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Activists spurred by affirmative action ruling challenge legacy admissions at Harvard

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:57 GMT

By COLLIN BINKLEY (AP Education Writer)WASHINGTON (AP) — A civil rights group is challenging legacy admissions at Harvard University, saying the practice discriminates against students of color by giving an unfair boost to the mostly white children of alumni.It’s the latest effort in a growing push against legacy admissions, the practice of giving admissions priority to the children of alumni. Backlash against the practice has been building in the wake of last week’s Supreme Court’s decision ending affirmative action in college admissions.Lawyers for Civil Rights, a nonprofit based in Boston, filed the civil rights complaint Monday on behalf of Black and Latino community groups in New England, alleging that Harvard’s admissions system violates the Civil Rights Act.“Why are we rewarding children for privileges and advantages accrued by prior generations?” said Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal, the group’s executive director. “Your family’s last name and the size of your bank account are not a ...

Car crashes into New Hampshire restaurant, injures dozens, pins man in bathroom

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:57 GMT

LACONIA, N.H. (AP) — A car crashed into a busy New Hampshire restaurant and injured more than a dozen patrons inside, authorities said.The vehicle struck the Looney Bin Bar & Grill a little after 12:40 p.m. Sunday and came to a stop well inside, pinning one man inside the bathroom, restaurant owner Michelle Watson said.“Everybody jumped right in and helped,” she told WHDH-TV. “Everybody jumped in to make sure everybody was okay.”Police Chief Matt Canfield said the crash involved three vehicles: One was making a left turn out of a parking lot across the street while a second was in the center lane. The driver making the turn didn’t see a third oncoming vehicle, and the ensuing collision sent that third vehicle crashing into the restaurant.Emergency responders transported 14 people to area hospitals with non-life-threating medical issues including significant lower leg injuries, cuts and bruises. Another 20 people were evaluated at the scene by emergency personnel but did not requ...

Man surrenders after 7-hour standoff at Santee Walmart

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:57 GMT

SANTEE, Calif. — A man was taken into custody Sunday after a seven-hour standoff at an East County department store, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department said.Shortly after noon, deputies responded to the Walmart located in the 100 block of Town Center Parkway in Santee.According to officials, a 22-year-old man entered the store and climbed on top of the shelving in the sporting goods department. Stabbing victim dies at senior living community The man armed himself with a workout dumbbell and threatened to use them as a weapon, prompting store employees to contact the sheriff's department, Lt. Christopher Galve said in a news release.The man reportedly made threats towards the responding deputies, prompting officials to evacuate and close the store for several hours, Galve said.The sheriff's SWAT and Crisis Negotiation Teams were called in to assist with negotiations. According to officials, the man was believed to have been experiencing a mental health crisis. VIDEO: San D...

Stabbing victim dies at senior living community

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:57 GMT

SAN DIEGO — One person died after they were found with multiple stab wounds in a North Park senior living community, San Diego police said.Just before 12 a.m. Sunday night, officers responded to the 3800 block of Alabama Street after someone reported that their roommate had been stabbed.Upon arrival, officers found the victim with multiple stab wounds and they were pronounced dead at the scene, SDPD said. Walmart in Santee closed due to police activity Officials confirmed to FOX 5 that a suspect had been detained in connection to the stabbing and that it was not the roommate who found the victim.The victim was found at Alabama Manor, a senior apartment community in North Park.The circumstances that led to the stabbing have not yet been determined and the identities of the suspect and victim have not been publicly released. As of 5 a.m. Monday, police were still at the apartments as they conducted their investigation into the incident.

Kevin Spacey’s accuser describes the Oscar-winning actor as a ‘slippery, snaky, difficult person’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:57 GMT

LONDON (AP) — A man who described Kevin Spacey as a “slippery, snaky, difficult person” said Monday that the actor’s escalating sexual assaults caused him shame, anxiety and depression.The man, who worked with the American actor when he came to the Old Vic Theatre in London in the early 2000s, said that two decades later he cannot bring himself to view the Oscar-winner’s films or TV shows. “I can’t stand watching the man. It makes me feel sick,” the man, who cannot be identified under British law, said in a video of his police interview played for jurors in the Oscar-winner’s sexual assault trial. “It does make me feel a bit sick talking about it.”He said Spacey made him uncomfortable querying him about his sexuality, then became “touchy feely” and moved on to aggressive groping when they were alone together.“He was right from the get-go grooming me,” the man said in his police interview last year.Spacey, 63, has pleaded not guilty to a dozen charges involving four men for events th...

Saudi Arabia and Russia are cutting oil supply again in bid to boost prices

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:57 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Saudi Arabia and Russia are extending cuts to the amount of oil they pump to the world in a bid to prop up prices, showing how two of the world’s largest oil producers are scrambling to boost income from the fossil fuel even as demand has weakened with the economy.The decision gave a slight boost to oil prices Monday and comes after the Saudis announced a large cut in output for July at the latest meeting of the OPEC+ coalition of oil producers — raising concerns that gasoline prices for U.S. drivers could start ticking up.The Saudi Energy Ministry said it would extend July’s cut of 1 million barrels per day through August to support “the stability and balance of oil markets.” That will keep the Gulf nation’s output at 9 million barrels per day.Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said his country will cut production by an additional 500,000 barrels a day in August, according to Russian news reports.The voluntary reductions come on...

United Airlines gets a handle on canceled flights, the CEO outlines how to prevent another meltdown

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:57 GMT

Air travelers could breathe a little easier Monday, as a break in stormy weather — and lighter schedules a day before the July 4 holiday — helped airlines keep more flights moving on time.By late morning on the East Coast, fewer than 100 U.S. flights had been canceled, although 1,000 were late, according to FlightAware.United Airlines, the worst-performing U.S. carrier for more than a week, laid out steps to improve, including reducing flights at its hub airport in Newark, New Jersey.CEO Scott Kirby said over the weekend that United is working with regional authorities to get more gates at the airport, but the airline will need to reduce its schedule in Newark to have more of a buffer, especially during thunderstorm season.Kirby continued to place much of the blame on the Federal Aviation Administration, which reduced the number of flights in and out of Newark a week ago. That caused United to cancel flights and left planes and crews stranded out of position.Nearly 2.7 million peopl...

Russians and Belarusians back at Wimbledon as war in Ukraine continues

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:57 GMT

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — When Victoria Azarenka walked into Court 15 on Monday morning for her first Wimbledon match in two years, she was greeted by polite clapping. When the two-time Grand Slam champion from Belarus finished off a three-set victory more than 2 1/2 hours later, Azarenka shook her racket with her right hand and pumped her left fist, then offered a wave to the spectators who were applauding warmly.Unlike her opponent, Yuan Yue, whose nationality was noted on the scoreboard alongside her name, Azarenka had no country listed there. That’s because players from Russia and Belarus are back competing at Wimbledon a year after they were barred by the All England Club because of the invasion of Ukraine — and, in a sort of half-measure adopted by some other sports, are deemed “neutral” athletes who officially do not represent any nation.The war that began in February 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine with help from Belarus continues, but Wimbledon’s organizers ann...

Rose Leslie and Kit Harington welcome their second child, a daughter

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:57 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Actors Rose Leslie and Kit Harington have welcomed their second child.A publicist for Harington confirmed Monday that the couple, who famously met on the set of “Game of Thrones” and are now both 36, have added a daughter to their family. Further details weren’t immediately available.In early 2021, the pair confirmed the birth of a son.Harington and Leslie’s relationship began in 2011 on the set of the HBO megahit series, on which they played star-crossed lovers Jon Snow — a brother of the Night’s Watch with kingdom-shattering secrets — and Ygritte, a rebel wildling. They married in 2018 at Leslie’s ancestral castle in Scotland.Since leaving “Game of Thrones” in 2014, Leslie has starred in the legal drama “The Good Fight,” sci-fi romance series “The Time Traveler’s Wife” and the Kenneth Branagh-directed Agatha Christie remake “Death on the Nile.” Since “Game of Thrones” concluded in 2019, Harington has had roles in the anthology shows “Mod...

Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, grandson of Robert De Niro, dies at 19

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:57 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, a grandson of Robert De Niro, has died at 19.His mother, Drena De Niro, announced the news Monday in an Instagram post.“I don’t know how to live without you but I’ll try to go on and spread the love and light that you so made me feel in getting to be your mama,” she wrote. “You were so deeply loved and appreciated and I wish that love alone could have saved you.”Drena De Niro shared Leandro with artist Carlos Mare, who posted black squares sans caption on his Instagram accounts.“I’m deeply distressed by the passing of my beloved grandson Leo. We’re greatly appreciative of the condolences from everyone. We ask that we please be given privacy to grieve our loss of Leo,” Robert De Niro said in a statement.Further details were not immediately available. Messages to a representative for Drena De Niro was not immediately returned.In response to a request to confirm a TMZ report that Leandro was found in a New York apartment, New York City police ...