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Biden’s son Hunter pleads not guilty to 2 tax crimes after agreement with prosecutors falls through

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:49 GMT

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — President Joe Biden’s son Hunter pleaded not guilty Wednesday to two tax crimes after a plea deal with federal prosecutors unraveled during a court hearing following the judge’s concerns over the agreement.Hunter Biden was charged last month with two misdemeanor tax crimes of failure to pay more than $100,000 in taxes from over $1.5 million in income in both 2017 and 2018, and he had made an agreement with prosecutors, who were planning to recommend two years of probation. That deal is now on hold.But during the hearing Wednesday, there was a dispute in court over whether the initial agreement gave him protection against any future charges. U.S. District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, raised concerns about the language of the deal.The collapsed the proceedings, a surprising development because the plea had been carefully negotiated over weeks and included a lengthy back-and-forth between Justice Dep...

‘Ultra-rare’ Apple sneakers on sale for $50,000

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:49 GMT

(CNN) — When you think of Apple, it’s likely that what first springs to mind is a conveyor belt of revolutionary tech rather than a pair of sneakers.But a pair of “ultra-rare” Apple sneakers is now being sold by auctioneers Sotheby’s for $50,000, fetching a higher price tag than any current Apple product.Complete with the rainbow Apple logo on the tongue and side, the white trainers were custom-made for the company’s employees as a one-time giveaway at a National Sales Conference in the mid-1990s.“Having never reached the general public, this particular pair of sneakers is one of the most obscure in existence,” Sotheby’s said in its catalog.Although producing sneakers is unusual for Apple, in 1986 the tech brand released a range of clothing and accessories dubbed “The Apple Collection,” featuring mugs, umbrellas, bags, keyrings and even a sailboard, all emblazoned with the rainbow Apple logo, according to a catalog published that year. Th...

Mac Jones ‘good’ with Bill Belichick after agreeing to ‘fresh start’ for Patriots season

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:49 GMT

FOXBORO — It was an inauspicious start to training camp for Patriots quarterback Mac Jones on Wednesday morning.On his first competitive throw of the summer, he dropped back in a red-zone drill, briefly turned his body to the right where running back Rhamondre Stevenson was running a swing route, directed his attention back to the middle of the field and tried to loft a pass to tight end Mike Gesicki in the back of the end zone.And he was picked off by safety Kyle Dugger.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots enter training camp in good health, down only 3 players at Wednesday practice New England Patriots | Callahan: It’s a prove-it season for the Patriots — and they know it New England Patriots | Bill Belichick provides update on Patriots key starters head of training camp New England Patriots | Bill Belichick explains why the Patriots extended DeVante Parker, Ja’Whaun Bentley New England Patriots...

Do you feel more depressed the hotter it gets? It’s not your imagination

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:49 GMT

By Cindy Krischer Goodman | South Florida Sun SentinelDay after day of unbearable heat, Jan Cox feels herself sinking more into a depression.“There does not seem to be any relief,” said Cox, who has given up gardening and outside activity as the heat index climbs to new records in Florida.The 79-year-old Central Florida resident says she has lived in the state all her life, but the unrelenting heat this summer has affected her mental health. “I try not to dwell on it, but the feeling is there,” she said.While health officials issue warnings for physical danger from extreme heat, like heat stroke and heat exhaustion, just as concerning are the links between high temperatures and mental health issues.Research shows the high temperatures combined with the thick humidity plaguing can take a toll on everything from day-to-day moods to the potential for a mental health crisis, or self-harm.“It’s been proven that protracted hot weather can make people depressed,” said Dr. Charles Raison, w...

How to put AI to work for your small business

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:49 GMT

By Hillary Crawford | NerdWalletArtificial intelligence tools encompass everything from chatbots to image and video generators, and they can be used by individuals and businesses alike. For business owners looking to leverage AI technology, one of the biggest hurdles is likely dipping their toes into the water. From there, the learning curve isn’t as steep as it seems.“I’m very confident that something that you do right now is easily automated by AI if you’re running a small business, whether that’s writing marketing copy or building something in Excel or writing an email you don’t know how to word,” says Derek Pando, founder of Beeloo, an online business that creates printable activities for kids.And the return on investment can be substantial in terms of both the time and money your small business can save.Integrating AI tools into her team’s daily workflow has helped keep the workload manageable, says Lakesha Cole, founder of She PR, a public relations age...

Hunter Biden pleads not guilty to 2 tax crimes after agreement with prosecutors falls through

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:49 GMT

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — President Joe Biden’s son Hunter pleaded not guilty Wednesday to two tax crimes after a plea deal with federal prosecutors unraveled during a court hearing following the judge’s concerns over the agreement.Hunter Biden was charged last month with two misdemeanor tax crimes of failure to pay more than $100,000 in taxes from over $1.5 million in income in both 2017 and 2018, and he had made an agreement with prosecutors, who were planning to recommend two years of probation. That deal is now on hold.But during the hearing Wednesday, there was a dispute in court over whether the initial agreement gave him protection against any future charges. U.S. District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, raised concerns about the language of the deal.The collapsed the proceedings, a surprising development because the plea had been carefully negotiated over weeks and included a lengthy back-and-forth between Justice Departm...

UK prime minister urged to speed up compensation for infected blood scandal victims

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:49 GMT

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Wednesday he was committed to paying out compensation swiftly to thousands of people affected by the country’s infected blood scandal, which saw more than 2,000 patients die after contracting HIV or hepatitis from transfusions of tainted blood in the 1970s and 1980s.But Sunak, who was testifying before an independent inquiry into the public healthcare scandal, was heckled by survivors and affected families when he did not give a clear answer on when full payments will be paid out.The Infected Blood Inquiry was established in 2017 to examine how thousands of patients in the UK were infected with HIV or Hepatitis C through contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 1980s.An estimated 2,400 to 2,900 people died in what is widely described as the worst treatment disaster in the history of Britain’s state-funded National Health Service.The contaminated blood was linked to supplies of a clotting agent called Factor VIII, which ...

Bank owners and citizens protest deterioration of the Iraqi dinar following US ban on Iraqi banks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:49 GMT

IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — Dozens of people protested in front of the Central Bank of Iraq in Baghdad and bank owners called for official action to stem a sharp increase in the dollar exchange rate Wednesday, after the United States blacklisted 14 Iraqi banks.Over the past two days, the market rate of the dollar jumped from 1,470 dinar per dollar to 1,570 dinar per dollar. The jump came after the U.S. listed 14 private Iraqi banks among banks that are banned from dealing with U.S. dollars due to suspicions of money laundering and funneling funds to Iran.The ban was imposed by the U.S. Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and was first reported by the Wall Street Journal on July 19. “The listing of almost one third of the private banks as banned from dealing with the U.S. dollar will have negative consequences from many perspectives,” Haidar al Shamaa, owner of a private bank in Baghdad said at a news conference Wednesday.He called on “the brothers at the ...

Michigan ‘Hockey Doc’ to stand trial on sexual assault charges connected to youth hockey physicals

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:49 GMT

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. (AP) — A doctor who says he received the nickname “Hockey Doc” after spending more than two decades providing medical assistance to youth hockey teams in Michigan and Minnesota will stand trial on charges that he sexually assaulted patients.Zvi Levran faces 22 counts of third- and fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct involving 10 former hockey players. He denies any wrongdoing.Some witnesses testified during his preliminary hearing that ended Tuesday in Farmington Hills District Court near Detroit that the sexual assaults occurred when they were teens and adults.Each situation had one purpose, which was to “satisfy the sexual desire of the defendant,” said Judge James Brady, who noted that the victims had placed a lot of trust in the doctor.Defense attorney Jonathan Jones argued in court that solely touching a person’s genitals in a medical setting is not a crime, The Detroit News reported.Levran, 66, also faces charges in nearby Bloomfield Hills Distr...

Irish singer Sinead O’Connor dead at age 56: Reports

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:49 GMT

Controversial Irish singer Sinead O’Connor has died at the age of 56, according to several media reports. None of the reports indicated an immediate cause of death.O’Connor released 10 studio albums, while her song Nothing Compares 2 U was named the number one world single in 1990 by the Billboard Music Awards.Her death comes 18 months after her 17-year-old son Shane took his own life.More to come