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Biden says Jimmy Carter has asked him to deliver his eulogy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:37:41 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — President Joe Biden says he plans to deliver the eulogy at the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter, who remains under hospice care at his home in south Georgia.Biden told donors at a California fundraiser Monday evening about his “recent” visit to see the 39th president, whom he has known since he was a young Delaware senator supporting Carter’s 1976 presidential campaign.“He asked me to do his eulogy,” Biden said, before stopping himself from saying more. “Excuse me, I shouldn’t say that.”Carter, who at 98 is the longest-lived U.S. president, announced Feb. 18 that he would spend his remaining days at home receiving end-of-life care, forgoing further medical intervention after a series of short hospital stays. The Carter Center in Atlanta and the former president’s family members have not disclosed details of his condition, though Biden alluded to Carter’s 2015 cancer diagnosis and subsequent recovery.“I spent time with Jimmy Carter and i...

Scottie Scheffler’s 88-year-old grandma walks every hole of his dominant victory

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:37:41 GMT

(CNN) — It is said that a Grandma knows best. Scottie Scheffler, newly crowned The Players Championship winner, would agree wholeheartedly.Scheffler’s grandmother, Mary, could not have chosen a better week to follow her grandson around all 72 holes of a tournament.A dominant victory sealed a dream Sunday for Scheffler at TPC Sawgrass in Florida, reclaiming his World No. 1 spot from Jon Rahm and securing him a $4.5 million cut of a record $25 million prize purse.The 26-year-old American finished five strokes ahead of England’s Tyrrell Hatton, the largest margin of victory at the event dubbed “the fifth major” since Stephen Ames cruised to a six shot win in 2006.It marks a sixth PGA Tour victory in a remarkable 13-month stretch for the reigning Masters champion, one made even sweeter by having many of his family watching on from the sidelines. And a number were gathered at the final green to embr...

Man sentenced to life for attempted murder of fellow inmate over juice box

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:37:41 GMT

ANNAPOLIS, Maryland (WBAL) — A judge on Friday sentenced a convicted robber to life in prison plus 10 years for an attempted killing a fellow inmate after a fight over juice boxes, prosecutors said.Courtney Butler, 35, was found guilty after a dayslong trial on attempted first- and second-degree murder, first-degree assault, reckless endangerment and weapons violations charges for a March 25, 2021, attack on a fellow inmate at the Jessup Correctional Institution.According to the Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office, Butler and two other inmates were fighting over the distribution of several juice boxes. Prosecutors said Butler threatened the victim and was seen walking past the victim’s cell repeatedly over a six-hour period.Ultimately, prosecutors said, Butler armed himself with a knife-like object and stabbed the victim multiple times in the back before throwing him to the ground.“To attempt to take a life over something so trivial is extreme...

EPA to limit toxic ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:37:41 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday proposed limiting the amount of harmful “forever chemicals” in drinking water to the lowest level that tests can detect, a long-awaited protection the agency said will save thousands of lives and prevent serious illnesses, including cancer.The plan marks the first time the EPA has proposed regulating a toxic group of compounds that are widespread, dangerous and expensive to remove from water. PFAS, or per- and polyfluorinated substances, don’t degrade in the environment and are linked to a broad range of health issues, including low birthweight babies and kidney cancer. The agency says drinking water is a significant source of PFAS exposure for people.“The science is clear that long-term exposure to PFAS is linked to significant health risks,” Radhika Fox, assistant EPA administrator for water, said in an interview.Fox called the federal proposal a “transformational change” for improving the safety of drinking water in...

AP sources: Falcons to sign Jessie Bates, get Jonnu Smith

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:37:41 GMT

The Atlanta Falcons have agreed to a four-year, $64 million contract with safety Jessie Bates, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press.The person spoke on condition of anonymity Monday because the deal can’t be announced until Wednesday.The Falcons also agreed to acquire tight end Jonnu Smith from the New England Patriots, according to another person familiar with that deal. The Falcons are sending a seventh-round pick to New England, per NFL Network.Atlanta announced that Pro Bowl guard Chris Lindstrom has signed a five-year contract extension, reportedly making him the NFL’s highest-paid guard.ESPN reported the deal, which will keep Lindstrom with the Falcons through the 2028 season, is worth $105 million. It locks up another key member of the offensive line, with left tackle Jake Matthews under contract through 2026.Lindstrom’s average of $21 million per season surpasses Indianapolis guard Quenton Nelson’s $20.2 million annual average.Bates started 79 games in f...

Stocks leap higher on Wall Street, led by beaten down banks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:37:41 GMT

By STAN CHOE (AP Business Writer)NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are leaping on Wall Street Tuesday, as some of the most breathtaking moves from a manic Monday reverse course. The S&P 500 was 1.9% higher in morning trading after a report showed inflation is still high but heading lower. Stocks of smaller and mid-sized banks recovered some of their prior plunges caused by worries that customers could yank out all their cash. Treasury yields soared to trim their historic drops. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 436 points, or 1.4%, at 32,255, as of 10:40 a.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite was 2.2% higher. A week ago, Wall Street was expecting Tuesday’s report on inflation to be the most important data of the week, if not month. The worry at the time was that inflation is staying stubbornly high, which could force the Federal Reserve to pick up the pace again on its hikes to interest rates.Such hikes can drive down inflation by slowing the economy, but they rai...

Jimmy Butler elevating his game amid hair-raising stretch of Heat schedule

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:37:41 GMT

The game? Arguably never better. The hair? A work in progress.In a typical season, Jimmy Butler might not be paying attention much to either at this stage of the calendar.But this is not a typical season for the Miami Heat since Butler’s 2019 arrival, mired in a slog of a battle for playoff seeding.So there has been a familiar look to the play since the All-Star break, something closer to Playoff Jimmy.“It’s not a real thing,” Butler said of the notion of Playoff Jimmy.His statistics in the postseason, save for that uneven run in the 2021 first round against the Milwaukee Bucks, say otherwise.As does what he has done in the 11 games since the All-Star break: 26.1 points per game on .603 shooting from the field. .851 shooting from the line, .500 shooting on 3-pointers, with 6.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game, leading the Heat in all those categories except for rebounding, where he is tied for second.“It’s the epitome of efficiency,&#...

Jakobi Meyers explains decision to leave Patriots for team-friendly Raiders deal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:37:41 GMT

Why didn’t the Patriots re-sign Jakobi Meyers?After his new 3-year deal with the Raiders was reported Tuesday, Meyers reportedly spoke to NFL reporter Josina Anderson and explained his decision to leave New England, where there was mutual interest in his return.“It’s hard to turn down Las Vegas when you look at their offense, when you look at their coaches. They wanted me, I wanted them,” Meyers said. “Unfortunately it didn’t work out with the Patriots. I put a lot of effort in my time there. I appreciate them, but God works in mysterious ways. I’m blessed.”Meyers’ new contract is reportedly a 3-year, $33 million pact with $21 million guaranteed. The raw numbers are comparable to the 2-year, $22 million deal the Patriots signed Nelson Agholor to in 2021, when the NFL’s salary cap was $42.3 million lower. In Las Vegas, Meyers will reunite with former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, now the Raiders’ head ...

Russian missile hits Ukrainian apartment building, killing 1

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:37:41 GMT

By KARL RITTER (Associated Press)KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Russian missile struck an apartment building in the center of Kramatorsk on Tuesday, killing at least one person and wounding seven others in one of Ukraine’s major city strongholds in its eastern Donetsk region as it fights against Moscow’s invasion, officials said.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted a video showing gaping holes in the façade of the low-rise building that bore the brunt of the strike.The Ukrainian general prosecutor’s office and regional Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko also reported on the attack, posting photos of the building with mounds of rubble in front of it. The impact damaged nine apartment blocks, a kindergarten, a local bank branch and two cars, Kyrylenko said. The war, which erupted after Russia’s launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, has brought heavy civilian casualties. Tuesday’s victims were among at least seven civilians killed and 30 wounde...

Team USA needed Tim Anderson’s bat in the lineup — so the shortstop switched to second base in win over Canada

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:37:41 GMT

Mark DeRosa needed Tim Anderson’s bat in the lineup.Canada started a left-hander in Monday’s World Baseball Classic matchup and the Team USA manager wanted to play both Anderson and Trea Turner.The only issue? Both are shortstops — Anderson for the Chicago White Sox and Turner for the Philadelphia Phillies.DeRosa asked Anderson if he’d shift to second base.“I was open for it,” Anderson said. “It’s a matter of just getting comfortable and I got comfortable as the game went on. And I was able to complete the task.”Anderson showed he’s very comfortable on the big stage too, going 2-for-3 with a triple, one RBI, one walk and two runs in a 12-1 victory in a crucial Pool C game at Chase Field. With a lead of at least 10 runs, the contest was called in the seventh per the rules of the first round of the tournament.Anderson has excelled in the postseason and has collected a hit as a starter in the All-Star Game. He ended the inaugu...