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Billions of robocalls from a single provider? What DC-area attorneys general are suing over

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:50 GMT

Top legal officials in 49 states accused a voice-over-internet service provider of “initiating and facilitating” billions of illegal robocalls, including some that allegedly used spoofed numbers made to look like they originated in government or law enforcement agencies.Michael D. Lansky, LLC, also doing business as Avid Telecom, now faces a lawsuit over its operations that allegedly included sending or transmitting 7.5 billion calls to numbers on the federal Do Not Call Registry.According to D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb, 8.6 million of the calls were placed to District residents.In Virginia, Attorney General Jason Miyares alleged that more than 325 million calls were made to residents and that scam calls about the Social Security Administration, Medicare and employment were among those made or transmitted.All of the allegations focus on calls made or transmitted between 2018 and 2023.According to Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, the complaint stated that Avid Telecom...

Diamondbacks take 4-game road win streak into game against the Phillies

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:50 GMT

Arizona Diamondbacks (29-20, second in the NL West) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (22-26, fourth in the NL East)Philadelphia; Wednesday, 1:05 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Diamondbacks: Zac Gallen (6-2, 2.95 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 72 strikeouts); Phillies: Ranger Suarez (0-1, 10.50 ERA, 2.67 WHIP, eight strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Diamondbacks -118, Phillies -101; over/under is 8 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Arizona Diamondbacks visit the Philadelphia Phillies looking to extend a four-game road winning streak.Philadelphia has gone 13-10 at home and 22-26 overall. The Phillies have gone 10-3 in games when they hit at least two home runs.Arizona has a 15-10 record in road games and a 29-20 record overall. Diamondbacks hitters have a collective .330 on-base percentage, the eighth-best percentage in MLB play.The matchup Wednesday is the third meeting between these teams this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Nicholas Castellanos has 16 doubles and five home runs for the Phillies. Bryson Stott is 12-for-39 ...

Cubs play the Mets leading series 1-0

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:50 GMT

New York Mets (25-24, second in the NL East) vs. Chicago Cubs (21-26, third in the NL Central)Chicago; Wednesday, 7:40 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Mets: Kodai Senga (4-2, 3.77 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 55 strikeouts); Cubs: Marcus Stroman (3-4, 3.05 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 51 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Cubs -118, Mets -101; over/under is 6 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Chicago Cubs face the New York Mets with a 1-0 series lead.Chicago has a 21-26 record overall and a 12-11 record at home. The Cubs have gone 18-11 in games when they record at least eight hits.New York is 13-15 on the road and 25-24 overall. The Mets are 18-9 in games when they record at least eight hits.The teams meet Wednesday for the second time this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Ian Happ has 13 doubles, four home runs and 19 RBI for the Cubs. Christopher Morel is 14-for-41 with two doubles and eight home runs over the last 10 games.Pete Alonso has 18 home runs, 24 walks and 43 RBI while hitting .230 for the Mets. Starling Marte is...

Rockies host the Marlins, aim to extend home win streak

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:50 GMT

Miami Marlins (24-25, third in the NL East) vs. Colorado Rockies (21-28, fifth in the NL West)Denver; Wednesday, 8:40 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Marlins: Sandy Alcantara (1-5, 5.21 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 54 strikeouts); Rockies: Karl Kauffmann (0-1, 8.31 ERA, 2.08 WHIP, four strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Marlins -145, Rockies +125; over/under is 11 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Colorado Rockies, on a three-game home winning streak, host the Miami Marlins.Colorado is 21-28 overall and 12-12 at home. The Rockies have gone 6-27 in games when they have given up a home run.Miami has gone 10-14 on the road and 24-25 overall. The Marlins have the 10th-ranked team ERA in the NL at 4.47.The matchup Wednesday is the third time these teams square off this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Charlie Blackmon has 12 doubles, a triple and three home runs for the Rockies. Elias Diaz is 14-for-37 with four doubles and a home run over the last 10 games.Luis Arraez has 10 doubles, a triple, a home run and 16 RBI f...

Ex-Sunrise police officer charged with child pornography investigated for attending child-focused event

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:50 GMT

A former Sunrise police officer who is facing child pornography charges is under investigation again after several people claimed they saw him at a party, where children were also in attendance.Among the rules put in place for the former Sunrise police officer, Carl Haller, he was to have no contact with minors and no internet.Haller paid a bond and had nothing to say as he left the Broward County Jail back in late February.The 39-year-old SWAT team member was accused of viewing child sexual conduct, compiling child pornography on a computer, and tampering with evidence.Haller was terminated by Sunrise Police last Thursday, but on Friday, he was seen at a Fraternal Order of Police event to benefit a Sunrise officer who is facing a health crisis. Haller apparently showed up. A picture of Haller was confirmed by three Sunrise city officials.The event was held at a pizza restaurant owned by Commissioner Joseph Scutto and was advertised as an all-ages event. There was a DJ, music, raffl...

Blake Shelton prepares to bid farewell to ‘The Voice’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:50 GMT

(CNN) — After 445 episodes, 23 seasons and 12 years, Blake Shelton is saying goodbye to “The Voice.”The country star, who has been a coach on the NBC singing competition series since its inception in 2011, marked his last taping on the show with an emotional Instagram post on his verified account on Tuesday, calling the moment “bittersweet.”“When we signed up for season 1, I don’t think any of us knew what this was going to be,” Shelton wrote. “These past 12 years I have made lifelong friends and memories.”One of those lifelong friends, of course, is wife and fellow “Voice” coach Gwen Stefani, whom he met on the show in 2014. The pair married in 2021.Shelton also made sure to acknowledge the up-and-coming singers he’s mentored during his “Voice” tenure, writing, “I’ve had the great opportunity to coach some really talented artists, 9 who have taken home #TeamBlake wins,” adding how nice it’s been to “watch these artists grow so much from the show.”“Thank you to everyone,” Shelton co...

Emma Heming Willis shares update on Bruce Willis’ health

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:50 GMT

(CNN) — Emma Heming Willis is sharing a family update.Heming Willis is married to actor Bruce Willis, who was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia earlier this year and has support from his family, which includes his 9-year-old daughter, Evelyn.Heming Willis took to Instagram with a video explaining the latest.“So I have to tell you this story, and I’m going to try and do it without crying,” she said. “Because when Evelyn told me this story, I was an absolute puddle.”She went on to explain their daughter had researched “fun facts about dementia” and had made a list at school for her dad.Heming Willis continued, “Now, that’s not funny, but it’s kind of funny. And she really is her father’s child because these two love some random facts. So I said to her, ‘Evelyn, we will always make sure daddy has a bottle of water in hand. Thank you for letting me know. But that is the most loving and compassionate thing that you can do is to be curious and educate yourself on your dad’s disease.’...

Scottish National Party on course to lose half its seats to Labour in 2024, poll finds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:50 GMT

LONDON — The Scottish National Party is set to lose more than half of its current seats at Westminster to a resurgent Scottish Labour, according to new research.In a fresh blow for the pro-independence party — which has been rocked by the arrests of top figures in connection with a finances probe — YouGov projected that Labour is on track to take 23 seats from the SNP, which currently holds 45 seats in the Westminster House of Commons. YouGov’s MRP modelling — which uses polling analysis to project the results of individual constituencies — said that if a general election were held tomorrow, the SNP would win 27 seats (down from 48 in the 2019 election); Scottish Labour 24 seats (up from 1); the Scottish Tories 4 seats (down from 6); and the Lib Dems 4 seats (no change). The next U.K. general election is widely expected in 2024.The majority of Labour’s gains from the SNP are projected to come in Scotland’s central belt, between its largest cities of Edinburgh and G...

UK’s Suella Braverman won’t be investigated over speeding fine, Rishi Sunak decides

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:50 GMT

LONDON — Rishi Sunak has decided not to order his ethics adviser to look into a top minister’s controversial handling of a speeding offense.In a letter to Home Secretary Suella Braverman Wednesday, the U.K. prime minister said he had been advised that “further investigation is not necessary” after days of focus on her conduct.According to reports in the Sunday Times and Mail on Sunday, Braverman — while attorney general in 2022 — asked civil servants to try and arrange a one-on-one driving awareness course after she was caught speeding.In the U.K., people who have broken the speed limit can opt to attend a course rather than pay a fine — but these are usually run as group sessions. A private course could therefore have reduced the likelihood of other motorists recognizing the senior minister in a public session.The officials reportedly refused to pursue the idea on advice from the Cabinet Office, with Braverman — a key figure on the right of the governing Conservative Pa...

EU’s Johansson slams Greece over ‘deportation’ of migrants

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:50 GMT

EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson criticized Greece for reportedly forcing migrants onto an emergency raft and abandoning them in the Aegean Sea.In an interview with POLITICO, Johansson said the episode was more than a pushback — when migrants are forced away after crossing a border.“What seems to be in these videos is a deportation,” Johansson said, adding she had no reason to doubt the footage obtained by the New York Times.“If this turns out to be the truth, and [the NYT’s videos] very much point in that direction, of course, it’s absolutely unacceptable,” the commissioner said.The EU on Monday called on the Greek government to investigate allegations of illegal migrant deportations, after footage showed a vessel from the Greek coast guard taking a dozen migrants into the Aegean Sea, where it left them on a motorless raft. They were later picked up by the Turkish coast guard.Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who landed a major electoral victory Sunday but ...