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German Left Party dissolves parliamentary faction after key member breaks away

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:31 GMT

Germany’s Left Party officially dissolved its parliamentary faction on Wednesday, after one of the party’s former icons, Sahra Wagenknecht, broke away to form a populist rival party.“This is certainly a historic turning point and of course it is also a bitter defeat,” said Dietmar Bartsch, a Left Party parliamentarian who had served as co-chair of the faction.Members of the Left Party will remain in the German parliament, or Bundestag, but will no longer be part of an official faction, or caucus. The disbanding means the party loses financial support and is forced to liquidate assets and fire staff. The parliamentary rights of its members will also be limited.The dissolution of the Left Party faction comes after Wagenknecht, the longtime face of the party, resigned in October to form a new anti-establishment party, bringing along nine parliamentarians from the Left Party with her.Wagenknecht is among Germany’s most popular politicians and has dri...

Tourists are flooding Mexico’s wine country. They’re also destroying it

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:31 GMT

Cindy Carcamo | (TNS) Los Angeles TimesVALLE DE GUADALUPE, Mexico — Sunset closed in on the 70-year-old vines at Vinicola Mogor Badan on a spring afternoon. The sky transitioned to an icy hue. Natalia Badan, matriarch and owner of the winery, walked her family’s land and surveyed the vineyard and organic farm her Swiss-French parents built with rocks and mud in the 1950s here in Baja California.Moments later, the chirping birds went silent. The bass started up.A loud thumping emanated from her new neighbor — a chic, open-air dining establishment — abutting her grapevines. For years, the neighboring land was a carob tree ranch. Now, it’s a restaurant and bar, part of a proliferation of businesses meant to serve and draw in tourists to Baja’s trendy wine country.It’s the kind of place made for Instagram, where out-of-towners snap photos of themselves next to resident zebras or waiters dressed in safari-inspired outfits serving decadent cocktails.Badan shook her head.“And, there is the...

Harvard University alums say President Claudine Gay should resign after ‘shocking’ testimony about antisemitism on campus

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:31 GMT

Harvard University’s president is facing major heat after her “stunning and utterly disappointing” Congressional testimony about rising antisemitism on college campuses, as alums call on the embattled prez to resign.President Claudine Gay on Tuesday testified in front of a House committee following the recent spike of antisemitism in the wake of the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel. Jewish and Israeli students have been threatened and assaulted on campuses since the Oct. 7 terror attacks.Gay at the hearing was eviscerated by Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, who continued to ask the Harvard president whether student protesters calling for the genocide of Jews is allowed on campus.Gay reiterated that the campus protects free speech, even of views that are offensive and hateful. She refused to characterize calls for the genocide of Jews as a breach of Harvard’s code of conduct, instead saying the offense depends on the context.Her testimony was “s...

Red Sox acquire RHP Justin Slaten from Mets

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:31 GMT

After Justin Slaten was scooped up by the New York Mets in the Rule 5 Draft before they had a chance to pick, the Red Sox went out and made sure they got him anyway.The Red Sox announced Wednesday that they’d acquired the 26-year-old right-hander in a trade with the Mets, giving up minor league left-hander Ryan Ammons and cash considerations in exchange.The Rule 5 restrictions will still apply to Slaten, meaning he must spend the whole season on the Red Sox big league roster or be offered back to his original team, the Texas Rangers.Slaten was taken in the Rule 5 Draft after posting a 2.87 ERA and 86 strikeouts over 59.2 innings split between Texas’ Double-A and Triple-A affiliates. Originally a third-round pick out of the University of New Mexico in 2019, Slaten was promoted to Triple-A in September and allowed just one run over 8.1 innings in five appearances with the Round Rock Express.He boasts a particularly devastating slider, and Baseball America recently identifi...

Juanita Castro, anti-communist sister of Cuban leaders Fidel and Raul, dies in Miami at 90

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:31 GMT

By TERRY SPENCER and ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON (Associated Press)MIAMI (AP) — Juanita Castro, the sister of Cuban rulers Fidel and Raúl Castro who worked with the CIA against their communist government, has died in Miami at 90. Florida had been her home since shortly after fleeing the island nearly 60 years ago. Journalist María Antonieta Collins, who co-wrote Juanita Castro’s 2009 book, “Fidel and Raúl, My Brothers. The Secret History,” wrote on Instagram that she died on Monday. “Juanita Castro was ahead of us on the path of life and death, exceptional woman, tireless fighter for the cause of her Cuba that I love so much,” Collins wrote.The Cuban government and media had not mentioned her death as of Wednesday.In her book, Juanita Castro, a staunch anti-communist, wrote that she began collaborating with the CIA shortly after the United States botched the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961. She had originally supported her older brothers’...

12 Christmas and holiday romance novels to warm your winter or give as gifts

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:31 GMT

As the temperature drops and the nights grow longer, the idea of a date night with a good romance novel sounds like an ideal plan. So grab a glass of wine or cup of hot cocoa and curl up in front of the fireplace with one of these holiday reads. You won’t be the only one.“I love holiday romances! What could be better than being snowed in at a remote cabin with your work nemesis – or needing a fake date for your work holiday party?” says Leah Koch, co-owner of the Culver City (and now Brooklyn) romance bookshop, The Ripped Bodice. With romance novels booming — sales were up 34.6% in the first half of 2023, according to “Publishers Weekly” — and a bounty of subgenres catering to virtually any interest, there’s no shortage of holiday-themed stories of love and adventure. Along with Koch, we turned to local romance experts for guidance, including Wendy Crutcher, head of collection development for L.A. County Library, Thomas Murtland, co-owner of Monrovia’s Underdog Bookstore and Sara Ha...

Air Force Reserve staff sergeant arrested on felony charges for role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:31 GMT

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER (Associated Press)A staff sergeant in the U.S. Air Force Reserve from Texas was arrested Wednesday on felony charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, where authorities say he pushed and grabbed police officers and called one officer a “traitor.” Kyle Douglas McMahan, 41, of Watauga, was taken into custody in Dallas nearly three years after authorities say he joined the pro-Trump mob that attacked the Capitol wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat with “God” written on it in black marker. After the riot, his Google search history included: “Can I resign from the military if I do not want to serve an illegitimate president?” and “capitol terrorists identified,” according to court papers. He faces felony charges of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers and obstruction of law enforcement, as well as additional misdemeanor offenses. There was no lawyer immediately named in the court docket. ...

Red Sox lose pitchers Shane Drohan, Ryan Fernandez in Rule 5 Draft

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:31 GMT

The Red Sox lost a pair of pitching prospects in the Major League portion of the Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday, with left-hander Shane Drohan selected No. 4 overall by the Chicago White Sox and right-hander Ryan Fernandez going No. 6 to the St. Louis Cardinals.Drohan, 24, was Boston’s No. 19 overall prospect according to MLB Pipeline. The left-hander got off to a fantastic start this past season in Double-A but struggled badly following his promotion to Triple-A. The Red Sox subsequently left him unprotected in the Rule 5 Draft and it was widely expected he might be taken by another team.Fernandez, 25, is another arm believed to be a candidate for Rule 5 selection. The hard throwing reliever boasts great stuff, including a fastball touching 99 mph, and he projects as someone who could realistically stick in a big league bullpen.By rule, players selected in the MLB phase of the Rule 5 Draft must stay on their new team’s active big league roster for the full season. If they do...

Ballot initiative to nix MCAS graduation requirement hits highest signature count this election cycle

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:31 GMT

The ballot initiative to toss out the MCAS graduation requirement reached 135,000 signatures ahead of the deadline, the Massachusetts Teachers Association and allies announced Wednesday — the most signatures collected by any initiative this election cycle.“The people are letting us know that all students deserve an education that is well-rounded and focused on students – not a one-time test score,” MTA Vice President Deb McCarthy said.The MCAS petition was one of several ballot initiatives to meet the Wednesday deadline to collect 75,000 signatures and move forward to being placed on the November 2024 general election ballot.Educators, parents and advocates behind the MCAS initiative met on the steps of the State House on Wednesday morning to announce the signature count and walk the last 20,000 signatures over to Secretary of State Bill Galvin’s office.The question would end the use of the test as a graduation requirement, not nix the test altogether. The un...

Massive police response to shooting on UNLV campus, students told to run, hide, fight

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:31 GMT

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) -- Las Vegas police are reporting a suspect in the UNLV campus shooting Wednesday is dead. Metropolitan police responded to reports of an active shooter at the UNLV campus before noon and said "There appears to be multiple victims at this time." Maryland Parkway is closed to traffic near UNLV and drivers are urged to stay away from the area.UNLV Police sent out a social post about the shots fired in the BEH (Beam Hall) building. They told students and faculty to evacuate to a safe area. RUN-HIDE-FIGHT is what campus police posted and sent to students.One UNLV student spoke with 8 News Now. Officers from every police agency responded to the active shooting call.Beam Hall is the home of the Lee Business School and is near the Student Union building.This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.