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Biden, Marcos to meet as tensions grow with China

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:19:26 GMT

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is set to host President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines for White House talks Monday as concerns grow about the Chinese navy’s harassment of Philippine vessels in the South China Sea.Marcos’ visit to Washington comes after the U.S. and Philippines last week completed their largest war drills ever and as the two countries’ air forces on Monday will hold their first joint fighter jet training in the Philippines since 1990. The Philippines this year agreed to give the U.S. access to four more bases on the islands as the U.S. looks to deter China’s increasingly aggressive actions toward Taiwan and in the disputed South China Sea.Meanwhile, China has angered the Philippines by repeatedly harassing its navy and coast guard patrols and chasing away fishermen in waters close to Philippine shores but which Beijing claims as its own.Before departing for Washington on Sunday, Macros said he was “determined to forge an ever...

Kyle Lowry stuns Knicks in Game 1: ‘As a basketball player, you want to play at The Mecca’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:19:26 GMT

Kevin Love had four important words for his teammate Kyle Lowry, whose play down the stretch of the fourth quarter with an injured Jimmy Butler propelled the Miami Heat to a stunning Game 1 victory over the Knicks on Sunday.“You’re a smart motherf—–,” Love said to Lowry. “That last four minutes, he knew what he needed to do.”With Butler planted in the corner relegated to a floor-spacing role from the 5:05 mark through the final buzzer, the Heat turned to Lowry, the former NBA champion alongside Kawhi Leonard leading the 2019 Toronto Raptors to a Finals victory over the Golden State Warriors.The star guard delivered, a reminder just how loaded the Heat can be if the 37-year-old six-time All-Star turns back the clock like he did in Game 1.“He’s a winner. An absolute winner,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said after the game. “And when you need him most, that’s when he’s gonna show up.”Lowry stuffed the sta...

Dave Hyde: Heat rise to the moment to take Game 1 with Butler on one ankle

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:19:26 GMT

Jimmy Butler fell on the court, reached for his ankle, and suddenly the end of the Game 1 looked like the real start of the series.Suddenly, as Butler rolled onto his stomach, his body language expressing a broken body, all the questions changed Sunday, starting with whether these final five minutes of Game 1 would change.Even as Butler stayed in the game, making two foul shots to put the Heat up 97-92, The Big One stepped into the corner on offense, hobbled through on defense as best he could and watched The Little Four bring home Game 1.“I didn’t do too much,’ he said on ABC after the 108-101 win, “but air-ball the 3 [-point shot]”.Maybe, then, this was the Heat team they talk about, the one that’s still the full sum of their parts. Maybe this showed they don’t need Butler to do everything in every win. Maybe Caleb Martin swooping in for a block after Butler’s foul shots, maybe Bam Adebayo contributing a half-hook, maybe Kyle Lowry f...

Bruins notebook: Jeremy Swayman gets the net for Game 7

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:19:26 GMT

Bruins coach Jim Montgomery would not say who would start in net for Sunday’s Game 7 after the morning skate Warrior Ice Arena, nor would he say what lineup changes he was going to employ.But before the morning proceedings were over, it was clear that Jeremy Swayman was getting the nod for his first start this post-season.Swayman was the first goalie off the ice, indicating that he’d get his first start of this post-season in the do-or-die game, then led the team out for warm-ups. Meanwhile both Nick Foligno and Connor Clifton were scratched in favor of Trent Frederic and Matt Grzelcyk.While Montgomery would not discuss his lineup changes specifically, he said they were all difficult in such an important game.“If you make a change at any position, it’s really hard, because we have a group that’s given everything to the team all year,” said Montgomery after the very brief morning skate. “And everyone wants to play in a Game 7. When you’re a kid growing u...

US Army: Helicopters crashed in mountains, fair weather

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:19:26 GMT

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — Two U.S. Army helicopters that crashed last week in Alaska, killing three soldiers, collided over a rugged, mountainous area, and there were no weather issues or visibility problems at the time, an Army spokesperson said Sunday. The two AH-64 Apache helicopters were returning to Fort Wainwright from an aerial gunnery range southeast of Fairbanks when they collided. Killed were Chief Warrant Officer 3 Christopher Robert Eramo, 39, of Oneonta, New York; Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kyle D. McKenna, 28, of Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Warrant Officer 1 Stewart Duane Wayment, 32, of North Logan, Utah.A fourth soldier survived and remained hospitalized Sunday, said John Pennell, a spokesperson for the U.S. Army Alaska.Investigators planned to fly on Monday morning to the accident scene about 50 miles (80 kilometers) east of the small town of Healy, Pennell said.The Army grounded aviation units on Friday to conduct further training following recent deadly accidents....

Official: No life-threatening injuries in press box collapse

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:19:26 GMT

WAYNE, W.Va. (AP) — The partial collapse of a press box floor at a school softball tournament in West Virginia sent nine people to hospitals over the weekend, but none of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening, authorities said.Superintendent of Wayne County Schools Todd Alexander told broadcast outlet WCHS-TV that six students and three adults were taken for medical attention after Saturday’s collapse though none appear to be in danger.“Looks like everyone’s going to be fine,” Alexander said without elaborating on the extent of the injuries. “We’re extremely grateful for that.”Five people were inside the press box at Wayne County High School when the floor gave way while several others were beneath it on Saturday, the county school district said in a statement. A middle school softball tournament was being held at the time, according to reports.Alexander told the news outlet that the collapse is under investigation, and inspectors are expected to examine the site on Mon...

Widening manhunt for Texas gunman slowed by ‘zero leads’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:19:26 GMT

CLEVELAND, Texas (AP) — A widening manhunt for a Texas gunman who killed five neighbors continued turning up nothing Sunday as officers knocked on doors, the governor put up $50,000 in reward money and the FBI acknowledged they had “zero leads” after nearly two days of searching.“What we need from the public is any type of information, because right now we’re just we’re running into dead ends,” James Smith, the FBI’s special agent in charge, said during an afternoon news conference. “I can tell you right now, we have zero leads.”The search for the suspect has grown in scale since the Friday shooting, with more than 200 police from multiple jurisdictions searching for Francisco Oropeza, many going door to door, looking for the 38-year-old suspect and asking for tips. Local officials and the FBI also chipped in reward money, bringing the total to $80,000 for any information about Oropeza’s whereabouts. Oropeza is considered armed and dangerous after fleeing the area Friday...

First Republic up in air as regulators juggle bank’s fate

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:19:26 GMT

Regulators continued their search for a solution to First Republic Bank’s woes over the weekend before stock markets were set to open Monday. San Francisco-based First Republic has struggled since the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in early March, as investors and depositors have grown increasingly worried that the bank may not survive as an independent entity for much longer. The bank’s stock closed at $3.51 on Friday, a fraction of the roughly $170 a share it traded for a year ago.Gary Cohn, a former Goldman Sachs president who served as President Donald Trump’s top economic adviser, told CBS News’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation “would prefer to sell the bank in its entirety than in pieces.” “What will most likely happen is the FDIC will seize control and then simultaneously resell the asset to the successful bidder,” Cohn said. Cohn said he believed it will be a “much faster process” than what happened with Sil...

Teen fatally shot in the chest on Chicago's South Side

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:19:26 GMT

CHICAGO — A teen is dead after he was shot in the chest Sunday morning on the South Side of Chicago, according to police.The boy, between the ages of 15 and 16, was found shot in the chest around 9:15 a.m. in the 3700 block of South Michigan Avenue in the city's Douglass neighborhood, according to the Chicago Police Department. Dismembered human remains found in Kankakee County; 1 charged with murder He was taken to Comer Children's Hospital in serious condition and later died.Police said they were originally called to the area to investigate the report of shots fired when they found the boy. Joliet police officer stabbed during welfare check call Frank Banks, who lives in the area, points out how scenes like this, involving teens, are becoming far too common."They need to start holding the parents responsible for their kid's actions," Banks said.No one has been arrested yet.The incident is still under investigation by Area One detectives.Anyone with information should contact t...

Chicago man charged with allegedly selling undercover ATF agents guns, machine gun switches

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:19:26 GMT

CHICAGO — A Chicago man was indicted after federal prosecutors said he sold guns and machine gun conversion devices, known as switches, to undercover ATF agents.According to federal prosecutors, Rogelio Castaneda, 29, allegedly sold four firearms and nine switches to undercover ATF agents four times. Chicago area law enforcement sees rise in machine gun conversion device recoveries Castaneda was indicted by a federal grand jury with firearms trafficking and sale of machine gun conversion devices.The indictment stems from an investigation by the Chicago firearms trafficking strike force, a collaboration between the Department of Justice, ATF and local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.If convicted, Castaneda faces up to 15 years in federal prison: five years for the trafficking charge and 10 years for the machine gun charge, according to the DOJ.