspect, Vargas, was not injured fro...

Lakers eliminate defending champion Warriors 122-101, advance to Western Conference Finals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:21:15 GMT

The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors 122-101 Friday night in Los Angeles, setting up a match-up with the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals and knocking Golden State out of the playoffs. The Lakers won the Western Conference Semifinals series four games to two. It will be their first Western Conference Finals appearance since the NBA bubble in 2020 when they beat Denver en route to a championship.Friday's loss marked the first time the Warriors lost a playoff series to a Western Conference team since 2014. They have four titles and six NBA Finals appearances since then. The Lakers' victory put an end to the latest chapter of the LeBron James-Stephen Curry rivalry. Curry's Warriors faced James' Cavaliers in the NBA Finals each year from 2015 to 2018, with Golden State winning three of those series. James and the Lakers helped knock the Warriors out of the play-in tournament in 2021. Celebrities such as Elon Musk, Kim Kardashian and Michael B. Jordan file...

Body found inside Arby's freezer identified as manager

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:21:15 GMT

The body of an Arby's employee was found inside a walk-in freezer at the New Iberia, Louisiana restaurant Thursday night, police confirmed. Police say they arrived at the restaurant along Admiral Doyle Drive just after 6 p.m. The Iberia Parish Coroner's Office confirmed that the person in the freezer, a woman, was dead at the scene. Flesh-eating ‘zombie drug’ saturating Los Angeles streets The woman was a manager at the Arby's, Nexstar's KLFY reports, but her name wasn't immediately released.Captain Leland Laseter of the New Iberia Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division told KLFY that the death remained under investigation Friday, adding that no foul play is suspected at this time. On Friday, the restaurant was closed for the day. Police did not release additional details Friday evening, citing the ongoing investigation.