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Supreme Court solidifies protections for workers who ask for religious accommodations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:29 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday used the case of a Christian mailman who didn’t want to work Sundays to solidify protections for workers who ask for religious accommodations.In a unanimous decision the justices made clear that workers who ask for accommodations, such as taking the Sabbath off, should get them unless their employers show doing so would result in “substantial increased costs” to the business.The court made clear that businesses must cite more than minor costs — so-called “de minimis” costs — to reject requests for religious accommodations at work. Unlike most cases before the court, both sides in the case had agreed businesses needed to show more.The case before the court involved a mail carrier in rural Pennsylvania. The man was told that as part of his job he’d need to start delivering Amazon packages on Sundays. He declined, saying his Sundays are for church and family. U.S. Postal Service officials initially tried to get substi...

3 charged in insider trading case related to taking Trump media firm public, accused of making $22M

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:29 GMT

By LARRY NEUMEISTER (Associated Press)NEW YORK (AP) — Three Florida men were arrested Thursday and charged with illegally making more than $22 million by insider trading ahead of the public announcement that an acquisition firm was going to take a media company owned by former President Donald Trump public.The charges were outlined in an indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court that did not implicate Trump or his media company, which owns his Truth Social platform, in any way.According to the indictment pertaining to the media company, the men were invited to invest in the special purpose acquisition company, Digital World Acquisition Corp., and were provided confidential information that a potential target of DWAC and another acquisition company, Benessere Capital Acquisition Corp., was Trump Media & Technology Group.Authorities said the defendants bought millions of dollars of DWAC securities on the open market before news of the Trump media business was made publ...

Read the opinion: SCOTUS declares affirmative action unconstitutional

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:29 GMT

The Supreme Court on Thursday declared affirmative action in college admissions unconstitutional, ruling that admissions decisions can no longer use look to race as a factor.The vote was 6-3 in the North Carolina case and 6-2 in the Harvard case. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson sat out the Harvard case because she had been a member of an advisory governing board there.You can read the full decision, and the dissents, here.

San Diego rooftop bar among best in US: Enjoy Travel

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:29 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- It's summertime in San Diego, which means the locals and tourists alike are flocking to the bars offering a view and a breeze.When it comes to rooftop cocktail lounges and sky touching sitting rooms, America's Finest City has a plethora of spots to choose from. 10 of the best rooftop bars in San Diego One San Diego establishment is getting a shoutout from Enjoy Travel, a company that assists travelers with -- well -- all things travel related. That includes finding the best go-to spots in every city. Enjoy Travel just released it's list of the 50 best rooftop bars is the US and one downtown treasure made the list. Altitude Sky Lounge, a swanky club that sits high atop the Gaslamp Marriott, earned itself the #31 spot on the travel advising company's all-time best list.With panoramic views of the downtown San Diego skyline and Petco Park, this rooftop bar creates an "elite after-dark experience." Getting a seat during a Padres games is an added bonus.Enjoy Travel wrote,...

French police officer faces voluntary homicide charge after the deadly shooting of a 17-year-old

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:29 GMT

NANTERRE, France (AP) — A police officer in a Paris suburb has been handed a preliminary charge of voluntary homicide after the deadly shooting of a 17-year-old that triggered two nights of riots, French prosecutors said Thursday.Nanterre prosecutor Pascal Prache said his initial investigation led him to conclude “the conditions for the legal use of the weapon were not met.”Under French law, preliminary charges mean investigating judges have strong reason to suspect wrongdoing, but allow time for further investigation before a decision is made on whether to send the case to trial.The killing of the teen, identified only by his first name, Nahel, came during a traffic stop Tuesday. The incident captured on video shocked the country and stirred up long-simmering tensions between police and young people in housing projects and other disadvantaged neighborhoods. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.NANTERRE, France (AP) — France’s government vowed to restore ...

Italian researchers reach the edge of space, flying aboard Virgin Galactic’s rocket-powered plane

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:29 GMT

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A team of Italian researchers reached the edge of space Thursday morning, flying aboard Virgin Galactic’s rocket-powered plane as the company prepares for monthly commercial flights.The flight launched from Spaceport America in the New Mexico desert, with two Italian Air Force officers and an engineer with the National Research Council of Italy focusing on a series of microgravity experiments during their few minutes of weightless. One wore a special suit that measured biometric data and physiological responses while another conducted tests using sensors to track heart rate, brain function and other metrics while in microgravity. The third studied how certain liquids and solids mix in that very weak gravity.Virgin Galactic livestreamed the flight on its website, showing the moment when the ship released from its carrier plane and the rocket was ignited. The entire trip took about 90 minutes, with the plane’s touchdown on the runway prompting cheers and...

Dozens of tourists are safely evacuated after their boat catches fire off Greek island of Rhodes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:29 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Dozens of tourists were safely evacuated from a boat that caught fire Thursday off the Greek resort island of Rhodes, authorities said.The coast guard said all passengers were safely taken to land after the blaze broke out about 300 meters (1,000 feet) offshore. Officials were not immediately able to say how many people had been on board.State-run ERT TV said the boat was carrying 82 people and no one was hurt. It said the fire broke out as the vessel was sailing off the area of Archangelos on the island’s eastern coast.The Associated Press

Sex educator, television host Sue Johanson dead at 93

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:29 GMT

Canadian TV’s foremost sex guru Sue Johanson has died at age 93.Director Lisa Rideout, who made a documentary last year about Johanson, confirmed the news.Johanson, a nurse, made her name in Canada and the United States by talking about sex on the radio and TV.She got her start setting up a birth control clinic at a Toronto high school in 1970.She then started travelling to schools across Ontario to offer sex education, and her radio show hit Toronto airwaves a decade later.Johanson’s straight talk about sex earned her call-in advice shows a loyal following, first on the radio and later on both Canadian and American TV.

Health clinic in Montana Superfund town faces penalties for false asbestos claims

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:29 GMT

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — A health clinic in a Montana town plagued by deadly asbestos contamination faces millions of dollars in penalties after a jury found it submitted more than 300 false asbestos claims to the U.S. government, making some of its patients eligible for Medicare and other benefits they shouldn’t have received.The small, federally funded clinic has been at the forefront of the medical response to deadly pollution from mining near Libby, Mont. The town of about 3,000 people along the scenic Kootenai River gained national notoriety when it was declared a deadly Superfund site two decades ago, following media reports that workers and their families were being sickened by dust from a W.R. Grace mine.A seven-person jury said Wednesday night that the false claims caused more than $1 million in damages to the federal government. Under the federal False Claims Act, the clinic is liable for three times the damages — or about $3.2 million — and millions of dollars more in...

Fire breaks out in basement of New York City’s iconic Tiffany store

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:29 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A fire broke out Thursday in the basement of the flagship Tiffany & Co. store on New York’s Fifth Avenue, officials said.Videos posted on the Citizen app showed smoke billowing out of the basement of the iconic store, which reopened in April after an extensive renovation. They also showed firefighters battling the blaze with hoses. Details on injuries from the fire were not immediately available. Fire Department officials planned a briefing at the scene later Thursday. The Associated Press