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Connecticut enacts its most sweeping gun control law since the Sandy Hook shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:20 GMT

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut’s most wide-ranging gun control measure since the 2013 law enacted after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting takes effect Sunday, with proponents vowing to pursue more gun legislation despite legal challenges happening across the country. The new law, signed by Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont in June, bans the open carrying of firearms and prohibits the sale of more than three handguns within 30 days to any one person, with some exceptions for instructors and others. “We will not take a break and we cannot stop now, and we will continue to pass life-saving laws until we end gun violence in Connecticut. Our lives depend on it,” said Jeremy Stein, executive director of Connecticut Against Gun Violence. Immediately after it was passed, the law was challenged in court by gun rights supporters. Connecticut’s landmark 2013 gun law, passed in response to the 2012 elementary school shooting in Newtown that claimed 26 lives, is also being contested i...

Pakistani Taliban attack a police post in eastern Punjab province killing 1 officer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:20 GMT

MULTAN, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani Taliban fighters attacked a police post in eastern Punjab province early Sunday, killing one officer and injuring three others, triggering an intense shootout that killed two of the attackers, officials said.The attack occurred in the Mianwali district of Punjab province and led to an intense exchange of fire as reinforcements arrived at the besieged police post, said Imran Nawaz, a spokesman for the counterterrorism police. A group of 10 to 12 militants attacked the Kundal police post in the Easa Khel area of Mianwali, close to the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, after midnight, Nawaz said. The exchange of gunfire continued for hours during which two of the attackers were killed and a third was injured but escaped with others, Nawaz said. A search operation was underway in the area to find the attackers, he said.Mohammad Khurasani, a spokesman for Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, claimed responsibility for the attack.The Pakistani Talib...

Chicago is keeping hundreds of migrants at airports while waiting on shelters and tents

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:20 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Hidden behind a heavy black curtain in one of the nation’s busiest airports is Chicago’s unsettling response to a growing population of asylum-seekers arriving by plane.Hundreds of migrants, from babies to the elderly, live inside a shuttle bus center at O’Hare International Airport’s Terminal 1. They sleep on cardboard pads on the floor and share airport bathrooms. A private firm monitors their movements.Like New York and other cities, Chicago has struggled to house asylum-seekers, slowly moving people out of temporary spaces and into shelters and, in the near future, tents. But Chicago’s use of airports is unusual, having been rejected elsewhere, and highlights the city’s haphazard response to the crisis. The practice also has raised concerns about safety and the treatment of people fleeing violence and poverty. “It was supposed to be a stop-and-go place,” said Vianney Marzullo, one of the few volunteers at O’Hare. “It’s very concerning. It is not just a...

Washington officers on trial in deadly arrest of Manny Ellis, a case reminiscent of George Floyd

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:20 GMT

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — Police wrestle the unarmed Black man to the sidewalk. One officer pushes his face into the pavement as he pleads in vain: “Can’t breathe.”Witnesses capture the scene at a dark intersection on their cellphones — one yells, “Hey! Stop! Oh my God, stop hitting him!” — and the medical examiner rules the man’s death a homicide. The story evokes images of George Floyd begging for his life under the knee of a Minneapolis officer in May 2020. But this wasn’t Floyd. This is the story of Manuel Ellis, who died, hogtied and handcuffed by three Tacoma officers, nearly three months before Floyd’s death would spark an international outcry against police brutality.Ellis’ death, which coincided with the first U.S. outbreak of COVID-19 at a nursing home in Kirkland, Washington, became a touchstone for racial justice demonstrators locally but did not garner the attention of Floyd’s murder in front of a crowd in broad daylight. Still, the trial of the officers charged in EllisR...

Rapids vs Austin FC Takeaways: Colorado plays spoiler as Sebastian Anderson shines in start, Andreas Maxsø scores

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:20 GMT

COMMERCE CITY — The Colorado Rapids might not think of themselves as spoilers. However, the rest of Major League Soccer certainly sees the role they can play down the stretch.That’s exactly what the Rapids did Saturday night at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park as Designated Player and captain Andreas Maxsø’s 41st-minute goal off a set piece proved decisive in a 1-0 win over Austin FC.“I hadn’t actually thought about (playing spoiler),” interim Rapids head coach Chris Little said. “We had a bit of a point to prove. We didn’t get three points from a lead the last game at home, so the focus has always been on us. … We have to win some more games and finish the season as positively as we can for our fans.”With the win, it’s the first time Colorado (5-15-11, 26 points) has achieved four points in the span of a week since May 6. Little has picked up seven points in his five games in charge. Here are three takeaways from the...

Langeliers’ homer sends A’s past Angels after Boyle’s no-hit bid broken up

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:20 GMT

ANAHEIM — Even with a two-run deficit in the eighth inning of the 161st game of a 111-loss season, the Oakland Athletics were still fighting.Their manager loved to see that unceasing fire stay lit in an awfully dark year.Shea Langeliers hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the A’s five-run eighth inning, leading Oakland to a 7-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night.Zack Gelof homered and added two late RBI singles for the A’s, who earned their fourth victory in 16 games on the penultimate day of their franchise’s worst season since 1916.ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 30: Joe Boyle #35 of the Oakland Athletics reacts after the third out against the Los Angeles Angels in the sixth inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on September 30, 2023 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) Oakland could have been crushed after Joe Boyle’s no-hit bid ended with LA’s three-run rally in the seventh, but nobody gave up.“These guys have competed, and ...

San Diego clinches 1st NWSL playoff berth with 2-0 victory over Portland

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:20 GMT

Kyra Carusa and Alex Morgan both scored and the San Diego Wave moved into the top spot in the National Women’s Soccer League standings and became the first team to clinch a playoff berth with a 2-0 victory over the Portland Thorns on Saturday night. It was San Diego’s league-best sixth road win this season. Carusa scored in the 20th minute off a cross from 18-year-old Jaedyn Shaw. Morgan added a goal in the 38th minute on a header that bounced into to the goal out of the reach of Portland goalkeeper Bella Bixby. The goal ended an eight-match streak without a goal for Morgan. “I think all around it was a huge performance from every single one of us on the field today,” Wave midfielder Danielle Colaprico said. “Coming into it, we knew it was going to be a 90-minute game. We had to play through every minute of it. It wasn’t going to be easy, it never is coming to Portland.”The Thorns (9-6-5) were without Sophia Smith, the league’s leading scorer with 11 goals, who is ...

Populist, pro-Russia ex-premier leads leftist party to win in Slovakia’s parliamentary elections

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:20 GMT

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — A populist former prime minister and his leftist party won parliamentary elections in Slovakia, staging a political comeback after campaigning on a pro-Russian and anti-American message, according to almost complete results.With results from 99.2% of some 6,000 polling stations counted by the Slovak Statistics Office early Sunday, former Prime Minister Robert Fico and the leftist Smer, or Direction, party led with 23.3% of the votes.The election Saturday was a test for the small eastern European country’s support for neighboring Ukraine in its war with Russia, and the win by Fico could strain a fragile unity in the European Union and NATO.Fico, 59, vowed to withdraw Slovakia’s military support for Ukraine in Russia’s war if his attempt to return to power succeeded.The country of 5.5 million people created in 1993 following the breakup of Czechoslovakia has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine since Russia invaded last February, donating arms and opening th...

Andreas Maxsø scores and Marko Ilic makes 5 saves in Rapids’ 1-0 win over Austin

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:20 GMT

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (AP) — Andreas Maxsø scored in the 41st minute, Marko Ilic made five saves and the Colorado Rapids beat Austin 1-0 on Saturday night for just their fifth victory of the season. Colorado (5-15-11) has avoided defeat in eight of its last 10 home matches, with three victories, in all competitions. The only MLS team to win at Colorado since the beginning of June is Seattle, which recorded a 2-1 victory on Sept. 20.Austin (9-14-8) is winless in 10 straight matches in all competitions, with seven losses, the longest run without a victory in club history.Ilic recorded his second shutout of the season. Brad Stuver saved two of the three shots he faced for Austin.The teams play again Wednesday, with the Rapids visiting Dallas while Austin hosts D.C. United.___AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerSource

Kershaw loses for first time since May 21 as Giants beat Dodgers 2-1

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:20 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Clayton Kershaw lost for the first time since May, allowing the go-ahead run when Max Muncy misplayed a potential inning-ending double-play grounder in a 2-1 defeat to the San Francisco Giants on Saturday night that left the Los Angeles Dodgers one win shy of 100 going into their season finale.Kershaw (13-5), a 35-year-old three-time Cy Young Award winner, had been 7-0 with a 1.96 ERA in 13 starts since a May 21 loss at St. Louis. Facing the Giants for the 59th time, he allowed a third-inning homer to Tyler Fitzgerald and gave up two runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings.Dodgers manager Dave Roberts hinted that Kershaw is in line to start the NL Division Series opener on Oct. 7.“Whenever it is, I’m just excited to get to do it,” Kershaw said. “It’ll be fun. With the way this year kind of went, I didn’t really expect to be in this spot for a lot of reasons. But it’s here and if that happens, I’ll be ready.”Kershaw, who has been pitching on extended rest...