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HIV protection, cancer screenings could cost more if ‘Obamacare’ loses latest court battle

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:24 GMT

By KEVIN McGILL (Associated Press)NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal appeals court in New Orleans prepared to hear arguments Tuesday on whether insurers can be required to cover preventive health care including HIV prevention, diabetes, mental health and some cancer screenings without charging patients out-of-pocket fees under former President Barack Obama’s signature health care law. In the latest legal skirmish over the law that took effect 13 years ago, the Biden administration is appealing a Texas-based federal judge’s ruling that would eliminate the mandate on insurers to provide no-extra-cost coverage for many types of preventive care.The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily blocked the lower court ruling while it prepared to receive briefs and hear arguments. At issue in Tuesday afternoon’s hearing before three 5th Circuit judges is whether patients should continue to have the coverage while appeals play out. An immediate ruling was not expected.The...

What to stream: Celebrate Pride Month with shows and films featuring diverse queer stories

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:24 GMT

Katie Walsh | Tribune News Service (TNS)June is Pride Month, a celebration of LGBTQIA+ pride and commemoration of the history of the fight for gay rights. Pride Month was started after the 1969 Stonewall riots sparked a series of gay liberation protests, and unfortunately, more than 50 years later, Pride Month has taken on a new resonance as the civil rights of queer and transgender people are being rolled back at an alarming rate in the United States.It’s an apt time to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community as members and allies, but it’s also an opportunity to learn more about queer history, the origins of Pride and the importance of fighting to protect queer and trans lives. Many of the streaming services have collections dedicated to Pride and LGBTQIA+ stories and creators — so here are a few suggestions to help prioritize your streaming, with a focus on history and the fight for gay rights.Max has a robust library of both narrative and documentary material focusing on queer history ...

San Diego restaurant added to California Michelin Guide

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:24 GMT

SAN DIEGO — 10 new restaurants were added to the Michelin Guide California Tuesday, including one local spot located in the heart of Balboa Park.Artifact at Mingei, located inside the Mingei Museum in Balboa Park, is the latest San Diego eatery to be highlighted by the prestigious food guide.You can find a full list of the new California additions here. 6 Michelin Guide restaurants in San Diego for a romantic dinner Michelin is highlighting these restaurants ahead of announcements of Bib Gourmands and Stars designations this summer when the full 2023 Michelin Guide California comes out.Overall San Diego has 38 restaurants currently listed on the California Michelin Guide."The culinary offerings are proudly eclectic and international, ranging from carefully pleated rock shrimp gyoza with a yuzu-flavored dashi, to lamb kibbeh with quinoa tabbouleh," said Micheline Guide inspectors about Artifact.The restaurant features a variety of international food options that mirror the Mingei I...

Ford calls for ouster, Poilievre decries Liberal response to Bernardo prison transfer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:24 GMT

OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling on the Liberals to keep “multiple murderers” in maximum-security prison, as fallout continues over the transfer of convicted killer Paul Bernardo to a medium-security institution in Quebec.And Ontario Premier Doug Ford is looking for the ouster of the federal corrections commissioner after the move, which was made public last week. Anne Kelly, commissioner of the Correctional Service Canada, announced the transfer was under review after Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said he told how shocked Canadians were by the decision. Mendicino says he is open to looking at the options when it comes to adjusting the government’s policy. Speaking from the legislature, Ford said Canadians have lost confidence in Kelly’s decision-making and asked that she “step aside, step down or be fired.”“Sorry for the language, but he’s nothing but a scumbag,” Ford said of Bernardo, whose transfer ...

Stellantis has what it needs to make decision on Windsor battery plant: Champagne

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:24 GMT

OTTAWA — The federal government has delivered a written offer to Stellantis and LG Energy Solutions, Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said Tuesday.Champagne said that should be all the companies need to make a decision on the fate of their planned electric vehicle battery plant in Windsor, Ont.The minister said the negotiations are progressing, and “I think we’re getting to the end of it.”He would not say if this was a final offer, but he did say he expects an answer from Stellantis soon.“You know, they have what they need, and therefore I think that should be very short now,” he said.A spokeswoman for Stellantis confirmed the offer had been received but would say no more beyond the fact it is “currently under financial and legal review.”Champagne would give no details on the size of the offer except to point out his government’s repeated promise to respond as needed to the massive subsidies created in the United States un...

Apple Vision Pro headset could pave way for mass adoption of AR, VR: Industry

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:24 GMT

TORONTO — Canadian tech companies say Apple’s new Vision Pro headset gives them hope that augmented and virtual reality wearables could catch on with consumers and businesses.The headset unveiled Monday creates an augmented reality experience where wearers can connect with one another, conduct meetings, watch movies or even play games. The augmented reality component means users can naturally see their surroundings and browse pages or apps by looking in different directions or gesturing with their hands.Vision Pro will be available next year and retail for US$3,499, but the price isn’t the only thing that could make it a hard sell. Precursors like Meta’s Oculus headsets or Google Glass have yet to reach widespread adoption because of their high cost and lack of existing use cases.VR and AR companies believe Vision Pro may shift perceptions of such wearables.“We think it is a rising tide that will raise all the ships in the industry,” said Raja Khanna, chief executive of ...

Abortion providers sue Kansas over new medication rule, longstanding waiting period

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:24 GMT

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Abortion providers sued Kansas on Tuesday, challenging a new law requiring them to tell patients that an abortion medication can be stopped but also existing restrictions that include a decades-old requirement that patients wait 24 hours to terminate their pregnancies.The lawsuit filed in state district court in Shawnee County, home to the state capital of Topeka, argues that Kansas has created a “Biased Counseling Scheme” designed to discourage patients from getting abortions and to stigmatize patients who terminate their pregnancies. The lawsuit contends that the requirements have become “increasingly absurd and invasive” over time and spread medical misinformation. Kansas voters in August 2022 decisively affirmed abortion rights, refusing to overturn a state Supreme Court decision three years earlier that declared access to abortion a matter of bodily autonomy and a fundamental right under the state constitution. The providers hope the state courts will invali...

Black man shot in the mouth by Mississippi deputy to file federal civil rights lawsuit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:24 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Two men — one of whom was shot in the mouth by a law enforcement officer — announced on Tuesday that they will file a federal civil rights lawsuit against a Mississippi sheriff’s department alleging a pattern of excessive force against Black people. In a news release announcing the lawsuit, attorneys for Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker also publicly identified for the first time the deputy who they say put a gun inside Michael Corey Jenkins’ mouth before firing it. Parker confirmed the deputy’s identity in a follow-up interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday. The upcoming lawsuit comes amid an ongoing Justice Department civil rights investigation into the encounter between Jenkins, Parker and Rankin County Department Sheriff’s deputies in January. In a news release, Attorney Malik Shabazz said that he would file 22 claims of federal civil rights violations in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi befor...

Sheriff probes ‘self defense’ claim of white woman who fatally shot Black neighbor in front of kids

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:24 GMT

OCALA, Fla. (AP) — Authorities can’t charge a white woman who fatally shot her Black neighbor last week unless detectives can prove that she did not act in self-defense, a Florida sheriff said Tuesday. A 35-year-old mother of four, Ajike Owens, was killed in the Friday night shooting that Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said was the culmination of a 2 1/2-year feud between neighbors.The women lived in a neighborhood in north Florida, in the rolling hills south of Ocala, known as the state’s horse country. On Tuesday, a stuffed teddy bear and bouquets of flowers marked the area near where Owens was shot. Nearby, children were riding bikes and scooters, and playing basketball. About three dozen mostly Black protesters gathered Tuesday afternoon outside the Marion County Judicial Center to demand that Owens’ shooter be arrested. They chanted “No justice, no peace” and “A.J. A.J. A.J” using Owens’ nickname. They carried signs saying: “Say her name Ajike Owens” and “It’s about us...

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie files paperwork launching 2024 Republican presidential bid

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:24 GMT

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie filed paperwork Tuesday formally launching his bid for the Republican nomination for president after casting himself as the only candidate willing to directly take on former President Donald Trump. Christie, who also ran for president in 2016, was set to announce his campaign later Tuesday at a town hall in the early voting state of New Hampshire. After losing the nomination to Trump seven years ago, the former governor and federal prosecutor went on to become a close off-and-on adviser before breaking with the former president over his refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election.Christie enters a growing primary field that already includes Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina. Former Vice President Mike Pence will be formally launching his own campaign in Iowa on Wednesday.Christie, who during his time as New Jersey’s governo...