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Poulson & Rose: Can we avert a constitutional crisis over debt?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:55 GMT

President Biden has threatened to increase debt without congressional approval. He argued in June that the 14th Amendment’s reference to debt makes it unconstitutional for the nation to default on debt.Failure to lift the debt ceiling would have resulted in debt default. A default occurs when the Treasury does not have enough money to pay for obligations it has already incurred. The crisis was averted when Biden and congressional leaders agreed to lift the debt ceiling as part of a budget agreement. What the president and Congress agreed to do is to kick the can down the road. The debt limit was suspended for two years until 2025.Congress continues to struggle to live with that budget agreement, and the legislators have yet to agree on most appropriations and face a Sept. 30 deadline. If they miss the deadline, the government will shut down.We must avert a constitutional crisis over debt. If the controversy over the debt limit reaches the Supreme Court, it is not clear how the justi...

Pumpkin mac and cheese puts fall spin on classic

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:55 GMT

Football isn’t the only thing people go nuts over this time of year.September also marks the start of pumpkin-spice season, with the warming (and controversial) seasonal fall flavor finding its way into everything from your Starbucks latte to cookies, popcorn, spreads, breads, creamer, yogurt, gelato, cereal and toaster pastries. Love it or hate it, Nissin even makes a pumpkin-spice cup of instant ramen noodles.This luscious mac and cheese recipe dumps the “spice” part of the popular duo, but goes heavy on the pumpkin — or should we say squash — because the bright orange puree that goes in Libby’s famous cans of pure pumpkin is actually Dickinson squash, an elongated American heirloom winter squash with tan-colored rind and dense flesh.I used ruffled campanelle noodles for a bit of flair, but any hollow and tubular pasta noodle that features nooks and crannies for capturing the cheese sauce will work well. A blend of Parmesan and Pecorino Romano cheeses enhan...

Mary Ann Esposito’s Harvest Corn Pudding

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:55 GMT

It was a so-so garden year for lots of people…low yields due to too much rain and a cool start in June. Some veggies like corn, did just fine and while it is still in season, slather it up with butter and salt and enjoy.Save that summer taste by shaving the kernels off the cobs and freezing them for winter eating and use them in soups and stews and stir-fry. Celebrate the arrival of fall with this tasty corn pudding, a nifty side side dish or star attraction.TAG GOES HEREHarvest Corn PuddingINGREDIENTS½ cup flour1 teaspoon salt¼ teaspoon nutmeg4 eggs4 cups half/half or whole milk1/3 cup honey4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled4 cups corn kernels½ cup diced scallions1 cup diced sweet potatoDIRECTIONSPreheat oven to 425FButter a 12 x2x 9-inch casserole dish and set aside.In a bowl combine the flour, salt and nutmeg and set aside.In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs until foamy; whisk in the honey and melted butter.  Stir in the corn kernels and scallions until well combined. Gently ...

Dear Abby: Fiance’s co-worker puts on revealing show

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:55 GMT

Dear Abby: My fiance and I went to his co-worker “Tina’s” house on a Friday night to socialize and play trivia games. We had been at her place before, for a Christmas party. Tina wore a short skirt, and when she sat down you could see all the way up to her black lace panties. During our “heads-up” game she sat right across from my fiance. While people were laughing and having fun drinking and playing games, all I could notice were her panties and Tina’s loud laughs. She was drinking, and my fiance asked her, “Baby, are you feeling OK?” He said it loudly. Everyone heard it, and I felt myself getting really angry and red in the face. Why was he calling her Baby? We call each other that!I don’t want to return to Tina’s house. My fiance says I overreacted. He doesn’t tell me about his goings-on at work or about friend hangouts. We usually go out together alone. When I think back on that night, I still feel upset about it....

Debby Friday wins Polaris Music Prize for ‘Good Luck’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:55 GMT

TORONTO — Debby Friday has won the 2023 Polaris Music Prize for her album “Good Luck.”The debut full-length release from the Nigerian-born Canadian was selected on Tuesday for the $50,000 prize by an 11-member grand jury. They named it the best Canadian album of the year based on its artistic merit.The stunned musician took the stage at Massey Hall in Toronto to accept the cash award from last year’s winner, Pierre Kwenders.After regaining her composure, the 29-year-old thanked many of the people who helped her career and reflected on her upbringing. She was born in Nigeria before she immigrated to Canada when she was around two years old, she said.“This is something that I didn’t realize was a possibility,” she said from the stage.“Now, I’m here today and it just feels like a miracle.”The Polaris Music Prize is considered one of the country’s most prestigious music awards with previous winners who include Haviah Mighty, Jeremy Dutcher and Kaytran...

Iran’s president urges US to demonstrate it wants to return to the 2015 nuclear deal

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:55 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi said Tuesday that his country will never give up its right “to have peaceful nuclear energy” and urged the United States “to demonstrate in a verifiable fashion” that it wants to return to the 2015 nuclear deal. Addressing the annual high-level meeting of the U.N. General Assembly, Raisi said the American withdrawal from the deal trampled on U.S. commitments and was “an inappropriate response” to Iran’s fulfillment of its commitments.Then-President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled the U.S. out of the accord in 2018, restoring crippling sanctions. Iran began breaking the terms a year later and formal talks in Vienna to try to restart the deal collapsed in August 2022.Iran has long denied ever seeking nuclear weapons and continues to insist that its program is entirely for peaceful purposes – points Raisi reiterated Tuesday telling the high-level meeting that “nuclear weapons have no place in the defensive doctrine and the military ...

2 teens in Las Vegas face murder charges for fatal hit-and-run they captured on video, police say

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:55 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Two teenagers face murder charges for targeting a bicyclist in Las Vegas and capturing on video the moment they drove into the man as he pedaled along the side of a road, authorities said Tuesday.Las Vegas police said they have tied the teens to at least three hit-and-run incidents on the morning of Aug. 14. They believe the death of 64-year-old Andreas Rene Probst, a former police chief in Bell, California, was the final one.Video shot from the front passenger seat shows the vehicle approaching Probst from behind while he was riding near the curb on an otherwise traffic-free road. As those in the car laugh, the vehicle steers toward Probst and then rams the bicycle, sending Probst hurtling onto the hood and into the windshield.A final image from the moving car shows Probst on the ground next to the curb. Deputy Police Chief Nick Farese called the recording from inside a stolen vehicle appalling and a “cowardly act.” Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfso...

3 fake electors want Georgia election subversion charges against them to be moved to federal court

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:55 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Lawyers for three Georgia Republicans, who falsely claimed that Donald Trump won the state and they were “duly elected and qualified” electors, are set to argue Wednesday that criminal charges against them should be moved from state to federal court.David Shafer, Shawn Still and Cathy Latham were among the 18 people indicted last month along with Trump on charges they participated in a wide-ranging scheme to keep the Republican president in power after his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden. All 19 defendants have pleaded not guilty.U.S. District Judge Steve Jones is set to hear arguments Wednesday on why Shafer, Still and Latham believe the case against them should be tried in federal court rather than in Fulton County Superior Court. Jones already rejected a similar effort from Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, who has appealed that ruling. He held a hearing Monday on a similar bid by former U.S. Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark and has y...

Virginia is the next big battleground for abortion rights and may send a signal for 2024

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:55 GMT

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Democrat Russet Perry has knocked on thousands of doors in a swing district outside the nation’s capital as she campaigns for a seat that could decide control of the Virginia state Senate in November. The issue that comes up the most — particularly among women and even from some Republicans and independents, she says — is protecting abortion rights. The topic has motivated voters and upended traditional political wisdom in election after election since a conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court eliminated the federal right to the procedure last year. But it may be especially front of mind in Virginia, the only state in the South that has not imposed new abortion restrictions since Roe v. Wade fell. Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin — whose push to ban the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy was blocked by the Democratic-controlled Senate — has pledged to try again if the GOP wins full control in the state.“I see this fight and this race as being pivo...

Japanese crown prince to visit Vietnam to mark 50 years of diplomatic relations

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:55 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Crown Prince Akishino, the younger brother of Emperor Naruhito, was on his way to Vietnam on Wednesday to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, as Tokyo pushes to deepen ties with Southeast Asia and other developing and emerging nations to tackle regional and global challenges.Akishino, at a news conference last week ahead of the trip, stressed the importance of deepening relations between Japan and Vietnam, noting their long history of cultural and economic exchanges dating back to the 16th century.“Japan and Vietnam have a very close relationship,” Akishino said. “I hope we can contribute as part of an effort to promote friendly relations between the two countries.” He said it is particularly important for younger people to develop mutual understanding and respect for each other’s cultures through exchanges.During the Sept. 20-25 trip, Akishino and his wife, Crown Princess Kiko, will visit Hanoi, where they will see the ...