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Trump-appointed federal judge rejects Tennessee’s anti-drag law as too broad, too vague

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:32:01 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A federal judge says Tennessee’s first-in-the-nation law designed to place strict limits on drag shows is unconstitutional. In a 70-page ruling handed down late Friday night, U.S. District Judge Thomas Parker wrote that the law was both “unconstitutionally vague and substantially overbroad.” He also added that the statute encouraged “discriminatory enforcement.”“There is no question that obscenity is not protected by the First Amendment. But there is a difference between material that is ‘obscene’ in the vernacular, and material that is ‘obscene’ under the law,” stated Parker, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump. “Simply put, no majority of the Supreme Court has held that sexually explicit — but not obscene — speech receives less protection than political, artistic, or scientific speech.”The Memphis-based Friends of George’s filed the complaint in March, saying the law would negatively impact them because they produce “drag-centric perfor...

Inuit, environmental groups praise cruises for agreeing to avoid Eclipse Sound

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:32:01 GMT

POND INLET, Nunavut — A marine conservation charity and Inuit hunters are praising cruise operators for agreeing to avoid a Nunavut waterway where thousands of narwhal migrate each summer. The Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators recently said its members’ ships would not travel through Eclipse Sound this summer and instead go through the Pond Inlet strait. Oceans North and the Mittimatalik Hunters and Trappers Organization had requested the move as numbers of summering narwhal in the area off the northeastern coast of Baffin Island have decreased, which they say is due to increased shipping traffic. “Narwhal continue to decline in our area and have not bounced back to historical numbers as we had hoped,” David Qamaniq, chair of the hunters and trappers organization, said in a news release. “We thank the cruise ship operators for working with us this year to protect the animals that remain.”Aerial surveys have shown a drop in the number of narwha...

Which states buy the most American cars?

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:32:01 GMT

(iSeeCars) -- Buying an American car has long been considered an act of patriotism, although the definition of buying American has become increasingly blurred. There are cars with American nameplates like Buick that are manufactured overseas, while some Volkswagens and Toyotas are assembled in the United States. However, buying a domestic brand versus a foreign one can still signal a sense of pride among proud Americans, even if being made in America isn’t exclusive to American brands.To determine which states favor domestic auto brands, iSeeCars analyzed 200,000 car sales to rank each state by their percentage share of cars with domestic nameplates.States with the Most American VehiclesRankState% American1Michigan76.6%2North Dakota69.4%3Wyoming69.3%4South Dakota68.6%5Iowa66.6%6Montana63.9%7Wisconsin60.1%8Nebraska59.7%9Kansas58.2%10Alaska56.5%11Indiana56.2%12Arkansas56.2%13Missouri55.4%14West Virginia54.9%15Kentucky54.6%16Minnesota54.4%17Ohio53.4%18Idaho53.3%19Maine52.6%20New Mexico...

Military, tech experts raise concerns about AI weaponization: 'We have to be very concerned'

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:32:01 GMT

(NewsNation) – The speed at which artificial intelligence (AI) is developing and its vast array of capabilities have legislators wondering how much the advanced tech is capable of doing. “It really takes me back to the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, and nuclear physics. We knew right away nuclear physics could build energy," said Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., who serves on the Homeland Security Committee. “But we also knew it could turn into atom bombs.” ‘Pivotal moment’: Department of Homeland Security launches AI task force Marshall is one of many lawmakers to tell NewsNation that rapid development of AI technology is inevitable but that Congress should put guardrails in place to ensure it is not misused. “We have to be very concerned with what we talked about, which is the unintended consequences,” said retired Air Force Maj. Gen. William Enyart. The voices of caution come as reports have surfaced of the military dabbling with the idea of scenarios in which AI-powered drones are weaponize...

Weekend Break at Urban Pooch on NW side

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:32:01 GMT

Check out Marcella Raymond in this episode of Weekend Break where she visits a canine life center, Urban Pooch, on the Northwest Side.Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

Giants player makes history with 100th 'Splash Hit' home run

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:32:01 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – It took 23 seasons, but the San Francisco Giants recorded their 100th "Splash Hit" home run on Friday. Giants first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. homered on the first pitch of the bottom of the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles, sending the ball over the right field wall and squarely into McCovey Cove, in the San Francisco Bay. It was the 100th time a Giant earned a so-called "Splash Hit" over the last few decades.Despite the historic homer, the Giants lost to the Orioles 3-2 on Friday. No charges against Rendon for altercation with A’s fan Since the opening of Oracle Park in 2000, it has been a tradition for fans and kayakers to hang out in McCovey Cove, hoping to get lucky and go home with a ball. The lucky fan who secured Friday's Splash Hit obviously made the broadcast, appearing overwhelmed as he sat in his kayak.Boaters and fans congregate in McCovey Cove during a game on October 27, 2010, at the then-AT&T Park in San Francisco, California. (P...

Take the kids to AMC Theatres for $3-$5 this summer

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:32:01 GMT

(WDAF/NEXSTAR) — For the first time since 2019, AMC Theatres' Summer Movie Camp program is back — offering up discounted tickets for families across the country. Now through August, select AMC Theatre locations will screen family-friendly movies for $3 on Wednesdays and $5 on Saturdays. Most expensive Spider-Man comics on eBay cost $1M “Through the return of this exciting program, moviegoers of any age can enjoy a popular film on the big screen, at a value that ensures that it’s accessible to everyone, and groups of all sizes,” Elizabeth Frank, EVP, Worldwide Programming & Chief Content Officer for AMC, said in a release.Moviegoers can enjoy 14 different films over the course of the summer with titles ranging from family favorites like “Kung Fu Panda" and "Shrek 2," to recent hits like “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish" and "Sonic the Hedgehog 2." Ford urges owners of some Lincoln SUVs to park outdoors because they can catch fire with engines off Participating locatio...

Working Strategies: TMI? Weeding down your résumé accomplishments

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:32:01 GMT

Amy LindgrenHaving too much information for your résumé seems like a problem with an easy solution: Edit some out. But what if it’s important information, which you honestly believe your reader will want to have?This isn’t usually a problem for those with little experience, but it’s a somewhat common struggle for workers “of a certain age.” These are the folks who have three or more decades of experience, with snippets of value embedded in each entry of the résumé.While the advice to arbitrarily lop off all information past a certain date is frankly dumb, the underlying intent is smart. Going short keeps you from looking like Methuselah, while also sparing your reader from pages of unneeded detail.• Too much information. Or TMI as we’ve all learned to say. The challenge is to figure out which points are most important, and then to present the information in a clear but succinct way. One solution? The humble, often forgotten addendum.(If you remember your Latin, you’ll know that adde...

Joe Soucheray: We don’t have the $100 million. Might as well add another $12 million?

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:32:01 GMT

The Summit Avenue bicycle trail, lost trees and all, approved by the St. Paul City Council by a 6-1 vote on May 24, still has a bit of a problem. There is no money to pay for it.That little elephant has been in the room from the first day unelected bureaucrats dreamed of a bicycle freeway, magnificent architecture and history be damned.It was always meant to be a tagalong project, not an afterthought, more like a might-as-well. There is no money to pay for rebuilding Summit end to end. That was already in the cards at a price of about $100 million. The bike trail, the might-as-well, is another $12 million or so that also doesn’t exist.In other words, the $12 million that doesn’t exist is to be tacked onto the $100 million that doesn’t exist.So why build it?Because we have placed in positions of authority a majority of modern DFLers — not your father’s or Hubert Humphrey’s DFL — who have no idea of financial reality, no sense of disciplined budgeting and no intention of e...

Keenan Anderson, zapped with LAPD stun gun in Venice, died of cocaine use, enlarged heart, coroner says

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:32:01 GMT

A man who died after police used a stun gun on him during his arrest in Venice was killed by an enlarged heart and cocaine use, the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner said Friday.Keenan Darnell Anderson, 31, died on Jan. 3 after police responded to a traffic crash and found Anderson exhibiting what they described as "erratic behavior."Los Angeles Police Department officers used a stun gun on Anderson several times after they claim he was initially compliant, but then fled officers and resisted when he was captured.He went into cardiac arrest and died at a hospital, police said.While the coroner attributed the death of the father and high school teacher to cocaine use and an enlarged heart (also known as cardiomyopathy), officials noted that "the manner of death is undetermined."Anderson's death renewed criticism of the LAPD, and in the days following Anderson's death, his cousin, Black Lives Matter cofounder Patrisse Cullors, joined family and friends to prote...