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Prosecutor says 3 men accused in plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Whitmer wanted to start a civil war

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:11 GMT

BELLAIRE, Mich. (AP) — Three men accused of aiding a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer were anarchists who considered themselves “the new founding fathers” and were preparing for bloodshed, a prosecutor told jurors Wednesday.“They didn’t like the U.S. government. They didn’t like the state government. They all desired to start a civil war, if you can believe it,” William Rollstin of the state attorney general’s office said in his opening trial statement.“For the average person, it’s almost impossible to fathom how brazen, how bold, how dangerous these individuals were,” he said.Eric Molitor and twin brothers William Null and Michael Null are charged in Antrim County Circuit Court with providing material support for terrorist acts — punishable by up to 20 years in prison — and illegally possessing firearms. They have pleaded not guilty.Defense attorneys were scheduled to make opening statements later Wednesday.The defendants were among 14 men...

Amputees can get their body parts back for spiritual reasons, new Oregon law says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:11 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Health care facilities in Oregon will be allowed to return amputated body parts to patients for cultural, spiritual or religious reasons under a new law supported by tribes, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.The bill, which takes effect on Sept. 24, was spearheaded by St. Charles Health System and leaders of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. For some members of the tribes, keeping a person’s body together is necessary for a smooth transition to the spirit world.“In our spirituality, one of our sayings is ‘one body, one mind,’” said Wilson Wewa, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs spiritual leader and oral historian. “When there’s amputation, most of our tribal members know that we need to be whole at the time of our leaving this world to the next.”Previous state law made returning body parts either difficult or impossible. At St. Charles, body parts could be blessed and cremated, with the remains returned to the patient.But Wewa said cremated remains w...

Founders of crypto mixer arrested, sanctioned after US cracks down on Tornado Cash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:11 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. government officials on Wednesday started cracking down on the co-founders of the virtual currency mixer Tornado Cash, just days after a federal judge decided that the government had the authority to sanction them. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Roman Semenov, one of the three co-founders of Tornado Cash, for allegedly supporting the North Korean hacking organization, Lazarus Group, among other things. Also Wednesday, the Justice Department unsealed an indictment charging Semenov and Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm with conspiracy to commit money laundering, operating an unlicensed money transmitting business and other crimes. Storm was arrested Wednesday by federal officials. Tornado Cash and other mixing services combine various digital assets, including potentially illegally obtained funds with legitimately obtained funds, so that illegal actors can obscure the origin of the stolen funds.Tornado Cash was sanctioned in August 2022...

Drowning death of former President Obama’s personal chef on Martha’s Vineyard ruled an accident

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:11 GMT

EDGARTOWN, Mass. (AP) — The drowning death of former President Barack Obama’s personal chef near the family’s home on Martha’s Vineyard last month has been ruled an accident by the Massachusetts medical examiner.Tafari Campbell, 45, of Dumfries, Virginia drowned while using a paddleboard in Edgartown Great Pond on July 24, the Massachusetts State Police said.Campbell was employed by the Obamas and was visiting Martha’s Vineyard. The Obamas were not present at the home at the time of the accident.Campbell’s death was determined to be an accidental drowning following “submersion in a body of water,” Timothy McGuirk, a spokesperson for the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, said Wednesday.In a statement following his drowning, the former president and his wife, Michelle Obama, called Campbell a “beloved part of our family.”“When we first met him, he was a talented sous chef at the White House — creative and passionate about food, and its ability to bring people together,...

Supporters of silenced Montana lawmaker Zooey Zephyr won’t face trespassing charges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:11 GMT

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana prosecutors are declining to pursue misdemeanor trespassing charges against seven people who were arrested in the state House gallery for protesting after Republicans denied transgender lawmaker Zooey Zephyr the right to debate bills near the end of the 2023 legislative session.The Lewis and Clark County Attorney’s Office filed motions in Justice Court to dismiss the charges “in the best interests of justice.” A justice of the peace signed three of the seven motions on Tuesday, court officials said. The others are pending.Zephyr’s silencing drew scores of protesters to the state Capitol and renewed nationwide debates about manners in politics. It also took place as conservative lawmakers nationwide have introduced a flurry of anti-LGBTQ+ bills this year.One of the defendants, Paul Kim of Missoula, said his attorney told him the county decided to drop the charges. Phone messages seeking comment Tuesday from County Attorney Kevin Downs and Depu...

Toronto screening room to be renamed after Oscar-winning director Norman Jewison

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:11 GMT

TORONTO — Oscar-winning Canadian filmmaker Norman Jewison is getting his namesake on a private screening room in Toronto.The Hazelton Hotel, located in the city’s high-end Yorkville neighbourhood, says it will rename its 25-seat cinema after the 97-year-old Toronto director.Jewison is known for an array of Hollywood hits that include “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Moonstruck” and “In the Heat of the Night” and he’s also founder of the Canadian Film Centre.The hotel’s Silver Screening Room will officially become the Norman Jewison Cinema during an invitation-only event held on Sept. 11, timed for the Toronto International Film Festival.The organizers say that high-profile guests, friends and some of Jewison’s collaborators will be in attendance.This isn’t the first space at the Hazelton to honour a legendary Canadian artist. The hotel previously named its private dining room after folk musician Neil Young.This report by The C...

Wisconsin Democrats want to ban sham lawsuits as Republican senator wages war on local news site

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:11 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Democrats on Tuesday proposed barring the use of expensive, sham lawsuits to silence criticism after a Republican state senator was accused of trying to bankrupt a local news outlet for reporting on his alleged use of a homophobic slur.The Wausau Pilot & Review reported in 2021 that local businessman Cory Tomczyk, who became a state senator in January, called a 13-year-old boy a homophobic slur during a city meeting where the boy testified in support of a diversity and inclusion measure that had sparked divides in the northern Wisconsin community.Tomczyk denied using the slur and sued the newspaper for defamation. In the course of that lawsuit, three people who were present at the meeting swore that they heard Tomczyk use the word. In a deposition, Tomczyk also admitted to having used the word on other occasions, The New York Times reported. A judge ultimately dismissed the case in April, saying Tomczyk had not proven that the paper defamed him.The...

Bears legend Steve McMichael named 1 of 3 committee finalists for 2024 Hall of Fame class

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:11 GMT

CANTON, Ohio — Steve "Mongo" McMichael is one step closer to the Hall of Fame.On Tuesday, McMichael was selected as one of three finalists for the hall's Seniors Committee.The other two people selected were coach Buddy Parker and former Denver Bronco Randy Gradishar.The three finalists from the Seniors Committee now move on to the main vote for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024. That will be in front of the main 50-person committee that will meet Super Bowl week, with each candidate needing 80 percent approval to get in.Last year, all three finalists from the Seniors Committee were inducted as part of the Class of 2023. The members of this year's class will be announced at the NFL Honors show on Super Bowl week.McMichael was among the first group of 24 players that were picked by the Seniors Committee for consideration for the Class of 2024 back on July 27. On August 15, he made the group of 12 finalists for consideration, putting him in the running to make the group of th...

St. Sabina Church hands out free water amid dangerously hot temperatures

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:11 GMT

CHICAGO — As dangerously hot temperatures overtake Chicago, Saint Sabina Catholic Church is helping some South Side residents enjoy a cold, refreshing reprieve from the heat.On the corner of 79th and Racine, WGN News cameras rolled as a team of volunteers from the Englewood-area church handed out free water.   Hot, humid weather: Excessive Heat Warning in place for Chicago area The good deed comes after Father Michael Pfleger took to Facebook to ask for donations for Wednesday’s water giveaway. The church is known to host water giveaways when there's an excessive heat warning in the area, but Wednesday’s is the first of the summer.  According to Fleger, the church received more than 250 cases of water.  Amid air conditioning and public transportation woes, there’s no opportunity to avoid the heat for some. It’s why volunteers are hoping some ice-cold water will help.  SEE ALSO: Chicago Public Schools prepare for dangerously hot temperatures"A lot of people...

Jet crash in Russia kills 10 and Wagner chief was on passenger list, officials say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:11 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — A business jet en route from Moscow to St. Petersburg crashed Wednesday, killing all 10 people on board, Russian emergency officials said. Mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was on the passenger list, officials said, but it wasn't immediately clear if he was on board.Unconfirmed media reports said the jet belonged to Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner private military company.Russia’s civilian aviation regulator, Rosaviatsia, said Prigozhin was on the passenger list. However, it was not immediately clear if he had boarded the flight.Russia's state news agency Tass cited emergency officials as saying that the plane carried three pilots and seven passengers. The authorities said they were investigating the crash, which occurred in the Tver region more than 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of Moscow.Prigozhin, whose private military force Wagner fought alongside Russia's regular army in Ukraine, mounted a short-lived armed mutiny against Russia's military leadership in late J...