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It’s a ‘silly notion’ that Trump’s Georgia case should pause for the election, Willis tells the AP

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:26 GMT

By KATE BRUMBACK (Associated Press)ATLANTA (AP) — The district attorney prosecuting Donald Trump over efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia says she has a duty to file charges against anyone who violates the law and that it’s a “silly notion” that the former president’s case should be paused just because he is running for office.In an interview this week with The Associated Press, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis declined to say whether she or her team has been in touch with U.S. Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith, who has filed federal charges in an election interference case against Trump in Washington. She also raised the possibility that more of Trump’s 18 co-defendants in the Georgia case could take plea deals, further paring down the number who could go on trial with him.Willis is seeking an August trial date for Trump and his co-defendants, a time frame that would put the current front-runner for the Republi...

Psychedelic drugs: Follow the money as investors seek to replace Prozac, Zoloft and other drugs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:26 GMT

The golden road to pharmaceutical riches can quickly become a rocky wilderness trail. Chemical compounds that hit a target in the lab often fall short in human studies.But biotech startups, academic scientists and investors say that research into psychedelic drugs starts with a major advantage: These substances are already known to work.The goal is simply to improve upon them – so they’re safer, more effective and faster-acting. Someday, perhaps, psychedelic-like drugs could treat mental illness for a fraction of what it costs to do therapy with conventional tools.RELATED: New psychedelic-like drugs: All treatment, no trip?Three drugs — MDMA, psilocybin, and ketamine — are the furthest along in clinical development for mental health disorders, according to Dr. Boris Heifets of the Stanford University School of Medicine.Investors are already betting tens of millions of dollars, sensing the opportunity to replace drugs like Prozac, Zoloft and other selective serotonin reuptake inhibit...

Marine killed, several injured in vehicle rollover during training at Camp Pendleton

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:26 GMT

SAN DIEGO — A U.S. Marine assigned to Camp Pendleton was killed in a tactical vehicle rollover during a training exercise on Tuesday, base officials confirmed to FOX 5.The incident occurred around 6 p.m. as the vehicle, described as an amphibious combat vehicle, was making a ground movement during training, according to the U.S. Marine Corps. What caused the vehicle to overturn remains under investigation at this time.14 other Marines were in the vehicle when it rolled over. They were transported to nearby hospitals and Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton for evaluation and treatment. 14-year-old dirt bike rider struck by suspected DUI driver The current conditions of the other Marines or severity of their injuries are not known at this time.The identity of the Marine is being withheld by Camp Pendleton officials pending notification of next of kin. They were described as a member of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit.No additional details about the incident were immediately available....

CBP officer agrees to resign after admitting to using 'unreasonable force'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:26 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to using unreasonable force on an individual who applied for admission to the U.S. from Mexico.According to U.S. attorney Tara McGrath's office, 41-year-old Andre Maurice Chevalier admitted in his plea agreement that he encountered a woman at an inspection booth on April 23, 2022. More than 14K pounds of drugs seized at border in November: CBP The CBP officer said he pulled the woman, identified in court documents by the initials Y.F., out of her vehicle and slung her into the booth. She sustained injuries to her face and fell to the ground.Chevalier also admitted to then picking up the woman and shoving her against her vehicle before handcuffing her. The CBP officer said that he acted "willfully and intentionally," depriving the woman of her right to be free from an unreasonable use of force.As part of his plea agreement, Chevalier will resign from his position and will not seek futu...

VIDEO: Orphaned mountain lion cubs rescued in San Diego

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:26 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A San Diego search party determined to rescue a trio of mountain lion cubs ended their mission successfully this week. The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA), the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife teamed up to find the cubs after they were orphaned at just 6 weeks old. A team of professionals leveraged data from the GPS collar of the mother, designated F307 by the UC Davis mountain lion research team, to determine the search area. 52-foot whale washes up on Pacific Beach in San Diego On the very first day of recovery efforts, one cub was discovered hiding in a hole and another was found wedged tightly between two rocks, SDZWA explained. Three days later, a third cub was found crouching in chaparral. All three were reported to be within 250 feet of each other. The siblings were reunited at the Paul Harter Veterinary Medical Center and nursed back to full health. Acc...

Washington state college student dies and two others are sickened in apparent carbon monoxide leak

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:26 GMT

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Authorities brought in outside experts on Wednesday to find the source of carbon monoxide believed to have killed one student and sickened two others at a college in Washington state.The experts, from a forensic engineering firm that specializes in carbon monoxide investigations, were at the housing unit at The Evergreen State College in Olympia to conduct the analysis, Washington State Patrol spokesman Chris Loftis said.A student residence manager called campus police Monday evening to report being unable to contact the students inside a modular home. An Evergreen police officer who broke down the door to help reach those inside was hospitalized overnight, according to police Chief David Brunckhurst.The Thurston County Coroner’s Office identified the dead student as Jonathan Rodriguez, 21, of nearby DuPont. His autopsy was set for Thursday.Two students were also hospitalized. Evergreen spokesperson Farra Layne Hayes said Wednesday that she did not have further...

New Hampshire attorney general files second complaint against white nationalist group

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:26 GMT

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The New Hampshire attorney general is again accusing a white nationalist group of civil rights violations, this time in response to a demonstration outside a Concord café hosting a drag story hour event.Attorney General John Formella said Wednesday he has filed a civil complaint saying that the Nationalist Social Club-131 and one of its leaders violated the state’s anti-discrimination law.The complaint says that Christopher Hood, of Newburyport, Massachusetts, led a group of NSC-131 members stood outside the Teatotaller Café for more than an hour on June 18 shouting homophobic slurs, chanting loudly and saluting in a fashion reminiscent of Nazi Germany. Group members also are accused of banging on the café’s windows and making intimidating gestures and comments directed at the performer and others in the café. Such actions, the complaint alleges, amount to an attempt to coerce the business into refusing access to its venue based on their sexual orientation or ge...

After mistrial, feds move to retry ex-Louisville cop who fired shots in Breonna Taylor raid

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:26 GMT

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Federal prosecutors told a judge Wednesday they intend to retry former Louisville officer Brett Hankison after a jury deadlocked last month over charges he used excessive force the night Breonna Taylor was killed by police in 2020.A judge declared a mistrial Nov. 16 after the jury deliberated for several days but could not reach a unanimous decision. Hankison fired 10 shots the night of the deadly raid but did not strike anyone. His shots went into Taylor’s apartment and into a neighboring unit, where a child was sleeping.Federal prosecutor Michael Songer said during a status conference that “the government intends to retry the case.”A new trial would be the third attempt to prosecute Hankison for his actions the night of the March 13, 2020, botched raid that left Taylor dead. He was acquitted last year on state charges of wanton endangerment for shooting into Taylor’s windows and a glass patio door.U.S. District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings set a ...

Victim identified, teen charged following fatal stabbing in Toronto’s east end

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:26 GMT

A teen is facing a second-degree murder charge in connection to a stabbing in Toronto’s east end.Police and paramedics were called to Lockwood Road, near Kingston Road and Queen Street East, just after 6 a.m. on Tuesday.Officers found a 20-year-old man lying on the ground with stab wounds. The victim, Nathan Samuel, of Toronto, was pronounced dead at the scene.At the time, police confirmed one person was arrested. Investigators have identified the suspect as Jared Shokoff, 18, of Toronto.Investigators are trying to determine what led up to the stabbing and if there was any relationship between the victim and suspect.With files from Michael Ranger

Wisconsin schools superintendent wants UW regents to delay vote on deal to limit diversity positions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:26 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin’s state school superintendent on Wednesday called for Universities of Wisconsin regents to delay a second vote on a deal with Republican legislators that would limit campus diversity positions in exchange for employee raises and money for construction projects.The regents rejected the deal on a 9-8 vote on Saturday amid complaints from Democrats that the deal sells out minority and LGBTQ+ students and faculty. But after a closed-door meeting Tuesday led by Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman, the regents called for another vote Wednesday evening. The agenda indicated that Regent Amy Blumenfeld Bogost, who voted against the proposal on Saturday, had switched positions and now supported it. State Superintendent Jill Underly automatically doubles as a regent by virtue of her position. She did not vote Saturday because she was out of the country. She issued a statement Wednesday asking regents to reschedule the second vote because she was...