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Judge holds Giuliani liable in Georgia election workers’ defamation case and orders him to pay fees

Published Mon, 24 Feb 2025 12:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Wednesday held Rudy Giuliani liable in a defamation lawsuit brought by two Georgia election workers who say they were falsely accused of fraud, entering a default judgment against the former New York City mayor and ordering him to pay tens of thousands of dollars in lawyers’ fees.U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell said the punishment was necessary because Giuliani had ignored his duty as a defendant to turn over information requested by election workers Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea’ ArShaye Moss, as part of their lawsuit.Their complaint from December 2021 accused Giuliani, one of Donald Trump’s lawyers and a confidant of the former Republican president, of defaming them by falsely stating that they had engaged in fraud while counting ballots at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.The ruling enables the case to move forward to a trial in federal court in Washington to determine any damages that Giuliani must pay. He will have a “final opport...

Former Miami Gardens Police officer given 30 days in jail following 2020 rough arrest

Published Mon, 24 Feb 2025 12:00:00 GMT

A former Miami Gardens Police officer learned his fate after being found guilty of battery during an arrest.On Wednesday, Jordy Martel, 33, was sentenced to 30 days in jail, must complete 250 hours of community service by speaking at schools and was given a two year probation. After a two-day trial back in June, in which Martel was accused of placing his knee on a woman’s neck, he was found guilty of one count of battery with a Taser and one count of trespassing.The case stemmed from a Jan. 14, 2020 takedown during a confrontation with a waitress over food inside Tootsie’s Cabaret.The jury ruled Martel improperly deployed his Taser on the woman he was arresting.He was found not guilty on three other charges of battery, which included using excessive force by using his knee on the woman’s neck, and two counts of official misconduct.Martel worked an off-duty security job at the time of the incident.

EU’s Borrell proposes new target to train 40,000 Ukrainian soldiers by year end

Published Mon, 24 Feb 2025 12:00:00 GMT

TOLEDO, Spain — The EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said on Wednesday he was proposing to lift the target of Ukrainian soldiers to be trained by the bloc to 40,000 by the end of the year.  In November 2022, the EU launched a training mission for Ukrainian soldiers with an initial target of 15,000 soldiers. In February, the target was doubled to 30,000 soldiers by the end of the year.The mission “has already trained 25,000 Ukrainian soldiers — some of them here, in Toledo, thanks to the Spanish army,” Borrell told reporters during a press conference at the end of an informal meeting of defense ministers.It “will reach the objective, which was programmed for the end of the year, at the end of October, [when] we will have reached the 30,000 soldiers trained by this mission” he added. He then announced a new target: “I proposed to the ministers to raise the objective of the mission to 40,000 Ukrainian soldiers trained by the end of the year.”&nbs...

New Hampshire police search for vehicle after hit-and-run leaves motorcyclist injured in Nashua

Published Mon, 24 Feb 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Authorities in New Hampshire are asking for the public’s help as they search for a vehicle involved in a hit-and-run crash on the Everett Turnpike that left a motorcyclist seriously injured.New Hampshire State Police said the rider of a 2007 Harley Davidson was struck by another vehicle Tuesday evening while traveling northbound on the highway in Nashua, near mile marker 2.According to a news release, the motorcyclist suffered serious injuries as a result and was taken to Southern New Hampshire Medical Center for treatment. Meanwhile, the driver that struck them reportedly did not stop and continued driving.The crash, which occurred sometime before 6:15 p.m., reduced traffic to one lane for an hour as crews responded and authorities launched an investigation.State police say they are still working to identify the vehicle responsible and ask that anyone who may have witnessed the hit-and-run, passed through the scene with a dashcam or “witnessed any driving behaviors̶...

ESPN: Zappe, Cunningham plan to sign with Patriots practice squad

Published Mon, 24 Feb 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Two backup quarterbacks waived by the New England Patriots may still be sticking around the organization, according to reports.Citing sources, ESPN NFL Nation reporter Mike Reiss said Wednesday afternoon that both Bailey Zappe and Malik Cunningham plan on re-signing with the Patriots practice squad.The news came a day after NFL teams finalized their 53-man rosters and made player cuts ahead of Tuesday’s deadline.Selected in the 2022 draft’s fourth round after time with Western Kentucky and Houston Baptist, Zappe saw action in four games last season, starting in two games and winning on both occasions while Mac Jones recovered from a high ankle sprain.Meanwhile, Cunningham was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2023 after playing in the United States Football League following his time at Louisville.https://twitter.com/MikeReiss/status/1696928211379032463

Death counts remain high in some states even as COVID fatalities wane

Published Mon, 24 Feb 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Tim Henderson | Stateline.org (TNS)Several months after President Joe Biden ended the national emergency for COVID-19, preliminary health data indicates the historic degree to which the pandemic increased death rates nationwide — not just because of the virus itself, but also through the pandemic’s reverberating effects on society.Deaths from vehicle crashes, homicides, suicides and overdoses spiked in many states during the national health emergency that began in January 2020. Deaths of despair, which include people who died by suicide or from an accidental overdose, reached their highest numbers during the first year of the pandemic. And even as fewer cars were on the roads during shutdowns, vehicle fatalities jumped.Yet after historic increases during the pandemic, deaths in most of the country are nearing a return to pre-pandemic levels, according to a Stateline analysis of preliminary federal statistics.Still, in the first half of this year, the death count in some states and t...

Patriots re-signing Bailey Zappe, Malik Cunningham to practice squad

Published Mon, 24 Feb 2025 12:00:00 GMT

The Patriots are signing quarterbacks Bailey Zappe and Malik Cunningham to their practice squad, according to sources.Zappe and Cunningham were both waived by the Patriots on Tuesday. They cleared waivers Wednesday at noon and re-joined the team in time for practice at 1:45 p.m.Mac Jones currently remains the only quarterback on the Patriots’ 53-man roster.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots practice squad tracker: Bailey Zappe, Malik Cunningham re-sign New England Patriots | Callahan: The Patriots failed to help Mac Jones this offseason and paid for it on cutdown day New England Patriots | Patriots depth chart reset: Projecting New England’s starters after surprising 53-man roster cuts New England Patriots | Patriots’ offensive line gets good news on roster cutdown day New England Patriots | Patriots cut Bailey Zappe, Malik Cunningham, leaving Mac Jones as lone QB None of the 14 ...

What is a home appraisal? Everything you need to know

Published Mon, 24 Feb 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Libby Wells | Bankrate.com (TNS)An appraisal is a critical part of the homebuying process. If your home appraisal comes in lower than expected, it can cost you money and delay — or even derail — the entire transaction.Here we delve into what an appraisal is, why it’s necessary and how it can impact your home loan.What is a home appraisal?A home appraisal is an objective, professional assessment to determine how much a home or property is worth.When buying or selling a home, an appraisal verifies that the sale price of the home is in line with fair market value. This ensures the homebuyer doesn’t pay more than the home is worth, and the mortgage lender doesn’t lend more than it is worth. Since the home serves as the borrower’s collateral, the accuracy of the appraisal matters significantly.Likewise, when a homeowner is refinancing their mortgage, the lender will have the home appraised to confirm its market value before extending a new loan.How do home appraisals work?Once an order f...

Judge rules former Catholic Cardinal Theodore McCarrick not competent to stand trial on teen sexual abuse charges

Published Mon, 24 Feb 2025 12:00:00 GMT

A judge ruled Wednesday that a 93-year-old former Roman Catholic cardinal is not competent to stand trial after both prosecutors and defense attorneys determined he suffers from dementia, and dismissed charges he sexually assaulted a teenage boy in Massachusetts decades ago.Theodore McCarrick, the ex-archbishop of Washington, D.C., was defrocked by Pope Francis in 2019 after an internal Vatican investigation determined he sexually molested adults as well as children. The case created a credibility crisis for the church, as the Vatican had reports from authoritative cardinals dating to 1999 that McCarrick’s behavior was problematic, yet he became an influential cardinal, kingmaker and emissary of the Holy See’s “soft diplomacy.”The once-powerful American prelate faced charges that he abused the teenage boy at a wedding reception at Wellesley College in 1974.During Wednesday’s hearing, a psychologist hired by the prosecution said she found significant def...

Former Catholic cardinal, age 93, is not competent to stand trial on teen sexual abuse charges

Published Mon, 24 Feb 2025 12:00:00 GMT

DEDHAM, Mass. (AP) — A judge ruled Wednesday that a 93-year-old former Roman Catholic cardinal is not competent to stand trial after both prosecutors and defense attorneys determined he suffers from dementia, and dismissed charges he sexually assaulted a teenage boy in Massachusetts decades ago.Theodore McCarrick, the ex-archbishop of Washington, D.C., was defrocked by Pope Francis in 2019 after an internal Vatican investigation determined he sexually molested adults as well as children. The case created a credibility crisis for the church, as the Vatican had reports from authoritative cardinals dating to 1999 that McCarrick’s behavior was problematic, yet he became an influential cardinal, kingmaker and emissary of the Holy See’s “soft diplomacy.”During Wednesday’s hearing, a psychologist hired by the prosecution said she found significant deficits in McCarrick’s memory during two interviews in June, and he was often unable to recall what they had discussed from one hour to t...