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Federal court halts Florida’s transgender care ban for families who sued

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:10:14 GMT

A federal court on Tuesday issued a preliminary injunction allowing three transgender youths to receive puberty blockers despite Florida Boards of Medicine’s rules and new law, SB 254, banning gender-affirming care for transgender people under 18.“Gender identity is real,” writes U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle in his ruling. “… I find that the plaintiffs’ motivation is love for their children and the desire to achieve the best possible treatment for them. This is not the State’s motivation.”This ruling was made as part of an ongoing lawsuit brought by seven Florida parents of transgender children against Florida, arguing that the state’s ban on treatment with puberty blockers, testosterone and estrogen violates the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. Three of the seven parents successfully requested and received this preliminary injunction.In his ruling, Hinkle indicated that these parents will likely succeed in their claims that SB 254 and the Boards...

Prince Harry testifies tabloids destroyed his childhood but fails to recall specific stories

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:10:14 GMT

By BRIAN MELLEY and JILL LAWLESS (Associated Press)LONDON (AP) — Prince Harry’s historic showdown Tuesday with the publisher of a British tabloid exposed his deep suspicions of the press but offered little concrete evidence to support accusations of phone hacking that he said caused so much anguish in his life.The Duke of Sussex became the first senior member of the royal family to testify in more than a century as he held a Bible in his right hand and, in a soft voice, swore to tell the “whole truth and nothing but the truth” in the High Court in London.Harry accuses the publisher of the Daily Mirror of using unlawful techniques on an “industrial scale” to score front-page scoops on his life. Dressed in a dark suit and tie as he sat in the witness box, Harry told Mirror Group Newspapers attorney Andrew Green that he had “experienced hostility from the press since I was born.” The prince accused the tabloids of playing “a destruc...

‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ has little animal magnetism

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:10:14 GMT

We live during a time in which the biggest movies in the world involve heroes with supernatural abilities wearing colorful costumes as they fight to save the world from the forces of evil.Often, these men, women, phrase-repeating trees, etc., are trying to save the whole galaxy — or, increasingly, a multiverse populated with near-infinite versions of themselves and their enemies.And yet none of this nonsense seems nearly as silly as what goes on in a live-action “Transformers” movie.Take, for instance, the action-packed-but-poorly written seventh entry in the nearly 16-year-old franchise, “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,” hitting theaters this week.In its opening moments, we are introduced to a proud race of giant intelligent robots who resemble animals from Earth but who are living centuries ago in a distant galaxy. These aren’t the Autobots, Decepticons or other Transformers clans we’ve already met in the movies, which date back to director Michael Bay’s 2007 hit, “Transformers....

Police: Fentanyl found in Waikiki hotel room, 2 men dead after suspected mass overdose

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:10:14 GMT

HONOLULU (AP) — Two people died in what officials believe was a mass fentanyl overdose over the weekend involving five people in a hotel room in the Hawaii tourist mecca of Waikiki. Emergency responders were called to the Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort on Sunday morning and found five people. A 44-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene, while two men, ages 40 and 53, were taken to a hospital in critical condition. Two women, 53 and 47, were transported in serious condition. Honolulu police said the 53-year-old man later died at the hospital. Police said fentanyl was found at the scene.Outrigger spokesperson Monica Salter told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser the resort is working with authorities and was unable to share guest information for privacy reasons. Fentanyl is an opioid painkiller many times more powerful than heroin, and typically is prescribed to treat severe pain. It frequently appears as an illegal street drug mixed with other substances, such as heroin. Expert...

Browns defensive players robbed of jewelry, vehicle by masked men in downtown stickup

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:10:14 GMT

BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski expressed relief that two of his defensive players were not physically harmed while being robbed at gun point by six masked men outside a downtown night club.According to Cleveland Police, the players had jewelry and a truck taken during the early morning stickup.Police redacted the names of the players in a field case report. However, a person familiar with the situation identified the players as cornerback Greg Newsome II and tackle Perrion Winfrey. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.The Browns opened mandatory minicamp on Tuesday. After the workout, Stefanski said he has spoken to Chief Wayne Drummond.“I’m glad our guys are OK,” he said. “I want all of our community to be safe. The Cleveland Police have been outstanding. We want everybody to be safe and we want to get violent people off of our streets.”Stefanski did not reveal the players’ nam...

Detroit clerk who locked door before customers were shot will face trial

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:10:14 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — A judge on Tuesday ordered a Detroit gas station clerk to stand trial for involuntary manslaughter, saying his decision to lock the door and then taunt an angry customer contributed to the fatal shooting of a bystander.Al-Hassan Aiyash “continued to pour gasoline on the fire,” said Judge Kenneth King, who found enough evidence to move the case to trial.Aiyash, 22, was working behind protective glass at 3 a.m. on May 6 when a customer’s failed attempt to make a $3.80 electronic purchase turned into violence.Video shows Samuel McCray repeatedly cursing and insisting he was going to leave the gas station with the items. Three more people entered before Aiyash pushed a button to lock the door, keeping the four inside.The scene was volatile. Video shows McCray throwing a beverage against the security glass and demanding the door be opened. Two men who were subsequently shot testified that McCray threatened to shoot everyone.“If not for the fact that he lo...

Stock market today: Wall Street inches higher toward edge of bull market

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:10:14 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are drifting Tuesday amid a vacuum of market-moving data, while U.S. regulators shook the cryptocurrency world again by filing charges against another mega player in the industry.The S&P 500 was mostly unchanged in afternoon trading, and it’s near the edge of what traders call a bull market. It’s almost 20% above where it was in mid-October, as a long-predicted recession has yet to hit and excitement around artificial intelligence has helped a select group of stocks to soar.The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 86 points, or 0.3%, at 33,478, as of 2:24 p.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.2% higher. This upcoming week has few top-tier economic reports and corporate earnings updates to help Wall Street answer its main question. It wants to know which will happen first: a recession or inflation falling enough to get the Federal Reserve to start cutting interest rates, which have climbed so high they’ve hurt various parts of the ...

Tony Award-nominated Betsy Wolfe on ‘& Juliet’: ‘This was the story I wanted to tell’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:10:14 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — One recent day, Broadway star Betsy Wolfe was up at 4 a.m. to perform on “Good Morning America.” Then there was a formal gala lunch and a few snuggle hours with her young daughter. Finally, as the sun set, her main job beckoned: A big new musical that needed her voice.Such is the life of a Tony nominee, something Wolfe has earned this season for the first time. “The most grateful exhaustion is the best way I can possibly describe it,” she says with a laugh. “I am drinking way too much coffee this time in life.”Wolfe stars in “& Juliet” a Tony-nominated musical which reimagines what would happen if “Romeo and Juliet” didn’t end so sadly and adds some of the biggest pop hits of the past few decades by the likes of Britney Spears and Katy Perry. Wait, a jukebox musical on top of Shakespeare? “There’s a healthy amount of doubt that everyone has when you first hear about this piece. We’ve seen jukebox musicals before. I’ve been in them,” she says. “But the...

Union for 7,000-plus terminal cargo workers in B.C. ports to hold strike vote

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:10:14 GMT

VANCOUVER — The union representing more than 7,000 terminal cargo movers in ports throughout British Columbia has scheduled a strike vote as it negotiates a new collective agreement.Rob Ashton, the president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada, says in a bulletin to members that the union’s negotiating committee has authorized a strike vote that will take place June 9 and 10.The collective agreement expired on March 30 and the B.C. Maritime Employers Association and the union have been negotiating a new contract since February.The employers association, which represents 49 private-sector employers in ports from Vancouver to Prince Rupert, says in a statement that it will continue to negotiate to reach “a fair and balanced deal” that ensures proper compensation and the competitiveness of B.C.’s ports.The two sides are currently in a cooling-off period until June 21, after the union filed a notice of dispute in March that required federall...

UK police motorcyclist under criminal investigation over royal escort crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:10:14 GMT

LONDON (AP) — A British police motorcyclist faced a criminal investigation Tuesday over the death of a woman who was struck in a collision with the officer’s vehicle, which was escorting Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, at the time.Helen Holland, 81, was hit in west London on May 10. She suffered serious injuries and died two weeks later. The Independent Office for Police Conduct said the constable was told a criminal investigation was underway for causing death by dangerous driving and causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving.The officer is also being investigated for potential gross misconduct. Following the crash, Holland’s son Martin told the BBC she died after sustaining “multiple broken bones and massive internal injuries.” He said she was using a pedestrian crossing when she was struck by the motorcycle. Sophie, who is the wife of Prince Edward, King Charles III’s younger brother, has said she was “deeply saddened” that Holland died.The Associated...