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Judge denies Trump’s motion for mistrial in battery case

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:17:13 GMT

(CNN) — A federal judge overseeing a civil battery and defamation trial involving Donald Trump has denied the former president’s motion for a mistrial.Cross-examination of E. Jean Carroll, the columnist who sued Trump, resumed Monday morning.Trump had argued that Judge Lewis Kaplan had made “pervasive unfair and prejudicial rulings” against him. In a letter filed overnight Monday, Trump attorney Joe Tacopina said alternatively he would ask Kaplan to “correct the record for each and every instance in which the Court has mischaracterized the facts of this case to the jury” or provide him greater leeway in cross examining Carroll.“Here, despite the fact trial testimony has been underway for only two days, the proceedings are already replete with numerous examples of Defendant’s unfair treatment by the Court, most of which has been witnessed by the Jury,” the letter said.Carroll sued Trump, alleging he raped her i...

Trump accuser says many in her generation didn’t report rape

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:17:13 GMT

By LARRY NEUMEISTER and JENNIFER PELTZ (Associated Press)NEW YORK (AP) — A magazine columnist who says Donald Trump raped her in a department store’s dressing room two decades before he became president acknowledged Monday that she never followed her own advice to readers that they report sexual attacks to police.E. Jean Carroll told a Manhattan federal court jury that she was born in 1943 and was a “member of the silent generation,” taught “to keep our chins up and to not complain.” She said she had only called police once in her life, when she feared the mailbox at a home where she was staying was going to be damaged on Halloween.Carroll described her attitude about going to the police as Trump’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, confronted her during cross-examination with instances in which she advised those reading her Elle magazine column to contact police or call a sex crimes hotline if they were attacked.“The fact that I never went to the police is not surprising for somebody my age,” s...

Ex-Hopkinton Police deputy chief accused of raping child, allegedly assaulted student while he was school resource officer

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:17:13 GMT

The former Hopkinton Police deputy chief is accused of raping a child while he was a school resource officer in the town’s school system, according to police.A Middlesex grand jury has indicted 54-year-old John “Jay” Porter on three charges of rape of a child, the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office announced on Monday.Porter allegedly assaulted a 15-year-old student in 2004 and 2005.He’s accused of assaulting the student multiple times off school property.Related ArticlesCrime & Public Safety | Boston Athletic Association meets with Black running groups after Boston Marathon police presence: ‘We did not deliver on our promise’ Crime & Public Safety | ‘It’s a beautiful thing’ Thousands unite, run and cheer during a rainy, cool marathon Crime & Public Safety | Live Updates: Hellen Obiri wins women’s race at 127th Boston Marathon Crime & Public Safety | ...

Supreme Court to consider case involving fishing boat monitor pay

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:17:13 GMT

PORTLAND, Maine  — The U.S. Supreme Court will take up the subject of who pays for workers who gather valuable data aboard commercial fishing boats.Justices announced Monday that they will take the case, which stems from a lawsuit by a group of fishermen who want to stop the federal government from making them pay for the workers. The workers are tasked with collecting data on board fishing vessels to help inform rules and regulations.The fishermen involved in the lawsuit harvest Atlantic herring, which is a major fishery off the East Coast that supplies both food and bait. Lead plaintiff Loper Bright Enterprises of New Jersey and other fishing groups have said federal rules unfairly require them to pay hundreds of dollars per day to contractors.“Our way of life is in the hands of these justices, and we hope they will keep our families and our community in mind as they weigh their decision,” said Bill Bright, a New Jersey fisherman and plaintiff in the case.The high court announced ...

Hiker dies on El Capitan Trail in Lakeside

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:17:13 GMT

LAKESIDE, Calif. — A man died Sunday during a hike on the El Capitan Trail in Lakeside.According to the Lakeside Fire Protection District, around 6:45 p.m., officials received an emergency medical call for a hiker in distress near the 13000 block of Blue Sky Ranch Road.The hiker, a man in his 20's, exhibited symptoms of heat illness and collapsed while traveling with a group of hikers, according to Battalion Chief Chris Downing.The group called 911 and followed CPR instructions from the dispatcher, Downing said.Crews from Lakeside fire, Cal Fire San Diego, Barona Fire Department and Santee Fire Department all responded to the scene to assist.Upon arrival, responders found the hiker not breathing and without a pulse. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Lakeside Fire.The exact cause of death and identity of the man have not yet been publicly released by the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office. 

Maine expanded abortion access up for debate, passage likely

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:17:13 GMT

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A proposal that would give Maine one of the least restrictive abortion laws in the country came up for debate Monday while passage seemed all but assured because of Democratic control of the state’s legislature.Democratic Gov. Janet Mills has proposed changing the state’s standard to permit women to get abortions later in pregnancy. If the proposal passes, state law would change to allow abortion after fetal viability if it’s deemed necessary by a physician.Maine’s current laws allow abortions until a fetus becomes viable, which is generally considered to be around 24 weeks. The proposal faced a well-attended public hearing before a committee of the Maine Legislature on Monday.The governor’s proposal arrived as Republican-controlled states around the country are headed in the opposite direction on abortion access. Not all attempts at tightening abortion laws have succeeded, however, as abortion bans in Nebraska and South Carolina ...

Ex-Massachusetts deputy chief indicted on child rape charge

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:17:13 GMT

A former Massachusetts deputy police chief is being charged with the rape of a child that occurred when he was a school resource officer nearly 20 years ago, the Middlesex County District Attorney’s office announced Monday.Former Hopkinton Deputy Chief of Police, John “Jay” Porter, 54, has been indicted by a grand jury on three charges of rape of a child. He is alleged to have assaulted the student while he was assigned as a school resource officer in the Town of Hopkinton school system.The incidents allegedly occurred in 2004 and 2005 while the victim was a 15-year-old student. The assaults are alleged to have occurred on multiple occasions off school property.It could not immediately be determined if Porter is being represented by an attorney.Prosecutors say that as of Friday, Porter was no longer with the Hopkinton Police Department.The investigation has been handled by the county prosecutor’s office and the Massachusetts State Police. The arraignment has not been scheduled...

Helpful hand? Activist glues palm to podium on live Swiss TV

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:17:13 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — An environmental activist stormed the set of a Swiss television debate and glued himself to a podium while live on air, only to be extracted, heels dragging, a few minutes later.Local station Leman Bleu had erected the red-carpet set in a historic arcade much frequented by tourists, near Geneva City Hall, with the public and passers-by invited to look on. The man who ran onto the set wore a T-shirt with the words for “Act Together” in French and the logo of the Extinction Rebellion activist group written on the back.The episode took place Sunday as the TV station was hosting a discussion among candidates around a second, decisive round of local elections. The network’s editorial director and presenter, Jeremy Seydoux, was initially surprised by the stunt, seeming to recoil. He then scolded the activist, who was wearing a beard and ponytail, even as the presenter tried to continued the program despite the disruption.“No, no, sir, you’re not going to glue yourself to the...

Tornadoes in Virginia and Florida, flooding in other states

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:17:13 GMT

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va (AP) — Officials in Virginia, Maine, and Florida are assessing damage Monday from major storms over the weekend, including some that caused power outages and wrecked homes.The City of Virginia Beach declared a state of emergency after a tornado moved through the area and damaged dozens of homes, downed trees and caused gas leaks.Between 50 and 100 homes were damaged after the tornado touched down around 6 p.m., city officials said in a statement Sunday. There were no immediate reports of injuries.The National Weather Service’s Wakefield, Virginia, office confirmed the tornado based on “debris signature on radar, damage reports, and videos of the storm.” The agency said in a tweet Monday that a crew was surveying the damage to determine the rating, or severity, of the tornado.Virginia Beach’s weekend storms are generally associated with the same large-scale area of low pressure over the Great Lakes, NWS Meteorologist Eric Seymour said by telephone.The a...

Stop-work order after fire at Nova Scotia’s Donkin coal mine, no injuries reported

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:17:13 GMT

HALIFAX — A precautionary stop-work order is in effect at the Donkin coal mine, in Cape Breton, after a fire over the weekend.Nova Scotia’s Labour Department issued a tweet Sunday night confirming the order, following the incident at the underground mining operation. The department released few details but said there were no injuries and no workers were underground at the time of the fire.Cape Breton councillor James Edwards, who represents the municipal district where the mine is located, says he was informed of the fire by mine officials.“They got back to me and said there was a problem with one of the (mine’s) belts and that they were following all of the protocols to address it,“ Edwards, who also sits on the mine’s community liaison committee, said in an interview Monday.He said he didn’t know what specific piece of equipment was involved in the fire.”Later the mine (officials) said the situation was under control. I asked for confirmation on whether the fire was out and ...