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Former Hialeah Officer convicted of kidnaping homeless man appears in court for sentencing trial

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:49:21 GMT

A former Hialeah Police officer who was found guilty of kidnapping a homeless man appeared in court for his sentencing trial.The wife of Rafael Otano was called to the stand during his trial, Wednesday morning. In Spanish, she said that her husband is loving and respectful. Aside from Otano’s wife, a family friend, Placido Rodriguez, also took the stand. “Day one, since I’ve met him, when he met his wife, I was there during the relationship when he first met, and from day one, he’s just been an incredible kid, he’s just something else,” Rodriguez said. “To sit here and find myself in his position, in going through this for the past year, is just incredible. It’s a hard feeling to see him go through this.”Otano was accused of kidnapping and beating Jose Ortega Gutierrez along with former officer Lorenzo Orfila, on Dec. 17, 2022. The two drove Gutierrez miles away from a strip mall where he was first apprehended and took him to a r...

Inter Miami’s trip to China for a pair of exhibition games called off

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:49:21 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Lionel Messi evidently won’t be playing in China this month after all.Inter Miami announced Wednesday that its planned trip to China for a pair of exhibition matches has been called off. The team announced the trip last month, with a pair of games originally scheduled for Nov. 5 and Nov. 8.It would have been at least the eighth time that Messi — the World Cup champion for Argentina and now an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, after receiving the annual award yet again earlier this week — played in China, and the total attendance for the two planned matches could have exceeded 100,000.Inter Miami said the reason was “unforeseen circumstances.” The tour promoter, NSN, said the decision to cancel was out of respect to Chinese officials following the death last week of the country’s former second-ranking leader, Li Keqiang. He was China’s top economic official for a decade.TyC Sports, a network in Argentina, reported Monday ...

Ukraine ‘fatigue’ prevalent in Europe, Meloni tells Russian prank callers

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:49:21 GMT

European leaders are “tired” of the war in Ukraine, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told two Russian pranksters in a call — thinking she was speaking with officials with the African Union.Meloni informed the pair that “fatigue” with the war was coming to a head.“I see that there is a lot of fatigue, I have to say the truth, from all the sides,” she said. “We [are] near the moment in which everybody understands that we need a way out.”Audio of the call, which took place in September, was released online on Wednesday by Russian comedy duo, Vovan and Lexus, whose real names are Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexei Stolyarov. They have been accused of acting as a “pro-Kremlin tool of information warfare” by targeting high-profile westerners who have spoken out against Moscow since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.Meloni’s office said in a statement it “regretted” she was “deceived by an impostor” who passed himself off as the head of the executive of the African Union, a 55-member bloc...

The woman accused of killing Vermont pro cyclist Mo Wilson tracked her on a fitness app, prosecutors say

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:49:21 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The murder trial of a woman accused of gunning down rising pro cyclist Anna Moriah Wilson and fleeing the country began Wednesday with Texas prosecutors telling jurors they would hear Wilson’s final screams and the shots that killed her.Kaitlin Armstrong, 35, has pleaded not guilty to murder and faces up to 99 years in prison in the May 2022 slaying of Wilson, a competitive gravel and mountain bike racer. Wilson had been shot several times when she was found at a friend’s home before a race that she was among the favorites to win.“The last thing Mo did on this earth was scream in terror,” Travis County prosecutor Rickey Jones told jurors in opening statements.He said nearby surveillance equipment captured the screams.“Those screams are followed by ‘Pop! Pop!’” Jones said, punching his fist into his hand for emphasis. “You won’t hear any more screams after that.”Seconds after those shots, Jones said, “Kaitlin Armstrong stood ...

Cats have 276 different facial expressions, study finds

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:49:21 GMT

(CNN) — Ears flattened, constricted pupils, a lick of the lips. If you’ve ever wondered if your feline friends’ furry faces were saying something whenever they got together, chances are they were.In a study published in the journal Behavioural Processes last month, two US scientists counted 276 different facial expressions when domesticated cats interacted with one another.“Our study demonstrates that cat communication is more complex than previously assumed,” study co-author Brittany Florkiewicz, an evolutionary psychologist at Lyon College in Arkansas, told CNN Wednesday, adding that their findings suggest that domestication has a significant impact on the development of facial signaling.Florkiewicz explained that domesticated cats are typically more socially tolerant than their wildcat counterparts because of the way they live in proximity to humans, so the researchers were expecting to see expression in both positive and negative contexts—but t...

Why was Maine shooter allowed to have guns? Questions swirl in wake of massacre

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:49:21 GMT

LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — A history of mental illness. An array of weapons. Numerous run-ins with police. But he was still able to able to own guns and commit the deadliest mass shooting in Maine’s history.One week later, many in Lewiston and nationwide are asking: Why did he have guns at all?Robert Card was identified by authorities as a person of interest about four hours after he shot and killed 18 people and wounded 13 others at a bowling alley and bar in Maine’s second-largest city. But Card, who was found dead two days after his rampage, had been well known to law enforcement for months.The questions about how Card was able to own guns underscore the difficulty in seizing guns from potentially dangerous people with mental illness — especially when numerous states and jurisdictions are involved, as was the case with Card.The police agencies that responded to the mass shooting faced pressure to account for how Card could have owned guns after spending time in a psyc...

Menendez defends attending classified Ukraine briefing despite being accused of improperly assisting a foreign government

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:49:21 GMT

(CNN) — Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, who has been indicted on federal corruption charges including allegations of improperly assisting the government of Egypt, attended a classified briefing on Ukraine Wednesday morning, raising concerns among some of his colleagues who believe that he should no longer be a senator or have security credentials.The New Jersey Democrat grew defensive when approached by CNN on why he attended this briefing amid concerns about his continued service in the chamber and after he previously did not attend an Israel briefing, following a conversation he had with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.He denied that Schumer barred him from the previous briefing, and insisted that he had a right to get the classified information as he pushed back on the accusations of aiding the government of Egypt.“First of all, you’re wrong about that. He didn’t say ‘You can’t go’ and he didn’t not let me,” he said.Asked why he attended this briefing, he told C...

PHOTOS: Inside Heidi Klum’s 2023 Halloween Party

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:49:21 GMT

By Joanna Tavares, New York Daily NewsFrom peacocks and astronauts to artists and comic book characters, get a glimpse inside Heidi Klum’s 22nd annual Halloween Party presented by Patron El Alto at Marquee on Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023, in New York City.NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 31: (L-R) Tucker Halpern and Sofi Tukker attend Heidi Klum’s 22nd Annual Halloween Party presented by Patron El Alto at Marquee on October 31, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Heidi Klum)NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 31: A view of the venue during Heidi Klum’s 22nd Annual Halloween Party presented by Patron El Alto at Marquee on October 31, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for Heidi Klum)NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 31: (L-R) Markus Hintze and Bambi Mercury attend Heidi Klum’s 22nd Annual Halloween Party presented by Patron El Alto at Marquee on October 31, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images fo...

Chicago Bears dismiss running backs coach David Walker — the 2nd assistant to exit since the regular season began

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:49:21 GMT

The Chicago Bears have dismissed running backs coach David Walker, a league source told the Tribune on Wednesday morning.It is the latest sign of tumult for a 2-6 team that has yet to win consecutive games under the two-season watch of general manager Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus.It is unclear yet what precipitated Walker’s removal.He is the second assistant coach from Eberflus’ staff to exit since the regular season began. In September, defensive coordinator Alan Williams resigned from the organization for what the Tribune learned from multiple sources was a conduct-related departure.The Bears remain in last place in the NFC North and are coming off a 30-13 blowout loss on “Sunday Night Football” to the Los Angeles Chargers. On Tuesday, just ahead of the league’s trade deadline, Poles sent the team’s 2024 second-round draft pick to the Washington Commanders in exchange for defensive end Montez Sweat.After leading the NFL in rushing a year ago ...

Bruins bring up top prospect Mason Lohrei from Providence

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:49:21 GMT

In the wake of Charlie McAvoy’s four-game suspension and Matt Grzelcyk’s upper body injury, it appears one of the Bruins’ prized prospects is poised to make his NHL debut.The B’s brought up from Providence first-year pro Mason Lohrei as well as fellow defensemen Ian Mitchell and Parker Wotherspoon.Grzelcyk was placed in long-term injured reserve and Jakub Lauko, currently out with an eye injury, was placed in IR.Lohrei, the B’s second round pick in 2020 who left Ohio State early to join the organization, had four assists in seven games with the P-Bruins.The B’s get back in action Thursday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Garden.