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From playoff hopes to lottery picks, Magic season has been perfect | Commentary

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:44:58 GMT

Running off at the typewriter …First and foremost, let me just stress that I am absolutely NOT comparing the 2023 Orlando Magic to the 1972 Miami Dolphins, but I do believe this has been a “perfect” season for the Magic.Bianchi, you moron, the Magic are 13 games below .500 and have the fifth-worst record in the league. How can you say this has been a perfect season?!!!Because I’m not talking about a perfect season by Boston Celtics standards; I’m talking about a perfect season by Orlando Magic standards.Whether intentional or not, the Magic have masterfully choreographed this season. They have walked that fine line between flirting with the playoffs and falling into the lottery. They have played meaningful games for much of the season to develop their young players and keep their fan base engaged, but now they are almost certainly a lottery team and right now would have a 10.5 percent chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick (7-foot-5 French phenom Vict...

‘Rick and Morty’ creator has domestic abuse charges dropped

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:44:58 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California prosecutors on Wednesday dropped domestic violence charges against Justin Roiland, who created the Cartoon Network animated series “Rick and Morty” and provided the voices of the show’s two title characters.Orange County district attorney’s spokeswoman Kimberly Edds said the two felony counts involving a former girlfriend were dropped “due to a lack of sufficient evidence beyond a reasonable doubt.” Roiland responded to the dismissal on Twitter. “I have always known that these claims were false — and I never had any doubt that this day would come,” he said. “I’m thankful that this case has been dismissed but, at the same time, I’m still deeply shaken by the horrible lies that were reported about me during this process.” He added that he is “disappointed that so many people were so quick to judge without knowing the facts, based solely on the word of a bitter ex trying to bypass due process and have me ‘canceled.’” Roiland, 43, had been await...

Farmers struggle in Argentina as drought withers their crops

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:44:58 GMT

URQUIZA, Argentina (AP) — The ground crackles as Guillermo Cuitino walks across dry farmland that should be green and lush this time of year. He grabs a soy plant and easily disintegrates its leaves with his hands.“This year’s drought was extreme,” the agricultural engineer said this week at the farm where he works in Urquiza, a town about 230 kilometers (143 miles) from Argentina’s capital. Cuitino normally has a policy of not walking on cultivated land, but everything is so dry now that there is absolutely nothing to damage — even weeds aren’t growing. That scene is repeated in farms across Argentina, where harvesting should be in full swing but months of dry weather has ruined. Farmers are scrambleing to make ends meet, and a sharp drop in expected revenue from exported farm products will deal a severe blow to Argentina’s shaky economy.“This drought is unprecedented,” farmer Martín Sturla said, standing in the middle of his dustry fields in nearby San Antonio de Areco. “It’...

Escape-artist Missouri bear heads to Texas zoo with moat

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:44:58 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — An escape-artist bear from Missouri is headed to a Texas zoo with a moat in hopes that it will put an end to his wandering.The St. Louis Zoo cited the “specific and unique personality” of the Andean bear named Ben in announcing the move Tuesday. His soon-to-be home at the Gladys Porter Zoo near South Padre Island in Brownsville, Texas, has a long history of working with Andean bears. But it’s still adding some extra security measures. “We’re confident it’s going to be good for Ben,” said Walter Dupree, the Texas zoo’s curator of mammals.Ben gained notoriety in February by busting out of his habitat twice.The first time, the 4-year-old, 280-pound (127-kilogram) bear tore apart clips that attached stainless steel mesh to the frame of a door. But he was recaptured before the zoo opened for the day.Zoo workers then added zip tie-like attachments made of stainless steel that had 450 pounds (204 kilograms) of tensile strength. But Ben managed to escape through...

Pierre Poilievre to get face time with U.S. President Joe Biden in Ottawa

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:44:58 GMT

OTTAWA — Official Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre is expected to meet U.S. President Joe Biden when he visits Canada this week.Senior U.S. administration officials confirmed in a briefing given on the condition they not be named that Biden plans to have what is known as a “pull-aside” conversation with Poilievre.They say the president, who is scheduled to arrive in Ottawa with first lady Jill Biden on Thursday, also plans to exchange pleasantries with other party leaders. Earlier today, Poilievre said Conservatives want to see the White House end its “Buy American” policies, which industry leaders in Canada say risk hurting workers and the economy.Poilievre has also called for a closure of the unofficial border crossing at Roxham Road in Quebec, and for action on the Safe Third Country agreement with the U.S.The two-day visit to Ottawa is Biden’s first since he took office in 2021. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 22, 2023....

Analysis: China’s sway over Russia grows amid Ukraine fight

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:44:58 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — It was a revealing moment during Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s tightly scripted visit to Moscow: Standing in the doorway of the Grand Kremlin Palace, he told Russian President Vladimir Putin that the two of them were “witnessing the changes that haven’t been seen in more than a century, and we are pushing them together.”“I agree,” Putin responded.The remarks — caught on a Kremlin camera over a bodyguard’s shoulder — offered a rare glimpse into Xi’s ambitions and his relationship with Russia after more than a year of fighting in Ukraine. While Moscow increasingly looks like a junior partner to Beijing, Xi is likely to offer a strong lifeline to Putin, his key partner in efforts to reshape the world to try to limit U.S. domination.Xi’s unusually blunt statement capped more than 10 hours of Kremlin talks, which ended with long declarations filled with florid rhetoric about expanding the “comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation” between Russia and China, pl...

‘Our world changed forever:’ Husband of surviving victim of Vaughan condo shooting speaks out

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:44:58 GMT

It’s been over three months since a mass shooting at a Vaughan condominium rocked the community.On December 18, 73-year-old gunman, Francesco Villi, opened fire on members of the condo board at Bellaria Residences.Villi killed five people before being shot by a York Regional Police officer. The victims were identified as Rita Camilleri, 57, Vittorio Panza, 79, Russell Manock, 75, Lorraine Manock, 71 and Naveed Dada, 59.The sixth victim, Doreen DiNino, suffered life-threatening injuries. Her husband, John DiNino, said the tragedy will be part of their lives forever.“It was a typical Sunday evening and within seconds, our lives and our worlds changed forever as we know it,” DiNino said.DiNino, who is the president of the condo board, said his wife is still recovering from her injuries.“When people ask, ‘Is your wife expected to make a full recovery?’ We wish we knew what a full recovery meant, because we don’t. Every day is a challenge, every day gets better, some days you go backward...

Prosecutors reveal planned Proud Boys witness was informant

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:44:58 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal prosecutors disclosed Wednesday that a witness expected to testify for the defense at the seditious conspiracy trial of former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and four associates was secretly acting as a government informant for nearly two years after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, a defense lawyer said in a court filing.Carmen Hernandez, a lawyer for former Proud Boys chapter leader Zachary Rehl, asked a judge to schedule an immediate emergency hearing and suspend the trial “until these issues have been considered and resolved.” Lawyers for the other four defendants joined in Hernandez’s request. Hernandez said in court papers that the defense team was told by prosecutors on Wednesday afternoon that the witness they were planning to call to the stand on Thursday had been a government informant. The judge ordered prosecutors to file a response to the defense filing by Thursday afternoon and scheduled a hearing for the same day, putting testi...

Fake AI images of 'Trump arrest' hit internet 

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:44:58 GMT

(The Hill) - Fabricated images of former President Trump being arrested are circulating social media as the country prepares for his possible indictment this week. The images, created using artificial intelligence software (AI), show what appears to be a large group of New York City Police Department officers arresting the former president as he resists being detained. Some of the images that were posted on Twitter even depict Trump being forced to the ground, while another image shows him running away from the police officers. The text in the images, like on the police officers' uniforms, is garbled — an indicator that they were fake. More Americans think Trump should face charges in hush money scandal: poll Eliot Higgins, founder and creative director of investigative collective Bellingcat, first shared these images Monday on Twitter, and they have gained traction over the last several days. He explained in a tweet that he used MidJourney V5 — an AI software that creates images ...

Wisconsin moves to toughen reckless driving penalties

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:44:58 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Penalties for reckless driving and carjacking would increase under Republican-authored bills that the Wisconsin Legislature approved Wednesday.Supporters say they are responding to increased incidents of reckless driving and carjacking, primarily in Milwaukee.The Senate passed a bill, on a bipartisan 23-8 vote, increasing penalties for carjacking. The measure now heads to the Assembly.MORE WISCONSIN NEWS | Son charged with killing Wisconsin cheese owners; journal detailing their ‘elimination’ foundThe Senate also voted 30-1 to pass a bill that would allow police to impound a repeat reckless driver’s vehicle. The Assembly followed suit later Wednesday afternoon, approving the legislation on an 85-12 vote.The bill goes next to Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who can sign it into law or veto it.The Assembly also approved a bill Wednesday that would double the fine and forfeiture ranges for reckless driving and subsequent offenses. The maximum forfeiture for a first off...