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Varsity Blues college admissions scam convictions of John Wilson, Gamal Abdelaziz reversed by US Appeals Court

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:22 GMT

Two parents who had been convicted in the Varsity Blues college admissions cheating scandal scored a major win on Wednesday, as a federal appeals court reversed the high-profile convictions.The First Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the admissions scam convictions for former Staples exec and Massachusetts resident John Wilson, and for former senior gaming and hospitality exec Gamal Abdelaziz, of Las Vegas.Four years ago, Operation Varsity Blues led to federal charges against dozens of wealthy parents, including Hollywood stars Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman. Those actresses, like many others charged in the bombshell case, pled guilty and spent time in prison.Wilson and Abdelaziz were the exception, fighting the charges and facing eventual convictions. On Wednesday, the federal convictions that were vacated were for mail and wire fraud, along with conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery. Wilson’s conviction for filing a false tax return was upheld by the court.R...

Trump digs in on election lies during CNN town hall event

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:22 GMT

By JILL COLVIN (Associated Press)Former President Donald Trump dug in on his lies about the 2020 election during a CNN town hall Wednesday that marked his return to the network just a day after a civil jury found him liable for sexually assaulting a woman nearly three decades ago.Trump, when pressed, repeatedly downplayed the violence on Jan. 6, 2021, the day his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in a deadly insurrection, and continued to insist the election had been “rigged,” even though no evidence has ever emerged to support his claims. State and federal officials, his own staff and attorney general, and numerous courts found no evidence of mass fraud.Trump also said he was inclined to pardon “a large portion” of Jan. 6 defendants if he wins reelection, and refused to apologize to his former vice president, Mike Pence, who was targeted by the mob.“I don’t feel he was in any danger,” he said, adding that it was Pence, not himself, who &#...

Celtics undaunted by do-or-die Game 6 against 76ers: ‘Been there before’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:22 GMT

The Celtics were booed off their home floor. They were disappointed as they headed to their locker room.But the C’s weren’t sulking after their embarrassing Game 5 loss to the 76ers suddenly put their season in jeopardy. They’ve been here before. Last season, in the same exact spot in the second round, the Celtics lost a late lead to the Bucks and dropped Game 5, putting them in a 3-2 series hole.Of course, the rest is well-documented. The Celtics won Game 6 in Milwaukee, then Game 7 in Boston to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Now, they have to do it again. As frustrating as the Celtics may be, routinely putting themselves in unideal situations, they know what this moment requires as they enter Thursday night’s do-or-die Game 6 in Philadelphia.“The brutality of it. It’s a true dogfight, scratching and clawing, biting, blood, everything,” Marcus Smart said. “And if you’re not willing to pretty much get dirty, if you’re not willing to bleed, if you’re not ...

Georgia’s Smart says declining invitation for White House visit was not political

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:22 GMT

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Georgia coach Kirby Smart insisted Wednesday there was no political motivation behind the decision for his national championship football team to decline an invitation to visit the White House in June.Instead, Smart says scheduling issues, including a youth camp in June at the Georgia football facility, made it impossible for the Bulldogs to accept the invitation to attend a June 12 event with other college teams at the White House. The event is described by President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden as “College Athlete Day.”Smart told the Athens Banner-Herald on Wednesday the inability to accept the invitation is “a tough deal” and added, “Timeline-wise it didn’t work.”Smart, the former Alabama defensive coordinator, said he enjoyed making White House visits with the Crimson Tide, which he called educational opportunities for his players. He noted those visits usually were scheduled for January, immediately following the season, when players were still o...

Western Canada faces ‘extreme’ heat wave, with soaring temperatures raising fire risk

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:22 GMT

A heat wave that’s expected to push daytime temperatures 10 to 15 degrees above seasonal norms is raising the wildfire risk in Alberta and British Columbia, where crews are already battling early-season blazes.The hot, dry conditions will prime forest fuels for ignition, said University of British Columbia weather and wildfire researcher Chris Rodell, who’s concerned that lightning could spark fires after a ridge of high pressure linked to the heat wave breaks down next week.As the heat eases, Rodell said he expects instability in the atmosphere could lead to thunderstorms and strengthen winds sometime Tuesday or Wednesday.The Alberta government declared a provincial state of emergency last weekend in response to fires that have forced thousands of people from their homes, and Rodell said the wildfire situation is also heating up in northeastern B.C.He said temperatures in some areas look poised to exceed seasonal norms by about 10 degrees, a magnitude he described as ex...

Connor Bedard: Get to know the likely Blackhawks No. 1 pick

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:22 GMT

CHICAGO — There have been few draft picks in the history of Chicago sports that have generated this much attention before they were even selected. Perhaps that's because it's rare that a team in the city has a prospect that so many have been discussing for so long. After all, the likely top selection in the NHL Draft has been on the minds of Blackhawks' fans for over a year since the team announced a full rebuild.Thanks to a stripped-down roster that shed NHL-level assets for draft capital, a bad 2022-2023 season, and some good old-fashioned luck, Connor Bedard (probably) is going to be a member of the Blackhawks. All that's left is the selection when they come on the clock with the first overall pick at the opening night of the 2023 NHL Draft at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.So who is this player that so many in Chicago had hoped would join the city's NHL team? Here's a quick look at his path from Western Canada to the "Windy City."(Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)Bedard ...

Trump calls E. Jean Carroll a 'whack job' after sexual abuse verdict

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:22 GMT

Former President Trump on Wednesday attacked writer E. Jean Carroll as a “whack job” and dismissed the suggestion that he would suffer with women voters over a jury finding him liable for sexual abuse.Trump during a CNN town hall repeatedly insisted he did not know Carroll, who accused Trump in 2019 of raping her in a department store dressing room during an encounter in the 1990s. A nine-member jury this week found Trump liable of sexual abuse and defamation, but not of rape.“This is a fake story. Made-up story,” Trump said, later adding, “I have no idea who the hell she is. She’s a whack job.”He recounted his version of events, which frequently elicited laughter from the town hall attendees.“What kind of a woman meets somebody and brings them up and within minutes you’re playing hanky panky in a dressing room,” Trump said to laughter.Asked if he thinks the jury’s findings will deter women from voting for him, Trump said: “No I don’t think so.”A short time later, Trump was pressed ...

Video shows bullet strike ground during California Little League game

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:22 GMT

SAN MARCOS, Calif. (KSWB) – A reward is now being offered for information leading to the person responsible for a shooting near a San Marcos, California sports park.The shooting happened just before 8 p.m. Monday evening during a Little League game.At least seven gunshots can be heard on video obtained by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department from Mission Sports Park. One bullet can even be seen striking the ground, dangerously close to children.“Somebody knows something about what happened here, right? Somebody knows and it’s our children we are trying to look out for and protect. Just kids playing baseball,” Detective Brian Bentley said. WATCH: 5-foot gator found by robot in Florida stormwater pipe The sheriff’s department is looking into any leads and Crime Stoppers is now offering up to a $1,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest in the case.Detectives say it’s too early to share where the shots came from or what potential charges could be, depending on the ci...

Trump on CNN says Jan. 6 rioters had 'love in their heart'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:22 GMT

Former President Trump on Wednesday defended his actions on Jan. 6, 2021, and said protesters who descended on Washington, D.C., that day had “love in their heart.”Trump was asked at a CNN town hall whether he had any regrets about his conduct on Jan. 6, when rioters violently stormed the Capitol to try and stop the certification of the 2020 election. The riots followed a speech by Trump outside the White House in which he repeated debunked claims that the 2020 election was fraudulent.“I’ve never spoken to a crowd as large as this,” Trump said of that day. “That was because they thought the election was rigged. And they were there proud. They were there with love in their heart. That was an unbelievable and it was a beautiful day.”Trump repeated a series of talking points that have been debunked by some of his own former officials in testimony to the House panel that investigated the Jan. 6 riots, including that then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was slow to call for military help...

Insight: City of Austin's Flood Early Warning System

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:22 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Scott Prinsen, Austin's Flood Early Warning Division program manager talked to David Yeomans on the program and the expected rain this weekend.Read a transcription of the discussion below or use the video player above to watch.DAVID: All right. Joining us this afternoon is Scott Princeton. He is Austin's flood early warning Division program manager. Scott, thank you so much for your time. Sure. So we've been talking leading up to this event, the National Weather Service is starting to use words like this may be a high impact flood event, rivers could go into major flood stage, the city of Austin's flood early warning system, you guys have been around for a while. And this is kind of the stuff that you prepare for, tell us how you keep people safe in these situations.SCOTT: Yeah, so basically, our whole program was formed right after the deadly 1981 Memorial Day flood. So we've been in existence for a while. And we have a pretty big network of gauges. Also predictive ...