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Don’t expect any ‘Marvels’ from this superhero tale

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 23:36:01 GMT

“The Marvels”Rated PG-13. At the AMC Boston Common, AMC South Bay and suburban theaters. Grade: B- Not quite as bad as advertised by stories about re-shoots, “The Marvels” is just another Marvel entry sporting a plot that never seems important enough to keep track of and ends up being a collection of special effects scenes and female-bonding moments. In this installment, Carol Danvers (Academy Award-winner Brie Larson), Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris, “If Beale Street Could Talk”) and Pakistani-American Jersey City, N.J. high school student Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani, TV’s “Ms. Marvel”) aka the Marvels, meet one another and discover that when they use their superpowers at the same time, they switch places via teleportation. Ms. Marvel gets her powers from a super bangle that she wears. Rambeau, who knew Danvers as a child in Louisiana and used to call her “Auntie,” gained her powers after being bombarded by “inter-dimensional energy.” Rambeau is also at times called Captai...

Editorial: Democrats fret as bad news mounts for Biden

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 23:36:01 GMT

A week is an eternity in politics, let alone a year. Yet that hasn’t stopped Democrats from entering panic mode over a new poll showing widespread voter dissatisfaction with President Joe Biden.The New York Times on Sunday revealed the results of a survey it conducted with Siena College of six battleground states in the 2024 presidential election. The numbers were stunning, to say the least.The findings show Biden losing to Donald Trump in five of the states — Michigan, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Arizona and Nevada — by at least four points. The president faces a 10-point deficit in Nevada. In Wisconsin, Biden led Trump by 2 points.Biden carried all six states in 2020.Of particular note, the survey found that “the multiracial and multigenerational coalition that elected Mr. Biden is fraying,” according to the Times. “Demographic groups that backed Biden by landslide margins in 2020 are now far more closely contested, as two-thirds of the electorate sees the country moving in the wrong d...

Odell Beckham Jr., Michael Pierce only Ravens missing from Wednesday practice; several Browns starters sidelined

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 23:36:01 GMT

Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and nose tackle Michael Pierce were the only Ravens missing from Wednesday’s practice as the team began preparations for its AFC North showdown with the Cleveland Browns.Beckham received a rest day but was also listed with a knee injury on the Ravens’ first injury report of the week. Pierce was out because of an illness.Right tackle Morgan Moses was back as a full participant after missing the team’s win over the Seattle Seahawks because of a shoulder injury.Beckham, who celebrated his 31st birthday with his first touchdown catch with the Ravens on Sunday, did not show any obvious discomfort during or after the game. He caught five passes for a season-high 56 yards. Beckham missed two games earlier this season with an ankle injury and also suffered a chest contusion on Oct. 29 against the Arizona Cardinals.Meanwhile, a long list of Browns starters missed practice Wednesday, though several merely received rest days.Tight end David Njo...

3 Chicago Cubs — Dansby Swanson, Ian Happ, Nico Hoerner — earn Gold Glove awards for the 1st time in franchise history

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 23:36:01 GMT

For the first time in franchise history, the Chicago Cubs have three players named Gold Glove defensive award winners in a season.Second baseman Nico Hoerner won his first National League Gold Glove award Sunday night while shortstop Dansby Swanson and left fielder Ian Happ both won the second of their career coming in back-to-back years.“Really cool anytime you can be a part of Cubs history like that, first to do something, is pretty special for an organization that has been around a long time,” Happ said. “There’s a lot of credit to a lot of the other guys that were on the field every day playing with us.”Swanson is the fourth Cubs shortstop to win the award after Javier Báez (2020), Don Kessinger (1969 and 1970) and Ernie Banks (1960).Hoerner, a finalist in 2020, is the fourth Cubs second baseman to win the award, joining Darwin Barney (2012), Ryne Sandberg (nine times, last in 1991), Glenn Beckert (1968) and Ken Hubbs (1962). He teamed up with ...

Lakeside parents push for 'Parents Bill of Rights'

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 23:36:01 GMT

LAKESIDE, Calif. -- Andrew Hayes, the president of the Lakeside Unified School Board, is organizing a coalition of educators and parents to push back against new state mandates that he says erodes parents involvement in their child’s education and stops them from being notified about things that involve their child’s health and wellbeing.“Sacramento this last year signed a law that said 12-year-olds can be referred to mental health services without parental notification, that's ridiculous,” Hayes said.Hayes plans to present a "Parents Bill of Rights" to the district next month and he hopes other school board will come up with their own parent-centric list that includes things like notification of curriculum change, books and an opt out clause when content is deemed inappropriate. The list also includes being notified about bullying, suicidal intent or sexual transitioning and written parental permission to administer medication – anything from cold medicine to sex hormone therapy.  ...

Live updates | Negotiations underway for 3-day humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza, officials say

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 23:36:01 GMT

Negotiations are underway to reach a three-day humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza in exchange for the release of about a dozen hostages held by Hamas. That’s according to two officials from Egypt, one from the United Nations and a Western diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic efforts.The deal would enable more aid, including limited amounts of fuel, to enter the besieged territory to alleviate worsening conditions for the 2.3 million Palestinians trapped there. It is being brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, according to the officials and the diplomat.The war, now in its second month, was triggered by the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel.The number of Palestinians killed in the war passed 10,500, including more than 4,300 children, the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza said. In the occupied West Bank, more than 160 Palestinians have been killed in the violence and Israeli raids. More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed,...

MGM’s CEO says tentative deal to avoid strike will be reached with Las Vegas hotel workers union

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 23:36:01 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — MGM Resorts International, the largest employer on the Las Vegas Strip, was close to reaching a tentative deal with the hotel workers union, the casino company’s CEO said as the clock ticked closer to a union deadline for a sweeping strike.CEO Bill Hornbuckle said Wednesday in an earnings call at the same time negotiations were taking place in a casino ballroom that he was confident a “historic” agreement would come together before 5 a.m. Friday, when the Culinary Workers Union is threatening to strike if negotiations fail.“We know from listening to our employees that they are looking for a pay increase to combat inflation, among other concerns,” Hornbuckle said. “This deal, when announced, will do just that.”During a break in bargaining, the union’s chief contract negotiator said he welcomed Hornbuckle’s sentiments. “His representatives are here,” Ted Pappageorge said from the ballroom where negotiations were taking place. “I hope they’re listening to him.” Since A...

The man charged in last year’s attack against Nancy Pelosi’s husband goes to trial in San Francisco

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 23:36:01 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The man accused of breaking into former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco home, bludgeoning her husband with a hammer and seeking to kidnap her goes on trial Thursday. Opening statements are scheduled in the federal trial of David DePape who prosecutors say assaulted then-82-year-old Paul Pelosi, sending shockwaves through the political world just days before last year’s midterm elections. The attack in the early hours of Oct. 28, 2022, also highlighted how conspiracy theories and misinformation that spread online can fuel political violence.DePape pleaded not guilty to attempted kidnapping of a federal official and assault on the immediate family member of a federal official. Paul Pelosi is expected to testify next week.DePape posted rants on a blog and an online forum about aliens, communists, religious minorities, and global elites. He questioned the results of the 2020 election and echoed the baseless, right-wing QAnon conspiracy theory that claims ...

Western and Arab officials are gathering in Paris to find ways to provide aid to civilians in Gaza

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 23:36:01 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Officials from Western and Arab nations, the United Nations and nongovernmental organizations are gathering Thursday in Paris for a conference on how to provide aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip during Israel’s war with Hamas, including proposals for a humanitarian maritime corridor and floating field hospitals.French President Emmanuel Macron, who has called for a “humanitarian pause” in the war, wants the conference to address the besieged Palestinian enclave’s growing needs including food, water, health supplies, electricity and fuel.Over 50 nations are expected to attend including several European countries, the United States and regional powers like Jordan, Egypt and the Gulf countries, the French presidency said. Also attending is Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh.Israeli authorities won’t participate in Thursday’s conference, the Elysee said.The head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, the U.N.’s top aid official and t...

The US and Chinese finance ministers are opening talks to lay the groundwork for a Biden-Xi meeting

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 23:36:01 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and her Chinese counterpart will meet in San Francisco on Thursday for two days of talks aimed at making progress on a slew of economic issues at a time when competition has markedly intensified between the two countries. Yellen’s talks with Vice Premier He Lifeng are designed to help lay the groundwork for an expected meeting between President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping next week on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco, which would be their first engagement in nearly a year.The White House is not expecting the face-to-face meeting to result in major changes to the relationship between the two nations, according to a person familiar with the planning, although it hopes to see some signs of progress. Analysts say expectations should be kept low, given the competitive nature of the countries’ relationship. Nicholas Szechenyi, deputy director for Asia at the Center fo...