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Ukraine aims to wear down and outsmart a Russian army distracted by infighting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:14 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The ambush had been postponed three times before Ukrainian commanders decided one recent night that conditions were finally right. Cloaked in darkness, a battalion of Kyiv’s 129th brigade pressed ahead, advancing stealthily on unsuspecting Russian soldiers.By the time the Russians situated along the front line realized they were under attack, it was too late.Ukraine’s recapture of the small village of Neskuchne in the eastern Donetsk region on June 10 encapsulates the opening strategy of a major counteroffensive launched earlier this month. Small platoons bank on the element of surprise and, when successful, make incremental gains in territory and battlefield intelligence.“We had a few scenarios. In the end, I think we chose the best one. To come quietly, unexpectedly,” said Serhii Zherebylo, the 41-year-old deputy commander of the battalion that retook Neskuchne. Across the 1,500-kilometer (930-mile) front line, Ukrainian forces are attempting to wear dow...

Trump, DeSantis among 2024 GOP hopefuls set to appear at Moms for Liberty gathering

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:14 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the main rivals for the Republican presidential nomination, are scheduled to speak Friday at the annual gathering of Moms for Liberty, a two-year-old group that has fiercely opposed instruction related to race and gender identity in the nation’s classroom.The group, which has quickly become a force in conservative politics, advocates “ parental rights ” in education, but an anti-hate watchdog has labeled it “ extremist ” for allegedly harassing community members, advancing anti-LGBTQ+ misinformation and fighting to scrub diverse and inclusive material from lesson plans. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and DeSantis’ wife, Casey DeSantis, also are slated to address the group Friday at the downtown Philadelphia hotel hosting the conference. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy are set to give remarks on Saturday.Their attendance underscores the influen...

Rep. George Santos set to appear federal court on fraud and money laundering charges

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:14 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. Rep. George Santos is set to return to court Friday for the first time since pleading not guilty last month to charges that he duped donors, stole from his campaign, collected fraudulent unemployment benefits and lied to Congress about being a millionaire.The New York Republican, known for fabricating key parts of his life story, is free awaiting trial. He is scheduled to go before U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert in a Long Island courthouse at noon. The hearing is expected to focus on the timing of future court dates as the case against the Republican congressman moves forward.Federal prosecutors have charged Santos with 13 counts of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to Congress. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Taken together, the allegations suggest Santos relied on “repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself,” according to U.S. Attorney for the Eastern...

EU leaders recommit to support Ukraine as they and NATO see divisions emerging in Russia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:14 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took center stage at a European Union summit, underscoring the importance the 27 EU leaders attach to protecting their eastern flank from Russian aggression and beefing up Ukraine’s defense capabilities.In a statement issued early Friday after the meeting ended, the leaders reaffirmed their willingness “to provide sustainable military support to Ukraine for as long as it takes.”Zelenskyy addressed the gathering by video link and Stoltenberg attended an early lunch for leaders. But the biggest seat at the table was reserved for something that’s not officially on the agenda: the fallout from the stunning weekend mutiny in Russia and the impact it has on the rule of President Vladimir Putin.“The mutiny we saw at the weekend demonstrates that there are cracks and divisions within the Russian system. At the same time, it is important to underline that these are internal Russian matters,” said Stoltenber...

Arizona city holds 10-year remembrance for 19 firefighters who died in the Yarnell Hill Fire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:14 GMT

It was one of the deadliest wildland fires ever in the U.S., killing 19 members of an elite central Arizona firefighting crew in 2013 after flames trapped them in a brush-choked canyon.The city of Prescott and the neighboring town of Yarnell are expected to honor the fallen Granite Mountain Hotshots on Friday with public events. Lew Theokas, who lost his grandson, 27-year-old Garret Zuppiger, said it’s still tough for him to talk about the Yarnell Hill Fire a decade later.“He was my only grandson and only grandchild,” said Theokas, who was with his wife in Oklahoma the day he lost his grandson. “We were on an RV trip and were going to be back in town in two days. I talked to Garret that morning.”When the fire started, dry lightning had struck a patch of vegetation in steep, mountainous terrain and ignited the fire high on a ridge west of Yarnell, which hadn’t experienced a wildfire in more than 45 years.Two days later, the Hotshots were battling the wildfire in a box can...

Heat waves like the one that’s killed 14 in the southern US are becoming more frequent and enduring

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:14 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Heat waves like the one that engulfed parts of parts of the South and Midwest and killed more than a dozen people are becoming more common, and experts say the extreme weather events, which claim more lives than hurricanes and tornados, will likely increase in the future.A heat dome that pressured the Texas power grid and killed 13 people there and another in Louisiana pushed eastward Thursday and was expected to be centered over the mid-South by the weekend. Heat index levels of up to 112 degrees (44 Celsius) were forecast in parts of Florida over the next few days. Eleven of the heat-related deaths in Texas occurred in Webb County, which includes Laredo. The dead ranged in age from 60 to 80 years old, and many had other health conditions, according to the county medical examiner. The other two fatalities were Florida residents who died while hiking in extreme heat at Big Bend National Park. Scientists and medical experts say such deaths caused by extreme heat will o...

They envision the world’s tallest flagpole in this Maine town. Instead of uniting, it is dividing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:14 GMT

COLUMBIA FALLS, Maine (AP) — Lobster boat engines rumble to life, lumberjacks trudge into the woods and farmers tend wild blueberries just like they have for generations here at the nation’s northeastern tip, where the vast wilderness and ocean meet in one of the last places on the East Coast unspoiled by development.It’s a striking backdrop to a family’s bold vision for the region: a flagpole jutting upward from the woodlands toward spacious skies — reaching higher than the Empire State Building and topped with an American flag bigger than a football field.To promoters, the $1 billion project would unite people of all political stripes in an era of national polarization. “We want to bring Americans together, remind them of the centuries of sacrifice made to protect our freedom, and unite a divided America,” said Morrill Worcester, whose family is behind the proposal.So far, the proposed Flagpole of Freedom Park has done precisely the opposite. In Columbia Falls, p...

Jersey Shore towns say state’s marijuana law handcuffs police and emboldens rowdy teens

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:14 GMT

OCEAN CITY, N.J. (AP) — It’s summer on the Jersey Shore. For many young people, that means one thing: Party time! But officials and residents of several beachside towns say New Jersey’s criminal justice reforms in recent years — such as decriminalizing marijuana use — are having an unintended effect, emboldening large groups of teenagers to run amok on beaches and boardwalks, knowing there’s little chance they’ll get in trouble for it.Now, some lawmakers are trying to walk back parts of those laws, which also involve alcohol use and possession. The laws were designed to keep more juveniles out of the court system, and imposed a number of restrictions on police officers’ interactions with them.“You don’t want to see a kid with a record that will last the rest of his life, but you can’t let them believe they can do anything they want,” said Mayor Anthony Vaz of Seaside Heights. “That’s unacceptable.”During Memorial Day weekend, police and media outlets reported...

Lynx’s Napheesa Collier plays Storm-stopper for second time this week

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:14 GMT

Reserves for the WNBA All-Star Game are to be announced Saturday.Napheesa Collier is all but assured of playing July 15 with the league’s best players.Collier scored on a fadeaway jumper with 1.8 seconds left in overtime and the Minnesota Lynx beat the Storm 99-97 late Thursday in Seattle.Collier took the inbounds pass from Kayla McBride, drove to the right wing, spun back and sank the game-winner.Playing every second of the game, Collier finished with 31 points, eight rebounds, a career-high six blocks and five assists for Minnesota. She scored 33 with 10 rebounds in the Lynx’s 104-93 win over the Storm on Tuesday at Target Center.Minnesota (6-9), which snapped an eight-game losing streak in Seattle, has won three of four and five of seven.Down by two, Diamond Miller scored on a drive with 11.2 seconds remaining in the extra session to pull the Lynx even. Miller finished with a career-high 19 points and four rebounds.Watched tightly by McBride, Jewell Loyd, who scored a caree...

Boundary Waters wildfire declared 100% controlled; visitor restrictions lifted

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:14 GMT

Superior National Forest officials say the Spice Lake wildfire is 100% controlled, allowing them to reopen all areas of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness that had been closed due to the fire.All of the entry points and all of the lakes and portages will open at 12:01 a.m. Friday for campers to use as their permits allow.While the fire is no longer a threat to spread, officials urged people to keep out of the burned area — about 10 miles west of the upper end of the Gunflint Trail — due to the fact that still-standing trees may fall at any time.Several days of rain and cooler temperatures have all but snuffed the danger of more wildfires in the region, at least for the short term, but a campfire ban remains in effect for the entire BWCAW.Across all of St. Louis, Lake and Cook counties, campfires are allowed only in developed areas with fire rings.Forest officials note that fireworks are illegal in the national forest. They are also illegal in state parks, and the state has im...