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Dominic Cummings acted like he was prime minister, UK COVID inquiry hears

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:58 GMT

LONDON — Unelected Boris Johnson aide Dominic Cummings acted like he was the prime minister “in all but name,” a senior Conservative told Britain’s COVID-19 inquiry.Sajid Javid — who served as both chancellor and later health secretary under Johnson — said in evidence to the inquiry that then-prime minister was “largely content” to let his most senior adviser run the country as the coronavirus pandemic hit the U.K.The Conservative MP quit as chancellor under Johnson in February 2020, as the crisis began to escalate. It followed major tensions between Johnson’s Cummings-led No. 10 Downing Street operation and Javid’s Treasury.In a statement which was read out at the inquiry — which is looking for lessons learned from the government’s response to the pandemic — Javid said that during his time as chancellor, Cummings “sought to act as the prime minister in all but name,” and “tried to make all key decisions within No 10 — not the prime minister.”“I felt that the...

French Green MEP Michèle Rivasi dead at 70

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:58 GMT

Michèle Rivasi, a French MEP from the Greens–European Free Alliance group, died Wednesday at the age of 70, according to her office.The EU lawmaker got her start in politics in the wake of the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown, when she founded an NGO that analyzed radioactivity in the environment after the nuclear disaster. She was elected to the French national assembly in 1997 as a socialist, and served as a member until 2002.In 2009 she ran and won a seat in the European Parliament as a Green, and then was twice reelected, in 2014 and 2019. Rivasi was a well-known political figure in France, and was a visible campaigner across a number of issues, including the use of pesticides, pharmaceutical company practices and nuclear energy. She’s also been at the center of controversy, most recently for her skepticism toward what she saw as over-extensive vaccination. She was also critical of French President Emmanuel Macron’s vaccine mandate. Rivasi was known as a pugnacious fighter...

PMQs scorecard: Starmer cracks dad jokes about Elgin Marbles as Sunak squirms

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:58 GMT

Prime minister’s questions: a shouty, jeery, very occasionally useful advert for British politics. Here’s what you need to know from the latest session in POLITICO’s weekly run-through.What they sparred about: A bumper week for the speech writers … and a dire week for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. With record-high immigration numbers, a big diplomatic dispute with Greece, and embarrassing COVID inquiry revelations providing more jabs than a boxing match, the Conservative leader was on the ropes, while the leader of the opposition rubbed his hands in glee.Politicians trying to be funny klaxon: In his opening remarks, Keir Starmer dug into the big bust-up between London and Athens over the Elgin Marbles this week. “In an effort to hide from his failures, the prime minister spent this week arguing about an ancient relic that only a tiny minority of the British public have any interest in. But that’s enough about the Tory party.” The house went wild! That’s enough: Starme...

Death in Goffstown, NH confirmed as homicide

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:58 GMT

The New Hampshire Attorney General’s office confirmed Wednesday that the death of a woman in a Goffstown residence on Tuesday is being investigated as a homicide.Police and firefighters first responded to the area shortly after 2 p.m. on Tuesday. In a post on Facebook near 3 p.m., the Goffstown Police Department said police activity near Joffre Street prompted a lockdown at the nearby Bartlett Elementary School.Police said the police activity was “under control” as of 3 p.m. and the lockdown had ended.“There is no longer a threat to the public,” police said. “We will be in the area for an extended amount of time.”The AG’s office in its statement near 4:15 p.m. also said officers determined there was no threat to the general public. Neighbors said an older couple lived in the home that was taped off, adding that they had an adult son who would come and go from time to time. “We know them, so it’s hard to process,” area resident Michelle Toto s...

Co-founder of Students for Trump was charged with assault after allegedly hitting a woman with a gun, court records show

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:58 GMT

(CNN) — Ryan Fournier, a co-founder of the political organization Students for Trump, was arrested and charged with assault last week in North Carolina after allegedly hitting a woman with a gun, court records show.Fournier was charged with misdemeanor assault on a female and assault with a deadly weapon on November 21, according to online court records from Johnston County. He was released on a $2,500 bond later that day, the documents say.He is accused of grabbing a woman by her arm and hitting her in the forehead with a firearm, according to the charging documents, which have the woman’s name redacted.Fournier waived his right to assigned counsel in the case, the documents show.CNN has made attempts to reach Fournier for comment.He is scheduled to appear at a hearing on December 18 at the Johnston County Courthouse, records show.Fournier is the chairman of Students for Trump, which he co-founded in 2015 when he was a freshman at Campbell Un...

Elite women’s sports tipped to generate over $1.2 billion next year

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:58 GMT

(CNN) — Elite women’s sports will generate revenue of $1.28 billion in 2024, according to financial analysts Deloitte, up 300% from three years ago.The predictions are based on three main revenue streams – matchday, broadcast and commercial – and forecast that soccer and basketball will be the two most valuable sports, bringing in $555 million and $354 million respectively next year.“Over the last few years, we have seen exceptional growth in women’s sport across the globe, driving a significant uplift in its commercial value, which in turn has led to growing interest from investors,” Jennifer Haskel, insights lead for Deloitte’s Sports Business Group, said.“Crucially, women’s sport is increasingly being viewed as a unique product that is becoming ever more distinct from men’s elite sport.”The forecast comes at an exciting time for women’s sports, which have generally been on an upward trajectory in recent years.The FIFA Women’s World Cup, for example, was a...

Taylor Swift is Spotify’s most-streamed artist of 2023, ending Bad Bunny’s 3-year reign

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:58 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — It’s her, hi — Taylor Swift is Spotify’s 2023 most-played artist.According to Spotify Wrapped, Swift was 2023’s most-streamed artist globally, raking in more than 26.1 billion streams since January 1. That means the pop powerhouse has dethroned Puerto Rican reggaetón star Bad Bunny, who held the coveted title for three years in a row beginning in 2020.He’s in the number two slot in 2023, followed by The Weeknd in third, Drake in fourth, and regional Mexican musician Peso Pluma in fifth.It’s not such bad news for Bad Bunny, however: his 2022 album “Un Verano Sin Ti” was Spotify’s most-streamed album for the second year in a row, raking in 4.5 billion global streams. In that category, Taylor Swift’s “Midnights” trails in second, with SZA’s “SOS” in third. All three albums were released last year.The top five is rounded out with The Weeknd’s 2016 album “Starboy” and Karol G’s “Mañana Será Bonito,” the only 2023 release ...

Kraft’s newest Mac & Cheese is ditching cheese

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:58 GMT

New York (CNN) — Kraft’s new Mac & Cheese is ditching the cheese and going vegan.For the first-time ever, the household staple is going plant-based with a new version of the boxed favorite that contains a dairy-free alternative to its signature cheese. It’s called “Kraft NotMac&Cheese” and will soon roll out on grocery store shelves in two flavors — original and white cheddar with shells — each priced at $3.49 per box.Kraft partnered with NotCo., a company that makes plant-based foods, to create the new mac and cheese alternative, which is in response the growing hunger for “better-for-you” products from American consumers.The company is joining a growing trend: Plant-based product sales surged 19% last year to $11 billion, according to research firm NIQ.But there’s a risk for Kraft, too: Customers who have tried dairy-free alternatives sometimes don’t like the taste – and they often don’t give brands a second chance.“Curiosity is a major factor in trying plan...

NFL power rankings, Week 13: Ravens enter bye looking like the class of the AFC

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:58 GMT

Each week of the NFL season, The Baltimore Sun will rank all 32 NFL teams. The rankings will take into account not just weekly performance, injuries and roster depth, but how well each team measures up as Super Bowl contenders.Here are the rankings heading into Week 13:1. Philadelphia Eagles (10-1, No. 1 last week)Last week: Win vs. Bills, 37-34 (OT)Up next: vs. 49ersTrailing 17-7 at halftime against an AFC contender for the second straight week, the Eagles once again showed their resolve by pulling out another win in dramatic fashion. This time, it was Jake Elliott’s game-tying 59-yard field goal with 20 seconds left in regulation and quarterback Jalen Hurts’ 12-yard touchdown run in overtime that secured the victory. There are plenty of nits to pick with this team, including long stretches of stagnant offense and poor run defense, but it keeps finding a way to win against some of the league’s best teams. With Hurts playing like a Most Valuable Player candidate, t...

The Orioles will soon reach at least $1.3 billion in public benefits since 1988. They’re expected to ask for more.

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:58 GMT

Thirty-five years after the Orioles announced their arrival in Baltimore, then-Gov. William Donald Schaefer introduced a “distinguished visitor” to mark the end of a meeting that would redefine the MLB team’s relationship with the state of Maryland.The Oriole Bird came into the conference room and rallied the elected officials and bureaucrats with a chant of “O-R-I-O-L-E-S.”The occasion — final approval of a state-of-the-art, taxpayer-funded stadium in exchange for the Orioles’ long-term commitment to Baltimore — came on the heels of the painful departure a few years earlier of the NFL’s Colts. The baseball club’s 1988 deal promised a “no-escape” lease and years of economic benefits in exchange for significant financial investment from the state.Another 35 years have passed and Maryland officials are again on the verge of devoting valuable state resources to lock the team in for another three decades. Negotiatio...