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3 takeaways from the Chicago Cubs’ 7-6 loss to the Cincinnati Reds, including a rally cut short in a 7th-inning sequence

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:31:41 GMT

Twice the Chicago Cubs lineup gave Drew Smyly a multirun lead.Twice the veteran left-hander squandered it in the bottom half of the inning.Monday’s rocky start against the Cincinnati Reds certainly wasn’t the season debut Smyly envisioned, especially when a pair of three-run innings by the offense in the first and fifth were wasted.Those blown leads proved to be the difference in the Cubs’ 7-6 loss.“It was a frustrating outing,” Smyly said. “It’s not the one you want to start the year. … I mean, our offense scored a lot of runs, plenty to win a game. I let us down tonight.”Here are three takeaways from the loss.1. A comeback attempt in the seventh inning fell apart.Patrick Wisdom had an inkling from the on-deck circle — before catcher interference during Trey Mancini’s at-bat put runners on first and second with nobody out — that he would be called on to deliver a sacrifice bunt in the seventh with the Cubs trai...

What time is Trump’s arraignment?

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:31:41 GMT

Former President Donald Trump will face a historic arraignment Tuesday in New York, following an indictment on criminal charges stemming from prosecutors’ long-running investigation into his business dealings. He will be the first current or former United States president ever in that position.Here’s what we know about the arraignment:What time is Trump’s arraignment?Trump, 76, is expected to appear before State Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan in Manhattan around 2:15 p.m. EST.How will Trump be booked?Trump is expected to arrive at the District Attorney’s offices several hours before appearing before the judge. There, authorities will fill out arrest paperwork, get his fingerprints taken and possibly a mugshot photo, too. That won’t be made public unless he shares it or it’s leaked.Criminal defendants are usually handcuffed and kept in a courthouse jail cell upon surrender, though Trump’s lawyers said they don’t anticipate he will be. Armed Secret Service agents will ac...

Live updates: Trump faces historic arraignment in New York

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:31:41 GMT

Former President Donald Trump will face a historic arraignment Tuesday in New York, following an indictment on criminal charges stemming from prosecutors’ long-running investigation into his business dealings. He will be the first current or former United States president ever in that position.Trump, 76, is expected to appear before State Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan in Manhattan around 2:15 p.m. EST.Five pool photographers will be allowed inside the courtroom for the arraignment, Merchan ruled late Monday. Video cameras will be confined to hallways outside the courtroom, and reporters won’t be allowed to bring laptops or other electronics inside.The charges, expected to remain under seal until Trump appears in court, are believed to relate to his notorious hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Trump is expected to face multiple charges, including at least one felony related to business fraud, but it’s unclear whether they all re...

Donald Trump to surrender, make historic court appearance

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:31:41 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — An extraordinary moment in U.S. history is set to soon unfold in a Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday: Former President Donald Trump, who faces multiple election-related investigations, will surrender to face criminal charges stemming from 2016 hush money payments.The booking and arraignment are likely to be relatively brief — though hardly routine — as Trump is fingerprinted, learns the charges against him and pleads, as expected, not guilty. Judge Juan Merchan has ruled that TV cameras won’t be allowed in the courtroom. Trump, who was impeached twice by the U.S. House but was never convicted in the U.S. Senate, will become the first former president to face criminal charges. The nation’s 45th commander in chief will be escorted from Trump Tower to the courthouse by the Secret Service and may have his mug shot taken.Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina said Tuesday that Trump wouldn’t plead guilty to lesser charges, even if it might resolve the case. He said he ...

TikTok fined $15.9M by UK watchdog over misuse of kids’ data

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:31:41 GMT

Britain’s privacy watchdog hit TikTok with a multimillion-dollar penalty on Tuesday for a slew of data protection breaches, including misusing children’s data. The Information Commissioner’s Office said it issued a fine of 12.7 million pounds ($15.9 million) to the short-video sharing app, which is wildly popular with young people. It’s the latest example of tighter scrutiny that TikTok and its parent, Chinese technology company ByteDance, are facing in the West, where governments are increasingly concerned about risks that the app poses to data privacy and cybersecurity.The British watchdog said TikTok allowed as many as 1.4 million children in the U.K. under 13 to use the app in 2020, despite the platform’s own rules prohibiting children that young from setting up accounts. TikTok didn’t adequately identify and remove children under 13 from the platform, the watchdog said. And even though it knew younger children were using its platform, TikTok ...

Officials reach deal to restart northern Iraq oil exports

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:31:41 GMT

IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — Iraq’s central government and officials from the semi-autonomous Kurdish region reached a final deal Tuesday to resume oil exports from northern Iraq via a pipeline to Turkey.Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Masrour Barzani, prime minister of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region, announced the deal at a press conference in Baghdad.“Halting the export of the region’s oil harms Iraq’s revenues,” Sudani said, adding that the governments would work toward passing a federal law detailing the sharing of funds from oil and gas exports. Barzani said in a statement that while the deal is temporary, it is a “crucial step towards ending the long-standing dispute” between Irbil and Baghdad and “creates a positive and safe atmosphere to finally approve the national oil and gas law.”Kurdish officials said the deal would allow exports to begin again as early as Tuesday. Iraq stopped sending nearly half a million barrels of oil through the pipeline last month ...

Virgin Orbit seeks bankruptcy protection after mission fail

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:31:41 GMT

Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after a failed mission this year and increasing difficulty in raising funding for future missions. The company laid off most of its staff on Friday and told the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware in a filing Monday that it was looking to sell its assets.Virgin Orbit said that it has secured $31.6 million in debtor-in-possession financing from Branson’s Virgin Investments Ltd. Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart said that once the financing is approved by the bankruptcy court, the funds are expected to provide Virgin Orbit with the necessary liquidity to continue operating as it attempts to sell the company.“While we have taken great efforts to address our financial position and secure additional financing, we ultimately must do what is best for the business,” Hart said.The Long Beach, California, company said in its bankruptcy filing that it has between 200 and 999 estimated creditors. It...

‘We are at a breaking point’: Toronto’s Daily Bread Food Bank seeing highest demand ever

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:31:41 GMT

One of the country’s largest food banks says Toronto is in the midst of a food insecurity crisis.The Daily Bread Food Bank saw more visits last month than it ever has before, saying visits have quadrupled since the COVID-19 pandemic.“We are at a breaking point and need action now,” says CEO Neil Hetherington in a statement. “This is not something that can be outsourced to charities.”“It is the government’s duty to ensure that every person in this city, in this country, can realize their right to food.”The food bank saw nearly 270,000 visits in March, which it says is the highest number in its 40-year history. It compares to 65,000 client visits per month pre-pandemic.The organization says it is also seeing 12,000 new people access emergency food services per month, which is six times higher than pre-COVID.It attributes the rise in clients to stagnating income that hasn’t kept pace with inflation and the rising cost of housing. The char...

Webby Award nominations for Harry Styles, Lizzo, Post Malone

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:31:41 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Harry Styles, Post Malone, Lizzo, Doja Cat, Megan Thee Stallion, the cast of “Ted Lasso” and the web series that gave us a kid loving corn are among the nominees for this year’s Webby Awards, recognizing the best internet content and creators.The International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences announced the nominees on Tuesday, the result of nearly 14,000 entries from 70 countries.Styles nabbed a nomination for his commercial for AirPods, Trevor Noah for his segments filmed between the scenes at “The Daily Show” and BTS fans for their YouTube uploads called #MyBTStory. Lizzo got one for her hosting her show “Lizzo’s Watch Out For the Big Grrrls,” in which she hunts for dancers. Doja Cat’s reluctant social video for Taco Bell’s Mexican Pizza — “I like my pizza with refried beans/Peep my ad/ Search YouTube/This ain’t even Mexican food” — was nominated for best advertising partnership, and faces-off in that category with the collaboration between “Ted L...

Millennial Money: Bank bonuses, interest may boost tax bill

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:31:41 GMT

With tax season in full swing, you may be consolidating the various charitable donation receipts, deductions and W-2 forms that you’ll submit to the Internal Revenue Service. But if you received any bank sign-up bonuses or earned interest on your bank balance, you may owe additional taxes you might not have planned for.Interest rates on bank accounts, such as high-yield savings accounts, were high in 2022 due to ongoing rate increases made by the Federal Reserve. Bank sign-up bonuses and promotions have also been high, often $100 or more. The IRS sees bonuses and interest as additional income, which means the government has to take its cut.WHAT’S THE TAX RATE FOR BANK INTEREST AND BONUSES?Interest from savings accounts is taxed at the same rate as your income, which is in the range of 10%-37% in the United States in 2023. If you’ve earned interest, your bank may send you a 1099-INT tax form. These forms are issued by businesses that offer interest, such as banks, and they let you kn...