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Battenfeld: Could Biden health concerns trigger Democratic doomsday scenario?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:12:13 GMT

Some falls are funny and some are alarming. The tumble by 80-year-old President Biden on the stage in Colorado falls into the alarming category.As you’ve probably seen, Biden tripped over a sandbag and fell head first onto the stage at the Air Force Academy after speaking, drawing audible gasps from the audience. Looking dazed and confused, the commander-in-chief pointed at the sandbag, as if it had jumped out in front of him.The media coverage of the incident was almost apologetic, as if covering for the president. The media pool report described Biden as looking “spry” after the fall. The headline in the Reuters story was, “Biden trips and falls during graduation ceremony, recovers quickly.” White House officials called him “totally fine.”A number of media had to go back to 1975 to talk about a fall then-President Gerald Ford took, as if to somehow imply this was common.But it wasn’t. If your 80-year-old father fell like that, you wouldn’t be quite so dismissive. You’d be naturall...

Adam Frazier wants to walk more than he strikes out. The Orioles veteran is one of the rare players who could.

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:12:13 GMT

To Adam Frazier, his goal is obvious.The veteran second baseman knows what he is, and what he isn’t.“I’m not a middle-of-the-order bat,” he said. “It’s about knowing your role.”Frazier, one of the best hitters at making contact in the major leagues, wants to walk more times this season than he strikes out — a feat he’s never accomplished and one that only six qualified batters did in 2022. Despite the fact that he’s part of a small percentage of players capable of achieving that goal, he doesn’t view it as unusual.“Well, why wouldn’t it be a goal?” Frazier quipped, noting that, of course, any player would want to walk more than he strikes out.However, simply having that as a goal — one that no Oriole has achieved since Rafael Palmeiro in 2004 — exemplifies Frazier’s skill set and value in the Orioles’ lineup so far this season, his first in Baltimore.“I’ve got a sp...

No more survivors found after India train crash kills over 280, injures 900; Modi heads to site

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:12:13 GMT

BALASORE, India (AP) — Rescuers found no more survivors in the overturned and mangled wreckage of two passenger trains that derailed in eastern India, killing more than 280 people and injuring hundreds in one of the country’s deadliest rail crashes in decades, officials said Saturday.Chaotic scenes erupted after the derailment on Friday night about 220 kilometers (137 miles) southwest of Kolkata, as rescuers climbed atop the wrecked trains to break open doors and windows using cutting torches. The death toll rose steadily throughout the night. Scores of bodies, covered by white sheets, lay on the ground near the tracks as locals and rescuers raced to help survivors. Army soldiers and air force helicopters joined the effort.“By 10 p.m. (on Friday) we were able to rescue the survivors. After that it was about picking up dead bodies,” Sudhanshu Sarangi, director of Odisha state’s fire and emergency department, told The Associated Press. “This is very, very tragic. I have ne...

US defense secretary says Washington won’t stand for ‘coercion and bullying’ from China

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:12:13 GMT

SINGAPORE (AP) — U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin vowed Saturday that Washington would not stand for any “coercion and bullying” of its allies and partners by China, while assuring Beijing that the United States remains committed to maintaining the status quo on Taiwan and would prefer dialogue over conflict.Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual forum bringing together top defense officials, diplomats and leaders in Singapore, Austin lobbied for support for Washington’s vision of a “free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific within a world of rules and rights” as the best course to counter increasing Chinese assertiveness in the region.The U.S. has been expanding its own activities around the Indo-Pacific to counter sweeping territorial claims from China, including regularly sailing through and flying over the Taiwan Strait and in the South China Sea. “We are committed to ensuring that every country can fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows,” he...

Israeli army kills gunman in shootout along Egypt’s border

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:12:13 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli troops shot and killed a gunman on Saturday in a shootout in southern Israel along the Egyptian border, the military said. It said the assailant was in Israeli territory when he opened fire at troops. The soldiers returned fire, killing the gunman. In an earlier statement, the army said two people were wounded. Israel and Egypt signed a peace agreement in 1979 and maintain close security ties. Fighting along their shared border is rare.The exchange of fire reportedly took place around the Nitzana border crossing between Israel and Egypt. The crossing is located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) southeast of the point where Israel’s border with Egypt and the Gaza Strip converge. It’s used to import goods from Egypt destined for Israel or the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.Israel built a fence along the porous border a decade ago to halt the entry of African migrants and Islamic militants who are active in Egypt’s Sinai desert.The Associated Press

Canadian towns and cities try creative ways to recruit lifeguards amid shortage

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:12:13 GMT

Staff running pools across Canada are trying to entice people to work as lifeguards amid a shortage, the Lifesaving Society says.  Pool and beach staffing can be somewhat challenging at the best of times, since the job often appeals to high school students between 16 to 18 who then leave to go away for post-secondary education, said Stephanie Bakalar, spokesperson for the Lifesaving Society Ontario. But COVID-19 made things worse. “You have those couple of years where hardly anyone got certified because the pools (were) open a little bit here and there, but not consistently enough to be able to really plan and run all these (training) programs,” Bakalar said. “It’s not like we could just put everyone on Zoom and say, ‘Oh, you could be a lifeguard,'” she said. “You need to be physically in the water.”On Friday, the Ontario government lowered the minimum age requirement for lifeguards from 16 to 15 years old in a move aimed at addressing...

‘I will not bend’: MP Jenny Kwan says she won’t allow China to erase history

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:12:13 GMT

OTTAWA — The briefing with Canada’s spy agency, warning Jenny Kwan that she is a target of foreign interference by China, took roughly an hour.It took less than a second, she says, for her to decide that she wouldn’t let Beijing weaken her resolve. The Hong Kong-born member of Parliament has been outspoken against human-rights violations by the Chinese Communist Party and often advocates for the country’s Uyghur Muslim minority.Kwan said in an interview with The Canadian Press that that’s what made her an “evergreen” target of the Chinese government, which has had its eye on her since before the 2019 federal election. She said she received a briefing from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service last week. She was not able to divulge the details of the intelligence they shared due to security laws. But she did not notice the interference when it was happening, she said. “My takeaway from that briefing is this: No matter what foreign interf...

How to keep your kids safe at the pool, beach and cottage this summer

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:12:13 GMT

The season for pool parties, beach excursions and trips to the cottage has begun.Sadly, some of these events turn tragic each year and drowning is the second leading cause of preventable death for children under 10 years old in Canada. Here are some tips from the Lifesaving Society of Canada on how to keep your kids — and yourself — safe:  When kids are in the water, they should always be within arm’s reach of an adult. It only takes seconds for a child to drown. At pool parties, the adults often chat among themselves while the kids are swimming. It’s easy to become distracted while assuming someone else is keeping an eye on the children.  Designate one adult to be watching the kids at all times instead of participating in the conversation. The Lifesaving Society suggests taking 15-to 20-minute shifts and then actively handing over kid-watching duties to the next adult. Get a whistle to pass between each other so it’s always clear who’s responsible for lifegu...

U.S. adds 339,000 jobs in May, unemployment rises to 3.7%

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:12:13 GMT

WASHINGTON — The nation’s employers stepped up their hiring in May, adding a robust 339,000 jobs, well above expectations and evidence of enduring strength in an economy that the Federal Reserve is desperately trying to cool.Friday’s report from the government reflected the job market’s resilience after more than a year of rapid interest rate increases by the Fed. Many industries, from construction to restaurants to health care, are still adding jobs to keep up with consumer demand and restore their workforces to pre-pandemic levels.Yet there were some mixed messages in the jobs figures, which also showed that the unemployment rate rose to 3.7%, from a five-decade low of 3.4% in April. The government compiles the unemployment data with a different survey than the one used to calculate job gains. The two surveys can sometimes conflict.The length of the average work week also declined, and wage growth cooled, resulting in a jobs report that economists said painted an unusu...

Ask Amy: Time to sell a gift that has outlived a friendship

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:12:13 GMT

Dear Amy: Eighteen months ago, a friend gave me two highly collectible vintage items. I had always loved them, and she said she didn’t care for them anymore.About a year ago she abruptly moved across the country to live with her boyfriend, and cut all contact with everybody; it’s clear that she has no intention of speaking with me again.I still have the items she gave to me, and while I do like them, since our relationship ended on a sour note I don’t want to keep them.I want to sell them, since they’re quite valuable (about $800 for the pair), but to complicate things I’m really great friends with her brother, “James,” who still lives in my city.James and his sister shared the items in childhood (a gift from their mother), and so I’m feeling torn. Would it be rude of me to sell them? I don’t think he has any interest in keeping them (his sister told me this), and they’d probably just get put in storage.Should I give him a portion of the mon...