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Biden declares victory over Putin as he tries to galvanize allies at home and abroad

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:29:58 GMT

HELSINKI, Finland — President Joe Biden wrapped up his visit to Europe on Thursday touting the strength of NATO and the alliance’s ability to stop Russian President Vladimir Putin. But those diplomatic breakthroughs overseas came with lingering uncertainties about the future of the war.Biden capped off his trip in Helsinki, projecting a dramatically different presence than the last American president to visit the Finnish capital. Five years ago this week Donald Trump sided with Putin over America’s intelligence agencies’ conclusion that Russia interfered in the 2016 election. This time, Biden touted the strength of the alliance designed to halt Putin, with NATO only growing in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.“Putin’s already lost the war,” Biden declared at a brief trip-ending news conference. “Putin has a real problem — how does he move from here? What does he do? And so, the idea that there’s going to be, what vehicle is used — he could end the war tomorrow. He could just...

India buys French fighter jets, submarines as Modi visits Macron

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:29:58 GMT

PARIS — The Indian government confirmed on Thursday it will buy 26 Rafale Marine fighter jets and 3 Scorpene military submarines from France’s Dassault and Naval Group as India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Paris.The military deal comes as France is intensifying political and commercial ties with India, while bidding to draw the Asian powerhouse away from Russia, which is its top weapons supplier.Modi is in Paris where he met with French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne. He will have dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron Thursday night and will attend the annual parade for France’s Bastille Day on Friday on the Champs Elysées. The two countries are celebrating the 25th anniversary of their Indo-French strategic partnership and they are set to present a roadmap for the next 25 years of bilateral cooperation. On Friday, Paris and New Delhi will announce new cooperation and investment projects in the transport, energy and space sectors, according to a French di...

Kevin Spacey fights back tears as he testifies how sex abuse allegations ‘exploded’ his career

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:29:58 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Kevin Spacey fought back tears and dabbed his eyes with a tissue Thursday as he told jurors in a London court how sexual misconduct allegations six years ago had destroyed his career.“My world exploded,” Spacey said at his sexual assault trial. “There was a rush to judgment and before the first question was asked or answered I lost my job, I lost my reputation, I lost everything in a matter of days.”The emotional testimony came toward the end of his nearly three hours in the witness box, in what could be the most consequential speaking part of his life. He denied sexually assaulting three men and chalked up crotch-grabbing allegations by a fourth as having been a “clumsy pass.”The allegations that sent Spacey’s stellar film and stage career into a spiral came in 2017 as the #metoo movement gained momentum in the U.S. and a fellow actor accused him of sexually inappropriate behavior three decades earlier.News of those accusations led others to come forwa...

Patients squeezed in fight over who gets to bill for pricey infusion drugs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:29:58 GMT

Samantha Liss | (TNS) KFF Health NewsHealth insurers and medical providers are battling over who should supply high-cost infusion drugs for patients, with the tussle over profits now spilling into statehouses across the country.The issue is that some insurers are bypassing hospital pharmacies and physician offices and instead sending more complex drugs through third-party pharmacies. Those pharmacies then send the medications directly to the medical provider or facility for outpatient infusing, which is called “white bagging,” or, more rarely, to patients, in what is called “brown bagging.” That shifts who gets to buy and bill for these complex medications, including pricey chemotherapy drugs.Insurers say the policies are needed because hospital markups are too high. But hospitals argue that adding an intermediary results in unnecessary risks and delays, and they say some insurers have their own or affiliated pharmacy companies, creating financial motives for controlling the source ...

Everything you need to know about filing a home insurance claim

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:29:58 GMT

Mandy Sleight | Bankrate (TNS)If you’re dealing with loss or damage to your home, whether it’s due to a weather event, home burglary or other unexpected event, you’re likely to feel overwhelmed. When it comes time to file a claim with your home insurance, you don’t want to encounter more stress in the process.Navigating the claims process can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. Bankrate’s insurance experts have outlined everything you need to know about filing a home insurance claim in the article below, from the types of claimable events to the steps for filing a claim.How to file a home insurance claimAs soon as property loss occurs, you should consider contacting your home insurance company for help in filing your claim. Each insurance company has its own claim process that policyholders need to follow. Usually the sooner you can initiate a claim, the earlier you may be able to resolve the issue.—Help prevent further damage. Take measures to ensure your home’s structure will...

5 tips to keep social media from spurring you to overspend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:29:58 GMT

By Erin El Issa | NerdWalletScrolling social media may provide entertainment, catharsis or just a way to pass the time. It might also cause you to spend more than you can afford.A new NerdWallet survey finds that 65% of Americans believe that social media has increased overspending. Here are five tips to keep social media scrolling from hurting your real-life finances.1. Wish list and waitAccording to the survey, 18% of Americans have made a purchase because of something they saw on social media that they regret making. Impulse buying is easy on social media, particularly when you purchase from within the app. One way to combat this and possibly avoid regret? Wish list and wait.Create a list of anything and everything you come across on social media that you want to buy. And then wait to purchase. How long you wait is up to you — maybe it’s a month or just 24 hours. You might still choose to purchase the item ultimately, but when you put time between wanting and buying something, yo...

Sonic the Hedgehog-themed pop-up restaurant opening in East Village

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:29:58 GMT

SAN DIEGO — A new pop-up restaurant will be serving up Sega-filled nostalgia with everyone's favorite blue hedgehog.The Sonic the Hedgehog Speed Cafe be open from July 13 through August 20 and will be located at 910 J Street Space 2 in downtown San Diego's East Village.On the menu you will be tasty Sonic-inspired eats like the "Sonic's Classic Chili Dog" or the "Knuckles Sandwich," a crispy fried chicken sandwich based off the red echidna. Exclusive San Diego Comic-Con chocolate bar flavors revealed On the side you can grab some "Golden Ring" onion rings or an order of "Fast Fries." Cold refreshments based off the iconic video game characters will also be served like the "Blue Blur" blueberry slushie, the "Flying Fox" mango orange slushie or the "Team Dark" mocha milkshake.Photos courtesy of Noah RedThe pop-up café will be decked from head to toe with blue décor and Sonic-themed artwork and characters.Each order will come in custom-designed Sonic packaging and exclusive merchandis...

4 places to get funky fries in San Diego

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:29:58 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Whether it's crinkle cut, waffle or classic strings, finding funky French fries in San Diego is a venture worth biting into. Golden-brown potato slices can be zested and topped with endless ingredients, making for a delicious pastime that can be enjoyed solo or with a fry-eating sidekick. In honor of National French Fry Day, which is recognized annually on July 14, FOX 5 has compiled a list of places offering a funky fusion of spuds and toppings galore. 7 San Diego brewers win medals at US Open Beer Championship Here are four San Diego area eateries filling plates with funky fries on this national holiday and beyond:Funky Fries And BurgersWith a name like that, it's no surprise that this National City treasure has a long list of funky options for fry lovers. You might want to grab the special of the month for July: Birria Fries. This concoction is made with melted mozzarella, birria, cilantro, onion, green salsa, and consumé on the side with lime slices. Another opti...

House Republicans interrogate FTC’s Khan over regulation of Big Tech

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:29:58 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The chair of the Federal Trade Commission defended her aggressive legal strategy toward the country’s biggest technology companies Thursday as House Republicans charged that the agency has become overzealous and politicized under President Joe Biden. Republicans charged that Lina Khan is “harassing” Twitter since its acquisition by Elon Musk, arbitrarily suing large tech companies and declining to recuse herself from certain cases. In April, the committee subpoenaed Khan after an investigation by the panel that concluded the agency went after Musk for political reasons. Khan pushed back on the criticism, arguing that more regulation is necessary as the companies have grown and that tech conglomeration could hurt the economy and consumers. “Our competition mission is driven by the tenet that vigorous antitrust enforcement is critical to the growth and dynamism of our economy, as well as to our shared prosperity and liberty,” Khan said. “Recent decades, however...

Virginia’s Youngkin surpasses previous governors’ annual fundraising records in a single quarter

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:29:58 GMT

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s main fundraising apparatus will soon report raising $5.75 million in this year’s second quarter, a sum that surpasses what any previous governor of the state has raised over an entire year, according to the group’s accounting.The haul will bring to $8.5 million the total Youngkin’s Spirit of Virginia political action committee has raised in the first six months of 2023, according to details provided to The Associated Press ahead of a Monday reporting deadline. And it will leave Spirit of Virginia with $6 million in cash on hand just over two months before the start of early voting in this year’s legislative elections that will decide political control of the currently divided General Assembly. “The Governor has built and scaled an unprecedented campaign to hold the House and flip the Senate,” Dave Rexrode, the PAC’s chairman and a senior adviser to Youngkin, said in a statement to the AP. “H...