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Pirates and Mets play to decide series winner

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:15:55 GMT

New York Mets (31-34, fourth in the NL East) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (33-30, first in the NL Central)Pittsburgh; Sunday, 1:35 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Mets: Carlos Carrasco (2-2, 5.94 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 23 strikeouts); Pirates: Mitch Keller (7-2, 3.60 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 94 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Pirates -122, Mets +103; over/under is 9 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Mets meet on Sunday with the winner claiming the three-game series.Pittsburgh has a 17-16 record in home games and a 33-30 record overall. The Pirates have the ninth-ranked team batting average in the NL at .248.New York has a 16-22 record on the road and a 31-34 record overall. The Mets are 22-3 in games when they out-hit their opponents.Sunday’s game is the third time these teams meet this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Jack Suwinski ranks fourth on the Pirates with 20 extra base hits (eight doubles and 12 home runs). Ke’Bryan Hayes is 19-for-42 with three doubles, two triples, tw...

Trump vows to stay in the race even if convicted

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:15:55 GMT

Donald Trump vowed Saturday to continue running for president even if he were to be convicted as part of the 37-count federal felony indictment that was issued against him this week.“I’ll never leave,” Trump said in an interview aboard his plane. “Look, if I would have left, I would have left prior to the original race in 2016. That was a rough one. In theory that was not doable.”Trump is not legally prohibited from running for president from prison or as a convicted felon. But such a bid would nevertheless provide a massive stress test for the country’s political and legal systems.The former president leveled harsh criticisms at special counsel Jack Smith and argued that the case against him was politically motivated and flimsy. “These are thugs and degenerates who are after me,” he said.Trump predicted he would not be convicted and said he did not anticipate taking a plea deal, though he left open the possibility of doing so “where they pay me some damages.”He sidestepped the poss...

Playground stabbing: French town holds gathering to support wounded children, families

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:15:55 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Crowds of well-wishers gathered Sunday in the French Alps town of Annecy to show solidarity with victims of a playground stabbing attack that left four young children and two adults hospitalized.Annecy Mayor Francois Astorg called for a “citizens’ gathering’’ in the lakeside park where a man with a knife raced around stabbing people Thursday. City officials reopened the playground hours after the attack in an attempt to show the area was again safe.People have heaped flowers, stuffed toys and messages of support on the playground’s padded surface in the days since. A pink heart-shaped balloon tied to a bench read, “For the children – LOVE.”The children targeted were a 22-month-old Dutch girl, a 3-year-old British girl, and two 2-year-old French cousins, a boy and a girl. They received grave injuries and remain hospitalized, but their conditions improved to the point where their lives no longer were in danger, the regional prosecutor said Saturday.One of the wounded adul...

WWII codebreakers helped launch computer industry in St. Paul. They’ll be recognized this week.

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:15:55 GMT

Thanks to a group of World War II codebreakers, St. Paul will be cemented in history as one of the birthplaces of modern computing technology this week.Born from the U.S. Navy codebreakers, a group known as Engineering Research Associates was in existence for only six years in St. Paul but would go on to have a global impact across computer technology, electronic communication and the medical device industry.The formation of ERA paved the way for entrepreneurs in computer technology to build up their businesses into nationally recognized corporations, said Don Hall, author of a book on the subject titled “Generation of Wealth: The Rise of Control Data and How it Inspired an Era of Innovation and Growth in the Upper Midwest.”“I think ERA should be acknowledged just like any other important artifact,” said Hall, who is financing a commemorative plaque that will be unveiled at ERA’s original St. Paul location on June 15. “I am hoping to leave the marker for future generations,” he said...

David French: Before the law, ex-presidents should be treated no better — and no worse — than anybody else

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:15:55 GMT

Donald Trump has been indicted. Again. And this time, it appears richly deserved, even if one includes special considerations related to the unique recent history of public officials mishandling classified documents.Before we dive into the details of the case, it’s important to restate the general principles that should govern any prosecution decision. The first principle is that no person is above the law. That’s, of course, easy to say in the abstract, but perhaps a better way to frame it is that Trump’s status as a former president means that he should be treated no better and — crucially — no worse than ordinary American citizens.“No better” means that Trump should face charges if, for example, I would face charges under similar facts. It really is that straightforward.“No worse” means don’t stretch the law to indict the man. That may have been the case in March, when the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, indicted Trump on charges related to hush-money payments made to p...

Kazakh president warns of threat to the very foundation of world order

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:15:55 GMT

Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, has warned that divisions within states and tensions between them are threatening to bring down the world order that has existed since the foundation of the United Nations. In his keynote speech to the Astana International Forum, the president called for nations to recognize the strong imperative to come together, even as geopolitical pressures are pushing them apart, writes Political Editor Nick Powell.Welcoming representatives of every continent and from the worlds of government, diplomacy, business, and academia to the Astana International Forum, President Tokayev said it was a dialogue platform with a mission, to candidly review the global situation, identify the leading challenges and crises and to tackle those challenges through dialogue in a spirit of mutual cooperation. Also to renew and rebuild a common culture of multilateralism and to amplify voices for peace, progress and solidarity. He said that the Forum explicitly promo...

Bridge: June 11, 2023

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:15:55 GMT

“How much does a mortician urn?” — graffitiAs long as there are bridge games, there will be postmortems. One player asserts that the contract could always be made, another insists that it could always be beaten. Meanwhile, a third is observing that his partner made a mistake a six-year-old child could have avoided.Postmortems are a necessary evil, essential to improvement, but even a benign postmortem at the table can ruin your focus on the next deal. Save “discussions” for a dispassionate atmosphere after the game. Remarks at the table should be supportive — or intended to prevent a recurrence of the problem. They should not, for heaven’s sake, be meant to humble your partner.In today’s deal, West led the jack of hearts against 3NT, and East took the ace and returned a heart. South won, forced out East’s ace of diamonds, won the third heart, got to dummy with the ace of spades, ran the diamonds and took the A-K of clubs. Making ...

Ask Amy: My grandson says his college grades are none of my business

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:15:55 GMT

Dear Amy: I have been contributing $20,000 a year to my 25-year-old grandson’s university education.Should I be able to know his grades and to see his university transcript?Related ArticlesAdvice | Ask Amy: Stranded bicyclist has an opinion on the coldest generation Advice | Ask Amy: My husband won’t say why he contacted these women Advice | Ask Amy: How do I tell my parents why I don’t like their friend? Advice | Ask Amy: I overheard their unkind comments about me at the funeral Advice | Ask Amy: We’re hurt by what her family says was her last wish He says it’s none of my business and he has never thanked me.– Perplexed!Dear Perplexed!: If you and your grandson have an agreement as part of this loan that you could review his grades, then he should honor that agreement.Otherwise, no – other than proof that he is matriculated and has passed his courses, I don’t think that he ...

IS militants kill 2 Iraqi soldiers, wound 3 others in northern Iraq, officials say

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:15:55 GMT

BAGHDAD (AP) — Islamic State group militants attacked an Iraqi army position in the northern governorate of Kirkuk, killing two military officers and wounding three soldiers, Iraq’s security media office said in a statement Sunday.The Iraqi Security Media Cell said militants belonging to the extremist group late Saturday targeted the military position in the district of Dibis with light and medium weapons but did not provide further details.The statement said that Iraqi authorities held a meeting to investigate the attack.IS, in a late Saturday statement, claimed responsibility for the attack on their website.This comes as the Iraqi military has cracked down on IS sleeper cells near the country’s borders over the past month. Iraq’s Counter Terrorism Service launched airstrikes targeting the group’s positions in the western desert of the Anbar province and in the Hamrin mountains near Kirkuk, killing 27 militants.The militant group in recent years has targeted...

Romania recalls ambassador to Kenya after racist monkey slur

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:15:55 GMT

Romania is recalling its ambassador to Kenya after the diplomat allegedly made a comment equating Africans to monkeys at a meeting in Nairobi. “Any racist behavior or comments are absolutely unacceptable,” the Romanian Foreign Ministry in Bucharest said in a statement Saturday. The ministry has “initiated the procedure of recalling” Ambassador Dragos Viorel Tigau from his post in Kenya, according to the statement.The ministry “deeply regrets this situation, apologizes to all those affected and strongly rejects and condemns any behavior and any attitude incompatible with mutual respect,” the statement reads further.The move came in reaction to allegations that Tigau said “the African group has joined us” after a black monkey appeared at the window of the conference room ahead of a meeting. The incident took place at a UN building in the Kenyan capital on April 26.The Romanian Foreign Ministry said it had only been informed of the incident last week...