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No debt ceiling agreement in White House meeting, though Biden and McCarthy call talks productive

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:50 GMT

By LISA MASCARO, STEPHEN GROVES and ZEKE MILLER (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy both said they had a productive debt ceiling discussion late Monday at the White House, but there was no agreement as negotiators strained to raise the nation’s borrowing limit in time to avert a potentially chaotic federal default. It’s a crucial moment for the Democratic president and the Republican speaker, just 10 days before a looming deadline to raise the debt limit. As soon as June 1, Treasury Secretary Janel Yellen, said in a letter to Congress, “it is highly likely” the government will be unable to pay all the nation’s bills. Such an unprecedented default would be financially damaging for many Americans and others around the world relying on U.S. stability, sending shockwaves through the global economy.Each side praised the other’s seriousness, but basic differences remained. They are at odds over ...

Boston City Council compromises on new redistricting map

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:50 GMT

The Boston City Council was able to reach a tentative consensus on a new redistricting map.A marathon session marked by disagreement and lengthy recesses concluded Monday with a map built from a proposal put forward by Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune that incorporated input and changes suggested by her colleagues.It redraws lines in a way that achieves population balance for each of the city’s nine districts, based on data that shows the ideal population is 75,071 but allows for a range of roughly 71,500 to 78,500 people in each district.“No one’s going to be happy 100% of the time, but at least we can say that this was truly a compromise,” said City Councilor Gabriela Coletta.While the tentative agreement was reached, the map wasn’t finalized. Louijeune, who chaired the day’s civil rights committee meeting, said there is still work that needs to be done to resolve the conflict that took place Monday over changes made in districts 4 and 5.A new map has to be approved by the City Council...

Battle for Bakhmut lost in fog of war

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:50 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia — Russian TV went into a full frenzy of celebration as it reported Moscow’s capture of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.There were comparisons to the Red Army liberating Berlin in 1945, congratulations relayed from President Vladimir Putin and announcers emphasizing the victory by using the city’s nearly century-old Soviet name of Artyomovsk.“The myth that Artyomovsk is an unassailable fortress has been crushed,” an anchor said Sunday night on Channel One, Russia’s most popular state broadcaster. “Those are historic events.”A report from the smoldering city in eastern Ukraine followed, showing Russian fighters yelling “Victory!” and placing two flags — the Russian tricolor and the black flag of the private military contractor Wagner — atop a tall, partly destroyed building.The flags were mounted “so that everyone could see them,” the correspondent said, even though the bombed-out, deserted 40...

Ocean Beach Street Fair and Chili Cook-Off set to return next month

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:50 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- One of the biggest summer events in San Diego is coming back next month, bringing tasty bites, beachfront entertainment and lots of chili to the shores of Ocean Beach.The Ocean Beach Street Fair and Chili Cook-Off is set to take over the coastal neighborhood on Saturday, June 24 for its 43rd annual summertime extravaganza. The first Chili Cook-Off in the neighborhood was held in 1984, organized by chili enthusiast Mike Akey. After traveling the world for chili cook-offs with his father, Akey decided to bring one to America's Finest City.Since then, this street fair has become one of the most popular summer events in San Diego, with thousands of visitors each year. This year, more than 700,000 people are expected to attend the one-day fair, according to the Ocean Beach Mainstreet Association. Free outdoor movies return this summer, from ‘Zootopia’ to ‘Star Wars’ The Ocean Beach Street Fair will feature three stages of continuous music at its seaside location, as well a...

Maluma to bring 'Don Juan World Tour' to San Diego

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:50 GMT

SAN DIGEO -- Maluma is bringing his swagger back to San Diego as part of the Latin artist's "Don Juan World Tour."The Colombian singer is set to perform at Pechanga Arena on Sept 16 at 8 p.m., concert officials announced Monday.Known for his hit songs "Hawai," "Felices Los Cuatro" and "Corazón," Maluma's return to America's Finest City will be his first performance here since September 2021, when the singer stopped by during his "Papi Juancho World Tour." Niall Horan to make stop in Chula Vista during 2024 tour Tickets become available to the general public starting Friday, May 26, at 10 a.m.The U.S. leg of his 2023 tour features stops in Sacramento, New York City, Miami and more cities.Maluma has more than 37 international awards including a Latin Grammy, as well as accolades from the MTV VMAs and Billboard Music Awards.

Mexicans near Popocatepetl stay vigilant as volcano’s activity increases

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:50 GMT

SANTIAGO XALITZINTLA, Mexico (AP) — At the edge of this town near the Popocatepetl volcano, away from the din of traffic, there was an occasional low rumble Monday, like an idling engine.A cloud of superfine ash descended, slightly reducing visibility and coming to rest on vehicles’ windshields. For more than a week, the 17,797-foot (5,425-meter) mountain just 45 miles (about 70 kilometers) southeast of Mexico City and known affectionately as “El Popo,” has been increasingly explosive, spewing great plumes of gas, ash and incandescent rock into the air.The activity led the Mexican government to raise the warning level and to close schools in dozens of municipalities across three states. On Monday, local, state and federal officials held drills for the possibility of evacuations.“You hear it more at night,” said Violeta Fuentes, 39, who lives with her husband and two children, ages 9 and 12, on the outskirts of Santiago Xalitzintla. That’s also when they can see the glow from the cra...

Biden’s shift on F-16s for Ukraine came after months of internal debate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:50 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s decision to allow allies to train Ukrainian forces on how to operate F-16 fighter jets — and eventually to provide the aircraft themselves — seemed like an abrupt change in position but was in fact one that came after months of internal debate and quiet talks with allies.Biden announced during last week’s Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima, Japan, that the U.S. would join the F-16 coalition. His green light came after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spent months pressing the West to provide his forces with American-made jets as he tries to repel Russia’s now 15-month-old grinding invasion.Long shadowing the administration’s calculation were worries that such a move could escalate tensions with Russia. U.S. officials also argued that learning to fly and logistically support the advanced F-16 would be difficult and time consuming.But over the past three months, administration officials shifted toward the view that it was ti...

Los Angeles Dodgers reinstate gay ‘nun’ group for Pride Night award

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:50 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers announced Monday that a satirical LGBTQ+ group called the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence will again be welcome at the team’s annual Pride Night, nearly a week after the team rescinded its original invitation.“We have asked the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to take their place on the field at our 10th annual LGBTQ+ Pride Night on June 16th,” a team statement said. “We are pleased to share that they have agreed to receive the gratitude of our collective communities for the lifesaving work that they have done tirelessly for decades.”The group will receive the Community Hero Award in a ceremony before the Dodgers’ home game against the San Francisco Giants.After “much thoughtful feedback,” the team also apologized to the group and the LGBTQ+ community, friends and families.The Sisters, a group of mainly men who dress as nuns, is a charity, protest and performance group founded in 1979 in San Francisco. Its Los Angeles chapt...

California officials say communities near refilling Tulare Lake now unlikely to flood

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:50 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California officials said Monday they believe tens of thousands of people living near an ancient freshwater lake bed are not likely to experience flooding this year thanks to improving weather conditions and some swift planning following a series of powerful storms that refilled the basin for the first time in decades.Tulare Lake in California’s Central Valley was once the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River, fed by a strong flow of snowmelt from the Sierra Nevada each spring. But the lake eventually went dry as settlers dammed and diverted water for agriculture.This year, the lake started to fill again after the state was hit with a more than a dozen strong storms known as atmospheric rivers packed with massive amounts of rain and snow. What had been a dry lake bed filled with crops and crisscrossed by powerlines began to go underwater. Now, water covers more than 160 square miles (414.40 square kilometers).Most of that flooding is ...

Rain forecast could slow down record-breaking Alberta wildfires, officials say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:50 GMT

EDMONTON — Light rainfall and cooler temperatures slowed down wildfire activity in Alberta over the long weekend and more rain that’s in the forecast may help firefighters catch a breath during a record-breaking season of fires.“This could be a turning point for the firefighters working out there on the fires,” Christie Tucker of Alberta Wildfire said during a news conference Monday.“We have received rain, I understand, on almost every wildfire that’s currently burning in the province except those in the far north.”She delivered the hopeful message while also telling reporters that 2023 has been the most active spring for fires on record with 945,000 hectares burned, surpassing 615,000 in 2019. Cooler temperatures and rain were forecast to continue Tuesday, she noted.Bre Hutchinson, executive director of the Alberta Emergency Management Agency, told the news conference the fire danger remains very high to extreme in northern Alberta, and high to v...