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Pentagon has ordered a US aircraft carrier to remain in the Mediterranean near Israel

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:39 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and one other warship to remain in the Mediterranean Sea for several more weeks to maintain a two-carrier presence near Israel as its war with Hamas grinds on, U.S. officials said.It would be the third time the Ford’s deployment has been extended, underscoring the continued concerns about volatility in the region during Israel’s war in Gaza. The U.S. has two aircraft carriers in the region, a rarity in recent years.Multiple U.S. officials confirmed the longer deployments approved this week for the Ford and the USS Normandy cruiser on condition of anonymity because they have not yet been made public. Other ships in the Ford’s strike group had already had their deployments extended.The Pentagon ramped up its military presence in the region after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks to to deter Iran from widening the war into a regional conflict. In the months since, Iranian-backed militan...

Family of National Grid worker killed in Waltham crash continues to mourn loss

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:39 GMT

The family of the National Grid worker killed in last week’s deadly crash in Waltham is continuing to mourn ahead of their loved one’s funeral on Saturday. Roderick Jackson, 36, was killed last Wednesday along with Waltham Police Officer Paul Tracey when a man in a pickup truck allegedly struck them at a worksite on Totten Pond Road. Tracey was laid to rest on Friday after his funeral in Waltham. Jackson’s funeral services are scheduled for Saturday morning at St. Paul AME church in Cambridge.“Oh my God,” said Jackson’s mother, Norma Asprilla, on Friday. “I’m burying my baby. Horrific.”“He supported all of us to the fullest,” said Jackson’s brother, Manuel Asprilla-Hassan. “He didn’t just mean everything to us, he was everything to us and we lost it all.”Known as “Kito” to his siblings and mother, Jackson’s family said he had been working for National Grid for three years when he was killed. “After tomorrow, I will never get to see him again,” said Norma Asprilla. “It’s pa...

Autopsy shows Matthew Perry died of ‘acute effects of ketamine’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:39 GMT

(CNN) — Friends star Matthew Perry died as a result of “acute effects of ketamine” and subsequent drowning, an autopsy report shows.The report, released Friday by the Los Angeles Medical Examiner’s Office, shows Perry’s blood tested positive for ketamine which is known to treat depression and anxiety.“At the high levels of ketamine found in his postmortem blood specimens, the main lethal effects would be from both cardiovascular overstimulation and respiratory depression,” the report states.Perry was found floating face down in the pool of his Malibu home in October. Authorities say no foul play was involved.

Rudy Giuliani ordered to pay more than $145 million in defamation trial

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:39 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A jury awarded $148 million in damages on Friday to two former Georgia election workers who sued Rudy Giuliani for defamation over lies he spread about them in 2020 that upended their lives with racist threats and harassment.The damages verdict follows emotional testimony from Wandrea “Shaye” Moss and her mother, Ruby Freeman, who tearfully described becoming the target of a false conspiracy theory pushed by Giuliani and other Republicans as they tried to keep then-President Donald Trump in power after he lost the 2020 election.Giuliani didn’t appear to show any emotion as the verdict was read in Washington’s federal courthouse after about 10 hours of deliberations. Moss and Freeman hugged their attorneys after the jury left the courtroom and didn’t look at Giuliani as he left with his lawyer.Giuliani had already been found liable in the case and previously conceded in court documents that he falsely accused...

Dry Saturday, Sunday evening rain

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:39 GMT

We’re almost to the weekend, and the weather will be decent for most of it. Temperatures will be mild for mid-December in the 40s and 50s. We’ll see increasing clouds ahead of our next storm that will bring the biggest impacts on Monday.Check out that temperature change from yesterday to this afternoon! It was mild out there today. It’ll be nice this evening in the 40s. Tomorrow we’ll start off in the mid 30s. A cold front will drop in tomorrow. We’ll see some sun blended with clouds through the day, but stay dry. While our temperatures won’t be as mild as today, it’ll still be above average. A great day to get outside or join in on the 250th Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party!We’ll have abundant cloud cover from start to finish on Sunday. Despite that, temperatures will be more mild as highs reach the 50s. This is ahead of our next storm. Most of Sunday is dry before showers arrive in the evening.We’ll be watching an area of lo...

Rudy Giuliani must pay Georgia election workers $148M, jury rules

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:39 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A jury awarded $148 million in damages on Friday to two former Georgia election workers who sued Rudy Giuliani for defamation over lies he spread about them in 2020 that upended their lives with racist threats and harassment.The damages verdict follows emotional testimony from Wandrea “Shaye” Moss and her mother, Ruby Freeman, who tearfully described becoming the target of a false conspiracy theory pushed by Giuliani and other Republicans as they tried to keep then-President Donald Trump in power after he lost the 2020 election.There was an audible gasp in the courtroom when the jury foreperson read aloud the $75 million award in punitive damages for the women. Moss and Freeman were each awarded another roughly $36 million in other damages.Giuliani didn’t appear to show any emotion as the verdict was read in Washington’s federal courthouse after about 10 hours of deliberations. Moss and Freeman hugged their attorneys after the jury left the ...

Rings dropped into Massachusetts Salvation Army donation kettle: ‘Given in love for a second time’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:39 GMT

The incredibly generous tradition of people dropping jewelry into The Salvation Army’s red donation kettles continued this week in the Bay State.Lt. Nicole Fullop of The Salvation Army was counting money after collecting red kettles from multiple sites in Waltham on Thursday when she found a wedding band and an engagement ring.There was also a note from the anonymous donor, who dropped them into a red kettle at the Market Basket in Waltham.“This ring is being given in love for a second time,” the donor wrote. “Like the first time, I hope that this ring will bring joy and make a difference.”The rings are valued at an estimated $1,500. The Salvation Army said the rings will now be “put directly toward helping families and others in need in the Waltham area this holiday season.”Over the years, people have donated valuable jewelry and rare coins with notes that have helped The Salvation Army raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to support soci...

Lucas: Nikki Haley hardly a ‘birdbrain’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:39 GMT

Candidates sometimes run for president to become vice president.Frequently, presidential candidacies are more tryouts for vice president than they are for the top job.And sometimes a failed but lucky presidential candidate gets picked for the second spot.It happened to Kamala Harris in 2020, and it could happen to Nikki Haley in 2024.President Biden ended up with then-Sen. Harris, a Democrat presidential primary opponent in 2020, even after a contentious clash over race during a presidential debate.And former President Donald Trump could end up with Haley, his former ambassador to the United Nations, as his vice-presidential running mate even after Trump called her, among other things, a “birdbrain.”Trump shamelessly calls a lot of people a lot of things.While neither Joe Biden nor Kamala Harris called each other “birdbrains” during the 2020 primary campaign, they did argue over race during a debate.And although Harris did not call Biden a “racist” — as it was later wrongfully repor...

DeMar DeRozan says he’s committed to the Chicago Bulls amid contract negotiations: ‘I love it here. None of that has changed.’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:39 GMT

DeMar DeRozan is used to chatter. As a 15-year veteran of the NBA, he knows how trade cycles — and the rumor mills that surround them — work.But as the Chicago Bulls navigate a critical trade window focused on moving Zach LaVine, DeRozan feels nothing has changed about his future with the franchise.Despite a report from Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes that DeRozan and the Bulls are “far apart” on agreeing upon a contract extension, the forward says he wants to remain in Chicago.“Chicago is Chicago to me,” DeRozan told the Tribune. “I love it here. Obviously it’s a place I want to be in my career. None of that has changed. I don’t have no other type of doubts or feelings or suggestions to be elsewhere. That don’t cross my mind.”DeRozan has never wavered in this verbal commitment to the Bulls, stating his desire to retire in Chicago. But getting a deal across the line for a contract extension is a little more compl...

Matthew Perry's death caused by 'acute effects of ketamine', L.A. medical examiner says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:39 GMT

(KTLA) — The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has released Matthew Perry's cause of death. From the coroner's findings, which were released Friday, the "Friends" actor died as a result of "the acute effects of ketamine."The medical examiner's report said that "high levels of ketamine" were found in Perry's "postmortem blood specimens," adding that "the main lethal effects would be from both cardiovascular overstimulation and respiratory depression."The "exact method of intake" in Perry's case is unknown. Matt LeBlanc pays tribute to Matthew Perry in heartfelt post "There were trace amounts of ketamine detected in the stomach contents," the report stated. "He was reported to be receiving ketamine infusion therapy for depression and anxiety."Per the report, Perry's last known treatment was one-and-a-half weeks prior to his death and the ketamine that was in his system when he died "could not be from that infusion therapy, since ketamine's half-life is three to four hours, or les...