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Debt ceiling talks push Washington toward new era of deficit cuts

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:52:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — One outcome is clear as Washington reaches for a budget deal to end the debt ceiling standoff: The ambitious COVID era of government spending — to cope with the pandemic and rebuild in its aftermath — is giving way to a new fiscal focus on tailored investments and stemming deficits.President Joe Biden has said that recouping unspent COVID-19 funds is “on the table” in budget talks with Congress. And while the White House has threatened to veto Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s debt ceiling bill with its “devastating cuts” to federal programs, the administration has signaled a willingness to consider other budget caps.The end result is a turnaround from just a few years ago, when Congress passed and then-president Donald Trump signed the historic $2.2 trillion CARES Act at the start of the COVID crisis in 2020. And it’s a dramatic realignment even as Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law and Inflation Reduction Act are now investing billions of dollars into ...

Brittney Griner plays in first WNBA preseason game since detainment in Russia

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:52:00 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Brittney Griner strolled down the sideline about 1 1/2 hours before the Phoenix Mercury played Friday night and hugged and high-fived her teammates, coaches and opposing players.Then it was a little stretching, a little shooting and a little agility work to prepare for a basketball game.Just like old times.Griner returned to game action for the first time since a nearly 10-month detainment in Russia on drug-related charges ended with a prisoner swap in December. The seven-time All-Star, who missed the entire 2022 season because of the detainment, finished with 10 points and three rebounds in a WNBA preseason game against the Los Angeles Sparks.The 6-foot-9 Griner looked good, especially considering the long layoff, casually throwing down a one-handed dunk during warmups. She received a loud ovation from the home crowd when she was introduced before tipoff.Once the game started, the 32-year-old immediately went to work, scoring on a turnaround jumper early in the first...

Chaos on Mexico border averted, for now, as US turns page in migration rules

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:52:00 GMT

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — The U.S. turned the page on pandemic-era immigration restrictions with relative calm at its border with Mexico as migrants adapted to strict new rules aimed at discouraging illegal crossings and awaited the promise of new legal pathways for entering the country.A full day after the rules known as Title 42 were lifted, migrants and government officials on Friday were still assessing the effects of a switch to new regulations adopted by President Joe Biden’s administration in hope of stabilizing the Southwest border region and undercutting smugglers who charge migrants to get there.Migrants are now essentially barred from seeking asylum in the U.S. if they did not first apply online or seek protection in the countries they traveled through. Families allowed in as their immigration cases progress will face curfews and GPS monitoring. And for those expelled from the U.S., they can now be barred from entering the country for five years and face possible criminal pro...

Twins’ bullpen gives up five runs in loss to Cubs, offense mostly quiet

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:52:00 GMT

Rocco Baldelli has seen games like Friday night’s too many times already this season.One in which the Twins’ starting pitcher — in this instance, Sonny Gray — puts together an outing more than good enough to keep the team competitive, and the offense is unable to deliver on its end, forcing the bullpen into pressure-packed situations.“It feels like we’ve played a very similar — really the same — game routinely right now,” the Twins manager said. “… We need to create some separation in some of these games, because over time, you can’t play like that every day and expect the bullpen to be able to hold and be able to do these things.”Some days, the bullpen has been able to hold strong, despite little room for error. Friday was not one of those days. The Cubs surged ahead in the seventh inning, eventually scoring five runs off a trio of relievers to capture a 6-2 win in the series opener at Target Field.Chicago’s (19-19) late offense stood in stark contrast to Minnesota’s (21-18)  — the...

Young mother killed, kids hospitalized in Hesperia DUI crash

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:52:00 GMT

A young mother of two was killed after a DUI driver slammed head-on into her vehicle in Hesperia on Thursday.The victim was identified as Lisette Villasenor, 36, from Victorville. Her two children — a 6-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl — suffered moderate to major injuries, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.The suspect was identified as Jose Vargas, 41, from Adelanto.Deputies responded to a crash on Highway 395, between Poplar and Main Streets around 6:31 p.m.Vargas was driving south on Highway 395 when he drove into the oncoming northbound lanes, crashing head-on into the Villasenor's vehicle, authorities said.The crash left Villasenor with major injuries and despite life-saving measures, was pronounced dead at the hospital. Flesh-eating ‘zombie drug’ saturating Los Angeles streets Villasenor's two young children suffered moderate to major injuries, officials said. They were transported to a local trauma center.The suspect, Vargas, was not injured fro...

Lakers eliminate defending champion Warriors 122-101, advance to Western Conference Finals

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:52:00 GMT

The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors 122-101 Friday night in Los Angeles, setting up a match-up with the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals and knocking Golden State out of the playoffs. The Lakers won the Western Conference Semifinals series four games to two. It will be their first Western Conference Finals appearance since the NBA bubble in 2020 when they beat Denver en route to a championship.Friday's loss marked the first time the Warriors lost a playoff series to a Western Conference team since 2014. They have four titles and six NBA Finals appearances since then. The Lakers' victory put an end to the latest chapter of the LeBron James-Stephen Curry rivalry. Curry's Warriors faced James' Cavaliers in the NBA Finals each year from 2015 to 2018, with Golden State winning three of those series. James and the Lakers helped knock the Warriors out of the play-in tournament in 2021. Celebrities such as Elon Musk, Kim Kardashian and Michael B. Jordan file...

Body found inside Arby's freezer identified as manager

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:52:00 GMT

The body of an Arby's employee was found inside a walk-in freezer at the New Iberia, Louisiana restaurant Thursday night, police confirmed. Police say they arrived at the restaurant along Admiral Doyle Drive just after 6 p.m. The Iberia Parish Coroner's Office confirmed that the person in the freezer, a woman, was dead at the scene. Flesh-eating ‘zombie drug’ saturating Los Angeles streets The woman was a manager at the Arby's, Nexstar's KLFY reports, but her name wasn't immediately released.Captain Leland Laseter of the New Iberia Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division told KLFY that the death remained under investigation Friday, adding that no foul play is suspected at this time. On Friday, the restaurant was closed for the day. Police did not release additional details Friday evening, citing the ongoing investigation.

Warriors’ season ends as Lakers win Game 6, knock out defending champs

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:52:00 GMT

LOS ANGELES — Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson had their heads down as they walked to the bench for a timeout Friday night.There was 5:28 left in regulation, but with the Lakers up by 22 points, the end felt inevitable.Not even Curry could save them this time.Two minutes later, coach Steve Kerr surrendered. He hugged Andrew Wiggins as the wing, who played through pain (broken rib cartilage) before embracing Draymond Green. With Curry sitting with a towel over his head, Kerr patted the Warriors star on the back.This season — and perhaps this dynasty — is over, and it came at the hands of LeBron James and his Lakers squad in the Western Conference semifinals.The Lakers punched the Warriors first and never let up, delivering a 122-101 blow to end Golden State’s season. Perhaps fittingly, too, it happened on the road, where the Warriors struggled all season.James had a team-high 30 points to help the Lakers clinch the series 4-2 to advance to the Western Conferenc...

Stripling’s homer troubles flare up again in SF Giants’ loss to D-backs

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:52:00 GMT

The San Francisco Giants built an early lead with home runs from Michael Conforto and Joc Pederson, while LaMonte Wade Jr., J.D. Davis and Casey Schmitt all continued their hot hitting, but it wasn’t enough to beat the Diamondbacks for a second straight game.Another rough outing from Ross Stripling sent San Francisco (17-21) to a 7-5 loss.The home run ball continued to haunt Stripling on Friday.Handed a 3-0 lead to start the second inning, after a clean first from John Brebbia as the opener, Stripling allowed two home runs that quickly erased the advantage. It was all too familiar of a feeling for Stripling, who has now allowed 10 homers in his first eight outings in a Giants uniform since signing a two-year, $25 million free-agent contract this offseason.Tagged for four runs on five hits over 3⅓ innings, Stripling’s ERA increased to 7.22. In 28⅔ innings this season, he has allowed only two fewer home runs than he did in 134⅓ innings in 2022 and, with two more walks Frid...

Warriors eliminated by Lakers in 122-101 Game 6 loss

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:52:00 GMT

(KRON) -- The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors 122-101 Friday night in Los Angeles, setting up a match-up with the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals and knocking Golden State out of the playoffs. The Lakers won the Western Conference Semifinals series four games to two. It will be their first Western Conference Finals appearance since the NBA bubble in 2020 when they beat Denver en route to a championship.Friday's loss marked the first time the Warriors lost a playoff series to a Western Conference team since 2014. They have four titles and six NBA Finals appearances since then. The Lakers' victory put an end to the latest chapter of the LeBron James-Stephen Curry rivalry. Curry's Warriors faced James' Cavaliers in the NBA Finals each year from 2015 to 2018, with Golden State winning three of those series. James and the Lakers helped knock the Warriors out of the play-in tournament in 2021. SF 49ers’ 2023 schedule released: Here are the highlights C...