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The Westminster-Big Tech revolving door keeps spinning

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:04:10 GMT

LONDON — Seeking influence in the corridors of power, Big Tech firms can’t get enough of Britain’s leading politicos. From former policy advisers to ex-spin doctors and even the odd journalist, the Big Tech ranks are now dotted with Westminster insiders from across the political spectrum. POLITICO takes you through some of the leading lights.Nick Clegg, MetaWhere else to start? The most high-profile politician to have been coaxed into the warm lap of Big Tech, former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg accepted a role as head of global policy and communications at Meta (née Facebook) in 2018. A tumultuous political career saw the heady days of  “Cleggmania” propel Clegg to power in the Tory-Lib Dem coalition government, but reneging on election promises helped demolish trust in the party, and he lost his seat in parliament in the 2017 general election.At Facebook, the ride has been no smoother, with Clegg joining the beleaguered company in the midst of the Cambridge Analytic...

Red Sox run into rare triple play, but still cruise past Braves 7-1

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:04:10 GMT

At their best, the Red Sox are capable of beating anyone in baseball. At their worst, they’re capable of jaw-dropping ineptitude of historic proportions.Tuesday night, those who braved the hour and 40 minute rain delay were treated to the full 2023 Red Sox experience.Despite running into a rare 8-3-5 triple play, the first in Major League Baseball in 139 years, the Red Sox otherwise dominated the best team in the league and cruised to a comfortable 7-1 win over the Atlanta Braves.Nick Pivetta once again led the way, lowering his bullpen ERA to 1.98 after pitching five scoreless innings from the second to the sixth inning, and Masataka Yoshida capped off a relentless offensive performance with a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth to effectively put the game away.Along the way, the game featured several bizarre and unusual sequences.In the top of the first the Braves had opener John Schreiber on the ropes with the bases loaded, one out and a 1-0 lead when Marcell Ozuna...

Check your tickets: Winning numbers drawn for $820M Mega Millions jackpot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:04:10 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — Grab your tickets, the winning numbers for the $820 million Mega Millions jackpot have been drawn. If your ticket matches the numbers drawn Tuesday, seen below, you could be the winner of the fifth-largest jackpot in Mega Millions history. It would also rank among the largest lottery prizes in U.S. history. The winning numbers are 3, 5, 6, 44, and 61, and Mega Ball 25. The Megaplier was 4X. Mega Millions jackpot hits $820 million: How much the winner will actually get This jackpot has been brewing since April when a $20 million prize was won by a ticket sold in Syracuse, New York, just four days after a $483 million Mega Millions jackpot was hit by a ticket sold in Queens.Ahead of Tuesday’s drawing, Mega Millions officials estimated the jackpot’s size at $820 million with a cash value of $418.3 million. That puts it as the fifth largest in the game’s history behind a $1.05 billion prize won by a 2021 ticket sold in Michigan. It also ranks among the ...

'Stop doomscrolling and start doing something:' Social media star Brian Derrick offers analysis with optimism

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:04:10 GMT

CHICAGO — The nation’s political dialogue ranges from the trivial to the toxic. This discourse is often overblown and frequently frustrating.That may explain why Brian Derrick, a progressive with a professorial look and positive demeanor, has broken through the cultural clutter.“I like to say, Stop doomscrolling and start doing something,'” Derrick said on a recent trip to Chicago. “It is so easy to feel overwhelmed, especially when you’re getting news via social media, and just check out entirely. But that really just worsens your cynicism.”Derrick, 30, graduated from Ohio State University with a focus on civic engagement. He then spent years fundraising for non-profits and working on political campaigns.The bearded, bespectacled, redhead adeptly transitioned to a new endeavor: social media, where he became an influencer known for calm analysis with a positive outlook.Like a teacher, he explains the complexities of the political process and provides bite-size breakdowns of issues, ...

CPD: 19-year-old shot and killed in North Lawndale, ID'd

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:04:10 GMT

CHICAGO — A 19-year-old man is dead after a shooting in the North Lawndale neighborhood Tuesday afternoon, according to the Chicago Police Department.Police said the 19-year-old, identified by the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office as Terrance A. Foster, was near the front of a residence in the 1600 block of South Karlov Avenue around 2:55 p.m. when he was approached by multiple people, who pulled out guns and opened fire.Foster was shot multiple times and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. VIDEO: Camera footage shows Edison Park business owner’s dad robbed of catalytic converter at gunpoint Police have no one in custody.If you or someone you know has information that can help police make a breakthrough in the investigation of this incident, anonymous tips can be filed online at cpdtip.com.

Williams proving to be late boomer for Saints

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:04:10 GMT

Saints catcher/first baseman Chris Williams is a bit of a late bloomer. He’s also a big boomer.The 26-year-old Williams, an eighth-round draft pick by the Twins in 2018 out of Clemson,leads the Saints in home runs with 17 and in runs batted in with 55. Last season, he led all Twins minor leaguers with 28 home runs and 89 RBIs splitting time between Double-A Wichita and the Saints.“I feel like it’s been my calling card — even in college,” said Williams, who drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the Saints’ 14-7 win over Toledo on Tuesday at CHS Field. “I feel my power is a big reason why I was drafted by the Twins. I kind of leaned on it in college and hoped it would take me to where I wanted to go.“Today, I still have my power, but I’m trying to work on the other parts of my game that would make me a more complete player.”Williams’ power was on full display during a six-game series at Louisville last month.He hit three home runs and drove in seven in the Saints’ 18-7 win in the ope...

Trial underway in mom’s federal lawsuit over St. Paul officers fatally shooting son in 2017

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:04:10 GMT

In a federal courthouse, jurors are hearing this week about two St. Paul police officers fatally shooting Cordale Handy six years ago: His mother’s attorney says they used excessive force and “betrayed their badge.” A city attorney says Handy pointed a gun at an officer, causing him and his police partner to fear for his life.No criminal charges were filed against the officers, and it’s a rare occasion of a lawsuit against the city of St. Paul in a shooting by an officer being heard by a jury — a staff member in the city attorney’s office with 40 years of experience doesn’t recall another such case. Other lawsuits have ended in settlements negotiated between attorneys, or have been dismissed before trial.St. Paul officers Mikko Norman and Nathaniel Younce shot Handy, 29, in the Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood after responding to a 911 call about 2:20 a.m. on March 15, 2017, at an apartment building in the 700 block of East Sixth Street. Ha...

Twins’ bullpen implodes late in game for 9-7 loss to Mariners

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:04:10 GMT

When the Twins saw George Kirby last week, he shut them out for seven innings, allowing just four hits. Five batters into Tuesday night’s game, the Twins had already batted for the cycle against Seattle’s All-Star starter.Couple that with a strong seven-inning start from Pablo López, and it seemed as if the Twins were well on their way to their fifth straight victory. But instead, the Twins, who mounted two impressive comebacks in the two previous nights, saw their bullpen implode late, giving up seven runs in the final two innings in a 9-7 loss to the Mariners on Tuesday night at Target Field.“We had the game in front of us,” manager Rocco Baldelli said after the game. “We knew what we needed to do. We just simply didn’t do what we needed to do.”What they needed to do was get through two innings. They had a four-run lead to work with.But set-up man Griffin Jax was unavailable after being used on three consecutive days, and once the Mariners tied the game with a Julio Rodríguez home...

Major Case squad responds to three fatal shootings in 12-hour span  

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:04:10 GMT

ST. LOUIS - The first call came in just after 1 a.m. Tuesday morning near a strip mall in Berkeley on Frost Avenue.There, 30-year-old Patrick Durley was shot and killed. Robert Ericks Jr., 41, is being charged with first-degree murder and being held on a $1 million cash-only bond.Then, about four hours later in Shiloh, Illinois, 23-year-old Turyan Austell was shot and killed at the Jackie Joyner Kersee MetroLink station. As MetroLink operations were briefly halted, the suspect fled the scene. The police have released a photo of a person of interest in the shooting. Furniture store closes without warning, customers want their money back In Madison, one person was shot and killed, and another was taken to a nearby hospital with no life-threatening injuries. The shooting happened around 1 p.m. in the 1700 block of Edwardsville."I've been used to it for a few years now,” said 14-year-old Derrick.Derrick lives in the neighborhood and heard the shots Tuesday afternoon.A sad reality for ...

Rare bee found in Belleville, Illinois

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:04:10 GMT

BELLEVILLE, Ill. - A Belleville man made an important scientific discovery in the extensive flower garden outside his home, creating a worldwide buzz.It’s a rare bee called the Lemon Cuckoo Bumble Bee (Bombus citrinus). Retired biochemist Ned Siegel took photos of it two Saturdays ago. The discovery was hardly an accident.Siegel is a ‘citizen scientist’ in Webster University’s 4-year-old ‘Shutterbee’ study.About 150 other volunteers in the St. Louis region have been taking photos of bees with their smartphones every two weeks for the past four years. Through the iNaturalist app, the photos are shared with experts and scientists all over the world.Siegel started getting messages from the experts about his photos: his bee was rare, indeed, found in the northern and northeast United States but not Belleville.“They were going back to Smithsonian record,” Siegel said. “There was one spotted in 1859 in Carlinville, Illinois, by a noted bee person... when I saw that all coming in, I starte...