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Ex-FBI counterintelligence official pleads guilty to conspiracy charge for helping Russian oligarch

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:30 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A former high-ranking FBI counterintelligence official pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge Tuesday, admitting that he agreed after leaving the agency to work for a Russian oligarch he had once investigated to seek dirt on the oligarch’s wealthy rival in violation of sanctions on Russia.Charles McGonigal, 55, entered the plea in federal court in Manhattan to a single count of conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and to commit money laundering, saying he was “deeply remorseful for it.”McGonigal told Judge Jennifer H. Rearden that he carried out his crime in the spring and fall of 2021, accepting over $17,000 to help Russian energy magnate Oleg Deripaska by collecting derogatory information about a Russian oligarch who was a business competitor of Deripaska.Sentencing was set for Dec. 14, when McGonigal could face up to five years in prison.Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Dell told the judge that prosecutors had proof McGonigal w...

Judge blocks Internet Archive from sharing copyrighted books

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:30 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge has approved a permanent injunction against the online Internet Archive from scanning and sharing all copyrighted books already made available by publishers. Judge John Koeltl had already ruled in March that the Archive had illegally offered free e-editions of 127 books in copyright, including works by J.D. Salinger and Toni Morrison. Four leading publishers — Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, John Wiley & Sons and Penguin Random House — had sued the Archive in 2020 in response to its establishing a “National Emergency Library” early in the pandemic, when most libraries and bookstores were shutdown. The Archive had contended that it was protected by fair use and that it had a larger mission to make information as widely accessible as possible. The injunction was part of an agreement filed last week by the two sides in the lawsuit. Koeltl, of the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, did agree with the Archive on one issue that remained in...

US-Audiobooks-Top-10

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:30 GMT

Nonfiction 1. Atomic Habits by James Clear, narrated by the author (Penguin Audio)2. Outlive by Peter Attia, MD and Bill Gifford – contributor, narrated by Peter Attia, MD (Random House Audio)3. I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy, narrated by the author (Simon & Schuster Audio4. Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins, narrated by the author and Adam Skolnick (Lioncrest Publishing)5. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F(asterisk)ck by Mark Manson, narrated by Roger Wayne (HarperAudio)6. American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, narrated by Jeff Cummings (Blackstone Audio, Inc.)7. 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene, narrated by Richard Poe (HighBridge, a Division of Recorded Books)8. Adversity for Sale by Jeezy, narrated by Jay Jenkins (HarperCollins Leadership)9. Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey, narrated by the author (Random House Audio)10. How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie, narrated by Andrew MacMillan (Simon & Schuster Audio)Fiction1...

Madonna to perform in Canada in January and February after hospital delay

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:30 GMT

TORONTO — Madonna is set to celebrate her comeback in Canada in the new year.The pop legend has rescheduled the North American leg of the Celebration Tour, which was delayed weeks ahead of its planned kickoff in Vancouver last month when Madonna landed in hospital.The tour will now kick off in London on Oct. 14, and the singer will stop at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena on Jan. 11 and 12 and Vancouver’s Rogers Arena on Feb. 21, 2024.Live Nation says it will honour tickets for the previously scheduled shows. Madonna’s manager has said the performer developed a serious bacterial infection in late June, which led to a several-day stay in the ICU.The tour is now set to begin in the United Kingdom in October, and she’ll cross the pond in December, starting the North American leg in Brooklyn, N.Y.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 15, 2023.The Canadian Press

Stock market today: Wall Street falls in global slide set off by weakening Chinese economy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:30 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks worldwide are falling Tuesday as China’s faltering recovery raises worries for the rest of the global economy.The S&P 500 sank 0.9% in afternoon trading after data showed a deepening slump in July for the world’s second-largest economy. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 305 points, or 0.9%, at 35,001, as of 2:03 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite lost 0.8%.Coming into this year, the expectation was that China’s economy would grow enough after the government removed anti-COVID restrictions to prop up a global economy weakened by high inflation. But China’s recovery has faltered so much that it unexpectedly cut a key interest rate on Tuesday and skipped a report on how many of its younger workers are unemployed.Worries about the knock-on effects for the rest of the global economy are weighing on Wall Street, where stocks have already been retrenching in August. The pullback follows a gangbusters first seven months of the year that cr...

Tuesday Forecast: Temps in mid 70s with showers possible

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:30 GMT

CHICAGO — A few lingering showers and thunderstorms Tuesday, then decreasing clouds and breezy conditions. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here Winds: NNE 5-30 mph. Air quality is in the Good category for Chicagoland. Highs mid 70s, upper 60s by the lake. A Beach Hazard Statement has been issued through Tuesday evening. High wave activity and dangerous currents are expected at Lake Michigan beaches. Waves six to nine-feet may reach some areas.Partly cloudy tonight and less humid with comfortable conditions. Winds: NNE/SW 5-10 mph. Lows near 60.Wednesday Forecast: Partly to mostly sunny and warmer. SSW 5-15 mph. High 86.Extended outlook calls for showers/t'storms for Thursday, mostly in the morning. Highs in the lower 80s, but could get warmer if skies clear out earlier. Then we're trending back towards some August heat. We'll see upper 80s likely on Friday and mid to low 90s through the weekend which could end up being our hottest stretch of weather so far this su...

Madonna announces new Chicago tour dates after health scare

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:30 GMT

CHICAGO — Madonna’s postponed tour, which included many sold-out stops, including Chicago, is back on, with new dates announced for the United Center. Madonna's stop in Chicago includes back-to-back shows at the United Center on Feb. 1-2. The 64-year-old was originally scheduled to perform in Chicago Aug 9-10. Tickets purchased for previous Chicago shows will be honored. Doja Cat coming to Chicago’s United Center with Ice Spice In June, the singer's manager announced that the Grammy award winner was sidelined with a serious bacterial infection, causing her to pause her tour.On Aug. 4, Madonna addressed her fans on social media, saying: "Thank you again for your incredible support and patience over these past few weeks. I'm happy to report that the re-routed tour schedule will be coming in the next few days. See you soon for a well deserved celebration."'The Celebration Tour' officially kicks off Oct. 14 in London, with the North American leg of the tour beginning Dec. 13 in Brookl...

'It's a monster!' Teen catches 108-pound catfish on the Missouri River

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:30 GMT

SPANISH LAKE, Mo. (KTVI) – Joshua Jones Jr. is taking it all in after a recent midnight miracle on the Missouri River. Inspired by a contest, and with support from his father, Joshua made a once-in-a-lifetime catch around midnight Wednesday, reeling in a 108-pound catfish from the river near the St. Louis suburb of Spanish Lake.Joshua had actually dozed off when the catch happened, exhausted after a long night of fishing.“I was sleeping when the fish got on, so it kind of woke me up," said Joshua. "And then I felt the pull and drag, which really woke me up." ‘It was a big catch’: Tampa mayor finds 70 pounds of cocaine during Keys fishing trip It took about 20 minutes of fighting the line, but Joshua was able to reel in a monster-sized catfish and get it on the boat. (Photo provided by: Joshua Jones Sr.)“It was pretty exciting at first when I was fighting the fish," said Joshua. He developed his passion and fishing skills through a bond with his father, Joshua Jones Sr. The two ha...

Man accused of posing as doctor to sell fake COVID-19 cure arrested after 3-year manhunt

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:30 GMT

(The Hill) -- Utah authorities say that a three-year manhunt has ended after they arrested a man accused of posing as a doctor on charges of selling a fake COVID-19 cure. In a news release on Monday, the U.S. Attorney's Office District of Utah said that authorities were able to spot Gordon Hunter Pedersen during surveillance last month. According to court documents, authorities handed down an arrest warrant on Pedersen after he failed to appear on an indictment in federal court. Pedersen, a native of Cedar Hills, Utah, was indicted on charges including mail fraud, wire fraud and felony introduction of misbranded drugs into interstate commerce with intent to defraud and mislead. 5 takeaways from Trump’s Georgia indictment Court documents also state that at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, Pederson began selling a “structural alkaline silver” product online, claiming it “resonates, or vibrates, at a frequency that destroys the membrane of the virus, making the virus...

Developer rejects state's final offer to acquire former state park site

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:30 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The developer who purchased the site of a now-former state park has rejected the state's final offer to purchase the property.Dallas-based Todd Interests became the owner of the Fairfield Lake State Park property, about 70 miles east of Waco, at the start of June. The previous owner, Vistra Energy, sold the 5,000-acre property, including the park, five years after closing its power plant by the lake. From state park to private development: The twisting timeline of Fairfield Lake Negotiations for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to purchase the property failed. TPWD had leased the land for the park from Vistra for 50 years. The new owner announced intentions to cancel the lease and turn the property into a private community with multi-million dollar homes and a golf course.The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission voted June 10 to acquire the property from Todd Interests through eminent domain. As part of those proceedings, TPWD submitted an offer to the develo...