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Health minister denies interfering in arm’s-length drug-price agency before committee

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:15 GMT

OTTAWA — Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos says he has not exercised any undue political pressure on the independent federal agency that regulates the price of patented drugs on its efforts to lower medicine costs. NDP health critic Don Davies is accusing the minister of halting the implementation of a new rule intended to lower the cost of drugs at the behest of drug companies that have resisted the change. The new regulation came into force in July, and would see the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board compare Canadian drug prices to those in a wider range of similar countries. The agency was in the process of consulting on the finer details associated with the rule in November when Duclos wrote to its acting chair and suggested the consultation process be paused to give drug companies, patient groups, provincial ministers and himself more time to understand the changes.One of the agency’s board members resigned shortly afterward, saying Duclos undermined the board’s ...

Police say man continued date after fatal shooting over $40

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:15 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — A Texas man has been accused by authorities of pausing his dinner date to fatally shoot an individual who had allegedly posed as a parking attendant and scammed him out of $40, according to court records.Erick Aguirre has been charged with murder in the April 11 death of 46-year-old Elliot Nix.During a court hearing on Thursday, Aguirre’s bond was set at $200,000. His attorney, Brent Mayr, declined to comment.Police say Aguirre, 29, and his date had parked their vehicles near a downtown Houston restaurant when Nix approached them, saying it would cost $20 each to park their cars, according to a probable cause affidavit.Aguirre paid the $40 but was later told by a restaurant employee that Nix didn’t work for the parking lot and had scammed them, police said.An employee at a nearby smoke shop later told police he saw Aguirre run back to his car, grab a pistol and go after Nix. The employee said both men went out of his view but he heard a gunshot before 8 p.m. and then ...

Nebraska lawmakers begin second round of debate on abortion

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:15 GMT

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska lawmakers began a second round of debate Thursday on a bill that would ban abortion once cardiac activity can be detected in an embryo, which generally occurs around the sixth week of pregnancy and before most women know they are pregnant.Supporters advanced the so-called heartbeat bill from the first round of debate earlier this month with only a one-vote margin to break a filibuster. The bill must survive Thursday’s debate and a final round to pass. But the effort in the Republican-controlled state remains in question. An amendment introduced Thursday by a Republican co-signer to the bill, Sen. Merv Riepe of Ralston, would extend the proposed ban to 12 weeks and add to the bill’s list of exceptions any fetal anomalies deemed incompatible with life.The bill includes exceptions for cases of rape, incest and medical emergencies that threaten the life of the mother, making specific exceptions for ectopic pregnancies, IVF procedures, and allowing for...

‘Difficult’ Surrey, B.C. police decision on RCMP or municipal force Friday: minister

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:15 GMT

VICTORIA — British Columbia Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says Surrey residents will know Friday who will police the Metro Vancouver city, the RCMP or the municipal Surrey Police Service.Farnworth says the government is set to announce its decision on the future of policing in the city, following last fall’s civic election that prompted the reversal of a move away from the RCMP in favour of an independent force. Mayor Brenda Locke was elected on the promise to go back to the RCMP, saying the transition will be less expensive than the change to the Surrey Police Service, a move the provincial government had already approved. But the provincial government also needs to approve the reversal and Farnworth says it has been one of the most difficult decisions his government has had to make. He says the key issue in the government’s decision is public safety for Surrey and the province.Farnworth said earlier he has concerns about RCMP staffing levels in the province and...

Trump lawyer cross-examines accuser at rape lawsuit trial

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:15 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s lawyer began grilling writer E. Jean Carroll in court Thursday about a 1990s encounter at a Manhattan department store that she says ended with Trump raping her — an account she acknowledged contained some details that were “difficult to conceive of.”Lawyer Joseph Tacopina eased into Carroll’s cross-examination at a New York civil trial, questioning the validity of her bombshell claims while suggesting she only came forward with them decades later, in 2019, because of her disdain for Trump’s politics and because she wanted to sell copies of her book.Tacopina irritated Carroll by using the word “supposedly” to cast doubt on her rape claim, drawing an immediate and stern rebuke from the writer.“Not supposedly. I was raped,” she said.“That’s your version, Ms. Carroll, that you were raped,” Tacopina said.“Those are the facts,” she replied.Tacopina promised to delve deeper into Carroll’s alleged encounter with Trump, in a dressing room at ...

Monument to Coretta Scott King dedicated in Atlanta

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:15 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — A new monument and garden celebrating and honoring the legacy of civil rights activist Coretta Scott King was dedicated on Thursday, which would have been her 96th birthday.The Coretta Scott King Peace and Meditation Garden and monument sits on the grounds of The King Center in Atlanta, which she founded in 1968 to memorialize the life, work, legacy and commitment to nonviolence of her husband, slain civil rights leader the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. “The magnitude of her contributions to humanity are yet to be known,” the Rev. Bernice King, CEO of The King Center, said of her mother. “Today’s dedication of this monument is but a beginning. There’s much more to come, and when her legacy is fully revealed, we will know that because of her, because of Mom, because of Coretta Scott King, the dream lives and the legacy continues.” After a program featuring speeches, a poem and musical performances, Bernice King and her niece Yolanda Renee King — the 14-year-o...

Washington, Minnesota become trans refuges, shield abortions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:15 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — Democratic governors in Washington state and Minnesota on Thursday signed into law legal protections for people who travel to those states seeking reproductive and gender-affirming procedures and treatment.They are the latest blue states to enact safeguards against bans or limits on transgender and abortion healthcare in Republican states.In Seattle, Gov. Jay Inslee wore a pink tie as he signed a bill that bans other states from using Washington state courts or judicial processes to enforce their bans on abortion and gender-affirming health care. The law blocks related warrants, subpoenas, extradition requests and court orders from other states related to those out-of-state patients.“Freedom of choice is a health care issue. We are protecting access to health care,” Inslee said. Halfway across the country, Gov. Tim Walz made Minnesota a refuge for young people coming from other states for gender-affirming care. Numerous other states are rushing to impose restrictions ...

Farewell to a beloved elder: Activists reflect on Belafonte

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:15 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Carmen Berkley, a strategist with a Seattle-based foundation advocating equity and racial justice, remembers meeting Harry Belafonte a decade ago when she was a youth activist.She’d gone to Florida to attend a sit-in protest that other young Black activists had staged at the Capitol in Tallahassee over the death of Trayvon Martin, a Black teenager fatally shot in 2012 by a resident of a gated community who decided Martin looked suspicious. Berkley recalls “this magical moment” when Belafonte showed up to encourage the Capitol demonstrators.“He gave us hope. He reminded us that we are important, that we are powerful and we deserved freedom and Justice in our lifetimes,” said Berkley, vice president of strategy and impact at Inatai Foundation. “There is no one like Mr. B,” she added. “Humble and kind, generous and focused, and a true advocate for artists, advocates and all of the communities who want to get free.”Belafonte, who died Tuesday at age 96, was a close frien...

Huntley High School student charged after 'racially-motivated messages'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:15 GMT

HUNTLEY, Ill. — A Huntley High School student is facing charges following reports of "racially-motivated messages."According to Huntley police, last week the school's administration and the resource officer received reports of the messages from a single student which had been shared throughout the school.Following an investigation, police said the "racially-motivated" messages were originally sent earlier in the year and were recirculated last week. CPS looking to hire more nutritional staff Police stressed while the investigation is ongoing, felony charges were approved for one student, who is a juvenile. The specific charges were not released."The Huntley Police Department takes these matters seriously and those participating in such conduct will be held accountable. We will continue to work closely with school officials on issues that impact the safety of all students and staff within the Village of Huntley," the department said in a statement.

Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson attends last meeting as Cook County commissioner

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:15 GMT

CHICAGO — Chicago's Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson attended his last meeting as Cook County commissioner Thursday.Johnson's mayoral inauguration is slated for May 17.Before he had the opportunity to speak before the county board, each member took the time to offer their gratitude and well wishes as he prepares to take office.In those comments, several board commissioners also hinted at challenges and barriers they've faced with fifth-floor administration. Some saying this is an opportunity to open a door for good and to work collaboratively with the mayor's office — something President Toni Preckwinkle says has been difficult, but not naming an administration specifically.Hours before the meeting, the mayor-elect announced the formation of the "Chicago For The People Transition Committee" and 11 subcommittees. The committee and subcommittees are made up of people from different sectors, including Chicago's business, activists and government communities. ‘Pressure’s a privilege:’ Why...