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Miami man launches GoFundMe to help family after deadly Moroccan earthquake

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:25 GMT

A Miami man, the second youngest among eight siblings, has launched a GoFundMe campaign to support his family in Morocco following a devastating earthquake that claimed the lives of two brothers and 17 other relatives.The 6.8 magnitude earthquake, which struck Morocco late Friday, killed thousands, including 20 of Youssef Aktam’s family members and left six of them in critical condition and numerous others homeless. “I’m sorry…” said Aktam, fighting tears. “Knowing that you used to be proud of a large family and then you don’t anymore… I’m still trying to figure it out,” he continued.In an effort to provide much-needed help to his affected family, Aktam has turned to the power of crowdfunding.“You know how Marrakesh is? It’s a small town,” he said.As a sign of respect, Aktam didn’t want to share any photos of his family members until they could be laid to rest with a proper Muslim funeral.But now all he ca...

Coke’s latest mystery flavor is here. It’s created by AI

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:25 GMT

New York (CNN) — For about a year and a half, Coca-Cola has experimented with limited-edition beverages that have mystery tastes — most of them with vague, futuristic concepts and undisclosed flavors.The latest one, Coca-Cola Y3000, fits the bill. The one distinction: It’s supposed to taste like the future. Fittingly, the soft-drink giant used artificial intelligence to help determine the flavor and packaging.It’s important for Coca-Cola to keep customers — particularly younger ones — excited about Coke, its more-than-a-century-old signature product. In recent years, health-conscious consumers have shied away from sugary beverages, making it trickier for soda sellers to market their legacy brands. Coca-Cola has used its Creations platform, responsible for limited-edition flavors like Y3000, to try to make the brand resonate with younger consumers.Like all Creations drinks, Coca-Cola Y3000 is designed to taste mostly like Coke, with a bit of something else. T...

Hillary Clinton joins Jill Biden at the White House to honor recipients of a prestigious arts prize

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:25 GMT

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — Jill Biden and Hillary Clinton, the first lady and a former first lady, on Tuesday introduced the recipients of a prestigious Japanese award for lifetime achievement in the arts, an event that led Clinton to her first public appearance at the White House since the Obama administration.“Secretary Clinton, Hillary, it’s an honor to welcome you back to the White House,” Biden said as an audience dotted with Clinton administration alums and some celebrities, including actor Debra Messing and choreographer Mikhail Baryshnikov, burst into loud applause.“Wow, you are so loved,” Biden exclaimed. “Your lifetime of work has left an indelible mark on this country. Thank you for always doing all the good you can by all the means you can in all the ways you can.” Clinton introduced the recipients of the Praemium Imperiale, which is awarded annually by the Japan Arts Association in the catego...

Massachusetts National Guard set to deploy Wednesday to help unstaffed shelters

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:25 GMT

Massachusetts National Guard service members are scheduled to deploy Wednesday to emergency shelters across the state that are housing displaced and migrant families as part of an up to six-month call-up.Gov. Maura Healey activated up to 250 members to serve more than 40 shelters that do not have contracted service providers. Uniformed troops will support logistics and administrative duties but the exact shelters they are serving will remain secret due to privacy concerns, a Healey spokesperson said.The Guard activation is one of the few major moves Healey has taken under the state’s more than month-old state of emergency. The Healey spokesperson said the call-up is for up to six months, “however this is a rapidly evolving situation that will continue to be assessed.”It was unclear Tuesday afternoon how many troops would mobilize at the outset of the call-up. Soldiers and airmen are being drawn from units across the state and the mission commander is Lt. Col. Patrick Donnelly, a Mas...

More cities, towns need to share burden of Massachusetts’ shelter crisis, officials say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:25 GMT

Leaders of communities playing host to emergency shelters for local and migrant families called on the state Tuesday to spread out the burden of servicing people in need across more municipalities in Massachusetts.A month after Gov. Maura Healey declared a state of emergency in response to an overcrowded shelter system, local officials have acknowledged that managing an unpredictable crisis is difficult. Anywhere from 20 to 35 families are entering emergency shelters each day and the state projects up to 1,000 may enter each month.But a handful of the 70-plus host communities voiced concerns that they are unfairly bearing the brunt of a crisis when there are 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts.Westborough Town Manager Kristi Williams said nearly 80 families are staying at a spot in town with a service provider, nine families are in a hotel without a provider, and more are expected to arrive in mid-October.Students of those families are enrolling in local schools, including 25 stud...

Attorneys for Karen Read request Google Nest security footage

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:25 GMT

The attorneys for Karen Read, the Mansfield woman accused of mowing down her boyfriend outside a house in Canton last January, are gearing up for another evidence discovery fight ahead of Friday’s status conference hearing.Read is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, her boyfriend of two years, as well as charges of manslaughter while under the influence of alcohol and leaving the scene of personal injury and death. Prosecutors say she backed into him and ran him over after dropping him off at 34 Fairview Road in Canton in the early hours of Jan. 29, 2023.It began on the first of the month when they filed a motion for GPS records for the snowplow responsible for removing snow from in front of the house — where O’Keefe’s body was found just after 6 a.m.that morning. The request came with a defense interview of the plow driver, who said he didn’t see a body in the yard at around 2:30 a.m. when he allegedly drove past the house.And then ...

Virginia candidate who livestreamed sex videos draws support from women, Democratic leader

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:25 GMT

By DENISE LAVOIE and MATTHEW BARAKAT (Associated Press)RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A Democratic Virginia legislative candidate whose race was rattled by the revelation that she and her husband livestreamed themselves having sex moved forward with her campaign Tuesday and drew some early support in the high-stakes contest. Susanna Gibson, a nurse practitioner with two children, is running against a Republican businessman in one of a handful of highly competitive races that could determine the balance of power in the General Assembly. The race in a suburban district outside Richmond has attracted large amounts of spending and interest for an off-year legislative race.Gibson has been gaining support as an abortion rights candidate in a state that is an increasingly rare abortion access point in the South, where many states have passed new restrictions following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade.On Monday, after The Washington Post and The Associated Pr...

Trump should stay on ballot, New Hampshire lawmakers write

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:25 GMT

A group of current and former New Hampshire lawmakers have signed onto a letter asking their Secretary of State to ignore attempts by some to have former President Donald Trump’s name barred from the ballot.At the end of August, New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella and Secretary of State David Scanlan said in a joint statement saying the latter had asked the former to interpret the Fourteenth Amendment of U.S. Constitution and its potential impact on the 45th president’s eligibility to hold office or appear on the state ballot.That amendment includes an oft forgotten but of late extraordinarily relevant clause which states no one who swore an oath to the U.S. Constitution who then participates in or aids an insurrection against the government no longer qualifies for elected office.Trump’s alleged involvement in the events of January 6th, 2021, meets that standard, according to several legal scholars and even a few lawsuits attempting to keep Trump out of office.On Monday, in...

MTV Video Music Awards set to begin with Olivia Rodrigo, Karol G, Cardi B in attendance

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:25 GMT

By MARIA SHERMAN (AP Music Writer)The MTV Video Music Awards return Tuesday night, and for the first time, only women are nominated in the show’s artist of the year category. Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Doja Cat, Nicki Minaj, Karol G and Shakira are contenders for the night’s prize.On Tuesday morning, the VMAs announced its final round of presenters, which include A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, Anuel AA, Ashanti, Billy Porter, Chloe Bailey, Dove Cameron, Fat Joe, Halle Bailey, Nelly Furtado, Reneé Rapp, Saweetie, Shenseea, Thalia, Tiffany Haddish, Timbaland and Wyclef Jean.The VMAs, which takes place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey — just outside of New York City — will be hosted by Minaj. Last year, she emceed alongside Lil Wayne and Jack Harlow; this year, she’s solo.The show will be packed with stars, with Olivia Rodrigo, Cardi B, Offset, Megan Thee Stallion, Haddish and Karol G among the attendees.The show will also celebrate 50 years o...

MassDOT, MBTA quietly get new boss

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:25 GMT

The state has a new Secretary of Transportation, though if you weren’t paying attention you may not have noticed the change.On Monday, while city officials were holding a wreath laying ceremony in memory of the victims of 9/11 at the corner of the the Public Garden, state officials were just a few hundred yards away quietly swearing in the Commonwealth’s newest cabinet member.About two weeks ago, now-former Transportation Secretary Gina Fiandaca suddenly announced she would step down from her role leading the state’s highway divisions and overseeing the MBTA effective on September 11. Gov. Maura Healey was quick to announce that Fiandaca’s undersecretary, Monica Tibbits-Nutt, would take the helm.In an event advertised by the governor’s office as open to press photography only, held in the Healey’s ceremonial office at the State House on Monday, Fiandaca left and Tibbits-Nutt was sworn in as Acting Secretary of Transportation.The governor’s office issued no release on the...