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Biden blocks Nippon Steel's $14.1 billion takeover of US Steel

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President Joe Biden has blocked the $14.1 billion sale of United States Steel Corp. to Nippon Steel Corp., killing a high-profile deal that sparked a political firestorm and tensions between the U.S. and Japan.

Biden announced his formal decision on Friday after the case was referred to him by a U.S. security review panel, ahead of a deadline ...Read more

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images North America/TNS

NY attorney general Letitia James recuses self from probe into beating death of Marcy inmate Robert Brooks

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NEW YORK — Attorney General Letitia James’ office is backing away from the criminal probe into the caught-on-camera beating death of Marcy Correctional inmate Robert Brooks, officials said Friday.

In a video update released Thursday, James said her office needs to recuse itself since four of the state Department of Corrections officers ...Read more

Alex Wong/Getty Images North America/TNS

Mike Johnson just short of winning reelection as House speaker on first ballot

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U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson fell short of winning reelection on a first ballot Friday, leaving the Republican leader’s future somewhat unclear as he tries to retain his position in the narrowly divided Congress.

Three GOP lawmakers, Rep. Tom Massie of Kentucky, Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Rep. Keith Self of Texas voted against...Read more

Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun/TNS

Rachel Morin case: Defense seeks to move trial out of Harford County

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BALTIMORE — The defense team representing Victor Martinez-Hernandez motioned for a change of venue out of Harford County Circuit Court in a Monday filing, stating their client “cannot receive a fair trial” there.

Martinez-Hernandez, 24, of El Salvador, is charged with first- and second-degree murder, first- and second-degree rape, third-...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

US surgeon general wants to label alcohol like cigarettes

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Wine, beer and spirits should carry a warning label about cancer risks, the U.S. surgeon general said Friday, in a move that could shape a larger debate over government healthy eating recommendations.

“Alcohol is a well-established, preventable cause of cancer responsible for about 100,000 cases of cancer and 20,000 cancer deaths annually in ...Read more

Convicted Massachusetts ex-senator who wants Trump pardon says he saw a police shooting, as he pushed for sentencing delay

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BOSTON — A former state senator convicted of fraud who wants a pardon from President-elect Donald Trump says he recently witnessed a police-involved shooting, as he pushed for a delay in his sentencing.

Dean Tran, a Massachusetts Republican who ran for Congress, last year was found guilty of pandemic assistance fraud and making false ...Read more

Mary Ann Anderson/TNS/TNS

Federal government approves Okefenokee wildlife refuge expansion plan

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ATLANTA — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Friday it has finalized a plan that could lead to the expansion the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.

The plan approved by the FWS — which manages the 407,000-acre refuge — adds 22,000 acres to the Okefenokee’s “acquisition boundary.” That includes the creation of a 1-mile �...Read more

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images North America/TNS

Amid shocking crimes on NYC subways, Gov. Kathy Hochul pushes for expanding involuntary commitments

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NEW YORK — Gov. Kathy Hochul said Friday she’d introduce legislation to the state budget that would make it easier to involuntarily commit those suffering from mental illness to hospitals, citing an uptick in violent crimes on the NYC subway system.

A spate of shocking crimes — including the woman fatally set on fire aboard a Brooklyn F ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

US surgeon general calls for cancer warnings on alcohol

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WASHINGTON — Alcohol products like beer and wine should carry warnings of their links to cancer, the US surgeon general said, citing an increased risk of developing tumors in the breast and other parts of the body.

Scientific evidence of the connections between alcohol and cancer has been rising for decades, but less than half of Americans ...Read more

Charly Triballeau/Getty Images North America/TNS

NYC congestion pricing begins Sunday: What you need to know

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NEW YORK — Congestion tolling is scheduled to start on January 5 in NYC, barring any last minute legal challenges.

The path to this point has been long and confusing — so drivers have many questions about the MTA’s plan to reduce congestion and raise funds for mass transit improvements.

Here’s what you need to know:

When exactly ...Read more

Phillip Faraone/Getty Images North America/TNS

Jay-Z can file for dismissal of rape lawsuit against him, Diddy, report says

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NEW YORK — A New York City judge on Thursday granted Jay-Z’s request to file a motion for dismissal of a lawsuit that accuses the rap titan of raping a 13-year-old with Sean “Diddy” Combs in 2000.

Judge Analisa Torres of the Southern District of New York said Jay-Z’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, can file the motion by Feb. 6, according to ...Read more

Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/MATIAS J. OCNER

Miami federal judge to decide whether to grant Alexander brothers a $100 million-plus bond

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MIAMI — The twin Alexander brothers charged with forcing dozens of women to have sex with them are expected to learn on Friday whether they will be detained in a federal lock-up before trial that might be held months from now or next year.

Alon and Oren Alexander, both 37, will appear in Miami federal court, where a magistrate judge will ...Read more

Luiz C. Ribeiro/New York Daily News/TNS

NYC Mayor Eric Adams taps new anti-hate crime chief, replacing fired predecessor

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NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams announced Friday he has named a new head of City Hall’s hate crimes prevention office, more than eight months after firing his predecessor in a move that touched off a claim of discrimination.

Adams’ appointment of Vijah Ramjattan, a mental health expert and faith leader, to become his new hate crimes ...Read more

Chris Kleponis/AFP/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/TNS

President Biden to travel to New Orleans, meet with victims' families

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President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will travel to New Orleans on Monday, the White House said Friday.

The Bidens will meet with the families of the deadly New Year’s Day terrorist attack in the city’s French Quarter. The president will also meet with investigators.

Fourteen people, including an 18-year-old woman who had ...Read more

Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun/TNS

State Center offices all clear from Legionella as last building tests within normal limits

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BALTIMORE — The last remaining building in the State Center office complex in downtown Baltimore has been cleared of Legionella bacteria following a retest in late December.

A Dec. 23 test on 301 W. Preston Street showed all samples were within normal limits of the bacteria, according to a statement from the Maryland Department of General ...Read more

Florida prosecutors get to work clearing convictions in crack entrapment cases

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The lawbreakers were easy enough to find. They came looking to buy crack cocaine from undercover officers in the late 1980s and early ’90s, drugs that were manufactured by the cops themselves in what seemed at the time to be an efficient way of dealing with the scourge of rampant illegal drug use.

The courts would ...Read more

Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun/TNS

Baltimore County homicides dropped slightly in 2024 to the lowest rate in a decade

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BALTIMORE — Baltimore County’s overall crime rate remained nearly unchanged last year, compared to 2023, even as the community saw its lowest homicide rate in a decade, along with sharp drops in forcible rapes and building thefts over the last 12 months, according to year-end government figures.

The number of homicides edged down slightly: ...Read more

SpaceX/SpaceX/TNS

SpaceX lines up Space Coast's 1st launch of the year

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After a record year of launches, SpaceX is set to kick things off again with the first mission of 2025 on Friday night.

A Falcon 9 on the Space42 Thuraya 4 mission carrying a communications satellite to a geosynchronous transfer orbit is set to lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 during a four-hour ...Read more

A Miami lawyer received $864,000 as an escrow agent. All the money was gone 3 days later

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MIAMI — The state Supreme Court disbarred a Miami lawyer after a scathing 123-page referee’s report that accused the attorney of misappropriating client funds and, possibly, money laundering to cover theft.

The disbarment of Roberto Masud aka Robert Masud showed up on the Dec. 31 Florida Bar discipline report, but happened on Nov. 27 and ...Read more

Invasive flies have never been worse in Pennsylvania's mushroom capital, homeowners say. But eliminating them is a challenge

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PHILADELPHIA — When Brendan Nerney wakes up, it's not the sound of his alarm clock he dreads, but the dull buzzes from bug zappers strung throughout his Chester County home.

Throughout the historic Avondale property, flies gather in black masses across the windows, while flypaper traps, once a crisp white, are instead blotted out with ...Read more