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Tyngsboro daycare case: Feds charge former New Hampshire lawmaker Stacie Marie Laughton with receipt of child pornography

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:59 GMT

The former New Hampshire state representative Stacie Marie Laughton, who identifies as a transgender woman, has been federally charged in connection with the Tyngsboro daycare child pornography case.Laughton, 39, of Nashua, N.H., was referred to as “PERSON 1” in the federal criminal complaint against Lindsay Groves, 38, of Hudson, N.H., who was charged last month with taking pornographic images of children at the Creative Minds daycare in Tyngsboro, where she worked.“I want to do this with you with one of my kids,” Groves allegedly texted her former romantic partner — who has now been identified as Laughton following Tuesday’s federal complaint filing — the afternoon of June 14 alongside a picture of a prepubescent boy with a focus on his genitals. “I took that picture a couple minutes ago.”Laughton allegedly responded to that text with “I also need to be honest I mean yes that picture was hot of that little boy but you probably have gotten the picture by now that I prefer little gi...

‘Courage and resilience:’ Judge acquits two men convicted in 1973 killing in Winnipeg

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:59 GMT

WINNIPEG — A judge has granted an acquittal to two First Nations men convicted of killing a restaurant worker in Winnipeg a half-century ago.Chief Justice Glenn Joyal of the Court of King’s Bench told Brian Anderson and Allan Woodhouse they are innocent and deserve acquittals, resulting in an eruption of cheers and claps from the gallery.“I’m now happy to enter them,” Joyal said of the acquittals. “Your stories are stories of courage and resilience.”So many people turned up for the appearance of Anderson and Woodhouse in Winnipeg court that it had to be moved to a bigger room.Following Joyal’s decision, people hugged and some began to cry.The Crown had asked for an acquittal of Anderson and Woodhouse, saying systemic racism had affected the investigation and prosecution.“Our justice system failed,” Crown attorney Michelle Jules told Joyal on Tuesday. “Failed to provide them a fair trial.”Federal Justice Minister David Lametti ordered a new trial in June...

Visa re-ups sponsorship with US Soccer, equal investment in women

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:59 GMT

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — On the eve of the Women’s World Cup, U.S. Soccer has extended its partnership with Visa for the next five years. As part of the agreement announced Tuesday, Visa again vowed that 50% of investment will go towards programs surrounding the U.S. women’s national team and women’s soccer initiatives.The deal ensures Visa’s ongoing involvement in the SheBelieves Cup international tournament in the United States each year. The financial services company is the tournament’s presenting sponsor.“It’s very aligned with our focus on sports but more importantly, with our focus on women and ensuring that women really do get equality,” said Mary Ann Reilly, head of North America marketing for Visa.The sponsorship also comes as the United States is set to host the 2026 men’s World Cup with Mexico and Canada.“We’ve actually done more with the U.S. women’s team from a SheBelieves Cup perspective, but I think it’s a huge opportunit...

Woman severely injured in bison attack in Roosevelt Park

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:59 GMT

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A bison severely injured a Minnesota woman on Saturday in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, the National Park Service said in a statement on Tuesday.Park officials reported she was in serious but stable condition after suffering “significant injuries to her abdomen and foot.”The woman was taken to a Fargo hospital after being transported by ambulance to a hospital in Dickinson, about 30 miles (48.28 kilometers) east of Painted Canyon, a colorful Badlands vista popular with motorists, where the attack occurred at a trailhead.The attack is under investigation; exact details are unknown. Park Superintendent Angie Richman did not immediately respond to an email requesting information.On Monday, a bison charged and gored a 47-year-old Phoenix woman in Yellowstone National Park. She sustained significant injuries to her chest and abdomen and was taken by helicopter to an Idaho Falls hospital.Park officials reminded visitors that bison are large, powerful and wild, an...

An American economist is getting a top EU job. And France’s Macron isn’t happy about it

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:59 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — With French President Emmanuel Macron insisting the European Union needs more strategic independence, he seemed decidedly piqued on Tuesday over the EU head office’s plans to hire an American expert as its chief competition economist. “Is there really no great European researcher with academic qualifications that could do this job?” Macron asked at a summit of EU leaders with their Latin American counterparts. In a bloc of some 450 million people, “is there no one in the 27 member states that has a researcher good enough to advise the Commission? That is a real question mark,” Macron said. The EU’s executive Commission announced last week that it had appointed Yale economics professor Fiona Scott Morton as chief competition economist in its department tasked with ensuring that “all companies compete equally and fairly on their merits within the single market, to the benefit of consumers, businesses and the European economy as a whole.”Macron i...

A ‘person of interest’ is being held in Oregon deaths of 4 women after governor revokes commutation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:59 GMT

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A man considered a person of interest in the deaths of four women whose bodies were found in northwestern Oregon is being held in a state prison after Gov. Tina Kotek reinstated a prison sentence that was commuted by her predecessor.Jesse Lee Calhoun, 38, is a person of interest in the deaths of 22-year-old Kristin Smith, 24-year-old Charity Lynn Perry, 31-year-old Bridget Leann Webster and 22-year-old Ashley Real, according to a law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation. The official requested anonymity Tuesday because they are not authorized to comment publicly on the case.The women’s bodies were found in wooded areas around Portland, Oregon, between February and May. Officials have not released any information about how the women died or why Calhoun is considered a person of interest in the investigation. He has not been charged.Calhoun did not immediately respond to an email sent through the Snake River Correctional Institution’s inmate comm...

James Patterson, Margaret Atwood among thousands of writers urging AI companies to honor copyrights

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:59 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — James Patterson, Suzanne Collins and Margaret Atwood are among thousands of writers endorsing an open letter from the Authors Guild urging AI companies to obtain permission before incorporating copyrighted work into their technologies. “Millions of copyrighted books, articles, essays, and poetry provide the ‘food’ for AI systems, endless meals for which there has been no bill,” the letter reads in part. “You’re spending billions of dollars to develop AI technology. It is only fair that you compensate us for using our writings, without which AI would be banal and extremely limited.”The letter is addressed to OpenAI, Meta, Microsoft and other AI producers. The Guild announced Tuesday that other signers include the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelists Jennifer Egan, Michael Chabon and Louise Erdrich, as well as authors Jonathan Franzen, Celeste Ng, Nora Roberts and Ron Chernow.“If creators aren’t compensated fairly, they can’t afford to create,” Roberts sa...

Las Vegas police serve search warrant in Tupac Shakur murder investigation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:59 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Authorities in Nevada confirmed Tuesday that they served a search warrant this week in connection with the long-unsolved killing of rapper Tupac Shakur.Shakur was fatally shot in September 1996 in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas. He was 25.The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said the search warrant was executed in the nearby city of Henderson. The department did not provide further details on the search, citing the open investigation.Associated Press, The Associated Press

Liberty and tacos for all: Taco Bell prevails as Taco John’s abandons trademark to ‘Taco Tuesday’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:59 GMT

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Taco Bell rang up a win Tuesday in its quest to make “Taco Tuesday” free of trademark restrictions, with Taco John’s formally abandoning its decades-old claim to own the phrase amid a challenge from its bigger rival.In a filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Cheyenne-based Taco John’s gave up any further claim to “Taco Tuesday” in 49 states, ending a high-profile spat with Taco Bell. But the dispute looks to keep simmering on the Jersey Shore, where Gregory’s Restaurant & Bar in Somers Point promised to keep fighting Taco Bell over the exclusive right to hold “Taco Tuesday” promotions in New Jersey.“We’re hanging in there. We’re sticking by our guns,” Gregory’s Restaurant & Bar attorney Stephen Altamuro said.While “Taco Tuesday” has become a well-known phrase often used at restaurants and elsewhere, Taco John’s has worked hard to defend its more than 40-year-old trademark of the term in the 49 states besides New Jerse...

Two European spyware firms added to US export blacklist

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:59 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Commerce Department added two Europe-based spyware companies to its technology export blacklist on Tuesday for developing surveillance tools deemed to have threatened U.S. national security as well as the privacy and integrity of individuals and organizations worldwide.Such tools are regularly used for political repression and other human rights abuses, including for spying on journalists and intimidating political dissidents.The sanctioned companies are in Greece-based Intellexa S.A., Hungary-based Cytrox and related entities in Ireland and Macedonia. Intellexa and Cytrox have been linked to Predator spyware, whose reported use in Greece helped precipitate the resignation last year of two top government officials, including the national intelligence director.Commercial spyware firms already on the Commerce Department’s so-called Entity List — essentially making it illegal for U.S. companies to do business with them — include Israel’s NSO Group...