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New broom in Poland’s parliament as the opposition takes power

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:00 GMT

WARSAW — Almost a month after the election that defeated the Law and Justice (PiS) party, Poland’s parliament held its inaugural session and voted in a new leadership showing that power has decisively shifted away from the old ruling party.The parliament now has a new speaker, former TV host Szymon Hołownia, who was elected with the support of 265 deputies while the PiS candidate, Elżbieta Witek, received only 193 votes in the 460-member parliament.In his first speech as speaker, a powerful position directing the work of the parliament, Hołownia promised a decisive break with the practices of Law and Justice, in power since 2015.“Politics isn’t violence. We are going to build a parliament of respect,” Hołownia said.In a symbol of the new changes, the police barriers that had prevented the public from accessing the parliament buildings were removed — opening up the area for the first time in years. He also promised to make the parliament more accessible to journalists, whose ab...

Spain’s Socialist Party files amnesty bill for Catalan separatists

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:00 GMT

BARCELONA — Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist Party on Monday filed a controversial bill to grant an amnesty to all persons prosecuted for their involvement in the Catalan separatist movement over the past decade.Although the draft legislation was due to be jointly filed by all the political groups expected to vote in favor of Sánchez’s bid to form a new, minority government, the Socialists presented it on their own in order to ensure the proposal was filed today. The left-wing and separatist parties backing Sánchez have all individually indicated their support for the bill.The granting of blanket amnesty was a key factor in resolving months of political paralysis in Spain, which has been without an effective government since last summer’s national elections resulted in a hung parliament. The presentation of the bill was the main demand of the Catalan separatist Junts party, whose backing will now permit Sánchez to form a new government.Presidency Mi...

Speaker Mike Johnson enters big government shutdown test days ahead of deadline

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:00 GMT

(CNN) — House Speaker Mike Johnson’s two-step plan to keep the government open beyond November 17 will face a major hurdle on the House floor this week, a critical moment for the new speaker who is facing his first major legislative test with just four days to avert a government shutdown.Already, Johnson is facing a rebellion from his right wing as conservatives quickly criticized his plan on social media and vowed to vote against it, leaving him in a position where he will likely need Democratic votes to pass the bill before the Friday deadline.“The current short-term funding proposal includes a 1-year extension of the Farm Bill (no reform), status quo policies, and status quo funding levels. Disappointing is as polite as I can muster. I will be voting NO,” said Rep. Warren Davidson, a Republican from Ohio. “Hopefully, the consensus will result in a more reasonable bill.”Other conservatives also blasted the bill, including Rep. Chip Roy, an influential member o...

Facing a Thanksgiving baking emergency? Call this hotline

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:00 GMT

By Kate Bradshaw, Bay Area News GroupSo you’re on the hook for making the Thanksgiving meal happen, but the prospect of prepping yeasted breads wakes you up in a cold sweat. Or maybe a cousin decided to bring a guest who is … gasp … a vegan.Don’t despair, frazzled home chefs. Vermont’s King Arthur Baking Company runs a baking hotline — and email and chat — that pairs struggling bakers with pros to navigate any baking project. Those professional bakers are standing by — at 855-371-2253 and www.kingarthurbaking.com/bakers-hotline — from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PST weekdays and 6 to 1 p.m. PST weekends.We asked hotline baking specialist Dawn Hope to share some of her tried-and-true tips — and warnings —for Thanksgiving baking.Q: What’s your backstory?A: Like a lot of other people I work with on the hotline, I was a former professional baker — I worked in a bakery for decades and I used to work for decorators in New York City. My whole life has been in food. My job is not only to be an ambassa...

Source: Patriots waiving troubled CB Jack Jones in second season

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:00 GMT

The Patriots intend to waive second-year cornerback Jack Jones on Monday, a source confirmed to the Herald.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots captains declare belief in Bill Belichick after latest loss New England Patriots | Callahan: It’s time for the Mac Jones era to end in New England New England Patriots | Bill Belichick addresses job security after Patriots’ 10-6 loss to Colts New England Patriots | Bailey Zappe blows another opportunity with Patriots starting QB job on the line New England Patriots | Bill Belichick not committing to Patriots QB Mac Jones after third benching Jones returned with the team from Germany late Sunday night after he played a season-low 10 snaps in the Patriots’ 10-6 loss to the Colts. Jones sat out the entire first quarter for a second straight game and reportedly missed curfew before the Patriots’ home loss to Washington on Nov. 5. Th...

Maryanne Trump Barry, the former president’s older sister and a retired federal judge, dies at 86

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:00 GMT

By MARYCLAIRE DALE and KAREN MATTHEWS (Associated Press)NEW YORK (AP) — Maryanne Trump Barry, a retired federal judge and former president Donald Trump ‘s oldest sister, has died at age 86 at her home in New York.Until her retirement in 2019, Barry was a senior judge on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a level below the Supreme Court. The NYPD confirmed that officers were sent to Barry’s Manhattan home just before 4:30 a.m. and discovered a deceased 86-year-old woman. The cause of death was not immediately clear. Her death was confirmed by a judicial official who spoke on condition of anonymity because Barry’s death hadn’t been announced publicly by either the court or Trump’s family.Trump’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Before becoming a judge, Barry became an Assistant U.S. Attorney in 1974 and was nominated to the federal court in New Jersey by former President Ronald Reagan. She was later elevated to...

Bruins notebook: Jake DeBrusk needs to get his offense in gear

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:00 GMT

There was a time when, if Jake DeBrusk wasn’t scoring goals, he wasn’t doing much for the Bruins. Those days are over. He’s become trusted enough to play a big role on the B’s penalty kill and he’s filled out the details of his game to be a much more complete player.But goalscorers want to score goals. And when they don’t, it can infect other parts of their game.DeBrusk is teetering close to that stage.The talented winger, who tied a career high with 27 goals while missing a month with a broken leg last season, has begun this pivotal year of his career with just one goal and four assists in the first 13 games.“When you’re in a situation where you’re a gifted offensive player like him, when you’re not getting the results, you stop working the way you usually do that leads to the results,” said coach Jim Montgomery. “We’re in constant communication as a staff, myself especially with Jake, because Jake makes the Boston Bruins ...

The Supreme Court says it is adopting a code of ethics for the first time

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:00 GMT

By MARK SHERMAN (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is adopting its first code of ethics, in the face of sustained criticism over undisclosed trips and gifts from wealthy benefactors to some justices.The policy was issued by the court Monday. The justices, who have hinted at internal deliberations over an ethics code, last met Thursday in their private conference room at the court. The issue has vexed the court for several months, over a series of stories questioning the ethical practices of the justices. Many of those stories focused on Justice Clarence Thomas and his failure to disclose travel and other financial ties with wealthy conservative donors including Harlan Crow and the Koch brothers. But Justices Samuel Alito and Sonia Sotomayor also have been under scrutiny.Three justices, Amy Coney Barrett, Elena Kagan and Brett Kavanaugh, have voiced support for an ethics code in recent months. In May, Chief Justice John Roberts said there was more the court c...

Gaza evacuees question Canada’s policy for who it will help evacuate

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:00 GMT

OTTAWA — Some Canadians who escaped the Gaza Strip say Canada’s definition of family means they had to make the heartbreaking choice to leave loved ones behind.Canadian citizen Amro Abumiddain says he would have rather died with his father in Gaza than leave without him, but said he had to get his children out of the territory while he had the chance.He crossed the border last week after a month of living under constant bombardment, but couldn’t bring his father with him because Canada’s definition of eligible family members only includes spouses, children and grandchildren. Abumiddain’s cousin Maha Abdelwahed in Halifax says after she was told her parents wouldn’t qualify for Canada’s list of evacuees in Gaza she saw that others she knows were able to get their family members out even though they also shouldn’t have qualified.Global Affairs Canada did not reply to repeated requests last week seeking clarity on which family members would qua...

Montreal Jewish community won’t let itself be terrorized, school spokesman says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:00 GMT

MONTREAL — Students at a Montreal Jewish school were back in class today after their school building was hit by gunfire over the weekend for the second time in three days. School spokesman Lionel Perez says that while parents are worried about the violence directed at the school, the Jewish community won’t allow itself to be terrorized.Police said Sunday they responded to an early-morning call about gunshots fired at the Yeshiva Gedola school, in the Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood, and arrived to find bullet casings on the ground.It’s the latest in a series of crimes since the start of the Israel-Hamas war that have left Montreal’s Jewish community on edge, including previous shootings at Yeshiva Gedola and at another nearby school, as well as firebombs that caused minor damage to a synagogue and a Federation CJA office last week.Nobody was hurt in those incidents, and Perez says the damage from Sunday’s shooting is limited to the building’s exterior. He...