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DeSantis calls for state investment manager to consider action against Bud Light’s parent company

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:51 GMT

(CNN) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is urging the state’s pension fund manager to consider legal action against Bud Light’s parent company amid conservative backlash to the beermaker’s recent marketing efforts, the latest attempt by the Republican presidential candidate to inject himself and the state he runs into the country’s culture wars.In a Thursday letter obtained by CNN, DeSantis suggests AB InBev “breached legal duties owed to its shareholders” when it decided to associate with “radical social ideologies.” Sales of Bud Light have plummeted in the months since it entered into a minor partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney that precipitated a boycott from conservatives.“All options are on the table,” DeSantis wrote, as the state reviews the impact of AB InBev’s recent financial downturn, though it’s unclear what legal recourse the state might have to challenge a multinational corporation’s business decisions.“We must prudently manage the funds of Florida’s hardwo...

Shooting in Taunton leaves victim with serious injuries

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:51 GMT

Police in Taunton are investigating after a shooting left a victim with what authorities are calling “potentially life-threatening” injuries.Taunton Police Chief Edward J. Walsh said the victim was found after officers were called to a home on Winthrop Street around 7:40 a.m. on Friday for a report of a person suffering from a gunshot wound.Police arrived to find a male victim in a car suffering from injuries that officials described as being serious and potentially life-threatening.The victim was taken to a hospital after first responders rendered immediate aid at the scene.According to Walsh, both Taunton PD and personnel from the Massachusetts State Police unit assigned to the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office are now investigating.

New trial date set for man accused of killing Weymouth police sergeant, bystander

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:51 GMT

A new trial date has been set for a man accused of killing both a Weymouth police sergeant and a bystander in 2018 after a judge previously declared a mistrial.The Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said it would retry the case against Emanuel Lopes after a hung jury was dismissed on July 10 following a week of deliberation. A new trial is now scheduled for Jan. 8, 2024.Lopes, 25, originally faced 11 counts that included charges related to the deaths of Sgt. Michael Chesna and another victim, 77-year-old Vera Adams.Prosecutors say the then-20 year old had been wanted in connection with a crash in Weymouth the morning of July 15, 2018, when Sgt. Chesna confronted him. The prosecution detailed how Lopes hit Chesna with a rock and then murdered him with his own service firearm.Other officers started chasing Lopes when he fired three more rounds – one of which fatally struck Adams while she was sitting in her sun porch.Lopes’ legal team admitted he pulled the trigger, but had made an in...

Wanted North End man in police custody

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:51 GMT

Patrick Mendoza is in custody, police report.Mendoza, 54, was wanted by police for allegedly shooting at a man outside Modern Pastry last Wednesday. He faces an array of charges, including assault to murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, and multiple firearms offenses, according to the Boston Police Department.He is expected to be arraigned in court today.This is a developing story …

Russia detains a hard-line nationalist who accused Putin of weakness in Ukraine

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:51 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — A prominent Russian hard-line nationalist who accused President Vladimir Putin of weakness and indecision in Ukraine was detained Friday on charges of extremism, a signal the Kremlin has toughened its approach with hawkish critics after last month’s abortive rebellion by the Wagner mercenary company.Igor Strelkov, a retired security officer who led Moscow-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine in 2014 and also was implicated by the Netherlands in the downing of a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet that year, has argued that a total mobilization is needed for Russia to achieve victory. He recently criticized Putin as a “nonentity” and a “cowardly mediocrity.”The detention of the 52-year-old Strelkov, whose real name is Igor Girkin, was reported by his wife, who posted the news on his messaging app channel. She said he apparently faces charges of extremism. Strelkov’s lawyer Alexander Molokhov confirmed his detention to the official Tass and RIA Novosti news agen...

Stock market today: Wall Street heads for another winning week as stocks drift

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:51 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is drifting through mixed trading Friday, keeping it on track for another winning week.The S&P 500 was 0.1% higher in morning trading and on pace for its eighth winning week in the last 10. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 44 points, or 0.1%, at 35,269, as of 10:35 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was virtually unchanged a day after tumbling to its worst loss in more than four months.Roper Technologies rallied 3% for one of the larger gains in the S&P 500 after it reported better profit and revenue for the spring than analysts expected. The company, which looks to dominate niche tech markets, also raised its financial forecasts for the full year.On the losing side of Wall Street was American Express, which fell 4.2%. It reported stronger profit for the spring than expected, but its revenue fell short of forecasts.Comerica swung from an early gain to a loss of 2.6% after reporting stronger profit and revenue for the spring than an...

A movie theater chain’s plan to charge more for good seats, less for the front row, falls flat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:51 GMT

Movie theater operator AMC has ditched plans to charge more seats with better sightlines after competitors did not follow along. AMC began the pilot program five months ago in three U.S. markets where it said it charged slightly more for better seats, and less for those in the front of the theater and others with inferior views. AMC said its competitors didn’t raise or cut prices on any of their seats based on location. The company said because it wants its pricing to remain competitive, it’s ending the pilot program in the coming weeks and there will be no attempt to roll out those changes nationwide. AMC also found that more than three out of every four guests who previously sat in the preferred sightline section continued to choose seats in that section, even with a slight up-charge. But it saw little to no increase in people buying front row seats that were cheaper.AMC first announced the pilot program in February. AMC, based in Leawood, Kansas, said it’s now going to focu...

Liberal government looking for input on new law to improve safety in long-term care

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:51 GMT

OTTAWA — The federal government is looking for public input on a new legislation to improve safety in long-term care, in the aftermath of the devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Liberals promised during their 2021 election campaign to table a Safe Long-Term Care Act, after widespread COVID-19 outbreaks drew attention to the struggle many homes faced to provide basic care to residents.The new legislation is also a condition of the Liberals’ supply-and-confidence deal with the NDP, in which New Democrats agreed to support the Liberals on key House of Commons votes until 2025 in exchange for movement on shared priorities. Earlier this year, two panels of experts in the field of long-term care released new standards for improving health, safety and infection prevention in long-term care homes.It’s not yet clear to what extent those standards will form the basis of the new legislation, or whether they will be enforced across the country.The federal government sa...

5th person charged in Toronto kidnapping of ‘Crypto King’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:51 GMT

Toronto police have charged a fifth person allegedly involved in the violent December 2022 kidnapping of Aiden Pleterski, the self-proclaimed Crypto King.Last week, police said officers were notified of a missing person in the city’s downtown core on Dec. 5, 2022.It’s alleged that the victim was lured into a vehicle by the suspects, and once inside the vehicle, two suspects pointed firearms at them. Local authorities did not provide a precise location of where the kidnapping occurred.Toronto police have not released the victim’s name, but court documents obtained by the New York Times show that Pleterski, 24, was kidnapped on Dec. 5.Police said the victim was held captive for three days and taken to various locations where they were repeatedly assaulted.The suspects later released the victim in downtown Toronto and demanded a large amount of Canadian currency. Police said the victim’s life and family were threatened.Investigators arrested four people in July ...

‘Help me’ sign leads to rescue of kidnapped Texas girl in Southern California

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:51 GMT

LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — A 13-year-old girl kidnapped in Texas was rescued in Southern California when passersby saw her hold up a “help me” sign in a parked car, police said.The rescue occurred July 9 in Long Beach, south of Los Angeles, when officers responded to a trouble call and found the “visibly emotional and distressed girl,” police said in a press release Thursday.“Through their investigation, officers learned the Good Samaritans were in a parking lot when they saw the victim in a parked vehicle holding up a piece of paper with “help me” written on it. They acknowledged the note and immediately called 9-1-1,” police said.Steven Robert Sabalan, 61, of Cleburne, Texas, was located and detained.Police said the victim had been near a bus stop in San Antonio, Texas, on July 6 when the suspect approached in a vehicle, pointed a gun at her and demanded that she get in.Detectives determined that the girl was sexually assaulted while being brought to California, and they found a re...