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Republican’s hold on nominations leaves Marines without confirmed leader for 1st time in 100 years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:32 GMT

By LOLITA C. BALDOR (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Marine Corps is without a confirmed leader for the first time in a century as Gen. David Berger stepped down as commandant on Monday and a Republican senator is blocking approval of his successor.Berger took over as the 38th commandant in July 2019, and is required to leave the job after four years. Gen. Eric Smith, currently the assistant commandant, has been nominated to be the next leader, but will serve in an acting capacity because he hasn’t been confirmed by the Senate.Under the law, Smith can serve as the acting commandant, but he can do nothing that would presume confirmation. As a result, he can’t move into the main residence or the commandant’s office, or issue any new formal commandant’s planning guidance, which is traditional for a new leader. He has the authority to implement new policies such as budget, training and other personnel decisions.Smith’s promotion delay is t...

Search ends in tragedy: Missing Lowell girl’s body found in river

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:32 GMT

LOWELL — Officials announced Monday afternoon that the remains of the missing 7-year-old Lowell girl, Anna, were discovered in the Merrimack River after nearly a full day of searching.Police began cleaning up the search command center they had set up on Geana Lane near Anna’s family’s home after sources said her remains were discovered downstream from where she went missing. She had last been seen between 2 and 3 p.m. Sunday while riding her bike on East Merrimack Street.Throughout Sunday and Monday, police from many local cities and towns could be seen assisting in the search throughout Lowell and in the Merrimack River. After suspending the search for the night on Sunday, the search resumed Monday, when she was found.—This is a developing story.

Yankees ace Gerrit Cole to start All-Star Game

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:32 GMT

Yankees ace Gerrit Cole is set to start the MLB All-Star Game for the first time.The right-hander, 32, was named the American League starter after going 9-2 with a 2.85 ERA and 123 strikeouts in 117 innings in the first half.When he takes the mound Tuesday at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park, Cole will become the first Yankees pitcher to start an All-Star Game since Roger Clemens in 2001. Arizona’s Zac Gallen was named the National League starter.Cole recently said starting the All-Star Game would be “a dream come true.”“It would be a huge honor to represent the organization and all the hard work that everybody behind the scenes here has put in,” Cole said Saturday after beating the Cubs.Cole has made the All-Star Game six times, including in each of the last three seasons with the Yankees. The team’s only other selection this year, Aaron Judge, will miss the game due to an injured big toe. ()

Mayo Clinic Q&A: Snacking for meals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:32 GMT

(TNS) Mayo Clinic News Network DEAR MAYO CLINIC: During warm weather months, I find myself eating less formal meals and, instead, reaching for more snacks. I also tend to exercise less when it’s hot outside. Do you have advice on how to ensure I’m snacking healthfully as I realize the potential to overeat and not be as active?ANSWER: Regardless of the time of year, maintaining healthy habits is important for good health. This includes exercise, eating a balanced diet and maintaining a healthy weight.When snacking is done correctly, it can give you a boost of energy between meals, help meet nutrient needs for the day and help keep hunger at bay to prevent overeating at the next meal. And managing your hunger can help you maintain a healthy weight and reach weight-loss goals.Consider these snacking tips to keep you feeling good as you adjust your eating schedule:Plan your snacks. What do you like to eat? Make a list of various nutrient-rich foods that would work as a snack...

Safer ways to raid your retirement, if you have to

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:32 GMT

The investing information provided on this page is for educational purposes only. NerdWallet, Inc. does not offer advisory or brokerage services, nor does it recommend or advise investors to buy or sell particular stocks, securities or other investments.Raiding your retirement accounts can be expensive. Withdrawing money before age 59½ typically triggers income taxes, a 10% federal penalty and — worst of all — the loss of future tax-deferred compounded returns. A 30-year-old who withdraws $1,000 from an individual retirement account or 401(k) could lose more than $11,000 in future retirement money, assuming 7% average annual returns.In the past, there were a few ways you could avoid the penalty. Congress recently added several more, and some of those exceptions allow you to repay the money within three years. That would allow you to get a refund of the taxes you paid and — best of all — allow the money to start growing again, tax deferred, for your future.You’re still better off lea...

VEGAS NOTEBOOK: Victor Wembanyama starts to shine; Knicks’ Trevor Keels has a lot to prove

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:32 GMT

LAS VEGAS – The first overall pick put on an impressive show in his Summer League follow-up Sunday, dropping 27 points with 12 rebounds and three blocks in San Antonio’s 85-80 defeat to the Blazers.It was quite the turnaround for Wembanyama, who struggled mightily in his debut two days prior and acknowledged feeling lost and overwhelmed.“It’s just me getting comfortable with myself and my body on the court,” Wembanyama said. “Before today, I had like two practices and one game. I was just getting going.”It’s been quite a rollercoaster the last few weeks for Wembanyama. He arrived in New York for the draft as the most hyped prospect since LeBron James. He went to Vegas and was unintentionally thrust into a beef with Britney Spears. He was roughly criticized for his Game 1 dud.“In the past month, I think basketball wasn’t even 50 percent of my schedule,” Wembanyama said. “I can’t stand it. I know it’s ...

Madonna says she’s ‘on the road to recovery’ following ICU stay, postpones North American tour dates

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:32 GMT

By MARIA SHERMAN (AP Music Writer)LOS ANGELES (AP) — Madonna says she is focused on her health and getting back on stage after a “serious bacterial infection” that led to her hospitalization in an an intensive care unit for several days last month.“I’m on the road to recovery and incredibly grateful for all the blessings in my life,” the pop superstar wrote on Instagram. “My first thought when I woke up in the hospital was my children. My second thought was that I did not want to disappoint anyone who bought tickets for my tour. I also didn’t want to let down the people who worked tirelessly with me over the last few months to create my show.”“My focus now is on my health and getting stronger and I assure you, I’ll be back with you as soon as I can,” she continued.The North American leg of her career-spanning Celebration Tour, originally scheduled to kick off July 15 in Vancouver and run through October 8 in Las...

Judge refuses to put hold on order limiting Biden administration contact with social media companies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:32 GMT

By KEVIN McGILL (Associated Press)NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal judge in Louisiana refused Monday to put a temporary hold on his own order limiting Biden administration officials contacts with social media companies. Biden administration attorneys had asked U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty in Monroe to stay his own order, which was issued last Tuesday, while they pursue an appeal. That order came in a lawsuit filed by Republican attorneys general in Louisiana and Missouri, as well as a conservative website owner and four individual critics of government COVID-19 policies.The lawsuit claimed the administration, in effect, censored free speech by using threats of regulatory action or protection while pressuring companies to remove what it deemed misinformation. COVID-19 vaccines, legal issues involving President Joe Biden’s son Hunter and election fraud allegations were among the topics spotlighted in the lawsuit.Doughty was nominated to the federal bench by former Preside...

Jury seated in trial over singer Aretha Franklin’s handwritten wills

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:32 GMT

By ED WHITE (Associated Press)PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan judge narrowed the issues Monday in a dispute over Aretha Franklin’s estate, saying the only task for jurors is to decide whether a 2014 document handwritten by the Queen of Soul and found in couch cushions can be accepted as a valid will.The stipulation was made by attorneys for Franklin’s sons before a jury was seated in Oakland County Probate Court.Franklin died in 2018 at age 76. But five years later, the music superstar’s estate remains unsettled. A son, Ted White II, believes a 2010 handwritten will should mainly control the estate, but two other sons, Kecalf Franklin and Edward Franklin, are in favor of a 2014 document.Both were found in 2019, months after Franklin died. The 2014 document was under cushions at Franklin’s home in suburban Detroit.The brothers sat shoulder to shoulder behind their lawyers in Judge Jennifer Callaghan’s courtroom. Another brother, Clarence Franklin,...

Russia’s first transgender politician drops her run for governor due to anti-LGBTQ+ bill

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:32 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Russia’s first openly transgender politician has abandoned plans to run in a gubernatorial election, saying that the country’s latest anti-LGBTQ+ bill has eroded the support needed to register her candidacy.Yulia Alyoshina had planned to represent the opposition Civil Initiative party at the polls in southern Siberia’s Altai region in September, when it will elect a new governor. Alyoshina had intended to fight for LGBTQ+ rights in the course of her campaign and opposed a new bill outlawing gender-affirming procedures in Russia. The legislation was initially approved by Russia’s lower house of parliament, the State Duma, on June 14.But on Monday, Alyoshina said she had been unable to gather the minimum number of signatures — 502 — needed from members of local municipal councils and village heads to take part. Alyoshina wrote in a Telegram post Monday that 19 council members “were unequivocally ready to put their signatures in support of my nomination,&#...