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NFL owners pass kickoff rule change despite strong opposition from coaches and players

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

A majority of NFL owners, including Giants co-owner John Mara, ignored the opposition of the league’s coaches and players on Tuesday and passed a controversial measure to limit kick returns.The new rule will allow teams to automatically receive a first down at their own 25-line if they fair-catch a kickoff or free kick behind their 25.Commissioner Roger Goodell and the owners had the audacity to cite “player safety” as the reason for the new rule after increasing the regular season recently to 17 games, voting in March to schedule teams up to twice on Thursdays, and voting on Monday to allow Thursday Night Football flexing between Weeks 13 and 17.The hypocrisy is too much for the league’s many critics on this issue.“Extremely disappointed,” one coach told the Daily News on Tuesday. “‘Player safety’ is what they want, and then you flex Thursday night games late in the year?!?! It doesn’t make sense to me. Player safety?!?!&#...

As Lamar Jackson arrives for Ravens OTAs, here are 5 questions that linger

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

Lamar Jackson has arrived.A source with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed to The Baltimore Sun that the Ravens quarterback is at the team’s facility in Owings Mills on Tuesday, a day after the first of what are 10 voluntary organized team activities over the next three weeks. Jackson, who signed a five-year extension worth a reported $260 million earlier this month, was absent the first five weeks of the Ravens’ voluntary workouts and had not been on the field with the team since suffering a PCL injury against the Denver Broncos on Dec. 4.The Ravens are one of 20 teams that began organized team activities Monday; another 10 did so Tuesday.Though “live” contact is not allowed, seven-on-seven and 11-on-11 work is permitted. One Ravens session per week will also be open to the media, beginning Wednesday, with the other organized team activities scheduled for Thursday, next Tuesday, and June 1-2, 5-6, 8-9.The only mandatory portion of the offseason work...

DeSantis set to announce for president on Twitter with Musk

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

Gov. Ron DeSantis will announce his presidential bid Wednesday night alongside Elon Musk.DeSantis will launch his campaign on Twitter Spaces, an audio platform, according to NBC News and Fox News, which first reported the event. The conversation with Musk will be moderated by businessman David Sacks. Various reports have it happening at either 6 p.m. or 7 p.m.Nick Iarossi, a Tallahassee lobbyist who’s been an adviser and fundraiser for DeSantis since he first ran for governor, confirmed in a text message that DeSantis will announce his candidacy with the billionaire owner of Twitter, SpaceX and Tesla.Musk retweeted the NBC story posted on Twitter.The campaign will reportedly also unveil a launch video at the same time.The South African-born Musk first said in 2022 he was leaning toward supporting DeSantis for the Republican nomination. DeSantis joked at the time, “I welcome support from African Americans.”Nikki Fried, chair of the Florida Democratic Party, had a sarcastic resp...

Appeals court ruling deals legal setback to Biden administration in gun stabilizing brace case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court dealt a legal setback to the Biden administration on guns Tuesday in a lawsuit challenging tighter regulations on stabilizing braces, an accessory that has been used in several mass shootings in the U.S. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily blocked the Biden administration’s rule from going into effect for the gun owners and groups who filed the lawsuit. The order came shortly before a deadline that would have required people to register stabilizing braces and pay a fee, or remove the braces from their weapons.The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives finalized the rule earlier this year after finding the accessories make pistols as dangerously powerful and easy to conceal as short-barreled rifles or sawed-off shotguns, weapons that have been highly regulated since the days of Al Capone. The rule was quickly challenged by gun-rights groups that argued it violated Sec...

Trump, appearing by video, warned that violating protective order in hush money case could lead to sanctions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

By Josephine Stratman and Larry McShane, New York Daily NewsJudge Juan Merchan warned former president Donald Trump Tuesday that he needed to stick to the terms of a protective order limiting what he can say about the Stormy Daniels hush money case or risk sanctions — including the possibility of a contempt citation.Responding to concerns from the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Merchan imposed a protective order on Trump and his team to block them from talking about evidence or witnesses in the case on social media. Tuesday’s hearing was held to review that order.“Violating the court order may result in sanctions,” Merchan told Trump, who appeared in the NYC courtroom via video.Trump was visibly perturbed at times during the short appearance. Appearing on a massive screen wearing a red tie with blue and white stripe, Trump was seated next to his lawyer, Todd Blanche, who told Merchan that Trump was concerned his first amendment rights were being violated as...

1 dead, 1 wounded in downtown shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- One person was killed and another wounded in a downtown shooting Tuesday afternoon, according to San Diego police.The shooting occurred near the San Diego Central Library on Park Boulevard.Police have not disclosed the condition of the wounded victim or if there is a suspect in the incident at this time. It is not known if there are any additional victims in the shooting.There are street closures near the library. Police are asking the public to avoid the area.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Mitt Romney faces new challenger in GOP primary for Utah Senate seat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs announced plans to run for U.S. Senate next year and challenge first-term Republican Mitt Romney in what could emerge as a competitive primary battle in the deeply conservative state.Romney, 76, has not yet announced whether he plans to seek reelection, but his transformation from 2012 presidential candidate to a recurring critic of President Donald Trump has led many to believe Trump could be vulnerable in next year’s Republican primary.“The only thing I’ve seen him fight for are the Establishment, ‘wokeness,’ open borders, impeaching President Trump and putting us even deeper into debt,” Staggs says in an announcement video that highlights Romney’s votes to impeach Trump.Staggs, 49, is one of several candidates expected to run to the right of Romney and, in the announcement, brands the incumbent as a “Massachusetts millionaire” who moved to Utah. After a career in securities trading, Staggs was elected mayor...

Toddler shot by stray bullet at Utah day care while playing outside

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

SPANISH FORK, Utah (AP) — A 2-year-old boy was shot in the head by a stray bullet while playing outside at day care in Utah, the facility’s owner and authorities said Tuesday.Spanish Fork police believe the bullet came from a pellet or air gun shot from a farming field across the street west of the facility, Lt. Clay Slaymaker said. There are currently no suspects, but a bullet hole could be seen through the vinyl fence that wraps the play area where the incident occurred.Lane Mugleston, the owner of Leap Ahead Daycare, confirmed that the shooting happened at his facility in Spanish Fork. He said two employees were outside when one near the toddler noticed him suddenly stumble, bleeding from the face, while kids played in the fenced-in area outside the day care on Monday afternoon. Nobody heard the shots at the facility, which is in a light industrial area near an airport, he said.“We’re absolutely dumbfounded. And we pray for the family and hope that the doctors are able to d...

Guam residents shelter, military sends away ships as Super Typhoon Mawar closes in

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

HONOLULU (AP) — President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration as an intensifying Super Typhoon Mawar approached Guam, where anyone not living in a concrete house was urged to seek safety elsewhere and emergency shelters began to fill ahead of what could be the most powerful storm to hit the U.S. Pacific territory in decades.Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero said on social media that the declaration will support the mobilization of resources into Guam, which is “especially crucial given our distance from the continental U.S.” Guerrero ordered residents of coastal, low-lying and flood-prone areas of the territory of over 150,000 people to evacuate to higher elevations.Federal assistance will be needed to save lives and property and “mitigate the effects of this imminent catastrophe,” Guerrero said in a letter to the president requesting a “pre-landfall emergency” for Guam. Officials warned residents who aren’t in fully concrete structures — some homes on the far-flung island are ma...

Social media star and influencer Tinx really wants you to take her advice and live your best life

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

“I need you to not wait three weeks for that loser to text you back when he’s not going to,” said Christina Najjar, best-known to her social media followers and podcast listeners as Tinx, in an interview over Zoom.This is classic Tinx. She’ll cut to the chase and believes honesty is the best policy. “I am a Virgo, so therefore I think I know best for everyone,” she said with a smile. “I’m always trying to give people tips. That’s always been a role that’s natural for me.”Tinx is putting her skills to good use with her first book called “The Shift: Change Your Perspective, Not Yourself” (Simon & Schuster), which she describes as “Tinx 101. A baseline, a starter pack for me and my theories and way of thinking.”She says it’s filled with personal anecdotes and life lessons she learned, particularly in her twenties. Topics include self-love, empowerment, mental health, sex and dating. Tinx first started posting videos on TikTok during the pan...