Rio de Janeiro police have a new target in their crosshairs: Hard-to-get stuffed animals
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Rio de Janeiro police carried out 16 search warrants targeting the claw machines that elicit exhilaration among children and adults alike across the city. But police said in a statement that the machines defraud users who believe scoring stuffed animals to be a test of skill. In fact, they are games of chance — just like slot machines — and therefore illegal. Officers on Wednesday seized claw machines, laptops, tablets, cell phones, a firearm and — yes — stuffed animals. They are investigating whether organized crime may be the invisible hand behind the claw.
Trump campaign was warned not to take photos at Arlington before altercation, defense official says
WASHINGTON (AP) — A defense official says Donald Trump’s campaign was warned about not taking photographs before an altercation at Arlington National Cemetery during a wreath-laying ceremony earlier this week to honor service members killed in the Afghanistan War withdrawal. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter concerning Monday’s events. It came a day after NPR reported that two Trump campaign staff members “verbally abused and pushed” aside a cemetery official who tried to stop them from filming and photographing in Section 60, the burial site for military personnel killed while fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq. Trump’s campaign contends he was granted access to a photographer and disputes a physical altercation.
What’s hot in theaters? Old movies — and some that aren’t so old
NEW YORK (AP) — Look at almost any movie theater marquee right now and you’ll probably see not just new titles but a smattering of older films, too. At a time when nearly everything is available at home with a few clicks, nothing is surging on the big screen as much as yesterday’s movies. Repertory cinema, once the home of the arthouse, is now in the multiplex, too. Sometimes, the ticket sales can be eye-popping. In the last two weeks, the beloved stop-motion Laika Studios film “Coraline” has grossed more than $25 million — a staggering sum for a 15-year-old movie. This fall will see anniversary releases of “Shaun of the Dead,” “Paris, Texas,” “Whiplash,” “Hoop Dreams,” “Interstellar” and many more.
Workers breach key Klamath dams, allowing salmon to swim freely for the first time in a century
Workers have breached the final dams on a key section of the Klamath River, clearing the way for salmon to swim freely through a major watershed near the California-Oregon border for the first time in more than a century as the largest dam removal project in U.S. history nears completion. Crews used excavators Wednesday to breach rock dams that have been diverting water upstream of two dams that were already almost completely removed, Iron Gate and Copco No. 1. The work allows the river to flow freely in its historic channel, giving salmon a passageway to key swaths of habitat just in time for the fall spawning season of Chinook, or king salmon.
Killings of invasive owls to ramp up on US West Coast in a bid to save native birds
U.S. wildlife officials next year will scale up efforts to kill invasive barred owls that are crowding out imperiled native owls from West Coast forests. Federal officials said Wednesday they’ve approved a 30-year plan to kill up to 452,000 barred owls in Oregon, California, and Washington state. The killings are meant to relieve pressure on declining populations of spotted owls, which are smaller and need larger territories to survive. Researchers say the plan faces challenges from barred owls returning to areas where they’ve been removed. The prospect of killing one bird species to save others has divided wildlife advocates. Government officials say they are trying to save spotted owls from extinction.
Court revives Sarah Palin’s libel lawsuit against The New York Times
NEW YORK (AP) — A federal appeals court has revived Sarah Palin’s libel case against The New York Times. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday. The appeals court wrote that Judge Jed S. Rakoff’s dismissal of the lawsuit while a jury was deliberating improperly intruded on the jury’s work in February 2022. It also found that the erroneous exclusion of evidence, an inaccurate jury instruction, and an erroneous response to a question from the jury tainted the jury’s ruling against Palin. A lawyer for Palin says he is reviewing the ruling. A Times spokesperson says that the decision is disappointing but that the newspaper is confident it will prevail in a retrial.
Suspect in fatal shooting arrested after he falls through ceiling of Memphis home
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The U.S. Marshals service says a suspect in a fatal shooting in Tennessee was arrested after he fell through the ceiling of a home where he was hiding. Twenty-year-old Deario Wilkerson was arrested Monday in Memphis by a U.S. Marshals Service task force that looks for fugitives in West Tennessee. Authorities say Wilkerson had been charged with first-degree murder and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon in the fatal shooting of Troy Cunningham in Memphis on April 2. The task force had tracked Wilkerson to a Memphis home and surrounded the house. Wilkerson, who was hiding in the attic, was arrested after he fell through the ceiling. He was not hurt.
Body of Delta Air Lines worker who died in tire explosion was unrecognizable, son says
ATLANTA (AP) — The son of a worker who died in a tire explosion at a Delta Air Lines maintenance facility near the Atlanta airport says his father’s body was unrecognizable. Andre Coleman told Atlanta’s 11Alive news station Tuesday that he wanted to see 58-year-old Mirko Marweg because he didn’t believe he was dead. But the family had to rely on tattoos and a Mississippi State lanyard around Marweg’s neck to confirm his identity after a medical examiner told them the body was unrecognizable. Marweg was among two workers who died Tuesday while wheel components were being disassembled for maintenance at a wheel and brake shop. A third worker was seriously injured.
K-pop singer Taeil leaves boyband NCT over accusations of an unspecified sexual crime, his label says
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean singer Taeil has left the K-pop band NCT after being accused of an unspecified sexual crime. His agency, SM Entertainment, released a statement Wednesday on X, saying the NCT member will depart from the boy band after learning he has been “accused in a criminal case related to a sexual crime.” The label did not specify the nature of the crime, adding that he’s fully cooperating with the police investigation. Taeil was part of NCT, a globally popular South Korean boy band that debuted in 2016. SM Entertainment’s statement garnered over 45.7 million views in less than three hours.
Sweaty corn is making it even more humid
Corn sweat is the process by which corn plants release moisture into the air to stay cool, and it brings the Midwest a surge in humidity every summer. Now, climate change and evolving agriculture are making the phenomenon even stickier. More corn is being planted more densely partly due to the drive for corn-based ethanol. And warmer temperatures are driving corn to sweat more as they work harder to cool off. It all adds up to more of the steamy misery seen across the United States in recent days.
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