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Former DEA informant pleads guilty in 2021 assassination of Haiti’s president

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:50 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — A former confidential informant for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to assassinate Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, whose killing in 2021 caused unprecedented turmoil in the Caribbean nation.Joseph Vincent, a dual Haitian-American citizen who lived in the U.S. and attended meetings in South Florida and Haiti ahead of the assassination, is the fourth of 11 defendants in Miami to plead guilty. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison on charges including conspiracy to kill and kidnap a person outside the U.S. and conspiracy to provide material support and resources.According to authorities, about 20 Colombian citizens and several dual Haitian-American citizens participated in the plot. The conspirators initially planned to kidnap the Haitian president but later opted to kill him. Investigators allege the plotters had hoped to win contracts under Moïse’s successor.Vincent, wearing a prisoner’s beige shirt and pants, ...

Jamie Foxx marks his remarkable recovery and ‘new respect for life’ following health crisis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:50 GMT

(CNN) — Jamie Foxx took the occasion of an acceptance on Monday to address his health crisis in April.The Oscar-winning actor made a surprise appearance at the Critics Choice Association‘s Celebration of Cinema and Television: Honoring Black, Latino and AAPI Achievements, where he received the Vanguard Award for his performance in the film, “The Burial.”It was his first major public event since he was hospitalized in Atlanta in April with an undisclosed medical condition. Foxx received a standing ovation when he took the stage.“I’ve been through something. I’ve been through some things. You know, it’s crazy, I couldn’t do that six months ago. I couldn’t actually walk,” Foxx said, pausing as he became overwhelmed with emotion. “I’m not a clone, I’m not a clone. I know a lot of people who was saying I was cloned out there.”The star was referencing his role in the Netflix project “They Cloned Tyrone,” which has resulted in some outlandish theories about his hospital...

Lionel Messi named Time Magazine’s 2023 Athlete of the Year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:50 GMT

Argentine soccer icon Lionel Messi has been named Time Magazine’s 2023 Athlete of the Year. The prestigious honor was announced on Tuesday morning, acknowledging Messi’s achievements over the past 12 months.Messi’s remarkable year includes securing his first World Cup victory last fall in Qatar and making a historic move to Inter Miami, marking one of Major League Soccer’s most significant deals.

Cold case closed: Alleged serial killer already on death row indicted for 1998 Broward County murder

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:50 GMT

After more than two decades, Broward Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit detectives have made a significant breakthrough in the case of Jane Doe, now identified as Eileen Truppner, who was brutally raped and murdered in a grassy area in southwest Broward County off of U.S. 27. In a press release on Tuesday, family members of the deceased woman, along with BSO detectives, addressed the public on the findingEileen Truppner, originally from Puerto Rico, had moved to South Florida years earlier to embark on a new chapter in her life. Her body was discovered in December 1998 by a boater during a weekend outing.The alleged killer, Lucious Boyd, is already on death row for a previous murder.Lucious Boyd (Courtesy Florida Department of Corrections)Boyd, convicted of murdering 21-year-old Dawnia Dacosta just two weeks before Eileen’s tragic death, remains a suspect in other unsolved cases, BSO said in a news release. “This wraps up a case that took place back in 1998, where Jane Doe was se...

SWAT arrest man barricaded in Fort Lauderdale home after killing dog

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:50 GMT

Fort Lauderdale SWAT teams arrested a man after he barricaded himself inside a home following a disturbing altercation with a dog. The situation unfolded on Tuesday morning when police responded to a distressing call from a woman reporting that her grandson had allegedly killed her dog at a residence along the 1200 block of Northwest 23rd Terrace.When authorities arrived, the man, known to have mental health issues, barricaded himself inside the home and refused to exit. SWAT members combed the inside and outside of the home, eventually throwing tear gas to draw the man out. Before 1 p.m., authorities surrounded the man and forced him onto a gurney as he was giving law enforcement a hard time during the arrest. In response to the ongoing standoff, Dillard Elementary School and Dillard High School, located nearby, were placed on a temporary lockdown as a safety measure while the SWAT team managed the situation. Once the man is placed into a rescue vehicle, the schools are expected to...

Ireland to vote on valuing women outside ‘the home’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:50 GMT

DUBLIN — In Ireland’s constitution, a woman’s place is in the home — but not for much longer.The Irish government on Tuesday announced long-awaited plans to drop the sexism from Ireland’s constitution, which declares that women shouldn’t be expected “to engage in labour to the neglect of their duties in the home.” It also describes “the common good” as dependent on defending women’s “life within the home.”When Irish leader Eamon de Valera drafted that 1937 constitution in close consultation with the Roman Catholic hierarchy, he sought to shape a nation fit for what he called, in his most famous St. Patrick’s Day address, “the laughter of happy maidens” and “the life that God desires that men should live.”Ireland has been gradually digging itself out of Dev’s conservative Catholic vision of the country by amending that constitution repeatedly — first in 1973 by removing its declaration of “the special position of the Holy Catholic Apostolic and Roman Church;” then in 2015 by becoming...

Tuberville is ending blockade of most military nominees, clearing way for hundreds to be approved

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:50 GMT

By KEVIN FREKING (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Tommy Tuberville said Tuesday he is ending his blockade of hundreds of military promotions, clearing the way for hundreds to be approved.Tuberville’s blockade of military promotions was over a dispute about a Pentagon abortion policy. The Alabama Republican said Tuesday he’s “not going to hold the promotions of these people any longer.”Almost 400 military nominations have been in limbo due to Tuberville’s blanket hold on confirmations and promotions for senior military officers. It’s a stance that has left key national security positions unfilled and military families with an uncertain path forward.

Column: Chicago White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf only talks about the past despite so many questions about the future

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:50 GMT

Chicago White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf was discussing Jim Leyland’s National Baseball Hall of Fame selection at the MLB winter meetings Monday when he was asked about his pursuit of Leyland to replace Terry Bevington as manager after the 1996 season.“It was after 2003,” Reinsdorf replied. “In 1996 or ’97 didn’t I try to bring (Tony) La Russa back?”Bruce Levine and I confirmed it was Leyland in ’96.“No after Bevington that was La Russa, when we tried to bring him back,” Reinsdorf said.“And I don’t want to get into that, but we did try to bring Jim back (in ’03).”Never get in the way of a good story is my motto.The Sox wound up hiring Ozzie Guillen in ’03, the only club manager to win a World Series in the last 106 years. Leyland finished his career in Detroit and wound up in Cooperstown where he belongs.After Reinsdorf finished talking up his old friend he asked: “Is that it?”I t...

2024 housing trends: Lower rates, lower rents, more affordability

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:50 GMT

By Holden Lewis | NerdWalletAttention, home buyers, homeowners and renters: 2024 might treat you more kindly than 2023 did.The housing market was downright hostile in 2023. The 30-year mortgage rate rose from about 6% in February to 8% in October. The median home price peaked above $400,000. Home affordability plunged.2024 will bring lower mortgage rates, forecasters predict. If they’re right, home buyers will gain purchasing power. “It’ll be nice to move past the point where we’re not setting new records for unaffordability,” says Danielle Hale, chief economist for Realtor.com.If optimistic forecasts are accurate, more homeowners might list their homes for sale in 2024, even if it means giving up their low mortgage rates. And renters might get some relief too.Here are mortgage and housing trends to watch for in 2024.Mortgage rates should trend a little lowerFannie Mae, the Mortgage Bankers Association and the National Association of Realtors all predic...

More Republicans considering Cape Cod Senate run as Dylan Fernandes jumps into race

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:50 GMT

More Republicans said Tuesday they were mulling a run for a South Shore and Cape Cod Senate seat that will open up at the end of 2023-2024 legislative session as a local House Democrat tossed his hat into the race.Bourne School Committee member Kari MacRae, a Republican, said she plans to run for the post a week after Sen. Susan Moran, a third-term lawmaker from Falmouth, announced she would not seek reelection to the Plymouth and Barnstable Senate seat, and instead run for Barnstable Superior Court Clerk, an elected county position.MacRae, who unsuccessfully challenged Moran in 2020, said she was planning to run for the seat before Moran said she would not seek another term on Beacon Hill.“I definitely think immigration is the biggest problem, the way they’re handling it. Not necessarily the people themselves, but the way we’re handling it, and how much money it’s costing us. And I just think it’s misappropriation of funds,” MacRae said in a phone call with ...