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Online gaming chats have long been spy risk for US military

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:30:58 GMT

Step into a U.S. military recreation hall at a base almost anywhere in the world and you’re bound to see it: young troops immersed in the world of online games, using government-funded gaming machines or their own consoles.The enthusiasm military personnel have for gaming — and the risk that carries — is in the spotlight after Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guardsman, was charged with illegally taking and posting highly classified material in a geopolitical chat room on Discord, a social media platform that started as a hangout for gamers.State secrets can be illegally shared in countless different ways, from whispered conversations and dead drops to myriad social media platforms. But online gaming forums have long been a particular worry of the military because of their lure for young service members. And U.S. officials are limited in how closely they can monitor those forums to make sure nothing on them threatens national security.“The social media world a...

Name-that-tune game Heardle dropped by Spotify after a year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:30:58 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Heardle, the name-that-tune game inspired by the Wordle craze, is being dropped by Spotify less than a year after the music-streaming giant acquired it. “After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to say goodbye to Heardle,” Spotify said Saturday in a statement. A similar announcement was posted on the Heardle homepage. First appearing in February 2022 amid a surge of games that used the format of Wordle, which the New York Times bought in January of that year, Heardle plays fleeting moments of a song and challenges users to see how quickly they can guess it. Saturday’s mystery song was (spoiler alert) 1998’s “Why Don’t You Get a Job” by the Offspring. After Spotify bought Heardle in July, users could go from revealing the song to playing it on the app. That sort of music discovery, or rediscovery, was Spotify’s intention in acquiring the game from its creators, according to the blog post announcing the acquisition....

Kamala Harris rallies as high court eyes abortion pill rules

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:30:58 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday urged Americans to take action during “a critical point in our nation’s history” as thousands of protesters demonstrated across the country against new limits to abortion rights making their way through the courts.Saturday’s nationwide rallies were sparked by the U.S. Supreme Court’s actions the day before, when the high court intervened to delay rule changes that would have limited the way the abortion drug mifepristone could be used and dispensed. The limits were paused while the court reviews the case more thoroughly.Harris made a surprise stop in Los Angeles at one of the rallies, where she called the latest upheaval over abortion rights a further incursion by conservatives into myriad “fundamental rights” many Americans thought they had.“And so this is a moment that history will show required each of us — based on our collective love of our country — to stand up, and fight for, and protect our ideals. That’s what this ...

Police investigate after body pulled from water along Toronto lakefront

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:30:58 GMT

Police are investigating the discovery of a body along Toronto’s lakeshore. Police, along with the Marine Unit, were notified just after 6 p.m. Saturday of a body in the water in the area of York Street and Queens Quay, just west of the ferry terminal. “The body will be transported to the Coroners office to determine the identity and cause of death,” police said in a tweet. Police would not say if foul play is suspected at this time.

Women’s World Cup trophy gets quick, guarded visit in Haiti

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:30:58 GMT

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — The FIFA Women’s World Cup trophy got a whirlwind visit to Haiti on Saturday, but instead of being feted with a parade like in other countries it was only displayed during a small ceremony because of the country’s unrelenting violence.Meant to inspire future female soccer talent, the trophy was surrounded by Haitian authorities, mostly men and a handful of women, including the goalkeeper of the national soccer team and the president of the women’s soccer federation, Monique André.The trophy has special significance in Haiti now because its women’s team qualified in February for the FIFA Women’s World Cup finals for the first time in the country’s history. The team won its historic match a week after a court overturned a lifetime ban against former Haitian soccer federation president Yves Jean-Bart over allegations that he sexually abused female players, including minors. FIFA has appealed the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport.Goalkeeper Kerl...

Temps to drop 40 degrees by Sunday evening in Chicagoland

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:30:58 GMT

CHICAGO — A strong cold front will push through the Chicago area Saturday night and into Sunday morning.  Behind the front, temperatures will tumble as strengthening westerly winds usher much colder air into the region.  Saturday to bring fourth consecutive day of 80-degree-plus temps Highs in the 60s will likely occur in the early overnight hours followed by temperatures falling throughout Sunday.  By late afternoon we'll likely see temperatures in the lower 40s and even some upper 30s. A freeze watch for McHenry, Lake, DeKalb, Kane, DuPage, Kendall and parts of Cook and Will counties is in effect from 10 p.m. Sunday until 10 a.m. Monday.Latest warnings and watches from the National Weather Service.The frost and freeze conditions could kill crops and other vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing.By Monday morning many locations west and north of the Chicago metro are expected to see temperatures near freezing.The extended forecast on Monday calls for a chilly...

'It's gone': Florida family searching for lost urn mistakenly put by curb

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:30:58 GMT

PASCO COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A Florida family just closed on their house Friday, but one of their most precious possessions disappeared during the final stages of packing up.Steve Neidig is grieving the loss of his brother-in-law for a second time as the urn with his ashes went missing while he was in the midst of moving out. How much does a wedding cost in your state? “He just died six weeks ago and now his ashes are gone forever,” said Neidig.Neidig is still in disbelief, especially since this happened on the same day he sold his home. Neidig closed on his house Friday morning but had a few more items to pack beforehand.“Someone decided they would clean up the things they left in the house and put it all out at the curb — and someone came along and garbage picked it and it’s gone,” Neidig said.Neidig is still trying to pinpoint who may have moved the urn to the curb by mistake, but he believes it may have caught the attention of someone passing by. The urn is shaped like a s...

Austin Police investigating body found in Lady Bird Lake near Longhorn Dam

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:30:58 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department is investigating where a body was recovered Saturday from Lady Bird Lake near Longhorn Dam.Police responded to the area near Longhorn Dam at 1:21 p.m. for a check welfare urgent call after multiple people called 911 about an apparent dead body in the water.APD and Austin Fire responded to the scene where an unidentified adult was pronounced dead. APD's homicide unit is investigating the incident, but there currently is no suspicious evidence."As of right now, nothing criminal has been seen," APD public information officer Michael Bullock said at a Saturday evening press conference.Bullock said there is no estimate for how long the person was in the water.Bullock said APD investigations are in coordination with the medical examiner's office, which determines the cause of death. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact APD's homicide unit at 512-477-3588. PREVIOUS: City to focus on safety near Rainey Street after recent ...

AFD: 'Fully involved' car fire on I-35 frontage road causes closures

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:30:58 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A car fire on Interstate 35 in south Austin is causing some road closures. AFD said the "fully involved vehicle fire" closed the Stassney Lane exit and frontage road. As of 6:30 p.m., traffic delays are expected. The car fire was on southbound I-35 frontage road near Stassney Lane. There were no injuries in the fire, AFD said. This is a developing story. Stay with KXAN for updates.

State of Texas: Education Savings Accounts draw support, concern at the Capitol

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:30:58 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) - Just four days after the Texas House voted to prohibit state funding for education savings accounts, the House Committee on Public Education considered a bill to establish just that.House Bill 4340, by Rep. James Frank, R-Wichita Falls, is the lower chamber's proposal to use state dollars to subsidize educational costs for families looking for alternatives to public education. "The entire discussion around school choice... comes down to perspective in my opinion. Should parents be given options to educate their children?" Frank said to the committee on Tuesday. "When viewed through the eyes of the parent or child, I believe it's hard to come to any other answer than 'yes.'"Frank's bill would establish education savings accounts (ESAs), just like Texas Sen. Brandon Creighton's Senate Bill 8, but with some key differences.HB 4340 would prioritize families who would qualify for the ESAs into four tiers based on income level. The first priority group includes students...