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Don’t touch Massachusetts tax rebate law, polling shows

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:25 GMT

Likely voters do not want lawmakers to carry through with the proposal to tamper with a rebate law which just last year sent about $3 billion back to taxpayers, according to new polling.Chapter 62F of the General Law, passed by the will of the voters via a ballot question offered in 1986, was unexpectedly triggered last summer for just the second time since its passage, surprising state lawmakers and effectively ending a push for tax cuts which very nearly made it to then-Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk.The law requires the state to pay taxpayers back when it takes too much in taxes and wages aren’t keeping up, as was apparently the case in 1987 and 2022. This year, House lawmakers have approved a plan to change the law’s rebate calculations, currently tied to a taxpayer’s income and tax burden, so that every resident receives an equal payment should the law again require rebates.According to a poll of 750 likely voters prepared on behalf of the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, the ma...

Baker beats Warren in new poll 49-34%

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:25 GMT

The watchdog group Fiscal Alliance Foundation, or MassFiscal for short, is out with a new poll and it sure looks as if U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren is vulnerable as she seeks re-election. But there’s more:Gov. Maura HealeyFavorable: 52%Unfavorable: 27%Unsure: 21%Mayor Michelle WuFavorable: 47%Unfavorable: 30%Unsure: 22%U.S. Sen. Elizabeth WarrenFavorable: 49%Unfavorable: 44%Unsure: 7%Charlie Baker vs. WarrenBaker: 49%Warren: 34%Chapter 62F Tax Rebate LawSupport: 56%Change it: 18.5%Unsure: 25%Repeal it: 7%The poll surveyed 750 people and was in the field on May 6 and 7. The margin of error is 3.6% at a 95% confidence level.

Friday is deadline day for candidates to enter Toronto’s mayoral race

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:25 GMT

Nominations for next month’s mayoral byelection in Toronto are set to close Friday with nearly 90 people already signed up.Anyone looking to join the race will have until 2 p.m. to file their papers. Friday is also the last day for candidates to withdraw their name as an official candidate.Nomination and withdrawals can still be filed on the last day between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Toronto Elections Office at city hall.As of early Friday morning, there are 88 names on the city’s registered candidates list. The city says a final list of certified candidates will made available by 4 p.m. on Monday, May 15.Related:High-profile names running to become the next mayor of Toronto?What are the top Toronto Mayoral candidates promising if elected?The byelection for a new mayor was triggered after John Tory officially stepped down back on Feb. 17 after announcing he had an “inappropriate relationship” with someone who used to work on his staff.Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie has as...

Kansas City declares itself a LGBTQ+ sanctuary city

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:25 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Officials in Missouri’s largest city approved a resolution Thursday to declare it a sanctuary for people seeking or providing gender-affirming care, defying state lawmakers who voted a day earlier to ban such care for minors and restrict it for some adults.Democratic Mayor Quinton Lucas praised the 12 to 1 vote, saying the city is committed to being a “welcoming, inclusive, and safe place for everyone, including our transgender and LGBTQ+ community.”Kansas City’s new, sanctuary status sets it apart as a Democratic-leaning city in a state with a Republican governor and GOP-controlled Legislature. Similar actions have been taken in cities that oppose state actions to restrict rights for transgender people, as in Austin, Texas. GOP Gov. Mike Parson is expected to sign into law the ban on gender-affirming care, joining at least 16 other states that have enacted similar laws restricting or banning such care for minors. The resolution also comes as a judge co...

Marine veteran who fatally choked NYC subway rider Jordan Neely to surrender on manslaughter charge

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:25 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A man who kept a chokehold around the neck of an agitated fellow passenger on a New York City subway, leading to the other rider’s death, is expected to turn himself in to authorities Friday on a manslaughter charge that could send him to prison for 15 years.Manhattan prosecutors announced Thursday they would bring the criminal charge against Daniel Penny, 24, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, in the May 1 death of 30-year-old Jordan Neely.Neely’s death, captured on video by a freelance journalist, has raised an uproar over many issues, including how those with mental illness are treated by the transit system and the city, as well as crime and vigilantism. Penny’s attorneys did not respond to a request for comment after the prosecutors made their announcement. They have previously said Penny acted in self-defense.According to an onlooker, Neely, who is Black, had been screaming and begging for money aboard the train, but had not gotten physical with anyo...

Islamabad high court gives ex-PM Imran Khan a 2-week reprieve from arrest in graft case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:25 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A high court in Pakistan’s capital on Friday granted former Prime Minister Imran Khan a two-week reprieve from arrest in a graft case and granted him bail on the charge.The Islamabad High Court made the decision a day after the country’s Supreme Court asked it for a ruling. Babar Awan, a lawyer for Khan, said the former premier was now “a free man,” and that the decision was just. The ruling came after Khan returned to court to hear whether he will be shielded from renewed arrest or taken back into custody — a decision that put the government and legions of Khan supporters on edge after days of violent confrontations.However, Khan did not immediately leave the courtroom after the initial decision as the judges proceeded to deliberate whether to grant him bail in several other corruption cases filed against him. Under Pakistan’s legal system, a person granted bail would still have to face a trial. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story f...

Vatican seeks to assure Caritas that papal firings were necessary, not a criticism of work

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:25 GMT

ROME (AP) — A top Vatican cardinal defended Pope Francis’ “drastic” leadership firings at the Holy See’s preeminent charity, saying Friday they were necessary for the wellbeing of staff at Caritas Internationalis and not a condemnation of its work. Cardinal Michael Czerny, whose development office is responsible for Caritas, sought to explain Francis’ extraordinary decision in November to fire the elected Caritas leadership, appoint a temporary administrator and overhaul the Caritas statutes. The move shocked Caritas, which is one of the most visible aid groups around the world, and was the latest display of Francis’ willingness to wield the absolute power of the papacy when he feels it’s necessary. Czerny didn’t beat around the bush as he addressed a weeklong meeting in Rome of the global confederation of 162 national Caritas national chapters, the first since Francis’ intervention. The assembly will end May 16 with a new leadership team voted into office.“I am su...

Eurovision Song Contest fetes Ukraine, but Zelenskyy barred from addressing ‘nonpolitical’ event

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:25 GMT

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — This weekend’s Eurovision Song Contest will have Ukrainian flags, Ukrainian musicians and Ukrainian fans — but not the country’s wartime leader.Organizers say they rejected a request from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to make a video address to the final of t he pan-continental music competition on Saturday. He was expected to urge the world to continue its support for Ukraine’s fight to repel Russian invasion.The European Broadcasting Union, a grouping of national public broadcasters that runs Eurovision, said that letting Zelenskyy participate would breach “the nonpolitical nature of the event.”Zelenskyy’s request “to address the audience at the Eurovision Song Contest, whilst made with laudable intentions, regrettably cannot be granted by the European Broadcasting Union management as it would be against the rules of the event,” the organization said.Zelenskyy spokesman Sergii Nykyforov denied that the president had asked to speak to the event...

Stock market today: European shares rise after Asia drops over US banks, China growth worries

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:25 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — European benchmarks rose Friday after Asian shares mostly declined on looming worries over U.S. banks and lagging demand from China, the region’s major driver of growth.France’s CAC 40 rose 1.0% in early trading to 7,451.96. Germany’s DAX added 0.6% to 15,931.25. Britain’s FTSE 100 gained 0.5% to 7,767.52. U.S. shares were set to drift higher with Dow futures up 0.4% to 33,507.00. S&P 500 futures added 0.4% to 4,160.50. Oil prices fell while currencies traded in a narrow range.“Asian equities struggled for direction after weak inflation data in China pointed to weakening demand,” said Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management. Recent data reflect very low inflation and weak credit extensions in China, which all indicate slowing growth following an initial jump after the nation dropped pandemic-related restrictions, he said.Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 gained 0.9% to finish at 29,388.30 as companies like Nissan Motor Co. ga...

Toyota: Data on more than 2 million vehicles in Japan were at risk in decade-long breach

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:25 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — A decade-long data breach in Toyota’s much-touted online service put some information on more than 2 million vehicles at risk, the Japanese automaker said Friday. Spanning from January 2012 to April 2023, the problem with Toyota’s cloud-based Connected service pertains only to vehicles in Japan, said spokesperson Hideaki Homma. The Connected service reminds owners to get maintenance checks and links to streaming entertainment and provides help during emergencies. It can call for help after a crash or locate a car that’s been stolen. No issues arising from the breach have been reported so far.Although there is no evidence any information was leaked, copied or misused due to the breach, the data at risk includes: the vehicle identification number, which is separate from the license plate; the location of the vehicle and at what time it was there; and video footage taken by the vehicle, known as the “drive recorder” in Japan. Such information cannot be used to identify ind...