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Column: Why backup quarterbacks are traditionally a Chicago Bears fan’s best friend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:50:48 GMT

Sitting in the north end zone of Soldier Field on Sunday during the third quarter of the Chicago Bears game with the Minnesota Vikings, I noticed quarterback Justin Fields heading toward the exit holding his right hand.I nudged one of my friends and pointed to Fields.“We (bleeped) now,” he said.Neither of us had any idea Fields had been injured on a previous play, and we weren’t really sure who the backup was that day. Would it be the guy called “the Peterman” or the rookie whose first name escaped us?It turned out to be the rookie, Tyson Bagent, who would be making his NFL debut.We were all excited to witness the start of the Bagent era, knowing it couldn’t be much worse than the current era, or any recent era for that matter.Bagent fumbled the ball away on the first series, but eventually righted himself and led a spirited fourth-quarter comeback that had Soldier Field rocking. I flashed back to my favorite unknown quarterback, Kent Nix, c...

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov arrives in North Korea in the wake of a reported weapons transfer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:50:48 GMT

By The Associated PressRussian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in North Korea on Wednesday, just days after the U.S. said Pyongyang had transferred munition to Moscow for its ongoing war in Ukraine. Russian state news agency RIA Novosti posted a video of a crowd greeting Lavrov in the pouring rain in Pyongyang alongside a welcoming party waving pom poms. Shortly after arriving, Lavrov said his visit was an opportunity to discuss implementing the agreements President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had signed when they met at Russia’s Vostochny Cosmodrome in September, according to Russian state news agency Tass. Lavrov also said Russia highly appreciates North Korea’s “principled, unequivocal support for Russia’s actions” in Ukraine. Earlier in the week, Lavrov accompanied Putin on a visit to Beijing that underscored Chinese support for Moscow’s war in Ukraine. The White House said on Friday that North Korea has deli...

Live updates | Israel OKs limited aid for Gaza as regional tensions rise following hospital blast

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:50:48 GMT

By The Associated PressPresident Joe Biden is in Israel on an urgent mission to keep the Israel-Hamas war from spiraling into a broader regional conflict. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that limited humanitarian aid would be allowed into Gaza from Egypt following a request from Biden.The president’s visit came after hundreds of people were reported killed in an explosion at a Gaza Strip hospital. There were conflicting claims of who was responsible for the hospital blast. Officials in Gaza quickly blamed an Israeli airstrike. Israel denied it was involved and released a flurry of video, audio and other information that it said showed the blast was due to a missile misfire by Islamic Jihad, another militant group operating in Gaza. The Islamic Jihad dismissed that claim.The Associated Press has not independently verified any of the claims or evidence released by the parties.The war that began Oct. 7 has become the deadliest of five Gaza w...

Biden says Israel has agreed to allow humanitarian assistance to move into Gaza from Egypt

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:50:48 GMT

By AAMER MADHANI and COLLEEN LONG (Associated Press)TEL AVIV, Israel to (AP) — President Joe Biden said Wednesday that Israel had agreed to allow humanitarian assistance to begin flowing into Gaza from Egypt with the understanding it would be subject to inspections and that it should go to civilians and not Hamas militants. In remarks from Tel Aviv where the president had gone to show support for Israel following a brutal and deadly Oct. 7 terrorist attack that killed roughly 1,400 people, Biden cautioned the nation against all-consuming rage. Israel cut off the flow of food, fuel and water in Gaza following the attack. Mediators have been struggling to break a deadlock over providing supplies to desperate civilians, aid groups and hospitals. Biden said that he had spoken with the Israeli cabinet “to agree to the delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance of civilians in Gaza.” “Let me be clear,” Biden said. If Hamas diverts or steals the assi...

Body found as crews respond to vegetation fire off Interstate 5

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:50:48 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A vegetation fire off Interstate 5 led to the discovery of a dead body Wednesday morning, the Highway California Patrol confirmed to FOX 5.CHP says a call came in around 4:55 a.m. reporting a deceased individual was found in the area of the State Route 905 eastbound connector, near Beyer Boulevard. 1 person dead, another wounded in South Bay shooting San Diego Fire-Rescue crews are still on the scene of the fire.There is no further information at this time. CHP is handing the investigation.This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

People of African ancestry are poorly represented in genetic studies. A new effort would change that

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:50:48 GMT

Scientists are setting out to collect genetic material from 500,000 people of African ancestry to create what they believe will be the world’s largest database of genomic information from the population.The hope is to build a new “reference genome” — a template to compare to full sets of DNA from individuals — and better understand genetic variants that affect Black people. It could eventually translate into new medicines and diagnostic tests — and help reduce health disparities.The initiative was launched Wednesday by Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, as well as Regeneron Genetics Center, AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk and Roche. The pharmaceutical companies are providing the funding, while the data will be managed by a nonprofit started by Meharry, called the Diaspora Human Genomics Institute. Organizers said there’s a clear need for the project, pointing to research showing that less than 2% of genetic information being studied today comes from people of African ancestr...

Movie Review: Scorsese’s epic ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ is sweeping tale of greed, richly told

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:50:48 GMT

There tends to be lots of fast talking and fast moving in Martin Scorsese films, often from shifty types trying to get away with something. Or sometimes, simply because the master filmmaker has so much to pack in.But in “Killers of the Flower Moon,” everything seems to slow down, and especially when the camera lands on Lily Gladstone. As Mollie, the Osage woman at the heart of this sprawling, real-life tale of greed and treachery on a scale both broad and intimate, Gladstone is the quiet, powerful center — taking her time, letting her eyes do the work, and unafraid of silence.It’s a beautifully cadenced performance, all the more impressive because Gladstone’s sharing the screen with two of our most celebrated actors. Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro both turn in superb work for their legendary director, appearing together for the first time in 30 years. But Gladstone, in the rare Scorsese film that gives center stage to a female character, is the emotional core here, and it’s he...

Police seek witnesses to violent Vaughan robbery that left victim with head injuries

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:50:48 GMT

York Regional Police are seeking the public’s help finding several suspects in a violent robbery that took place early last Saturday morning.Police responded to an unknown trouble call in the Fossil Hill Road and Sheshi Drive area just after midnight.Upon arrival they found a 31-year-old victim lying on the sidewalk with severe head injuries.It was later revealed that three people, one armed with a knife, brutally beat the victim and stole their cellphone and car keys before running off.The victim’s vehicle was not stolen.One of the suspect’s is described as wearing all black clothing, with black gloves and a mask.Police are asking any potential witnesses or nearby residents with security video to come forward.

Barcelona says it remains on track to reduce its debt without the use of financial levers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:50:48 GMT

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona is on track to reducing its debt without having to resort to new financial levers, the club said Wednesday while announcing a higher-than-expected net profit of 304 million euros ($320.5 million) for the 2022-23 season.Barcelona said the club’s operating income was 1.26 billion euros ($1.33 billion), with expenses at 1.16 billion euros ($1.22 billion), which enabled the reduction of the net debt for a second consecutive season. The debt dropped from 680 million euros ($717 million) in June 2021 to 552 million euros ($582 million) in June this year, the club said.“We have managed to seal the hole, but work must continue to reduce the debt to a sustainable amount,” said Eduard Romeu, vice president of the club’s economic department. “We are returning to ordinary current income. That means without extraordinary operations, without levers or sales.”Barcelona recently resorted to a series of financial operations to help reduce its debt, including the adv...

Drone attack on base hosting US troops intercepted in Iraq, heightening fears of a broader conflict

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:50:48 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Two drones launched at a base hosting U.S. troops in western Iraq were intercepted Wednesday, a U.S. defense official said.Hours later, an Iranian-backed militia in Iraq announced it had launched another drone attack on a second base. No injuries were reported in either incident.The salvos came at a time of increasing tension and fears of a broader regional conflict in the wake of the latest Hamas-Israel war.Since the beginning of the war on Oct. 7, much attention has been focused on Hezbollah, the powerful Hamas ally across Israel’s northern border in Lebanon, and its formidable arsenal. The group has traded so-far limited strikes with Israel on the border in recent days.But Iranian-backed militias in Iraq have also threatened to attack U.S. facilities over American support for Israel.“Our missiles, drones, and special forces are ready to direct qualitative strikes at the American enemy in its bases and disrupt its interests if it intervenes in this battle,” Ahmad “Ab...