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Maine mass shooting puts spotlight on a complex array of laws, and a series of missed chances

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:26 GMT

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Across the nation, much of the debate around gun rights and restrictions centers on mental health. Many advocates on both sides agree that getting people with serious mental health struggles into treatment, and preventing people who are dangerous from accessing guns, is key to preventing mass shootings. Yet in the weeks and months before the mass shooting in Lewiston, there were so many warning signs from the killer that people all around him were raising concerns to authorities. He was still able to massacre 18 people, wound another 13 and shatter a community’s sense of security.Lawmakers want answers as to why laws in two states — Maine and New York — didn’t prevent the tragedy.“It’s a massive failure,” said Republican state Sen. Lisa Keim, sponsor of Maine’s so-called “yellow flag” law. “This one, it seems that there were too many touchpoints for neither law to come into play.”The law in Maine, a state that is staunchly protective of gun rights, requi...

Islanders end the Capitals’ winning streak at 3 with a 3-0 shutout

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:26 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ryan Pulock, Simon Holmstrom and Brock Nelson scored on three of the Islanders’ first five shots and New York beat the Washington Capitals 3-0 Thursday night.Semyon Varlamov stopped all 32 shots he faced for his second shutout of the season and 22nd of his NHL career. The 2006 first-round pick of the Capitals fared much better than current Washington No. 1 goaltender Darcy Kuemper, who made most of his 18 saves after the game got out of hand.Jump-started by Pulock’s goal 22 seconds in and behind two points from Nelson, the Islanders won for the third time in four games and ended the Capitals’ winning streak at three.They lost their first game without longtime center Nicklas Backstrom, who took a leave of absence in the midst of an ongoing injury to his surgically repaired left hip. Washington was shut out for the second time in nine games this season after a would-be goal by T.J. Oshie in the third period was wiped out by New York’s successf...

¿Cómo fue la detención en Ecuador de “Satanás”, supuesto integrante de la megabanda del Tren de Aragua?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:26 GMT

(CNN Español) — Un supuesto integrante de la banda delictiva de origen venezolano del Tren de Aragua ―la mayor de Venezuela, según informes del gobierno de Estados Unidos― fue detenido este jueves en Ecuador, informó la Policía Nacional de ese país.El director de la Dirección Nacional de Investigación de Delitos contra la Vida, Muertes Violentas, Desapariciones, Secuestro y Extorsión, Fredy Sarzosa, dijo que se trata de Hernán David Landaeta, quien al ser localizado se identificó como José Manuel Vera Sulbarán, alias “Satanás”, y a quien señalan en Colombia de ser prófugo desde el 18 de abril de 2022. Aunque hay contradicciones sobre los nombres con los que se identifica, la Policía ecuatoriana dio a conocer que pruebas dactiloscópicas permitieron confirmar que se trata del hombre buscado en Colombia por varios delitos.“Dentro de su historial delictivo se establecen un sinnúmero de delitos; específicamente lesiones con resultado de muerte, homicidios, asesinatos, tráfico de ar...

Stay in Israel, or flee? Thai workers caught up in Hamas attack and war are faced with a dilemma

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:26 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — When Hamas militants stormed into Israeli villages and towns along the border of the blockaded Gaza Strip last month, many Thai migrant agricultural workers shared the fate of hundreds of Israelis who were killed, kidnapped or forced to run for their lives. Since that day nearly a month ago, more than 7,000 of some 30,000 Thais working in Israel have returned home on government evacuation flights. But many others have decided to stay, choosing to take the risk for the opportunity to earn wages far higher than at home.Thailand reports that at least 23 Thais are believed to have been abducted by Hamas, which rules Gaza. It’s the largest single group of foreigners held by the militant group. Many more may be missing and 32 have been reported killed. In a visceral illustration of the fate met by some, Israel’s U.N. envoy drew a rebuke from Thailand’s Foreign Ministry after showing the General Assembly a video last week of what he said was a Hamas fighter...

Migrant shelter conditions in Denver have some wanting to leave sooner

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:26 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Hundreds of migrants are being discharged from city-funded shelters in Denver, but many others are still living in them.Many migrants FOX31 has spoken to are desperate to get out on their own and earn a living without breaking the law. One mother, Abdiel Araujo, has a 10-month-old baby, and her family has days left in a shelter. Denver shutting down another migrant hotel shelter as crisis continues Araujo came to Denver with her husband and child. The three have been living in a shelter, but her experience has her wanting a new life — one that won't be easy to get."I would prefer to leave the shelter sooner rather than later," Araujo said.Abdiel Araujo stands next to tents where she and her family could soon be living after they are dismissed from city-funded shelters. (Rogelio Mares, KDVR)The other option is finding a job, earning a living and moving into a home, something Araujo and her family are eager to do."I'd love to move into an apartment or a house, but th...

Photos: Denver Nuggets drop new City Edition uniforms

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:26 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Along with the new season comes new uniforms for the Denver Nuggets. The team left a special spot for the Mile High City this year.The Nuggets tweeted the new uniforms on Thursday morning. The uniform stays mostly navy, but the front of the jersey features "5280" across the chest. Photos: 40 years of Nuggets jerseys 2023-2024 Nuggets' uniforms (Courtesy of the Denver Nuggets)2023-2024 Nuggets' uniforms (Courtesy of the Denver Nuggets)2023-2024 Nuggets' uniforms (Courtesy of the Denver Nuggets)The "5280" is positioned where the numbers used to be. This year, the biggest number on the front is dedicated to Denver, with the individual player's number on the top right in a small format.Wrapping around the entire uniform is a silhouette of the mountains.The National Basketball Association attributed this uniform to the team, players and city being intertwined."5280 is more than a measurement – it is a number woven into the culture and fabric of Denver," wrote the NBA.I...

Behind the Badge: 3 Black female police chiefs from Miami-Dade share their stories

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:26 GMT

Miami-Dade County is the first in the state of Florida to have four Black female police chiefs. Now we’re meeting the women “Behind the Badge.” 7’s Karen Hensel has this special assignment report.They are all Black, all women, and they are all top cops — a triple combo that puts Miami-Dade County on the map.But who are the powerful women behind the badges? We sat down with three of them.Karen Hensel: “I’m curious, have you guys all met?”Interim Director Stephanie Daniels, Miami-Dade Police: “Oh, yeah, we are very good friends.”Meet Chief Cherise Gause of the North Miami Police Department.Karen Hensel: “So you’re the first Haitian American chief. In the country?”Chief Cherise Gause: “Yes, so we’re told, yes.”Chief Gause started her career as a dispatcher with the city of Miami.Chief Harvette Smith started as a secretary in the 90’s at the North Miami Beach Police Department, where sh...

Britain’s COVID-19 inquiry exposes the rot at the heart of Whitehall

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:26 GMT

LONDON — Everyone knew the British state had problems. This week revealed just how deep the rot goes.Britain’s public inquiry into the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic stepped up a gear this week, with a procession of key witnesses taking the stand who were at the heart of the U.K. government in 2020. The punchy oral testimony — and sweary WhatsApp messages — of Dominic Cummings, the former No. 10 Downing Street adviser turned arch enemy of Boris Johnson, grabbed all the headlines, as he attacked his old boss while struggling to account for his own crude and abusive language. But it was Cummings’ long, incisive written statement to the inquiry, along with the testimony of a former top civil servant, Helen MacNamara, which contained the starkest home truths for the British state.“I think we are absolutely fucked. I think the country is heading for a disaster. I think we are going to kill thousands,” MacNamara was revealed to have told colleagues in March 2020...

As the Middle East strains, fears of extremism rise

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:26 GMT

Jamie Dettmer is opinion editor at POLITICO Europe.Here we go again. From London to Berlin, Rome to Paris, security agencies are on edge, warning Europe’s governments to get ready for a resurgence of Islamist terrorism.Turmoil in the Middle East routinely heralds a jump in extremist activity across the Continent, and counterterrorism bosses are busy ramping up surveillance and increasing precautionary measures as fears of a possible wave of future attacks start to rise.FBI Director Christopher Wray joined in a chorus of alarm coming from security chiefs this week, telling a United States Senate committee that the terror threat has been raised to a “whole other level” because of ongoing conflict in the region. “We assess that the actions of Hamas and its allies will serve as an inspiration, the likes of which we haven’t seen since ISIS launched its so-called caliphate several years ago,” he said.And according to security analysts POLITICO spoke to, the biggest threat curr...

Great British ideas: Chocolate as a weapon, curing COVID with a hairdryer — and eating camel penis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:26 GMT

Welcome to Declassified, a weekly humor column.So much for Swiss neutrality.This week a man in Scotland used a personalized Toblerone bar to beat someone over the head during a robbery linked to the theft of £1.2 million worth of cryptocurrency (remember crypto? It was huge in 2021 among all the worst people).I’m not a criminal mastermind (honest, officer) but pretty sure that having a weapon with your name on it isn’t the greatest move when trying to commit a violent robbery. You could, however, eat the evidence.Many people would describe Boris Johnson’s time as British prime minister as criminal, but calling him a mastermind feels a step too far. This week there were several explosive revelations about Johnson during the U.K.’s coronavirus inquiry, including that he asked scientists if COVID-19 could be killed by blowing a hairdryer up your nose. Britain’s chief medical officer, Vidal Sassoon, was unavailable for comment.The claim about Johnson was ma...