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How can The Sun dare to hold O’s ownership accountable? How can we not? | COMMENTARY

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:02:45 GMT

Journalism is not a profession given to pleasing the rich and powerful on a regular basis. One certainty of the trade — at least if you are doing it correctly — is that not everyone appreciates seeing the truth about themselves in print for all the world to read (or at least the Baltimore metropolitan area). In its nearly two centuries of following the promise of “Light For All,” The Baltimore Sun’s reporters, photographers, editors and others have received their share of bluster, threats and legal filings thrown at them from influential politicians, public figures, business people and, yes, even the owners of sports franchises inconvenienced by objective reality.You think your job has its annoyances? Try getting in a shouting match with Baltimore Colts’ owner Bob Irsay as he blatantly lied about his plans to move the NFL franchise out of Charm City three decades ago. Was The Sun wrong to challenge his false narrative? To press for answers? To loo...

Hollywood applauds Trump indictment: ‘It’s finally happening’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:02:45 GMT

Evan Rosen | (TNS) New York Daily NewsHollywood stars and other entertainment figures applauded what they hope will be former President Donald Trump’s final act on the national stage.“Let 2023 be the year of accountability,” tweeted George Takei of “Star Trek” fame. “Happy indictment day, to those who celebrate.”Happy indictment day, to those who celebrate.— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) March 30, 2023“Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill mocked the all-caps malapropism in the denial Trump posted to his Truth Social platform.“The Thugs and Radical Left Monsters have just INDICATED the 45th President of the United States of America,” Trump’s post read in part.Hamill tweeted, “Has he ever INDICATED whether or not he employs a proofreader?”Has he ever INDICATED whether or not he employs a proofreader? pic.twitter.com/QS8HJDy46T— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) March 30, 2023Comedian Kathy Griffin, who tweeted a notorious fake image of a beheaded Trump in 2017, crowed over the indictment.“I...

Trump indictment sparks reactions from Manhattan to Mar-a-Lago

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:02:45 GMT

The indictment of former President Donald Trump sparked reactions across the country Thursday evening, from New Yorkers celebrating the historic decision in his hometown to a smattering of supporters that gathered near his Florida club Mar-a-Lago.“This is like a holiday,” Lisa Fithian, 62, said in Manhattan. “We should be popping champagne. This is a historic day. It’s a long time coming. We’re grateful for the DA and the courage of the grand jury.”She was standing with a small group of anti-Trump demonstrators at Collect Pond Park, paces away from Manhattan Criminal Court. They had a 20-by-15-foot banner that blared, “Trump Lies All the Time.”Police, media and a small group of protesters gather outside of a Manhattan courthouse after news broke that former President Donald Trump has been indicted by a grand jury on March 30, 2023 in New York City. The indictment is sealed but the grand jury has been hearing evidence related to money paid to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during ...

Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg calls House GOP committee meddling in Trump prosecution ‘improper and dangerous’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:02:45 GMT

By The New York Daily NewsManhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg pushed back against House GOP members nosing into the criminal investigation into former president Donald Trump, calling their interference “improper and dangerous.”The House Judiciary Committee had demanded Bragg testify before Congress about the confidential investigation that led to the indictment that became public on Thursday night and share with them non-public evidence.In a letter sent Friday, Bragg acknowledged the charges publicly and doubled down on a previous letter telling the committee to back off.Bragg’s office also denounced the committee for attacking him instead of condemning Trump’s social media polemics ahead of his indictment threatening violence would break out.“Finally, as you are no doubt aware, former President Trump has directed harsh invective against District Attorney Bragg and threatened on social media that his arrest or indictment in New York may unleash ‘death & destruction,” Bragg’s...

Trump indictment: Everything we know about what happens next

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:02:45 GMT

How did the indictment unfold?Donald Trump was indicted Thursday by a Manhattan grand jury in the Stormy Daniels hush money probe, a historic legal development marking the first criminal charges in U.S. ever brought against a current or former U.S. president. The papers were filed at about 5:30 p.m. under seal at the clerk’s office in Manhattan Supreme Court.What are the actual charges?Not even Trump knows what he’s charged with. But leaks to the New York Times and CNN in the wake of the indictment indicated he faces up to 34 criminal counts related to business fraud.Barriers in front of Trump Tower in New York City on March 31, 2023. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)Why aren’t the charges public?Sometimes prosecutors file papers under seal, as DA Bragg’s office did in Trump’s case. The charges are set to be revealed once Trump is in court to enter his plea. The charges are expected to relate at least in part to hush moneys payment made to women Trump allegedly had ex...

NYPD braces for protests, possible violence following Trump indictment

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:02:45 GMT

By The New York Daily NewsNEW YORK — The NYPD officers showed up to work on Friday in uniform in preparation for any mass protests or potential violence stemming from the indictment of former President Donald Trump, cops said Friday.Officers are ready to mobilize to either Manhattan Criminal Court or to Trump Tower in Midtown, where protests are expected to take place, according to the department.Trump was indicted Thursday by a Manhattan grand jury in the Stormy Daniels hush-money probe, an unprecedented legal move marking the first criminal charges in U.S. history brought against a former president.Trump’s attorney Joe Tacopina confirmed the indictment to The News shortly after Trump learned of it.Despite the heavy anticipation over the announcement, only a handful of protesters, both in favor of the indictment and against it, showed up with signs outside Manhattan Criminal Court, but everyone was orderly.No arrests in the city Thursday night were related to the Trump indictment, ...

Melania Trump smiles by Trump’s side, Ivanka silent, Don Jr. fumes following indictment

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:02:45 GMT

If Donald Trump was still “absorbing” the news of indictment Thursday, he and his wife Melania put on a show of “happiness” to their guests at Mar-a-Lago, according to one of those guests.“Beautiful evening here at the gorgeous Mar a Lago!” tweeted conservative media personality and Mar-a-Lago member Gina Loudon, sharing a photo of an uncertain-looking Trump at his private Palm Beach, Florida resort, with a smiling Melania Trump by his side, dressed in a very bright red dress.  “Our REAL First Couple enveloped in the love of their friends and most loyal!”Beautiful evening here at the gorgeous Mar a Lago! Our REAL First Couple enveloped in the love of their friends and most loyal! (Sorry to disappoint, corporate media . Actually not. Screw you! This is a happiness you will never know, sadly). pic.twitter.com/IFsFU41lAd— Dr. Gina (@RealDrGina) March 31, 2023Meanwhile, Trump’s two older sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump,...

Veteran-heavy Mets ready to roll with the punches after Justin Verlander injury news

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:02:45 GMT

MIAMI — It’s not exactly uncharacteristic of the Mets to drop big news during big moments of the season. Yet when the club announced that Justin Verlander would start the year on the injured list with a shoulder (teres major) strain just hours before Thursday’s season opener, it was a shock to everyone — even his teammates.“It caught all of us off guard,” right-hander Max Scherzer said Thursday night at LoanDepot Park. “I didn’t realize he was dealing with something.”Verlander himself didn’t even realize he was dealing with something until he threw his bullpen Wednesday night. The thought occurred to him that something might be wrong after his last Grapefruit League start, but he attributed some minor soreness to some mechanical adjustments. Losing a key pitcher like that could have had a ripple effect on the clubhouse, especially since the team is without All-Star closer Edwin Diaz for the season and left-hander Jose Quint...

36 bodies found inside well after collapse at Indian temple

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:02:45 GMT

By ASHOK SHARMA (Associated Press)NEW DELHI (AP) — Thirty-six bodies have been found inside a well at a Hindu temple in central India after dozens of people attending a festival fell into the muddy water when its cover collapsed, officials said Friday.Video of Thursday’s collapse at the temple complex in Indore in Madhya Pradesh state showed chaos afterward, with people rushing away. An excavator pulled down a wall of the decades-old temple to help people flee. Nearly 140 rescuers, including army personnel, used ropes and ladders to pull the bodies from the well after pumping out the water. A narrow path and debris in the well made the task difficult.“We have recovered 36 bodies and everybody is accounted for now,” Pawan Kumar Sharma, commissioner of the local municipal corporation, told The Associated Press.The secretary of the temple board was among the dead and the president is recovering from injuries, Sharma said.Police brought a case of culpable homicid...

Italy temporarily blocks ChatGPT over privacy concerns

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:02:45 GMT

ROME (AP) — Italy is temporarily blocking the artificial intelligence software ChatGPT in the wake of a data breach as it investigates a possible violation of stringent European Union data protection rules, the government’s privacy watchdog said Friday.The Italian Data Protection Authority said it was taking provisional action “until ChatGPT respects privacy,” including temporarily limiting the company from processing Italian users’ data. U.S.-based OpenAI, which developed ChatGPT, didn’t immediately return a request for comment Friday.While some public schools and universities around the world have blocked the ChatGPT website from their local networks over student plagiarism concerns, it’s not clear how Italy would block it at a nationwide level. The move also is unlikely to affect applications from companies that already have licenses with OpenAI to use the same technology driving the chatbot, such as Microsoft’s Bing search engine.The AI systems that power such chatbo...