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Orioles closer Félix Bautista throws live bullpen for 1st time since injuring elbow, but timeline still unknown

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:24 GMT

Félix Bautista took another step Tuesday toward returning from his elbow injury, but Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said the closer’s timeline is still murky.Bautista threw a live bullpen — pitching on the mound at Camden Yards and facing a hitter — for the first time since he partially tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow one month ago Tuesday. The right-hander had thrown bullpen sessions in recent weeks as he attempts to ramp up for a postseason return, but Hyde said after Bautista’s live session that he still has “no idea” when or if the All-Star closer can return this season.“We’re running out of time a little bit and he’s going to need to get on the mound more often,” Hyde said. “He’s thrown a couple of bullpens; this was his first time experimenting against a hitter on the mound. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow and just make decisions on a daily basis.”Bautista threw 25 pitc...

Patriots place DL Daniel Ekuale on IR, release William Hooper from practice squad

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:24 GMT

The Patriots placed defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale on injured reserve and released defensive back William Hooper from their practice squad Tuesday.According to ESPN, Ekuale suffered a torn bicep while attempting to make an arm tackle in the second quarter of last Sunday’s 15-10 win over the Jets. He will miss at least four games and could be in danger of sitting out the season. The Pats also lost defensive tackle Davon Godchaux to an ankle injury against the Jets, though the severity of his injury is unknown.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez has Cowboys’ attention with early standout play New England Patriots | Why the Cowboys are changing their offense before facing the Patriots New England Patriots | Bill O’Brien responds to Cowboys’ claim Patriots will interrogate ex-QB for intel New England Patriots | Patriots pass rusher reportedly suffered torn biceps vs. Jets New En...

Amazon hit with antitrust lawsuit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:24 GMT

U.S. regulators and 17 states are suing Amazon over allegations the e-commerce giant abuses its position in the marketplace to inflate prices on and off its platform, overcharge sellers and stifle competition.The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in federal court in Amazon’s home state of Washington, is the result of a yearslong investigation into the company’s businesses and one of the most significant legal challenges brought against it in its nearly 30-year history.The Federal Trade Commission and states including Massachusetts that joined the lawsuit allege Amazon is violating federal and state antitrust laws. They are asking the court to issue a permanent injunction that they say would prohibit Amazon from engaging in its unlawful conduct and loosen its “monopolistic control to restore competition.”“Amazon has become dominant as an online superstore. But – out of view from the average person, family, or business – Amazon has used that dominance to infla...

California governor signs law raising taxes on guns and ammunition to pay for school safety

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:24 GMT

By ADAM BEAM (Associated Press)SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California will ban people from carrying firearms in most public places while doubling the taxes on guns and ammunition sold in the state under two new laws Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Tuesday that will test the limits of the U.S. Supreme Court’s new standard for interpreting the Second Amendment.The federal government already taxes the sale of guns and ammunition at either 10% or 11%, depending on the type of gun. The law Newsom signed adds another 11% tax on top of that — making California the only state with a separate tax on guns and ammunition, according to the gun control advocacy group Brady.The money will pay for security improvements at public schools and a variety of gun violence prevention programs, including those geared toward young people in gangs. The money from the federal tax, which has been in place for more than 100 years, pays for wildlife conservation and hunter education programs.The laws w...

John ‘Zip’ Connolly’s medical parole survives as brother of victim slams Florida board

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:24 GMT

A fed-up Steve Davis ripped the Florida parole board for allowing disgraced ex-FBI agent John “Zip” Connolly to remain free to take convalescent walks.“It’s not right. It’s corrupt. It’s frustrating,” Davis scolded the board Tuesday. “That piece of garbage! … I just can’t believe the state of Florida.”Davis has fought for victims’ rights ever since his sister, Debra, was reportedly slain by Southie mobster James “Whitey” Bulger in 1981 – when Connolly was Whitey’s FBI handler.“I completely don’t understand it,” Davis told the Florida Commission on Offender Review, which voted 2-1 to allow Connolly to remain in Lynnfield.“It’s been two-and-a-half years since he’s been released. … I asked if he was dead yet. I thought he only had six months to live,” Davis said, alluding to a doctor saying the onetime G-man was terminally ill.“It seems like Florida is lying in bed with him,” Davis added. “He acted like he was Godfather … I got a li...

Who is Anthony Rota, the Speaker of the House of Commons who is stepping down?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:24 GMT

OTTAWA — Anthony Rota has been jokingly dragged to the Speaker’s chair by the prime minister and the leader of the Opposition twice, in what is a long-standing parliamentary tradition.The second time, in 2021, MPs thanked him for his fairness and leadership in the House of Commons during the COVID-19 global pandemic — and for how he managed all the unprecedented challenges that upended how Parliament normally operates. On Tuesday, about two years later, Rota delivered his resignation, effective at the end of the day on Wednesday.Until Friday afternoon, the Speaker was considered a highly respected Speaker on both sides of the political aisle. But on that day, he invited a Ukrainian veteran who fought for the Nazis to the House of Commons to witness a speech by Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and lauded the man as a Canadian and Ukrainian hero.Rota apologized to the House on Monday amid international criticism over the incident. “I don’t think I̵...

Less-redacted report on Maryland church abuse still redacts names of church leaders

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:24 GMT

BALTIMORE (AP) — Maryland’s attorney general released some previously redacted names in its staggering report on child sex abuse in the Archdiocese of Baltimore on Tuesday, but the names of five Catholic church leaders remained redacted amid ongoing appeals, prompting criticism of the church by victims’ advocates.While the names of the high-ranking church leaders already have been reported by local media, the director of the Maryland chapter of Survivors of those Abused by Priests said he was disappointed, but not surprised that resistance continues to fight against transparency and accountability, despite what church leaders say. “Once again, it just shows that the Church is not doing what they say they’re doing,” said David Lorenz, the leader of SNAP’s Maryland chapter. “They’re just not. They’re not being open and transparent, and they should be, and they claim to be.” Lorenz said he questioned whether the names in the report would ever be made publi...

Suspect, aged 13, charged with calling in bomb threat to Hamilton school

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:24 GMT

Hamilton police say a 13-year-old child has been arrested after allegedly calling a school and making a bomb threat. Police say the teen called Mount Albion Elementary School on September 26. “The call was traced back from the school to a local address, where a youth admitted making the threat,” police said in a release.Hamilton police said bomb threats have been an ongoing issue, with 16 incidents across the city since September 21, 2023.

Defendant in Michigan fake elector case seeks dismissal of charges over attorney general’s comments

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:24 GMT

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — One of 16 Michigan Republicans accused of taking part in a fake elector scheme filed a motion Tuesday asking a judge to dismiss charges after the state attorney general said the group had been “brainwashed” and truly believed that former President Donald Trump won the 2020 election.All 16 are facing eight criminal charges, including forgery and conspiracy to commit election forgery, that were first announced in July by state Attorney General Dana Nessel. Investigators allege that they met following the 2020 election and signed a document falsely stating they were Michigan’s “duly elected and qualified electors.”President Joe Biden won the state by nearly 155,000 votes, a result that was confirmed by a GOP-led state Senate investigation in 2021. Michigan is one of seven states where false Electoral College certificates were submitted declaring Trump the winner, despite confirmed results showing he had lost.On Sept. 18, Nessel, a Democrat, told a liberal gr...

Delaware trooper facing felony charges involving assaults on teens after doorbell prank at his house

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:24 GMT

DOVER, Del. (AP) — A Delaware State Trooper is facing several felony charges involving a brutal assault on a teenager who targeted the trooper’s house in a prank.An indictment issued Monday against Trooper Dempsey R. Walters, 29, includes the first use by prosecutors of a new felony deprivation of civil rights law that was passed in Delaware last year.Walters, who has been suspended without pay, also is charged with felony assault, two counts of misdemeanor assault and two counts of official misconduct. He turned himself in Tuesday afternoon and was released from custody after posting bail in the amount of $29,000. An attorney representing Walters did not immediately return a telephone message Tuesday afternoon. The court docket indicates that Walters waived reading of the indictment and pleaded not guilty.According to authorities, Walters, who has been a trooper for more than six years, was off duty and returning to his Lancaster Village residence in Elsmere on Aug. 17 when he enco...