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EXPLAINER: Texas’ extraordinary move to impeach scandal-plagued GOP Attorney General Ken Paxton

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:18:19 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — After years of legal and ethical scandals swirling around Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, the state’s GOP-controlled House of Representatives has moved toward an impeachment vote that could quickly throw him from office.The extraordinary and rarely-used maneuver comes in the final days of the state’s legislative session and sets up a bruising political fight. It pits Paxton, who has aligned himself closely with former President Donald Trump and the state’s hard-right conservatives, against House Republican leadership, who appear to have suddenly had enough of the allegations of wrongdoing that have long dogged Texas’ top lawyer.Paxton has said the charges are based on “hearsay and gossip, parroting long-disproven claims.”Here is how the impeachment process works in Texas, and how the 60-year-old Republican came to face the prospect of becoming just the third official to be impeached in the state’s nearly 200-year history:THE PROCESSUnder the Texas ...

Jully Black, Bret Hart among Canada’s Walk of Fame inductees getting their stars

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:18:19 GMT

TORONTO — Movie star Keanu Reeves, singer Jully Black and retired professional wrestler Bret Hart are among the famous Canadians expected to be immortalized on Canada’s Walk of Fame today.The special ceremony for the new sidewalk stars is also set to recognize actor Graham Greene, entrepreneur Ajay Virmani, singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn, track and field athlete Damian Warner and retired senator Lt.-Gen. Romeo Dallaire. Posthumous Walk of Fame stars are also planned for Canada’s “first lady of blues” Salome Bey, media mogul Allan Slaight and members of the team that discovered insulin a century ago: Frederick Banting, Charles Best, John Macleod and James Collip. Black, Hart, Virmani and Greene were scheduled to attend the ceremony in Toronto’s Entertainment District.Bey’s family members, along with descendants of Banting and Best, were also set to attend. They are all inductees from the Walk of Fame’s class of 2020/2021.Canada’s Walk...

Feds warned about risks of delaying 24 Sussex decision almost a year before it closed

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:18:19 GMT

OTTAWA — Almost a year before the closure of 24 Sussex Drive due to disrepair and an infestation of rodents, the chairman of the National Capital Commission’s board of directors warned that further delaying a cabinet decision on the fate of the residence would put the whole structure at risk.The mansion, which sits on a prime riverfront property a few kilometres from Parliament Hill, served as the home for Canada’s prime ministers between 1950 and 2015.Concerns about the deteriorating state of the building prompted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family move into a different official residence after he was elected. For nearly eight years, they have lived at Rideau Cottage, which is on the grounds of nearby Rideau Hall.Since then, the federal Liberal cabinet has continually deferred making a decision about whether to restore the heritage property. It’s seen as a bit of a political quagmire. In 2018, Trudeau remarked that no prime minister wanted to spend taxpa...

Political divisiveness a threat to Alberta economy, business groups say

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:18:19 GMT

CALGARY — As the Alberta election campaign heads into its final days, business groups are warning that increased divisiveness and political extremism poses a threat to the province’s economic future.“We’re worried about societal and political polarization, overall. It seems to be a feature that has crept into North American politics,” said Adam Legge, president of the Business Council of Alberta, in an interview.“The future of this province depends on us getting our act together and being united from a policy standpoint, a public standpoint, and an economic standpoint.”Legge’s organization, which counts among its members the CEOs of many of Alberta’s largest companies, identifies as a non-partisan group. It hasn’t endorsed any candidate or party that will be on the ballot Monday when Albertans go to the polls.Neither has the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, another non-partisan business group. But Chamber president and CEO Deborah Ye...

Spring flood risks highlight lack of insurance for Canadian homeowners: experts

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:18:19 GMT

As the spring season brings higher flood risk to Canadians, as seen in British Columbia recently, experts say many homeowners remain without adequate insurance to cover extreme weather’s damage to their homes.“I would say that Canadians in general are not truly aware of the risks that their homes are exposed to, and the exposure they have to extreme weather events and the potential losses they could experience,” said Michelle Laidlaw, associate vice-president of The Co-operators Group Ltd.’s national product portfolio.Flooding is the biggest under-insured climate risk in Canada, said Victor Adesanya, vice-president of insurance at DBRS Morningstar, especially during the spring thaw. IBC said more than 1.5 million households in Canada are “highly exposed” to flood risk. In comparison, as wildfires in Alberta have forced evacuations and filled the skies with smoke, the Insurance Bureau of Canada said standard homeowner’s insurance covers fire damage as well as the costs of mass ...

Daily horoscope for May 26, 2023

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:18:19 GMT

Moon Alert: Caution! Avoid shopping or important decisions from 2 a.m. EDT to 11:30 p.m. today (all day until 8:30 p.m. PDT). After that, the Moon moves from Leo into Virgo.Happy Birthday for Friday, May 26, 2023:You are a deep thinker. You are strong-willed, and you set high standards for yourself and for others. This year is slower-paced. It is time to rejuvenate yourself. Concentrate on your needs and what brings you happiness, especially in relationships. If you need it, ask others for help.ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★★★Stock the fridge. You might spontaneously entertain at home today. Because you also might have an urge to impulsively buy something beautiful for your home, especially art or arts and crafts, do be aware of the limitations of the Moon Alert today. Nevertheless, enjoy good times! Tonight: Work.TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★★★It’s Friday, and you’re in the mood to schmooze! Because you’re eager and open to socialize with others, today you will have exc...

Mercenary Prigozhin lays bare the strains of Putin's war

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:18:19 GMT

Yevgeny Prigozhin delivered Vladimir Putin on Saturday (20 May) one of his few battlefield victories in the 15-month-long war against Ukraine.Even then, Russia’s most powerful mercenary couldn’t resist breaking the taboos that tightly controlled Putin’s political system.Prigozhin, holding a Russian flag with an automatic gun on his shoulder, announced that the Ukrainian city Bakhmut had fallen. He was surrounded by heavily armed mercenaries and the black standard of his Wagner group, as well as the charred ruins of tens and thousands of victims."Thanks to Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin for giving us this opportunity, and the honour of defending motherland," Prigozhin said, praising his own army of convicts and spies who fought house-to-house for 224 deadly days.Then he launched into his favorite rant, accusing the top brass of Putin of treachery. In particular, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu as well as Chief of General Staff Valery Grasimov.In the last month, he called Putin's top gen...

Leader of cross-border raid warns Russia to expect more incursions

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:18:19 GMT

The Russian commander who led a group of militias that raided a Russian border area this week announced on Wednesday (24 May) that his group will soon launch further incursions in Russian territory.Denis Kapustin spoke to journalists on the Ukrainian border with Russia, describing himself as the Russian Volunteer Corps. This was a day after Moscow announced that it had repulsed an attack on the Belgorod area.Kyiv said that the attack was perpetrated by Russian citizens and portrayed it as internal Russian strife. The Russian Volunteer Corps and Freedom of Russia Legion, two groups that operate in Ukraine, have both claimed responsibility.The Russian military claimed that it had routed militants who used armoured vehicles to carry out their attacks, and sent those who survived into Ukraine.Kapustin claimed that two of his fighters were "lightly injured" and the total loss for his side was two dead and 10 wounded. Moscow claims it has killed more than 70 'Ukrainian Nationalists'.Kapus...

Miss Manners: I’m a millennial, so don’t expect me to follow older people’s rules

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:18:19 GMT

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I feel like there’s a large generational gap that needs to be addressed. What is considered necessary or obvious to one generation is considered frivolous or foreign to another. Culture changes, and so do expectations regarding behavior.I’m a younger millennial, turning 28 next month. Millennials and Generation Z have radically different attitudes than previous generations towards things like work culture, dining and even thank-you cards.Related ArticlesAdvice | Miss Manners: Is it cute that she’s bringing her boyfriend? No, I’m fuming. Advice | Miss Manners: Is it OK to use social media to tell the truth about my neighbors? Advice | Miss Manners: I let the hostess know I was angry at her. Was I rude? Advice | Miss Manners. Yes, she’s a service dog. No, I won’t tell you why I need her. Advice | Miss Manners: Would the wedding gift my husband suggested be ...

Dear Abby: I don’t want my boyfriend to learn I’m stalking his ex

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:18:19 GMT

DEAR ABBY: I’m a 45-year-old woman who has been dating “Ben” (53) for two years. We have known each other for more than 20. He treats me like a queen.Prior to our dating, he had a girlfriend he used to confide in me about. I was very jealous of her. She knew we were friends, so she made a point of posting lots of pictures of their PDAs on his social media, since we did not follow each other.Fast-forward two years: Abby, I cannot stop obsessing over her! I think about her constantly and compare myself to her. I stalk her social media page.Related ArticlesAdvice | Dear Abby: The mother overshared with the girls, and now they shun us Advice | Dear Abby: She led my husband into debauchery. Should I trust him not to stray again? Advice | Dear Abby: She says I can’t see my aunt, and her reasons don’t make sense Advice | Dear Abby: The photos my son’s wife posts make me worry for their marriage ...