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US intelligence leak complicates summit with South Korea

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:41 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Leaked U.S. intelligence documents suggesting that Washington spied on South Korea have put the country’s president in a delicate situation ahead of a state visit to the U.S., the first such trip by a South Korean leader in 12 years.The documents contain purportedly private conversations between senior South Korean officials about Ukraine, indicating that Washington may have conducted surveillance on a key Asian ally even as the two nations publicly vowed to reinforce their alliance.Since taking office last year, conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol has put a bolstered military partnership with the United States at the heart of his foreign policy to address intensifying North Korean nuclear threats and other challenges. The April 26 summit with President Joe Biden is seen as crucial to winning a stronger U.S. security commitment and resolving grievances over the Biden administration’s economic and technology policies.The leaked documents were posted o...

Rockies RHP Márquez goes on IL with forearm inflammation

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:41 GMT

DENVER (AP) — Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Germán Márquez was placed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with inflammation in his right forearm.Márquez left his start Monday night against St. Louis after experiencing tightness in the middle of his forearm while warming up for the sixth inning. He is 2-1 this season with a 4.41 ERA.The 28-year-old Márquez had discomfort in his elbow in 2019 that led to the Rockies shutting him down in August. He said Monday night this was nothing like that pain.Márquez has 979 career strikeouts with the Rockies. He is six away from tying Jorge De La Rosa for the most in team history.To take his spot on the roster, Colorado recalled infielder/outfielder Nolan Jones from Triple-A Albuquerque.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

Deadly apartment fire was human-caused, investigators say

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:41 GMT

ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) -- A fire that killed one person Saturday morning in Arapahoe County was caused by a person, investigators said in a news release Wednesday.According to the South Metro Fire Rescue, the fire was "incendiary in nature." Previous: Apartment complex had multiple violations before deadly fire First responders were called to the Ivy Crossing apartment complex at 4 a.m. Saturday for reports of a fire. When they arrived at the complex, located at 2380 S. Quebec St., firefighters said the second and third-floor hallways and stairways were already consumed by flames.South Metro said many residents had to jump from the upper floors to escape, some got assistance from firefighters to get down from their balconies.Once firefighters were able to get into the building, they found two people who had been trapped. One died and the other was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Two others who lived in a nearby building were taken to the hospital for smoke inha...

What happened to White Fence Farm?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:41 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- A restaurant that operated in the Denver metro area for 45 years closed its doors at the end of 2018.White Fence Farm opened in 1973 and served the community at 6273 W. Jewell Ave. in Lakewood until Dec. 30, 2018. 5 Colorado traffic laws you might not know What happened to White Fence Farm?So, what happened to the building once the restaurant closed? In 2021, Crescent Communities announced it purchased the White Fence Farm property and would turn it into a seven-acre, multifamily community.Now, two years later, the 'NOVEL White Fence Farm by Crescent Communities' has opened. Cherry Creek School District: 2nd Eaglecrest High School teacher died over weekend The original White Fence Farm restaurant building was refurbished and is now home to the complex's clubhouse. Here is a look at some photos of the property:NOVEL White Fence Farm by Crescent Communities (Melany Robinson, Sprouthouse Agency)NOVEL White Fence Farm by Crescent Communities (Melany Robinson, Sprout...

Expelled Black lawmaker Pearson to return to Tennessee House

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:41 GMT

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — One of two Black Democrats expelled from the Republican-led Tennessee House will return to the Legislature after a Memphis commission voted to reinstate him Wednesday, nearly a week after his banishment for supporting gun control protesters propelled him into the national spotlight.The Shelby County Board of Commissioners voted 7-0 to reinstate Justin Pearson as a state representative.“I will continue to fight with and for our people, whether in or out of office. We and the young protesters are the future of a new Tennessee. Those who seek to silence us will not have the final say,” Pearson wrote in an op-ed published in The New York Times.Republicans expelled Pearson and Rep. Justin Jones last week over their role in a gun control protest on the House floor after a Nashville school shooting that left three children and three adults dead.The Nashville Metropolitan Council took only a few minutes Monday to unanimously restore Jones to office. He was quickly rein...

Je ne regrette rien: Macron defends his comments on not being US ‘vassal’ over Taiwan

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:41 GMT

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday insisted that France’s dispatch of a frigate to Taiwan showed its commitment to regional security, but doubled down on his remarks that France would not act as a “vassal” by following U.S. hardliners into a conflict over the democratic island. “Being allies doesn’t mean being vassals … Just because we are allies, just because we do things together that we decide to do, doesn’t mean that we don’t have the right to think on our own and that we will follow the most extreme people in a country that is allied with us,” Macron said during a joint press conference with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on a visit to the Netherlands. “When we look at the facts, France has no lessons to learn from anyone, not in the Ukrainian theater, nor the Sahel theater, nor the Taiwan theater,” Macron said.His comments come after he told POLITICO and the French newspaper Les Echos that ...

Your tax refund could be smaller than last year. Here’s why

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:41 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Expecting a tax refund? It could be smaller than last year. And with inflation still high, that money won’t go as far as it did a year ago.The 90 million taxpayers who have filed as of March 31 got refunds that were an average of nearly 10% less than last year, in part due to pandemic relief programs expiring. The filing deadline for most taxpayers is Tuesday.The average refund is $2,910, down from $3,226, a difference of more than $300, according to the most recent IRS data.For many households, especially working families, the tax refund is the biggest one-time financial windfall of the year, said Kathy Pickering, chief tax officer of H&R Block.“We know that working families in general are the most cash-strapped,” she said, adding that the expanded earned income tax and child tax credits during the COVID pandemic provided a lot of benefits for families with children.The child tax credit, for example, is reverting to $2,0...

How a viral Snoopy T-shirt is influencing young people to donate blood

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:41 GMT

 (CNN) — If you’re cool, you’ll donate blood.That’s the message being sent in the latest American Red Cross partnership with “Peanuts.” Everyone who donates blood by April 23 will receive a T-shirt while supplies last, featuring Snoopy as his alter ego, Joe Cool, in front of the Red Cross logo with the caption “Be cool. Give blood.”Though the Red Cross has previously given out T-shirts tied to other partnerships to donors, this particular shirt has gone viral on TikTok, thus becoming a hot commodity. Copies of the design are already being sold on resale websites like Etsy and eBay.The impact has been significant. TikTok users posting about their efforts to get the Snoopy shirts are also unintentionally informing viewers about the blood donation process and sparking an uptick in blood donors, too.“POV: you donated blood to get the red cross x snoopy shirt,” wrote user j_diddy3 in their...

US stocks waver following report of cooling inflation

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:41 GMT

By STAN CHOE (AP Business Writer)NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are wavering in mixed trading Wednesday following the latest update to show inflation continues to cool.The S&P 500 was 0.1% lower in afternoon trading after bouncing between small gains and losses earlier. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 48 points, or 0.1%, at 33,732, as of 2:38 p.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite fell 0.5%.The main focus on Wall Street for more than a year has been high inflation and how much painful medicine the Federal Reserve will have to dole out to contain it. A report Wednesday morning showed that prices at the consumer level were 5% higher last month than a year earlier. That’s still well above the Federal Reserve’s comfort level, and some underlying trends within the data were also concerning. That weighed down financial markets. But on the upside for investors, the overall inflation number was still better than the 5.2% that economists expected. It also marked a...

Ian Happ agrees to 3-year, $61 million contract extension with the Chicago Cubs through 2026

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:41 GMT

Chicago Cubs left fielder Ian Happ has agreed to a three-year, $61 million extension.The 28-year-old Happ, who would have been a free agent after this season, will be part of the Cubs through at least 2026. He’s made no bones about his desire to remain a Cub and has taken on a leadership role in the clubhouse since the 2021 trades of Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant.The two sides talked about an extension this offseason but failed to get anything done before opening day. President Jed Hoyer said on March 30 they had “really productive and cordial discussion throughout the winter and spring,” but that wouldn’t preclude them from trying to reach a deal during the season.“That certainly doesn’t mean we can’t (get a deal done) in the future and doesn’t mean we don’t value him as a player and want him long term,” Hoyer said.Some players cut off negotiations once a season begins, but Happ obviously wanted to keep talking.“To m...