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Unapologetic Shiite cleric blasts corruption in Iraq and Lebanon, and attempts to silence him

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:17:40 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — A Lebanese Shiite cleric who has angered politicians and religious leaders in Lebanon and Iraq said Friday that groups including Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah are trying to silence voices of dissent within the sect — including his own.Shiekh Yasser Auda has developed a reputation on social media in recent years for his criticism of corruption in Iraq and Lebanon. He has also spoken out against the use of violence against opponents of Iran-backed groups in the two crisis-hit countries. He vowed in an interview with The Associated Press on Friday not to bow down even if it costs him is life.His comments came two days after a department within The Supreme Islamic Shiite Council of Lebanon, the country’s top Shiite religious authority, issued a statement naming 15 clerics whom it said are not qualified to provide religious guidance. Auda was at the top of the list and was almost stripped of his religious status. But the council later issued a statement saying that the posit...

Congresswoman Robin Kelly announces death of husband

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:17:40 GMT

CHICAGO — Congresswoman Robin Kelly announced Friday the loss of her husband of 20 years."My husband was a remarkable man. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him and loved him," Kelly said on Twitter.Dr. Nathaniel Horn died at the age of 68. He is survived by his wife, two daughters, two step children and two grandchildren."He was a loving father, a compassionate husband, an incredible friend, and a great doctor that touched the lives of many people in a positive way," Kelly said.The congresswoman is asking for privacy during this time.

Zoo Pals are back – here's where you can find the beloved 2000s-era plates

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:17:40 GMT

(WPHL) - After nearly a decade, the iconic Zoo Pal plates are back. Zoo Pals plates are being sold online starting this week, Hefty announced. The line of colorful animal-themed paper plates will feature ten of the original iconic "Pals" like Curly the Pig, Domino the Dalmatian, Fritz the Frog, Kosmo the Cow, and more. As one of the most memorable and nostalgic products of every 2000 kid's childhood, with a catchy jingle and all (Oink Oink Zoo Pals... Zoo Pals make eating fun!) Zoo Pals plates are the perfect choice for picky eaters, kids and adults who just want to reminisce. Trump’s Georgia case lists 30 unindicted co-conspirators: What we know Just like the original Zoo Pals, the new collection plates offer three portioned sections to put all your favorite foods, with one large space for your main food item and two ears or feet for dipping sauces and sides."Over the last nine years, we have received many calls, social media, and even petition requests from fans to bring back Z...

College-bound, South Side entrepreneur to host back-to-school giveaway for Chicago youth

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:17:40 GMT

CHICAGO — An incoming college freshman and entrepreneur from the city's Chatham neighborhood has dedicated his teen years to giving back to Chicago youth, turning trauma into inspiration and innovation. Before 18-year-old Jaqueza Thomas starts his freshman year at the University of Illinois at Chicago in a few weeks, he plans to host a back-to-school giveaway to gather backpacks and school supplies for the neighborhood kids returning to school.“It's in my heart to just do it, I don't ask for anything,” Thomas said.He hopes to buy and give out 50 backpacks filled with school supplies – all using his own funds. “I want to do 50 backpacks, and I have been reaching out to different non-profits to see if they will donate,” Thomas said. Thomas said the Architecture Center would match his goal of 50 backpacks, bringing him to 100 backpacks for youth. Thomas will also receive school supply donations from the Chicago Police Department. This isn't the start of Thomas’s phi...

Courts: Baker Mayfield seeks proof of how his $12M was invested with family's companies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:17:40 GMT

Editor's Note: The video above shows KXAN Live's top headlines for Aug. 18, 2023AUSTIN (KXAN) — Attorneys for Baker and Emily Mayfield filed a petition in Travis County District Court to request information regarding the potential misappropriation of $12 million by an Austin investment firm where Mayfield's family members work.The petition was filed Tuesday in the 250th District Court and attorneys are asking the defendants — Camwood Capital Management Group, Camwood Ventures, Texas Contract Manufacturing Group, Unitech, Apex Machining and Lor-Van — to turn over financial records from 2018-2023 and for witnesses to provide oral depositions to help the Mayfields figure out where their money has gone over the course of five years. "Petitioners simply do not know if their money has been properly and competently invested, has been stolen or otherwise misappropriated, or something in between," the document stated.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign...

Texas adds jobs, Workforce Commission says recession signs fading

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:17:40 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) released its July jobs report Friday morning, showing that the state added 26,300 jobs in the last month.This continues a 28-month growth trend that began around the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S. Since last year, Texas added 441,700 jobs, leading TWC Chairman Bryan Daniel to claim Texas' supremacy in U.S. job growth.“Texas leads the nation in sustainable job growth with more than 2.7 million positions added in the past decade,” Daniel said. “The Texas economy remains strong, and TWC will continue to provide support through tools and resources for job seekers and employers alike.”In a press call Friday, TWC Executive Director Ed Serna and TWC's Labor Market Information Department manager Gabriel Guzman presented the agency's findings."There are good signs for the economy," Guzman said. "There was a lot of concern that the nation or the state would hit a recession. We're not seeing any of that at all in Texas. We st...

Record heat head of possible tropical showers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:17:40 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- An Excessive Heat Warning is in effect again today with near-record high temperatures well over 100° areawide. Excessive Heat Warning in effect 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. FridayThis comes after an extreme high temperature of 110° Thursday at Camp Mabry -- a tie for Austin's third-hottest day ever observed -- and 109° at Austin-Bergstrom Intl. Airport, a tie for their fourth-hottest day on record.While temperatures may be a couple of degrees cooler today, it'll still be excessively hot.Friday afternoon forecast highsThis weekend shows little improvement with mostly sunny skies and a high of 107º on both Saturday and Sunday that would tie and break records respectively.Weekend forecastTropical system may impact Texas next weekA disturbance moving into the Gulf early next week is expected to spin westward across record-hot ocean water in relatively favorable conditions for development. The National Hurricane Center has maintained odds of tropical depression formation at 40%.Wat...

Minnesota native Amani Hooker got passed over by Gophers. Now he’s starring in the NFL.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:17:40 GMT

Even though it was a homecoming for Amani Hooker this week, he was a member of the enemy as soon as he touched down in Minnesota.With the Vikings hosting the Tennessee Titans for joint practices at TCO Performance Center, Hooker was there competing against the team he cheered for as as kid.“It feels good to be home,” said Hooker, a safety for the Titans, who signed a 3-year, $33 million contract extension last year. “I used to go down to training camp down in Mankato every once in a while, so to be able to have my family come watch me here is really cool.”The thought of Hooker reaching the NFL felt so far away when he was a underrecruited kid playing high school football for Park Center. How was he ever going to get to the highest level if he couldn’t even get attention from the Gophers just 15 minutes up the road?Asked why the Gophers never aggressively recruited him, Hooker responded, “I have no clue. That’d be a good question for whoever ...

David French: The 2 big questions Trump’s Georgia indictment answers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:17:40 GMT

The best way to think about Georgia’s sprawling indictment against Donald Trump and his allies is that it is a case about lies. It’s about lying, conspiring to lie and attempting to coax, coerce and cajole others into lying.Whereas the attorney general of Michigan just brought a case narrowly focused on the alleged fake electors in her state (Trump is not a defendant in that one), and special counsel Jack Smith brought an indictment narrowly focused on Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has brought a case about the entire conspiracy, from start to finish, and targeted each person subject to her jurisdiction for each crime committed in her jurisdiction.In other words, this indictment is ambitious. But it also answers two related questions: Why bring yet another case against Trump in yet another jurisdiction? Isn’t he going to face a federal trial in Washington, D.C., for the same acts outlined in the Georgia indictment?The answe...

Emergency services chief on Maui resigns. He faced criticism for not activating sirens during fire.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:17:40 GMT

LAHAINA, Hawaii — An emergency official who defended a decision to not sound outdoor alert sirens on Maui as a ferocious fire raged has resigned.Maui Emergency Management Agency Administrator Herman Andaya had said this week that he had no regrets about not deploying the system because he feared it could have caused people to go “mauka,” a Hawaiian term that can mean toward the mountains or inland.“If that was the case, then they would have gone into the fire,” Andaya explained. He stepped down Thursday, a day later.The decision to not use the sirens, coupled with water shortages that hampered firefighters and an escape route clogged with vehicles that were overrun by flames, has brought intense criticism from many residents following the deadliest wildfire in the U.S. in more than a century.With the death toll at 111, the search for the missing moved beyond the devastated town of Lahaina to other communities that were destroyed. Teams had covered about 58% of the Lahaina area and t...