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The Great Grift: How billions in COVID-19 relief aid was stolen, and who took it

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:49 GMT

 WASHINGTON — Much of the theft was brazen, even simple.Fraudsters used the Social Security numbers of dead people and federal prisoners to get unemployment checks. Cheaters collected those benefits in multiple states. And federal loan applicants weren’t cross-checked against a Treasury Department database that would have raised red flags about sketchy borrowers.Criminals and gangs grabbed the money. But so did a U.S. soldier in Georgia, the pastors of a defunct church in Texas, a former state lawmaker in Missouri and a roofing contractor in Montana.All of it led to the greatest grift in U.S. history, with thieves plundering billions of dollars in federal COVID-19 relief aid intended to combat the worst pandemic in a century and to stabilize an economy in free fall.An Associated Press analysis found that fraudsters potentially stole more than $280 billion in COVID-19 relief funding; another $123 billion was wasted or misspent. Combined, the loss represents 10% of the $4.2 trill...

Putin uses public holiday to laud patriotic feelings as support for troops in Ukraine

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:49 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — President Vladimir Putin on Monday marked the Day of Russia national holiday by lauding the country’s patriotic tradition as a support for soldiers fighting in Ukraine.“This public holiday marks the inseparability of centuries-old history, the greatness and glory of the Fatherland, affirms the unity of the multinational people, devotion to their country, a warm, sincere attitude towards their beloved Motherland,” he said at a ceremony presenting state awards. “Such keen feelings … in a difficult time for Russia, they unite our society even more strongly, serve as a reliable support for our heroes, the participants in the special military operation,” Putin said, using the Russian official terminology for the Ukraine conflict.The holiday comes amid intensifying counteroffensive operations by Ukraine against Russian forces that occupy about 20% of the country. Ukrainian officials in recent days claimed to have regained control of some villages and to have made...

Crews begin demolishing remains of collapsed Iowa building

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:49 GMT

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Crews on Monday morning started demolishing the remains of a six-story apartment building in Davenport, Iowa, that partially collapsed more than two weeks ago, killing three people and leaving dozens homeless.Workers were using a large excavator to dismantle the 116-year-old brick, steel and concrete structure in a process officials said would take several weeks. It’s a difficult task because the building is in the heart of the city’s downtown and is believed to contain asbestos and other potentially hazardous material.A section of the building fell away May 28, burying three residents in rubble at the base of the structure and forcing others to scramble out of the building. One woman was pinned under the debris and had to have a leg amputated to be pulled to safety.The city said in a news release Sunday night that officials have been discussing how to tear down the building with structural engineers, regulatory authorities and the company doing th...

What to know as the falls of Boris Johnson and Nicola Sturgeon roil UK politics

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:49 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Two very different British politicians who often clashed, Boris Johnson and Nicola Sturgeon both led their parties to great heights — and both have had sudden and dramatic falls. Former U.K. prime minister Johnson quit as a lawmaker rather than face being ousted for lying to Parliament. Sturgeon, the ex-leader of Scotland, was arrested and questioned by police investigating her party’s finances.Here’s what to know about dramatic developments in U.K. politics:WHO IS INVOLVED?Johnson and Sturgeon are both huge political figures, widely known by their first names alone: Boris and Nicola.Johnson, 58, is a rumpled, Latin-spouting former journalist whose career pinballed between high office and stints on the sidelines before he became a leader of the 2016 referendum campaign to take Britain out of the European Union. He took office as prime minister in 2019, leading the Conservative Party to a landslide election victory with a pledge to “get Brexit done.”Johnson took Britain...

Giller Foundation launches scholarship for students studying writing, literature

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:49 GMT

TORONTO — The Giller Foundation has launched a new scholarship for Black, Indigenous and racialized high school grads pursuing an education in creative writing and literature.Each year, three students will receive the $10,000 scholarship, which is co-sponsored by Mantella Corporation.The Giller Mantella Scholarship for Black, Indigenous and Racialized Students is set to run for three years, and organizers say it could be extended.Giller Foundation Executive Director Elana Rabinovitch says the organizers wanted to promote diversity and create an opportunity for students who may not have access to traditional financial aid. The Giller Foundation administers the Scotiabank Giller Prize, Canada’s largest literary purse.Scholarship Partners Canada, a division of Universities Canada, will administer the scholarship on behalf of The Giller Foundation.This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 12, 2023.The Canadian Press

Prayers and tears – Berlusconi in death draws tributes even from his critics

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:49 GMT

ROME (AP) — Adored, scorned, impossible to ignore in life, Silvio Berlusconi in death drew tributes even from critics, and ever more lush praise from admirers, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pope Francis. Following word of Berlusconi’s death on Monday in a Milan hospital, where he was being treated for chronic leukemia, reaction poured in from around the world, from national leaders to Pope Francis to announcers who burst into tears on one of his TV networks, for the populist three-time premier and media mogul.Here are some of the reactions:— Russian President Vladimir Putin in a condolence telegram hailed Berlusconi as a “patriarch” of Italian politics and a true patriot who has improved Italy’s standing on the world stage. “I have always sincerely admired his wisdom, his ability to make balanced, far-sighted decisions even in the most difficult situations,” Putin said in the telegram released by the Kremlin. “During each of our meetings, I was literally...

Rachel Maddow’s ‘Deja News’ podcast a boon to fans who like her historical tangents

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:49 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Rachel Maddow has something special for anyone who appreciates the occasional digressions into history on her weekly MSNBC show.She and her longtime producer, Isaac-Davy Aronson, debuted the first episode of “Rachel Maddow Presents: Deja News” on Monday. The six-episode podcast looks at historical incidents that can teach us lessons about current events.The first program, about a little-remembered Feb. 6, 1934, riot outside the parliament building in Paris has obvious parallels to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection in Washington.“If Jan. 6 was history repeating itself in some form, does that help us?” Maddow asks in the episode. “Does that help us in our understanding of what Jan. 6 meant and what we should do about it going forward? Would it be comforting to us to know that this really wasn’t the first time, or would we be just even more weirded out about it?”Both of Maddow’s prior podcasts have roots in history: “Bag Man” was about former Vice Presi...

Netherlands and Canada bring torture case against Syria at UN’s top court

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:49 GMT

THE HAGUE (AP) — The Netherlands and Canada jointly filed a complaint against Syria on Monday before the United Nations’ highest judicial body, alleging the regime of Bashar Assad has tortured thousands of civilians, in violation of a U.N. convention. The pair say Syria has “committed countless violations of international law” and want the International Court of Justice to issue provisional measures ordering Damascus to halt an alleged widespread torture program against anyone opposed to the government during the country’s long-running civil war.The Dutch first announced three years ago a plan to hold Syria accountable for what it called “horrific crimes,” asking Assad’s government via diplomatic note to enter into negotiations under the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Canada joined the process in 2021. The 1984 treaty requires parties to enter into mediation before bringing the dispute to The Hague-based court...

Supreme Court won’t review North Carolina’s decision to nix license plates with Confederate flag

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:49 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court said Monday it won’t review North Carolina’s decision to stop issuing specialty license plates with the Confederate flag.As is typical, the court did not comment in declining to hear the case, which challenged the state’s decision. The dispute was one of many the court said Monday it would not hear. It was similar to a case originating in Texas that the court heard in 2015, when it ruled the license plates are state property.The current dispute stems from North Carolina’s 2021 decision to stop issuing specialty license plates bearing the insignia of the North Carolina chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. The chapter sued, claiming that the state’s decision violated state and federal law. A lower court dismissed the case, and a federal appeals court agreed with that decision.North Carolina offers three standard license plates and more than 200 specialty plates. Civic clubs including the Sons of Confederate Vete...

Celebrity birthdays for the week of June 18-24

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:49 GMT

Celebrity birthdays for the week of June 18-24June 18: Musician Paul McCartney is 81. Actor Constance McCashin (“Knots Landing”) is 76. Actor Linda Thorson (“The Avengers”) is 76. Actor Carol Kane is 71. Actor Isabella Rossellini is 71. Actor Brian Benben (“Private Practice,” “Dream On”) is 67. Actor Andrea Evans (“The Bold and the Beautiful”) is 66. Singer Alison Moyet is 62. Keyboardist Dizzy Reed (Guns N’ Roses) is 60. Country singer-guitarist Tim Hunt (Yankee Grey) is 56. Singer Nathan Morris of Boyz II Men is 52. Singer-songwriter Ray LaMontagne is 50. Rapper Silkk The Shocker is 48. Actor Alana de la Garza (“Law and Order”) is 47. Country singer Blake Shelton is 47. Guitarist Steven Chen of Airborne Toxic Event is 45. Actor David Giuntoli (“Grimm”) is 43. Drummer Josh Dun of Twenty One Pilots is 35. Actor-singer Renee Olstead (“The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” “Still Standing”) is 34. Actor Jacob Anderson (“Game of Thrones”) is 33. Actor Willa Holland (“Arrow”) is 32...