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Confusion as Musk’s Twitter yanks blue checks from agencies

CHICAGO — Twitter has long been a way for people to keep track of tornado watches, train delays, news alerts or the latest crime warnings from their local police department. But when the Elon Musk-owned platform started stripping blue verification check marks this week from accounts that don’t pay a monthly fee, it left public agencies and other organizations around the world scrambling to figure out a way to show they’re trustworthy and avoid impersonators. High-profile users who lost their blue checks Thursday included Beyoncé, Pope Francis, Oprah Winfrey and former ...

Officer who fatally shot Daunte Wright to be freed

MINNEAPOLIS — A white former police officer convicted of manslaughter after mistaking her handgun for a Taser and fatally shooting Black motorist Daunte Wright in suburban Minneapolis in 2021 is set to be released from prison Monday. Minnesota Department of Corrections spokesman Andy Skoogman announced Friday that former officer Kim Potter was to be released after serving about 16 months of her two-year sentence. He said the exact timing of her departure Monday from Minnesota Correctional Facility-Shakopee won’t be disclosed for security reasons. “Our criminal investigative ...

People in the News

Music to Trump’s ears WASHINGTON (AP) — The song is simple and tinny, but that hasn’t stopped it from being embraced by former President Donald Trump and his allies in their campaign to rewrite the history of the deadly Capitol riot. The tune, “Justice for All,” is the Star-Spangled Banner, and it was sung by a group of defendants jailed over their alleged roles in the January 2021 insurrection. Recorded over a prison phone line, the national anthem sounds more like a dirge than celebration and is overlaid with Trump reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Despite its low ...

US mass killings on a record pace

LOS ANGELES — The U.S. is setting a record pace for mass killings in 2023, replaying the horror on a loop roughly once a week so far this year. The carnage has taken 88 lives in 17 mass killings over 111 days. Each time, the killers wielded firearms. Only 2009 was marked by as many such tragedies in the same period of time. Children at a Nashville grade school, gunned down on an ordinary Monday. Farmworkers in Northern California, sprayed with bullets over a workplace grudge. Dancers at a ballroom outside Los Angeles, massacred as they celebrated the Lunar New Year. In just ...

International

Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr holiday BEIRUT (AP) — The holiday of Eid al-Fitr that follows the holy month of Ramadan has ushered in a day of prayers and joy for Muslims around the world. The celebration on Friday was marred by tragedy amid the explosion of conflict in Sudan, while a rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia raised hopes for less conflict in the Middle Est. After the Ramadan month of fasting, Muslims traditionally mark Eid al-Fitr with feasts and family visits. The start of the holiday is based on sightings of the new moon, which vary according to geographic ...

National

17 states urge recall of Kia, Hyundai cars SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Attorneys general in 17 states want the federal government to recall millions of Kia and Hyundai cars because they are too easy to steal. Most Kia and Hyundai cars sold in the United States over the last decade do not have engine immobilizers. This device prevents the engine from starting unless the key is present. Videos on social media have shown how people can start these cars with just a screwdriver and a USB cord. California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Thursday blamed Kia and Hyundai for failing to install ...