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Biden Doubled Down on the Abraham Accords — to “Devastating Consequences”

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:50:04 GMT

U.S. President Joe Biden, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, addresses the attacks in Israel, in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 7, 2023.AFP via Getty ImagesThe recent explosion of violence in and around the Gaza Strip, triggered by a Hamas assault that killed hundreds of Israelis, including scores of civilians, has drawn the U.S. back into a region from which the Biden administration has spent years trying to pivot away from. The U.S. has reportedly begun to move naval assets into the Mediterranean to provide support for Israel’s military operation against Gaza, a full-scale invasion that will likely take weeks, if not longer, to complete.The new outbreak of intense violence represents a total failure of the Biden administration’s Middle East policy. The administration has centered its regional policy on the expansion of the “Abraham Accords,” a set of diplomatic normalization agreements between Israel and regional Arab countries. It is an effort in which President Joe Biden has su...

Rams gutted the roster and promoted from within. At 2-3, they need more from their homegrown talent

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:50:04 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — After five games, the Los Angeles Rams don’t look much better or much worse than most people predicted after their eventful offseason of roster-stripping and reconstruction.The Rams (2-3) have several very good players, but they have far more average players. Record-setting rookie receiver Puka Nacua is tops among a few young players showing they’re ready for the prominent roles they’ve been given, but even more youngsters just aren’t there yet.With the missed opportunities of the Rams’ 23-14 loss to unbeaten Philadelphia still fresh, Los Angeles coach Sean McVay vowed to get more out of his revamped team more quickly.“I know they’re capable of making those plays,” McVay said Sunday. “I’m excited about going back to work with these guys and figuring out how we can continue to demonstrate the resilience, the response that’s in alignment with what we want.”McVay welcomed the challenge of rebuilding the Rams after they gutted the injury-...

Seattle Kraken begin Year 3 knowing they no longer can catch the NHL by surprise

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:50:04 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — Ron Francis knows how important last season was for the present and future of the Seattle Kraken.Seattle found success on the ice by making the playoffs in just its second season. The Kraken developed a footing in a crowded sports marketplace where the hockey team became the focal point during an unexpected playoff run. And by doing so, the team turned the novelty of being the newest NHL franchise into the reality of being a solid team worthy of respect around the league.Now, they have to do it again and prove the second-year version of the Kraken is the one the NHL can expect to see with regularity.“We’re not going to surprise anybody. I think they understand that we’re for real,” said Francis, the Kraken’s general manager. “So it’s a tough leap. We hopefully can pick up and do what we did last year. I think our guys are hungry to do that.”The process begins for Seattle on Tuesday night in its season-opening game at Vegas. The Kraken will be out to ruin the evening f...

Jets offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker out for the season with a torn Achilles tendon

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:50:04 GMT

New York Jets offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker has a torn Achilles tendon that will sideline him for the rest of the season.Coach Robert Saleh announced Monday that an MRI revealed the nature of the injury, which occurred in the second quarter of New York’s 31-21 victory at Denver on Sunday. It’s the same field where Vera-Tucker suffered a season-ending torn triceps a year ago.“Second year in a row and we’re all kind of surprised because he played a play on it and walked off on his own power, he walked to the locker room on his own power,” Saleh said. “So we were pretty optimistic that that part of it was going to be OK.”The Jets announced during the game that Vera-Tucker had a calf injury, but Saleh said afterward there was “concern” it could be serious.Vera-Tucker has been arguably the Jets’ best offensive lineman and their most versatile. He started the first two games at right guard before sliding over to right tackle. Vera-Tucker, a 2021 first-round ...

Bills’ LB Milano and DT DaQuan Jones out indefinitely with injuries that require surgery

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:50:04 GMT

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Already thin at the cornerback spot, the Buffalo Bills defense will be further depleted with starting linebacker Matt Milano and starting tackle DaQuan Jones out indefinitely because of injuries.Coach Sean McDermott on Monday said Milano will require surgery to repair an injury to his lower right leg, and Jones will require surgery to repair an injured pectoral muscle. McDermott did not provide any further details on the severity of the injuries, and said it was too early to determine a timetable on how much time both players will be sidelined.Both players were hurt in a 25-20 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in a game played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.Milano was hurt when his leg got tangled in a pile when Trevor Lawrence threw an incompletion over the middle on third-and-6 at the Buffalo 10 midway through the first quarter, with the play negated by a penalty called against Buffalo.Milano was tended to on the field before being helped off to th...

The Bears are mulling adding a defensive analyst to coach Matt Eberflus’ staff

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:50:04 GMT

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — The Chicago Bears are mulling hiring a senior defensive analyst to help with advance scouting and developing game plans, coach Matt Eberflus said Monday.The Bears haven’t had a defensive coordinator since Alan Williams resigned on Sept. 20.Eberflus said the analyst would “give us certainly ideas and things, how to attack that upcoming opponent.” He said the Bears are “looking at a few guys” and was not sure if the person would be based at Halas Hall or work remotely.“It would just be more of a head start in terms of the advancement, so that person would be ahead on the next opponent, so working a whole week in advance, so that would be beneficial for us early in the week,” Eberflus said.One person Eberflus said was not a candidate for the role is former Detroit Lions coach and ex-Bears defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli. The two worked together as assistants with Dallas. “He’s very comfortable in retirement,” Eberflus said. “He’s out...

How major US stock indexes fared Monday, 10/09/2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:50:04 GMT

Oil prices climbed with worries about the possible spillover effects of violence in the Middle East. The stock market was less fearful, though, and flipped from modest morning losses following potentially encouraging news on interest rates, which have been dragging Wall Street mainly lower since the summer. The S&P 500 rose 0.6%. The Dow rose 197 points, and the Nasdaq composite added 0.4%. They perked higher after two officials at the Federal Reserve suggested they may not need to raise interest rates again at their next meeting at the end of this month. On Monday:The S&P 500 rose 27.16 points, or 0.6%, to 4,335.66.The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 197.07 points, or 0.6%, to 33,604.65.The Nasdaq composite rose 52.90 points, or 0.4%, to 13,484.24.The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 10.44 points, or 0.6% to 1,755.99.For the year:The S&P 500 is up 496.16 points, or 12.9%.The Dow is up 457.40 points, or 1.4%.The Nasdaq is up 3,017.76 points, or 28.8%The Rus...

Biden says at least 11 Americans among those killed in Israel, warns of hostages

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:50:04 GMT

President Biden on Monday announced that the number of Americans killed in terrorist attacks against Israel had risen to 11, and he warned that American citizens may be among those being held hostage by the militant group Hamas.“As we continue to account for the horrors of the appalling terrorist assault against Israel this weekend and the hundreds of innocent civilians who were murdered, we are seeing the immense scale and reach of this tragedy,” Biden said in a statement. “Sadly, we now know that at least 11 American citizens were among those killed — many of whom made a second home in Israel.”U.S. officials are still working to confirm whether Americans are among those being held by Hamas, but said “it is likely” that is the case. “I have directed my team to work with their Israeli counterparts on every aspect of the hostage crisis, including sharing intelligence and deploying experts from across the United States government to consult with and advise Israeli counterparts on...

US begins delivering munitions to Israel as the American death toll rises to 11 in Hamas attacks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:50:04 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has already begun delivering critically needed munitions and military equipment to Israel, and the Pentagon is reviewing inventories to see what else can be sent quickly to boost its ally in the three-day-old war with Hamas, a senior Defense Department official said Monday.Planes have already taken off, said the official, who declined to provide details on the weapons. The official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive shipments, also warned that the U.S. is closely watching Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed groups, noting that the decision to shift American ships in the region was to deter any of them from entering or expanding the conflict against Israel.The weapons movement came as President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. death toll in the war has gone up to 11.The official said the U.S. is “flooding the zone” with calls and other messages so that extremist groups and other nations know they should not question Americ...

Demonstrators gather in Cambridge in support of Palestinians caught in conflict between Israel and Hamas 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:50:04 GMT

Demonstrators gathered in Cambridge Monday in support of Palestinian people caught in the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel. Days after Hamas fighters launched their surprise attack against Israel on Saturday, and after responses from Israel, organizers of the event in Cambridge said they condemn the killing of innocent civilians on both sides of the war. Pro-Palestinian supporters continued in their comments, saying they were supporting Palestinians who they say have been violently oppressed for 75 years. “As a human being, if you see this much injustice and this much oppression, it just hurts,” one person said. “You just have to be human. You just have to feel. Have a heart.”Tensions were high while the demonstration along Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge continued around 5 p.m. While hundreds of pro-Palestinian supporters marched through the streets, pro-Israel supporters gathered nearby, with members of both groups at times yelling across the street.Organ...