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The giant invasive Joro spiders, which may spread up the East Coast, aren’t scary: Researchers

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:15:54 GMT

Those massive yellow and blue-black spiders that are spreading across the Southeast and could eventually head up the East Coast are actually not scary, according to researchers in a new study who call the spiders gentle giants.The Joro spider may be the shyest spider ever documented, the University of Georgia arachnid scientists found in the study.“One of the ways that people think this spider could be affecting other species is that it’s aggressive and out-competing all the other native spiders,” said Andy Davis, lead author of the study and a research scientist in UGA’s Odum School of Ecology.“So we wanted to get to know the personality of these spiders and see if they’re capable of being that aggressive,” Davis added. “It turns out they’re not.”The researchers compared more than 450 spiders’ responses to a brief and harmless disturbance across 10 different species.While most spiders froze for less than a minute bef...

Debt limit progress as Biden, McCarthy name top negotiators to avert national default

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:15:54 GMT

By LISA MASCARO and SEUNG MIN KIM (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — Debt-limit talks shifted into an encouraging new phase Tuesday as President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy named top emissaries to negotiate a deal to avert an unprecedented national default. Biden cut short an upcoming overseas trip in hopes of closing an agreement before a June 1 deadline.The fresh set of negotiators means discussions are now largely narrowed to what the White House and McCarthy will accept in order to allow lawmakers to raise the debt limit in the coming days. The speaker said after a meeting with Biden and congressional leaders that a deal was “possible” by week’s end, even as — in McCarthy’s view — the two sides remained far apart for the moment.Biden was publicly upbeat after a roughly hourlong meeting in the Oval Office, despite having to cancel the Australia and Papua New Guinea portions of his overseas trip that begins Wednesday. Biden...

Red Sox notebook: More aggressive approach paying off for Triston Casas

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:15:54 GMT

Triston Casas knows he has a reputation for being a patient hitter. He’s always had a good eye for the strike zone and throughout his professional career has had a knack for laying off close pitches and drawing walks.Those traits are some of his biggest assets as a player, but sometimes when you’re facing big league pitching, patience only gets you so far.Mired in a terrible slump through the season’s first month, the Red Sox rookie first baseman has adopted a more aggressive approach in recent days. Rather than try to draw out at bats, he says he’s now looking to do damage earlier if presented the opportunity.That change in mindset, more than any sort of mechanical adjustment, has helped Casas climb out of his early season funk and fuel his recent turnaround.“I can’t say I’ve made an adjustment physically or even mentally, I’ve been trying to stay as aggressive as possible when the opportunity is given,” Casas said prior to Tues...

Wu, Markey, Warren stand behind Rachael Rollins amid resignation

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:15:54 GMT

U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins’ decision to step down amid an ethics investigation shocked the city’s mayor and the two senators who recommended her for the post.“I’m surprised at the news,” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said at an unrelated press event on Tuesday, hours after an attorney for Rollins announced she would be submitting her letter of resignation to President Biden by the end of the week.Wu and U.S. Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren continued to stand firmly behind the state’s top prosecutor — despite the anticipated Wednesday release of the results of an ethics probe into her appearance at a DNC fundraiser attended by First Lady Jill Biden last year.“Rachael Rollins has for years dedicated herself to the people of Massachusetts and equal justice under the law,” Markey and Warren said in a joint statement. “We will respect her decision.”Biden nominated Rollins for U.S. Attorney of Massachusetts two years ago, based on a recommendation from Markey and Warren. The nod was a ...

Rachael Rollins used ‘poor judgment’ when she attended DNC fundraiser; Senator proposes Hatch Act enforcement legislation

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:15:54 GMT

U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins’ surprising decision to attend a political fundraiser last year was a mistake and showed “poor judgment” but it was not a capital offense, a constitutional expert told the Herald on Tuesday after news broke that Rollins is stepping down.Meanwhile, a U.S. senator on Tuesday proposed a bill to increase enforcement of the Hatch Act — the act that Rollins possibly violated when she attended the Democratic National Committee fundraiser with First Lady Jill Biden in Andover.The Hatch Act is meant to ensure that federal officials remain non-political, but federal officials are still committing violations, New Mexico Sen. Ben Ray Lujan said when announcing the legislation.Senate-confirmed Department of Justice appointees are allowed to engage in political activity, but they have to abide by certain guidelines under the Hatch Act.“All prosecutors are told that they should not be involved in any partisan activities,” attorney H...

Major League Soccer expected to announce San Diego expansion

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:15:54 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- After months of speculation, it appears to be happening: Major League Soccer is expected to announce San Diego as the site for its new expansion team on Thursday.The announcement is believed to be coming during a news conference Thursday morning at Snapdragon Stadium -- the prospective home of the league's 30th franchise -- with the MLS commissioner, members from the team's ownership group and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria. Padres pitcher Michael Wacha loses no-hitter in 8th against Royals In a release to local media, the nature of the conference was to "make a significant announcement about the future of soccer in San Diego."The expansion franchise would begin play in February 2025 at the 35,000-capacity Mission Valley stadium, the San Diego Union Tribune reported. The new team's ownership group will be led by the local Sycuan band of the Kumeyaay Nation, as well as the London-based Mansour Group. With over a year until the team's opening draft, details about what the ...

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear to face Republican Daniel Cameron in November

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:15:54 GMT

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Daniel Cameron won the Republican primary for Kentucky governor on Tuesday, becoming the first major-party Black nominee for governor in the state’s history and setting up a November showdown with Democratic incumbent Andy Beshear.Cameron, the state’s attorney general who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, emerged victorious from a 12-candidate field that included Kelly Craft, who served as United Nations ambassador in the Trump administration, and state Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles. Beshear easily dispatched two under-the-radar Democratic challengers in his own primary.Cameron, the state’s first Black attorney general, would be the state’s first Black governor if elected.The race now shifts to the general election, which will be one of November’s most closely watched contests and could provide clues heading into next year’s presidential race. Beshear, a popular Democratic governor, will face a tough reelection bid in a R...

New Washington law keeps drugs illegal, boosts resources for housing and treatment

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:15:54 GMT

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington lawmakers approved and Gov. Jay Inslee quickly signed a major new drug policy Tuesday that keeps controlled substances illegal while boosting resources to help those struggling with addiction.A compromise reached a day earlier by Democratic and Republican leaders sought to bridge a gap between liberals who believe drugs should be decriminalized and conservatives who insist the threat of jail is necessary to force people into treatment.The law retains criminal penalties for drug possession, making it a gross misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail for the first two offenses and up to a year after that. But police and prosecutors would be encouraged to divert cases for treatment or other services, and the measure provides millions of additional dollars for diversion programs and to provide short-term housing for people with substance- use disorders.The Senate voted 43-6 in favor; the House 83-13 in favor. Lawmakers said the bill struck a bal...

Missouri terminates emergency rule to limit trans care for minors, some adults

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:15:54 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri officials terminated the Republican attorney general’s emergency rule that would have placed limits on transgender care for minors and some adults.The move was announced Tuesday without explanation on the Missouri Secretary of State’s website. The website says: “This emergency rule terminated effective May 16, 2023.”The rule would have required adults and children to undergo more than a year of therapy and fulfill other requirements before they could receive gender-affirming treatments such as puberty blockers, hormones and surgery.Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s spokesperson did not immediately return a message seeking comment.Margaret Stafford, The Associated Press

‘Evil is not going to win,’ survivor of Texas mall shooting says

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:15:54 GMT

McKINNEY, Texas (AP) — Irvin Walker was looking for a parking place after dropping his girlfriend off at a Dallas-area mall just over a week ago when he felt the gunfire.The 46-year-old from Lafayette, Louisiana, who was hit with bullet fragments in his head, chest, neck and arm, spoke Tuesday at Medical City McKinney in Texas about his recovery from the May 6 shooting at Allen Premium Outlets, where eight people were killed.He said he’s drawn strength from his faith, family, friends and the hospital staff.“I think this event was just evidence of evil not winning,” Walker said, sitting in a wheelchair during a news conference, wounds visible on his arm. “The power of God just showed brightly and gave me an opportunity to fight through this process, and evil is not going to win.”Hundreds of shoppers were sent scrambling for cover when a gunman stepped out of a sedan and began shooting people, cars and glass storefronts at the mall in Allen, a multicultural suburb of 105,000 loc...