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Tennessee law changes starting July 1 will restrict trans health care, fund more school safety

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:31 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Months after Tennessee lawmakers finished a chaotic legislative session, many of the most hotly contested laws are poised to take effect Saturday, including measures on health care for transgender children, police oversight, school safety and teacher pay.The new fiscal year begins July 1 in Tennessee, meaning the latest state spending plan and a slew of new statutes will be implemented.This year, hundreds of laws were passed by the state’s GOP-controlled General Assembly and signed by Republican Gov. Bill Lee, who has yet to veto a bill.But the most hectic portion of the monthslong legislative session occurred in the spring, when two Democratic lawmakers were expelled — and another avoided expulsion by just one vote — for participating in a protest seeking stronger gun control laws on the state House floor. After a shooting in March that killed six people at a Nashville school, protesters renewed their call for lawmakers to limit gun access.Ultimately, Republ...

New pro women’s hockey league to launch in January after deal with Dodgers co-owner, AP sources say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:31 GMT

A new women’s pro hockey league will begin competing in North America as early as January, a development made possible Thursday when a co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers purchased the Premier Hockey Federation, two people with direct knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press.The seven-team PHF will cease operations, one of the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the deal between Dodgers co-owner Mark Walter and the PHF had not been announced. The new league will bring together North America’s most accomplished female players and would likely include the more talented players from Europe and Asia who are already competing in the PHF.Mark Walter’s firm acquired what one of the people described as “certain assets” of the PHF. The league had been locked in a dispute with the rival Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association. The PWHPA — which includes a majority of U.S. and Canadian national team players — had been working with the Mark Walter ...

Aces pull away for 98-81 victory over Liberty in the first meeting of star-studded WNBA teams

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:31 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Kelsey Plum scored 18 points and the Las Vegas Aces routed the New York Liberty 98-81 on Thursday night in the first meeting between two of the top teams in the WNBA.It was the seventh consecutive win for the Aces (14-1), who have been nearly unstoppable this season on offense, averaging nearly 93 points a game. All five of the Aces starters scored in double figures, with A’ja Wilson putting in 16 while Jackie Young and Candace Parker each added 15. Chelsea Gray had 14 points and six assists, including a few highlight reel ones.The Aces pulled away in the second half to run away with the much-hyped first matchup between the teams who made the biggest moves in the offseason, with the defending champion Aces signing Parker and Alysha Clark. The Liberty added Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, Courtney Vandersloot and Kayla Thornton.New York (10-4) trailed 49-42 at the half, but Las Vegas scored the first 11 points of the third quarter to blow the game open and extended t...

Theresa May’s net zero smackdown

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:31 GMT

Presented by SSE By ABBY WALLACE and CHARLIE COOPER PRESENTED BY View in your browser or listen to audioSNEAK PEEK— Theresa May made a heavyweight intervention on net zero. MECUK was in the room.— The Climate Change Committee (CCC) recommended banning new hybrid cars at the same time as petrol and diesel ones. Carmakers? Not so keen.— Ofgem wants to crack down on electricity generators accused of gaming the grid’s “balancing mechanism” to charge crazy prices. It’s Friday. Welcome to POLITICO Pro Morning Energy and Climate UK. Looking for weekend outfit inspo? Energy UK boss Emma Pinchbeck recommends wind turbine earrings. As always, please get in touch with your thoughts, tips and critique at [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected]. Or reach us on Twitter: @hargraver; @charliecooper8; @abby_wallace3.If you are not already a Pro subscriber and would like a free trial of this newsletter, sign up...

Woman gets into housing after more than a decade living on street

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:31 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Rachel Hayes lives in a tent on 14th and Commercial Street in downtown San Diego. "I've been at the spot for just over two months, and I was under the bridge for about four months," said Hayes, who has been living on the streets of San Diego since 2012. "I was incarcerated in jail and when you come out, you have nothing, so I became homeless." Since then, Hayes tells FOX 5 she’s tried on and off to get back on her feet."No one's going to hand you housing, you have to do the work," Hayes said. "You have to fill out the forms, you have to make sure your stuff is updated, you have to, you have to, you have to."Eventually, Hayes connected with Alpha Project, a nonprofit that provides resources including housing to people experiencing homelessness.Al McGowen, a Housing Navigator with Alpha Project, says he thinks “the biggest challenge that I see is the lack of housing." City announces opening of first safe sleeping lot for homeless He says with limited housing, people loo...

The IMF agrees to a long-awaited bailout for Pakistan of $3 billion

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:31 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The International Monetary Fund agreed to provide $3 billion to Pakistan — a long-awaited relief to bail out the impoverished country’s ailing economy. The nine-month agreement must be approved by the IMF’s Executive Board, which is expected to make a final decision in mid-July, a top IMF official, Nathan Porter, said in a statement late Thursday.Porter, the IMF’s mission chief to Islamabad, said Pakistan’s economy has faced several external shocks, such as the catastrophic floods in 2022 that killed 1,739 people, caused $30 billion in damage and impacted millions of Pakistanis. The country was also hit by an international commodity price spike in the wake of Russia’s war in Ukraine. The IMF official said despite the authorities’ efforts to reduce imports and the trade deficit, reserves have declined to very low levels and liquidity conditions in the power sector also remain acute.“Given these challenges, the new arrangement would provide a policy anchor and a...

How Mecca is the lynchpin for Saudi Arabia’s hospitality and tourism drive

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:31 GMT

MECCA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Billboards line the Umm Al Qura highway leading to the Grand Mosque in Mecca, displaying manicured public spaces, glass-fronted stores and sleek towers. It’s part of a $26 billion project to bring more Muslims to the holy city’s high-end hotels, residences, retailers and restaurants.As this year’s Hajj wraps up Friday, bringing the annual pilgrimage closer to its pre-pandemic size, Mecca is being rapidly pushed to an even grander scale. An ambitious plan to reshape the economy aims to bring in more than 30 million religious tourists a year by 2030, and for tourism to contribute up to $80 billion, or 10% of GDP, as the kingdom reduces its reliance on oil.The government is homing in on religious tourism because the demand already exists. Saudi Arabia is home to Islam’s two most sacred cities, Mecca and Medina. Muslims around the world are required by their faith to perform the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lives if they are able. Mill...

NFL suspends 3 players indefinitely for violating the gambling policy and a fourth gets 6 games

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:31 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Cornerback Isaiah Rodgers Sr. lost the biggest bet of his life Thursday.He was waived by the Indianapolis Colts shortly after the NFL suspended Rodgers and two other players indefinitely for gambling on NFL games last season.The Colts also cut backup defensive end Rashod Berry after Berry and free agent defensive tackle Demetrius Taylor received the same punishment for the same infraction. None of the three can seek reinstatement until after next season.Tennessee Titans right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere received a six-game suspension for betting on non-NFL sports at the team’s facility, though he can participate in all of the team’s offseason and preseason activities including preseason games.For the Colts, the decision came swiftly and decisively — even for a potential starter like Rodgers.“We have made the following roster moves as a consequence of the determination that these players violated the league’s gambling policy,” Colts general manager Chris Bal...

Ring Of Fire pattern continues; storms "washing out" smoke

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:31 GMT

SEVERE WEATHER RAKED AREAS OF ILLINOIS to Chicago's south Thursday—and warm, humid , unstable air in the wake of near 90-degree temps support evening t-storms ThursdayWind damage has been extensive with a fast moving squall line downstate. Trees are down and the power is out thanks to t-storm wind gusts which have topped 60 and 70 mph at many locations from the Mississippi River across central Illinois including the Springfield, Decatur and Champaign areas as far north as sections of LaSalle, Ford and Livingston counties. Here's a photo of tree damage shared with us by Chris Nelson in in Lerna, Illinois:Photo courtesy: Chris NelsonNature put on quite a show THURSDAY--especially downstate--as a fast moving, arc-shaped squall line roared into the area. The storms produced wind gusts as high as 90 mph—powerhouse winds which downed trees and produced damage, knocking out power in many areas, from the Mississippi River across the state, from Missouri and across central and southern Illin...

French, UK watchdogs say hackers-for-hire are targeting law firms

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:31 GMT

Mercenary hackers increasingly are targeting law firms in a bid to steal data that could tip the balance in legal cases, French and British authorities say, echoing an investigation that uncovered the phenomenon last year.In a pair of reports published over the past week, the cyber watchdog agencies of France and the United Kingdom cataloged an array of digital challenges faced by law firms, including threats posed by ransomware and malicious insiders. Both also highlighted the dangers posed by mercenary hackers hired by litigants to filch sensitive information from courtroom opponents.The London-based National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said in its report published on 22 June that it was increasingly seeing "hackers-for-hire" brought in "to gain the upper hand in business dealings or legal disputes."France’s cyber watchdog, known as ANSSI, said in its report released Tuesday (27 June) that “mercenaries with offensive cyber capacities” were increasingly targeting the legal sector....