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Yellen: Different system needed to end repeated standoffs over US debt ceiling

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:46 GMT

NIIGATA, Japan (AP) — After dozens of standoffs with Congress over government spending in recent decades, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Thursday that in her personal opinion, the United States should adopt a different system for national finances.Emphasizing that it was her own opinion, not President Joe Biden’s, Yellen said there are various alternatives for avoiding situations where the Treasury lacks the funds to pay its bills. In January, the U.S. government ran up against its legal borrowing limit of $31.381 trillion, and the Treasury Department began implementing “extraordinary measures” to avoid missing payments on its bills.It’s a predicament that has occurred nearly 80 times since 1960, she said. The Treasury Department has warned the U.S. could default as soon as June 1 if there is no deal.“Personally, I think we should find a different system for deciding on fiscal policy,” Yellen said when asked about the issue. Congress could repeal the debt ceiling o...

In The News for May 11 : RCMP to start field-testing body-worn cameras

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:46 GMT

In The News is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to kickstart your day. Here is what’s on the radar of our editors for the morning of May 11 …What we are watching in Canada …The RCMP says it expects officers in three parts of the country to start field-testing body-worn cameras in the coming days. Members of the RCMP in Nova Scotia, Nunavut and Alberta will have audio and video from the cameras captured and uploaded onto a digital evidence management system. The RCMP says up to 300 cameras will be rolled out in those locations. The field tests will be used to help inform the broader use of body cameras in RCMP attachments across the country. That national rollout is not expected for another 18 months, but the RCMP says that when it happens, the standard will be for Mounties to wear the cameras when they are working on the front lines. Police say the cameras can help increase trust between law enforcement and communities, because the footage that...

RCMP to begin field-testing body cameras ahead of national rollout

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:46 GMT

OTTAWA — The RCMP says it expects officers in three parts of the country to start field-testing body-worn cameras in the coming days. Members of the RCMP in Nova Scotia, Nunavut and Alberta will have audio and video from the cameras captured and uploaded onto a digital evidence management system. The RCMP says up to 300 cameras will be rolled out in those locations. The field tests will be used to help inform the broader use of body cameras in RCMP attachments across the country. That national rollout is not expected for another 18 months, but the RCMP says that when it happens, the standard will be for Mounties to wear the cameras when they are working on the front lines. Police say the cameras can help increase trust between law enforcement and communities, because the footage that is captured provides an authentic lens on interactions between officers and the public. Earlier this year, the Alberta government announced that body-worn cameras would become mandatory for all officers...

Controversy after Quebec teachers replace Mother’s Day with celebration of parents

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:46 GMT

MONTREAL — The controversial decision by teachers at a Quebec school to replace Mother’s Day events with a celebration of parents has caused ripples all the way to the provincial legislature, but supporters say such moves can benefit children.The school service centre that oversees La Chanterelle school in Quebec City said the teachers made the decision — which was announced to parents by email — because several students in their classes don’t have a mother or father, while others are in foster homes.“It is clear … that this initiative was motivated by the teachers’ benevolent intentions towards the students in their class,” the Centre de services scolaire de la Capitale said in a statement posted on social media. “But, clearly, their communication was clumsy and could have been misunderstood and misinterpreted, and we are sorry.”The apology came after Quebec Conservative Leader Éric Duhaime this week shared on Twitter the email sent t...

Daily horoscope for May 11, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:46 GMT

Moon Alert: There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions today. The Moon is in Aquarius.Happy Birthday for Thursday, May 11, 2023:You are passionate, focused and independent. You like to call your own shots. You’re also persuasive when you want to be. Exciting changes are taking place this year that will give you more personal freedom. Stay flexible but ready to act on new opportunities. Travel is likely.ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★★This is a good day to make long-range plans about money issues, earnings, cash flow and anything that you own, especially your personal possessions. You’re in a practical frame of mind today, which means if you are shopping, you will want to buy long-lasting, useful items. Tonight: Entertain.TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★★Look around you today with a critical eye to see what needs to be changed. You will spot what needs to be done because you’re very conscious of the flaws in everything that you look at. Your mind is on serio...

Ukraine general: Russia hopes to capture Bakhmut

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:46 GMT

Russia has intensified shelling of Bakhmut, Ukraine's top general in charge of the defence of the besieged city said late on Sunday (7 May), vowing to do everything to prevent it.Victory Day in Russia was 9 May, one of the country's most commemorated public holidays marking the anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany.Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, the Ukrainian commander of ground forces, said that Russian forces increased the intensity of shelling with heavy weapons of the city, began to use more advanced equipment and are regrouping troops."Today, it is important to make decisions as quickly as possible and predict the actions of the enemy," Syrskyi said on his Telegram channel after what he said was a visit to the troops along the Bakhmut frontline."The Russians still hope to capture the city by May 9. Our task is to prevent this."The battle for the city, once home to 70,000 people, has symbolic importance for both sides, with Ukraine still holding on to some parts of after ...

Harriette Cole: He said I could be his intern, but there’s something I didn’t tell him

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:46 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: I met a man with a really cool business, and I approached him about working with him this summer as an intern. We had a great conversation afterward, and he told me I could start whenever I want, but then he told me that internships at his company are unpaid. He does work with schools to offer college credit, though.I am a college student on financial aid, and I need to work in the summer and save money for the school year. I really want a chance to work with this man. Do I dare tell him my situation?I know that lots of companies offer only unpaid internships, especially if they are small businesses. But no matter what, I can’t afford that.Do I Speak Up?DEAR DO I SPEAK UP? By all means, explain your situation to this man. You never know. He may be able to make an exception for you.Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: Is there anything I can do about my tough boss? Advice | Harriette Cole: I can’t put up with her rants any lo...

Miss Manners: Apparently I’m ‘unfriendly’ to street harassers and men who tell me to smile

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:46 GMT

DEAR MISS MANNERS: From an etiquette perspective, am I required to engage with men I don’t know who attempt to talk to me?My husband and I moved to a busy touristy area, and we can’t walk down the sidewalk without men trying to shove menus into our hands and wave us into their restaurants. Or vendors will call out, “Hello, my friends!” to get us into their shops. Other times, it’s not obvious why they are attempting to talk to us, but I assume they want something.My instincts are to completely ignore them and not even make eye contact. That goes for a street vendor, a catcalling construction worker, a commuter attempting to chat me up on the train, or a guy on the street saying, “You have such a pretty face, why aren’t you smiling?”I don’t know them, don’t want to know them, and don’t wish to buy anything from/date/make friends with them.In my experience, once you react to them in any way, they will take that as an &#...

Search for 3 underway after aircraft goes down near Southern California isalnd

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:46 GMT

A search effort was underway to find three men on Wednesday, May 10, after an aircraft went down in the sea near San Clemente Island, authorities said.The Phoenix Learjet crashed about a mile southwest of the island just before 8 a.m., with those aboard broadcasting an aircraft emergency to Navy personnel on the island, according to Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Levi Read.Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | Teen missing in New Zealand cave after downpour during school trip Crashes and Disasters | Driver in deadly Texas bus stop crash charged with manslaughter Crashes and Disasters | Father doing yardwork killed by his own truck after child set it rolling, police say Crashes and Disasters | Metal ductwork collapses, injures 6 at Colorado resort pool Crashes and Disasters | Blaze at Houston petrochemical plant leaves 5 injured A U.S. Navy Phoenix Learjet was in the area when the downed aircraft was f...

Former California high school cheerleading coach charged with molesting 6 girls

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:46 GMT

A former high school cheerleading coach in Mission Viejo has been arrested and charged with multiple felonies on suspicion of molesting six girls between 11 and 16 years old from 2002 to 2006, authorities said Wednesday.The 44-year-old man, Erick Kristianson, now a resident of Antioch, Tenn., was arrested last week in Fargo, N.D., on a felony warrant tied to the Orange County case. He faces 16 felony counts, including seven felony counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a minor under 14, the Orange County District Attorney’s office said in a statement.“This was not a predator hiding in the shadows waiting to grab innocent girls. He was hiding in plain sight as he assaulted girl after girl, thinking he would never be caught because they trusted him as a coach,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in the statement.From 2002 to 2008, Kristianson worked as a competitive cheerleading coach at Magic All-Stars and assistant cheer coach at Trabuco Hills High School in 2005, whe...