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Democratic Sen. Menendez says cash found in home was from his personal savings, not bribe proceeds

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:02:04 GMT

UNION CITY, N.J. (AP) — Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey defiantly pushed back against federal corruption charges and the erosion of Democratic support in his home state Monday, saying cash authorities found in his home was from his savings account and on hand for emergencies.He said that he believed he’d be exonerated and that prosecutors sometimes get the facts wrong.Addressing allegations in the indictment unsealed Friday that authorities found cash stuffed in envelopes and clothing at his home, Menendez said the funds were draw from his personal savings account and stemmed his parents fear of confiscation of funds from their time in Cuba.In Washington, where the U.S. Senate is closely divided, some of Menendez’s Democratic colleagues have stopped short of calling for his resignation, notably Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, of New York, and Majority Whip Dick Durbin, of Illinois.Menendez has, however, stepped down as chairman of the influential Senat...

‘Dementia is hard’: Emma Heming Willis shares update on husband Bruce Willis’ condition

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:02:04 GMT

(CNN) — It’s “hard to know” whether Hollywood star Bruce Willis is aware that he is suffering with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), his wife, Emma Heming Willis, has said in an update on his condition.Speaking to Hoda Kotb on the Today show on NBC Monday, Heming Willis described how the diagnosis has affected the couple and their two daughters.“What I’m learning is that dementia is hard. It’s hard on the person diagnosed. It’s also hard on the family. And that is no different for Bruce or myself or our girls,” she said. “And when they say that this is a family disease, it really is.”Kotb asked Heming Willis if her husband was aware of his condition, to which she responded: “Hard to know.”Heming Willis appeared on the show to raise awareness about FTD and was joined by Susan Dickinson, CEO of the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration.Dickinson explained that one of the things that the condition affects is self-insight, and therefore some people lose ...

Taylor Swift cheers on Travis Kelce at Kansas City Chiefs game

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:02:04 GMT

(CNN) — It’s a love story, perhaps, for NFL tight end Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift, who was seen in Kelce’s family suite at Sunday’s game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Chicago Bears.The singer was shown cheering on the Chiefs during the FOX Sports broadcast, dressed in a red and white team jacket. She appeared to be sitting next to Donna Kelce, the player’s mom, chatting and laughing throughout the game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.Swift’s show of support comes after weeks of speculation – by various NFL broadcasters and the vast majority of Swifties – that she and Kelce are dating. Though the two have not publicly confirmed any romantic link, Kelce said in an interview with ESPN last week that he finds the focus on Swift and him “hilarious.”“This is like the old school game called telephone, where everybody is just whispering in everybody’s ear,” he said, adding that “no one actually knows what’s going on.”The speculation beg...

Former Royal Canadian Legion Branch president, treasurer charged with fraud

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:02:04 GMT

York Regional Police say the former president and treasurer of a Royal Canadian Legion Branch in Vaughan are facing fraud charges that involved the accused receiving personal cheques of over $30,000.Authorities received information concerning fraudulent activity in January 2022.It’s alleged a former president of a Royal Canadian Legion Branch in Woodbridge, Ont. wrote cheques to herself using the Legion’s account and used the funds for her personal use.Investigators learned that between 2017 and 2019, the accused, identified as 56-year-old Giuseppina Fedele, wrote herself 34 cheques and transferred seven electronic money transfers to her account, totalling over $33,000.Police said the former treasurer, 61-year-old Nicola Pinto, partook by signing 24 of the written cheques to Fedele.Both suspects face charges, including fraud over $5,000 and possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000. The investigation is ongoing.The Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit Canadia...

NDP calls on House speaker to resign over invitation to Nazi war veteran

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:02:04 GMT

NDP House leader Peter Julian is calling on House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota to step down after he invited a man who fought for the Nazis to attend a speech by the Ukrainian president.Apologizing in the House on Monday, Rota says he alone was responsible for inviting and recognizing Yaroslav Hunka, who fought for the First Ukrainian Division.Speaker of the House of Commons @AnthonyRota delivers an apology in the House of Commons for inviting someone who fought for the Nazis in WW2 to attend the speech by Ukrainian President Zelenskyy.He does not resign.Listen to @CityNewsTO for the latest https://t.co/fzJJ285j06— Cormac Mac Sweeney (@cmaconthehill) September 25, 2023Government House leader Karina Gould called the move, which had prompted a standing ovation from MPs in the House of Commons, “deeply embarrassing” and is seeking to strike it from the record.Gould says neither the government of Canada nor the Ukrainian delegation had any knowledge of Hunka’s...

South Carolina high school mourns after shooting kills 3 teenage students

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:02:04 GMT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina high school is in mourning after three teenage students were killed in a weekend shooting.Sheriff’s deputies responded to the shooting in Columbia, the state capital, just after 2 p.m. Sunday, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release. They found four people with gunshot wounds, who were then taken to a hospital. Three victims were 16 and 17 years old and died at the hospital, and the fourth victim was released, the sheriff’s department said. Officials did not release further details, including on who was responsible for the shooting.The teenagers who were killed all attended Eau Claire High School, according to a statement from Richland One Superintendent Dr. Craig Witherspoon. The district provided additional counseling and security at the high school Monday in response to the “unimaginable tragedy,” which Witherspoon decried as “senseless gun violence.”The Associated Press

NDP House leader says Speaker should resign after honouring man who fought for Nazis

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:02:04 GMT

NDP House leader Peter Julian is calling on House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota to step down after he invited a man who fought for the Nazis to attend a speech by the Ukrainian president.Apologizing in the House today, Rota says he alone was responsible for inviting and recognizing Yaroslav Hunka, who fought for the First Ukrainian Division.Government House leader Karina Gould called the move, which had prompted a standing ovation from MPs in the House of Commons, “deeply embarrassing” and is seeking to strike it from the record.Gould says neither the government of Canada nor the Ukrainian delegation had any knowledge of Hunka’s invitation.Conservative House leader Andrew Scheer is still placing the blame with the Prime Minister’s Office, saying the government had a responsibility to vet attendees of such a high-profile event for security reasons.Julian told the House that Rota’s was an “unforgivable” error that broke a “sacred trust...

Energy stocks help lift S&P/TSX composite, U.S. stock markets mixed

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:02:04 GMT

TORONTO — Strength in energy stocks helped Canada’s main stock index move higher in late-morning trading, while U.S. stock markets were mixed to start the trading week.The S&P/TSX composite index was up 30.53 points at 19,810.50.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 18.23 points at 33,945.61. The S&P 500 index was up 9.00 points at 4,329.06, while the Nasdaq composite was up 40.50 points at 13,252.31.The Canadian dollar traded for 74.24 cents US compared with 74.27 cents US on Friday.The November crude contract was down 81 cents at US$89.22 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was up five cents at US$2.93 per mmBTU.The December gold contract was down US$10.10 at US$1,935.50 and the December copper contract was down three cents at US$3.66 a pound.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 25, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD) The Canadian Press

Stock market today: Wall Street drifts as the pressure keeps mounting from the bond market

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:02:04 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A sluggish day for stocks on Monday is keeping September on track to be the worst month of the year for Wall Street.The S&P 500 was virtually unchanged in midday trading, coming off its worst week in six months. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 99 points, or 0.3%, at 33,864, as of 11:11 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.1% higher.Stocks have struggled recently as the realization sinks in that the Federal Reserve will likely keep interest rates high well into next year. The Fed wants to ensure high inflation gets back down to its target, and it said last week it will likely cut interest rates in 2024 by less than traders expected. Its main interest rate is already at its highest level since 2001.A growing understanding that rates will stay higher for longer has pushed yields in the bond market up to their highest levels in more than a decade. That in turn makes investors less willing to pay high prices for all kinds of investments, particu...

Mali’s military government postpones a presidential election intended to restore civilian rule

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:02:04 GMT

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Mali’s military government has postponed a presidential election that was expected to return the West African nation to democracy following a 2020 coup, a government spokesperson said Monday.The presidential election scheduled for February 2024 is being delayed for “technical reasons” to allow the transitional government to review its election data and to address a new constitutional provision that would delay the second round of the vote, government spokesman Abdoulaye Maiga told reporters in Bamako, the capital city.“The transitional government specifies that the new dates for the presidential election will be communicated at a later date, following discussions with the Independent Election Management Authority (AIGE),” Maiga said.It is the second time that Mali’s military government – which emerged from two coups in 2020 – has postponed the country’s presidential election.Politicians in Mali criticized the decision, which could draw economic sanctions fr...