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House expels New York Rep. George Santos. It's just the sixth expulsion in the chamber's history

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:55 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House voted on Friday to expel Republican Rep. George Santos of New York after a critical ethics report on his conduct that accused him of converting campaign donations for his own use. He was just the sixth member in the chamber's history to be ousted by colleagues.The vote to expel was 311-114. Expulsion requires support from two-thirds of the House, a purposefully high bar, but a blistering House Ethics Committee report that accused Santos of breaking federal law proved decisive.As it became clear that he would be expelled, Santos placed his overcoat over his shoulders, shook hands with conservative members who voted against his expulsion and departed the House chamber.House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., soon took the gavel, quieted the chamber and solemnly instructed the House clerk to inform the governor of New York that Santos’ former House seat was now vacant.Santos had fought the expulsion effort, leading his own defense during House floor debate and in ...

A teenage girl who says she discovered a camera in an airplane bathroom is suing American Airlines

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:55 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — The family of a North Carolina teenager is suing American Airlines, saying that a flight attendant taped an iPhone to an airplane toilet to record her using the restroom during a September flight.Lawyers for the 14-year-old and her parents say that American “knew or should have known the flight attendant was a danger.” They say the failure of other crew members to confiscate the employee’s phone allowed him to destroy evidence.The lawsuit against American and the unidentified flight attendant was filed Friday in U.S. district court in North Carolina.American said the flight attendant was “withheld from service” immediately after the alleged incident and has not worked since.“We take this matter very seriously and have been fully cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation, as safety and security are our highest priorities,” American said in a prepared statement.According to the lawsuit, the incident happened on a Sept. 2 flight from Charlotte to Bosto...

House expels New York Rep. George Santos. It’s just the sixth expulsion in the chamber’s history

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:55 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House voted on Friday to expel Republican Rep. George Santos of New York after a critical ethics report on his conduct that accused him of converting campaign donations for his own use. He was just the sixth member in the chamber’s history to be ousted by colleagues.The vote to expel was 311-114. Expulsion requires support from two-thirds of the House, a purposefully high bar, but a blistering House Ethics Committee report that accused Santos of breaking federal law proved decisive.As it became clear that he would be expelled, Santos placed his overcoat over his shoulders, shook hands with conservative members who voted against his expulsion and departed the House chamber.House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., soon took the gavel, quieted the chamber and solemnly instructed the House clerk to inform the governor of New York that Santos’ former House seat was now vacant.Santos had fought the expulsion effort, leading his own defense during House floor debate a...

‘By the grace of God:’ Phone likely saved life of college athlete after shooting in Martin County

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:55 GMT

STUART, Fla. (WSVN) – A 20-year-old college athlete is recovering in the hospital after what authorities in Martin County are calling a miraculous escape from a shooting incident. The young man was walking home when a gunman opened fire, and officials credit “the grace of God” for saving his life, with his phone likely acting as a life-saving shield.Surveillance video reveals the vehicle Martin County Sheriff’s deputies are seeking in connection with the incident. The victim had just left a convenience store Wednesday night, en route to his home, when shots were fired.“As he was getting near his house, a vehicle drove up, and the passenger in the front of that vehicle opened fire at him with a high-powered rifle,” shared Martin County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy John Budensiek.Remarkably, the victim, who was on a cellphone at the time, was hit as one of the rounds traveled through his index finger and then through the phone he was holding. Buden...

Rishi Sunak hits back at criticism of fleeting COP28 visit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:55 GMT

DUBAI — Rishi Sunak defended his decision to only attend the COP28 climate summit for a half a day, saying it would be wrong to “measure our impact here by hours spent.”The U.K. prime minister left the Dubai summit for his return flight to the U.K. on Friday evening, having only arrived in the UAE 11 hours earlier.Other world leaders have devoted more time to the U.N. climate conference and the U.K.’s own head of state, King Charles III, attended for two full days.“It is hugely simplistic to measure the impact of our presence here by the hours we spend,” Sunak said in response to a POLITICO question at a press conference Friday. He said: “You could be saying to me, ‘you should be here for three days.’ But that would mean nothing if I hadn’t come home with £10 billion of investment in an offshore wind farm, creating jobs and providing clean energy, or I hadn’t been able to announce more money for climate finance.”“I feel very good that this has been a very productive day,...

Germany is too distracted to deal with EU budget talks, Commission says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:55 GMT

BRUSSELS ― Political wrangling in Germany is preventing the EU getting a deal on a funding top-up, according to the bloc’s budget commissioner.“The biggest problem is that Germany is so distracted by domestic issues that they literally don’t find time to deal with this,” Johannes Hahn told reporters in Brussels.Germany is leading a coalition of countries, mainly in the north and east of Europe, that want the European Commission to finance its new priorities by saving cash from other areas of its current budget, which was agreed in 2021. Berlin hardened its position after a recent shock constitutional court verdict blew a €60 billion hole in the country’s budget.Governments rejected the Commission’s request in June for an extra €66 billion to cover unexpected spending, and they called on the EU executive to trim the headline figure by at least 20 percent, or around €13 billion. The issue is due to come to a head a...

Ukraine blows up 2 railway connections between Russia and China

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:55 GMT

Ukraine’s security service blew up railway connections linking Russia to China, in a clandestine strike carried out deep into enemy territory, with pro-Kremlin media reporting that investigators have opened a criminal case into a “terrorist attack.”The SBU set off several explosions inside the Severomuysky tunnel of the Baikal-Amur highway in Buryatia, located some 6,000 kilometers east of Ukraine, a senior Ukrainian official with direct knowledge of the operation told POLITICO.“This is the only serious railway connection between the Russian Federation and China. And currently, this route, which Russia uses, including for military supplies, is paralyzed,” the official said.Four explosive devices went off while a cargo train was moving inside the tunnel. “Now the (Russian) Federal Security Service is working on the spot, the railway workers are unsuccessfully trying to minimize the consequences of the SBU special operation,” the Ukrainian official added.Later, ...

US airman killed in Osprey crash off coast of Japan identified as Massachusetts native

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:55 GMT

Authorities say the body of a service member found after a US military Osprey aircraft crashed off the coast of Japan has been identified as an airman from Massachusetts.Pittsfield-native and US Air Force Staff Sgt. Jacob Galliher was identified by officials days after the CV-22B Osprey he was traveling in crashed off the shore of Yakushima Island on Wednesday, Nov. 29.Galliher was one of eight crew members aboard the Osprey and has so far been the only individual recovered and identified since the crash.Offering their condolences on Facebook, the Pittsfield Police Department described Galliher as a man who served his country proudly, leaving behind a wife and two boys, ages 2 and 6-weeks-old.“To Jacob’s family, friends our community is morning with you❤️ , and also the family’s of the other 7 who have yet to be located,” the police department stated.U.S. Rep. Richard Neal released the following statement:“As a father, my heart goes out to Staff Sgt. Jacob Ga...

House votes to expel Santos from Congress in historic vote

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:55 GMT

 (CNN) — The House voted Friday to expel GOP Rep. George Santos, a historic vote that will make the New York congressman the sixth lawmaker ever to be expelled from the chamber.The New York congressman has survived prior attempts to oust him, but there has been growing momentum for this latest effort after the House Ethics Committee released a long-awaited report in November, which concluded that Santos “sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit.”A number of Republicans who previously did not support Santos’ expulsion have said they would now vote to expel him as a result of the Ethics panel’s findings, though it was not clear ahead of the vote if there would be enough support to oust the congressman.Expulsion is the most severe form of punishment for a lawmaker in the House. It is exceedingly rare and requires a two-thirds majority vote to succeed – a high bar to clear. Only five House lawmaker...

Trump doesn’t have presidential immunity from lawsuits over January 6, appeals court rules

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:55 GMT

Washington (CNN) — Former President Donald Trump isn’t immune from being held accountable in civil lawsuits related to the January 6, 2021, US Capitol riot in a long-awaited, consequential decision from the federal appeals court in Washington, DC.The decision, making new law around the presidency, will have significant implications for several cases against Trump in the Washington, DC, federal court related to the 2020 election. The decision arises out of lawsuits brought by Capitol Police officers and Democrats in Congress.The opinion, written by Chief Judge Sri Srinivasan, states that not everything a president does while in office is protected from liability.The president “does not spend every minute of every day exercising official responsibilities,” the opinion said. “And when he acts outside the functions of his office, he does not continue to enjoy immunity. … When he acts in an unofficial, private capacity, he is subject to civil suits like any priva...