Canada talking with Trump allies in U.S. to prepare for possible 2nd term: envoy – National

Canada talking with Trump allies in U.S. to prepare for possible 2nd term: envoy – National

Canadian diplomats have been speaking with advisers and congressional allies of former U.S. president Donald Trump to lay the groundwork for a strong relationship if Trump returns to the White House next year, Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. says. Those conversations have been positive, Ambassador Kirsten Hillman notes, and have not been informed by either … Read more

Missouri Senate votes against allowing abortion in cases of rape and incest

Missouri Senate votes against allowing abortion in cases of rape and incest

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri senators on Wednesday voted against amending the state’s strict law against abortions to allow exceptions in cases of rape and incest. The state banned almost all abortions after the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 overturned Roe v. Wade. Abortions currently are only legal “in cases of medical emergency.” Democratic state … Read more

Mardi Gras beads are creating a plastic disaster in New Orleans. Are there green alternatives?

Mardi Gras beads are creating a plastic disaster in New Orleans. Are there green alternatives?

NEW ORLEANS — It’s a beloved century-old Carnival season tradition in New Orleans — masked riders on lavish floats fling strings of colorful beads or other trinkets to parade watchers clamoring with outstretched arms. It’s all in good fun but it’s also a bit of a “plastics disaster,” says Judith Enck, a former Environmental Protection … Read more

A West Virginia ‘Women’s Bill of Rights’ is an effort to suppress transgender people, critics say

A West Virginia ‘Women’s Bill of Rights’ is an effort to suppress transgender people, critics say

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Legislation in West Virginia to narrow the definitions of gender would give women no further rights and is a way for Republicans to suppress transgender people, speakers at a public hearing said Thursday. Dozens of speakers condemned the “Women’s Bill of Rights” while a handful spoke in favor of it during the … Read more

Republican effort to restore abortion rights in Missouri folds

Republican effort to restore abortion rights in Missouri folds

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A Republican-led campaign to restore abortion rights in Missouri ended Thursday, clearing the path for a competing, more sweeping constitutional amendment to get on the state’s November ballot. “Having two initiatives on the ballot would create confusion and potentially split the vote,” Missouri Women and Family Research Fund Executive Director Jamie … Read more

Near-total abortion ban rejected by Virginia House panel

Near-total abortion ban rejected by Virginia House panel

RICHMOND, Va. — Lawmakers in the Virginia House of Delegates — controlled by Democrats who flipped the chamber in November after campaigning on abortion rights — decisively voted down a bill that would have instituted a near-total abortion ban. On a bipartisan 8-0 vote Wednesday night, a House subcommittee rejected the measure that would have … Read more

A criminal actor is to blame for a dayslong cyberattack on a Chicago hospital, officials say

A criminal actor is to blame for a dayslong cyberattack on a Chicago hospital, officials say

CHICAGO — A large children’s hospital in Chicago remains hobbled by a cyberattack that began more than a week ago, cutting doctors and nurses off from digital patient records and limiting parents’ ability to communicate with their kids’ caregivers. Officials at Lurie Children’s Hospital said Thursday that they are still working with the FBI and … Read more

Jimmy Van Eaton, an early rock ‘n’ roll drummer who played at Sun Records, dies at 86

Jimmy Van Eaton, an early rock ‘n’ roll drummer who played at Sun Records, dies at 86

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — J.M. “Jimmy” Van Eaton, a pioneering rock ‘n’ roll drummer who played behind the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis and Billy Lee Riley at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee, died Friday at age 86, a family member said. Van Eaton, a Memphis native who came to the famous record label as a … Read more

Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Cher, Sade, Oasis and Ozzy Osbourne among Rock Hall nominees for ’24

Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Cher, Sade, Oasis and Ozzy Osbourne among Rock Hall nominees for ’24

NEW YORK — Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Cher, Lenny Kravitz, the late Sinéad O’Connor and heavy metal’s so-called Prince of Darkness are some the 2024 nominees for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, a wide musical net that also includes the pop-soul of Sade and Britpoppers Oasis. Ozzy Osbourne, who led … Read more

Super Bowl 2024: Time, channel, halftime show, how to watch Chiefs vs. 49ers livestream

Super Bowl 2024: Time, channel, halftime show, how to watch Chiefs vs. 49ers livestream

Super Bowl 58 in Las Vegas on Sunday is shaping up to be quite a doozy. There’s the Kansas City Chiefs and their prolific offense, led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, tight end Travis Kelce and mustachioed coach Andy Reid. On the other side of the field, there’s the San Francisco 49ers, led by Mr. Irrelevant … Read more