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Netanyahu announces delay to Israel judicial overhaul plans amid huge protests

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:11 GMT

(CNN) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday his controversial plans to weaken the judiciary will be delayed after widespread strikes and protests drove the country to a standstill.Netanyahu said he would delay the second and third votes on the remaining legislation until after the Knesset’s Passover recess in April “to give time for a real chance for a real debate.”Netanyahu added that he is “aware of the tensions” and is “listening to the people.”“Out of the responsibility to the nation, I decided to delay … the vote, in order to give time for discussion,” he added.But he insisted that the overhaul was necessary, and reiterated criticism of refusal to train or serve in the military in protest at the planned changes.“Refusing is the end of our country,” he said.Reacting to Netanyahu’s announcement, Arnon Bar-David, the leader of the Histadrut labor union, announced that a ...

Gwyneth Paltrow accuser calls Utah ski crash ‘serious smack’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:11 GMT

By SAM METZ (Associated Press)PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — The man suing Gwyneth Paltrow over a 2016 skiing collision at one of the most upscale resorts in North America took the stand Monday, saying he was rammed into from behind and sent “absolutely flying.”The trial in Utah hinges on who crashed into who: Paltrow testified days earlier that Terry Sanderson, a retired 76-year-old optometrist, veered into her back. He says the opposite, and that the collision broke four ribs and caused post-concussion symptoms that changed his personality and strained his family relationships. But beyond questions of skiing etiquette, Paltrow’s attorneys have argued the lawsuit is an attempt by an “obsessed” man to exploit the actor-turned-lifestyle influencer’s wealth and celebrity. Sanderson is suing Paltrow for more than $300,000 and Paltrow has countersued for $1 and attorney fees. The amount of money at stake for both sides pales in comparison to the typical...

Bill Belichick again doesn’t commit to Mac Jones as Patriots’ starting quarterback

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:11 GMT

When healthy, Mac Jones has started every Patriots game the past two seasons. So will Jones be the team’s starting quarterback again in 2023?Bill Belichick, who declined to commit to Jones during his end-of-season press conference in January, kept his options open again on Monday.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Josh McDaniels ‘excited’ to land ex-Patriot Jakobi Meyers New England Patriots | Bill Belichick deflects questions on Bill O’Brien, Joe Judge and Patriots’ coaching changes New England Patriots | Bill Belichick offers 4-word explanation why should Patriots fans be optimistic New England Patriots | Broncos head coach Sean Payton nixes Jerry Jeudy trade talk New England Patriots | Time for a little Q & A with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick “Well, everybody will get a chance to play,” Belichick told reporters at the NFL owners meetings in Arizona. “W...

Netanyahu delays judicial overhaul after mass protests

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:11 GMT

By ILAN BEN ZION and TIA GOLDENBERG (Associated Press)JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a delay in his judicial overhaul plan Monday, saying he wanted to give time to seek a compromise over the contentious package with his political opponents.Netanyahu made the announcement after two days of large protests against the plan.“When there’s an opportunity to avoid civil war through dialogue, I, as prime minister, am taking a timeout for dialogue,” Netanyahu said in a nationally televised address.Striking a more conciliatory tone than in previous speeches, he said he was determined to pass a judicial reform but called for “an attempt to achieve broad consensus.”Immediately after Netanyahu’s statement, the head of the country’s largest trade union said it would call off a general strike that threatened to grind Israel’s economy to a halt.Netanyahu spoke after tens of thousands of Israelis demonstrated...

Josh McDaniels ‘excited’ to land ex-Patriot Jakobi Meyers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:11 GMT

The Patriots loss turned into the Raiders gain.That’s how Las Vegas head coach Josh McDaniels sees his acquisition of wide receiver Jakobi Meyers in free agency.Having worked with him in New England, McDaniels has always been a fan of Meyers, who was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Patriots.“I’m excited about it,” McDaniels said in between television and radio interviews following the AFC coaches breakfast. “Obviously, I got to be with Jakobi for a few years at the beginning of his career.“I was always so impressed with him just from the time we got him. He worked hard, and learned how to do the two things we’ve always stressed: to get open and catch the ball.”The Raiders were able to sign Meyers on a three-year deal worth $33 million. The Patriots added JuJu Smith-Schuster on a similar deal.Meyers was added to a Raiders offense that now has another former Patriot, Jimmy Garoppolo, at the helm under center.  Along with Meyers,...

Chipotle agrees to pay after closing store that sought union

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:11 GMT

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Chipotle Mexican Grill has agreed to pay $240,000 to former employees as part of a settlement stemming from a complaint that the company violated federal law by closing a restaurant where workers wanted to unionize.Chipotle announced it was permanently closing its Augusta, Maine, location last year after workers filed a National Labor Relations Board petition for a union election. The NLRB later said the closure was illegal.The Maine location was the first in the chain to file a union petition. The settlement, released by union officials on Monday, states that two dozen employees will receive payments from Chipotle and they will be placed on a preferential hiring list for other Maine locations.The company must also post a notice in dozens of stores in New England that it won’t close stores or discriminate against employees due to union support, the settlement states.“It sends a message to corporations that shutting down a store and blackballing wor...

Kansas high court signals continued abortion rights support

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:11 GMT

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas’ highest court signaled Monday that it still considers access to abortion a “fundamental” right under the state constitution, as an attorney for the state argued that a decisive statewide vote last year affirming abortion rights “doesn’t matter.”The state Supreme Court is considering exactly how far the Republican-controlled Legislature can go in restricting abortion under a 2019 decision protecting abortion rights. The justices heard arguments from attorneys for Kansas and abortion providers in two lawsuits but isn’t likely to rule for months. One lawsuit challenges a 2015 law banning a common second-trimester abortion procedure, and the other challenges a 2011 law that regulates abortion providers more strictly than other health care providers. Legal challenges have blocked both laws from being enforced.The U.S. Supreme Court declared in June 2022 that the U.S. Constitution doesn’t protect abortion rights and that states can ban a...

Most stocks tick up, including a jump for beaten down banks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:11 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are mostly rising on Wall Street Monday as battered banks show more strength, at least for now.The S&P 500 was 0.3% higher as of 1:22 p.m. Eastern time. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 260 points, or 0.8%, to 32,497 and the Nasdaq composite was 0.4% lower.Markets have been in turmoil following the second-and third-largest U.S. bank failures in history earlier this month. Investors have been hunting for what banks could be next to fall as the system creaks under the pressure of much higher interest rates.First Citizens ‘ stock soared 51.3% after it said it would buy most of Silicon Valley Bank, whose failure sparked the industry’s furor earlier this month. As part of the deal, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. agreed to share some of the losses that may arise from some of the loans First Citizens is buying.Other banks that investors have highlighted as the next potential victims of a debilitating exodus of customers also strengthened.First Rep...

Foes of Kentucky transgender bill push back with radio ads

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:11 GMT

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A well-known Kentucky Republican on Monday blasted the GOP’s push for transgender legislation, calling it “a bad look for the party of Abraham Lincoln” in a radio ad coming days before lawmakers could vote to override the Democratic governor’s veto of the bill.Former longtime GOP state lawmaker Bob Heleringer evoked Lincoln’s memory and words in lashing out against the Republican measure. A companion radio ad features Trey Grayson, a former Republican secretary of state in Kentucky. The Fairness Campaign, an LGBTQ+ advocacy organization in Kentucky, paid for the commercials, which are airing statewide.It’s part of an uphill effort by the bill’s opponents to try to fend off an override of Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto of the measure aimed at regulating the lives of transgender youths. The bill would ban access to gender-affirming health care and restrict the bathrooms they can use. It also would allow teachers to refuse to...

Wisconsin school bans Miley, Dolly duet from class concert

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:11 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Administrators at a Wisconsin elementary school stopped a first-grade class from performing a Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton duet promoting LGBTQ acceptance because the song “could be perceived as controversial.”Students at Heyer Elementary School in Waukesha had prepared a rendition of “Rainbowland” for their spring concert, but school officials struck the song from the lineup last week. Parents in the district say the decision was made because the song encourages LGBTQ acceptance and references rainbows.Superintendent James Sebert, who did not immediately return a call on Monday, confirmed to Fox6 that administrators had removed “Rainbowland” from the first-grade concert because it might not be “appropriate for the age and maturity level of the students.” He also cited a school board policy against raising controversial issues in classrooms.Sebert has previously prohibited rainbows and pride flags from being displayed in Waukesha classroo...