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Biden administration declares fentanyl laced with xylazine ‘an emerging threat’ in the US

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:26 GMT

(CNN) — The White House has declared that the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl combined with xylazine — an animal tranquilizer that’s increasingly being used in illicit drugs — is an “emerging threat” facing the United States due to its role in the ongoing opioid crisis.Administration officials call the threat FAAX, for fentanyl-adulterated or -associated xylazine.The move, announced Wednesday, marks the first time in history that any administration has declared a substance to be an emerging threat to the country, said Dr. Rahul Gupta, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. The SUPPORT Act of 2018 established that the office has authority to declare such “emerging threats,” and no administration has used it until now. Last year, Congress declared methamphetamine an emerging drug threat but none have been declared by an administration previously. Under other agencies or in separate circum...

Red Sox outclassed by Rays in four-game sweep, lose finale 9-3

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:26 GMT

We knew going in this series would tell us a lot about both the Red Sox and Rays.For Boston this week was an opportunity to prove it could hold its own against a real contender. For Tampa Bay it was a chance to show its hot start wasn’t just a flash in the pan.Well, we sure know where the teams stand now.Facing their first big test against a playoff-proven division rival, the Red Sox got splattered like a bug on a windshield. The Rays completed the four-game sweep Thursday afternoon, riding a seven-run fifth inning to a 9-3 victory.The Rays are now 13-0, matching the 1982 Atlanta Braves and 1987 Milwaukee Brewers for the best start in MLB history, while the Red Sox limp home last in the AL East and facing serious questions.“Right now they’re playing great baseball, playing good defense, running the bases, pitching well, they are who they are right now,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “Obviously disappointing for us to come here and get swept but weR...

Patriots sign ex-Ravens, Cardinals backup QB

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:26 GMT

The Patriots signed backup quarterback Trace McSorley, the team announced Thursday.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots announce Mike Vrabel, Logan Mankins and Bill Parcells as Hall finalists New England Patriots | Guregian: Patriots pre-draft roster projection New England Patriots | NFL executive assesses Patriots’ offseason, 2023 odds: ‘The talent gap is still pretty significant’ New England Patriots | NFL notes: Is it possible for Bill Belichick and Mac Jones to mend fences? New England Patriots | Ex-Patriots assistant Dante Scarnecchia entering Patriots Hall of Fame McSorley is a four-year backup with plus mobility and previous stops in Baltimore and Arizona. Over his career, he’s appeared in nine games and completed 51.6% of his passes for 502 yards, one touchdown and five interceptions. During his only career start, McSorley went 24-of-45 for 217 yards against the...

FAA: 250 cases of unruly passengers sent to FBI

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:26 GMT

Federal officials said Thursday they have referred more than 250 unruly airline passengers to the FBI for possible criminal prosecution since late 2021, including one as recently as last month, when a man tried to stab a flight attendant with a broken-off spoon.The pace of the criminal referrals is slowing, however. The Federal Aviation Administration identified 17 cases it has sent to the FBI in the first three months of this year — mostly for incidents that happened last year but took time to investigate.Airlines have reported fewer cases of unruly passengers since last April, when a federal judge struck down a requirement that people wear masks on planes and public transportation. Before that ruling, about two-thirds of all incidents on planes involved disputes over masks.The FAA can levy civil fines but lacks authority to file criminal charges, so it asks the FBI to step in for the most serious cases.“If you act out on a plane, you should just stay at home because we will ...

Guardsman arrested in leak of classified military documents

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:26 GMT

By ERIC TUCKER, TARA COPP and MICHAEL BALSAMO (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — A Massachusetts Air National Guard member was arrested Thursday in connection with the disclosure of highly classified military documents about the Ukraine war and other top national security issues, a breach that has raised questions about America’s ability to safeguard its most sensitive secrets. The guardsman, an IT specialist identified as 21-year-old Jack Teixeira, was taken into custody without incident after FBI officers converged at his Massachusetts home. He is to be charged under the Espionage Act, which makes it a crime to remove or transmit classified national defense information, Attorney General Merrick Garland said.In his brief statement from the Justice Department podium, Garland did not reveal a possible motive, but accounts of those in the online private chat room where the documents were disclosed have depicted Teixeira as motivated more by bravado than ideology.Even as t...

Adley Rutschman blasts first career walk-off homer to give Orioles series-clinching 8-7 win over Athletics

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:26 GMT

The win wasn’t pretty, but the last swing sure was.Adley Rutschman came up to the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning with the chance to give the Orioles their ugliest win of the season — much better than the alternative.On the second pitch from Oakland Athletics reliever Trevor May, Rutschman launched a center-cut fastball 405 feet to right-center field to deliver the Orioles their first walk-off win of the season, 8-7.Rutschman had been 0-for-4 before the solo home run, which he said in a television interview with MASN was his first career walk-off homer at any level. The Orioles almost didn’t need Rutschman’s heroics after having runners on second and third with no outs in the eighth, but the offense squandered that opportunity.The victory delivers Baltimore (7-6) the four-game series victory over the visiting Athletics.Irvin struggles againLast week, the Orioles entered a game against the Texas Rangers needing a starting pitcher often dubbed an “...

Minneapolis to pay $8.9M over Chauvin’s actions before Floyd

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:26 GMT

By JIM SALTER (Associated Press)The city of Minneapolis agreed Thursday to pay nearly $9 million to settle lawsuits filed by two people who said former police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into their necks years before he used the same move to kill George Floyd.John Pope Jr. will receive $7.5 million and Zoya Code will receive $1.375 million. The settlements were announced during a meeting of the Minneapolis City Council.Both lawsuits stemmed from arrests in 2017 — three years before Chauvin killed Floyd during an arrest captured on video that sparked protests worldwide, prompted a national reckoning on racial injustice and compelled a Minneapolis Police Department overhaul.At a news conference Thursday, Mayor Jacob Frey apologized to all victims of Chauvin and said that if police supervisors “had done the right thing, George Floyd would not have been murdered.”“He should have been fired in 2017. He should have been held accountable in 2017,” F...

Heat’s Spoelstra hints of lineup, rotation changes vs. Bulls in play-in

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:26 GMT

Caleb Martin was the final player off the Miami Heat’s practice court Thursday. The question now is whether he could be one of the first on the court when the Heat host the Chicago Bulls in a winner-take-all play-in game at 7 p.m. Friday night.Considering Erik Spoelstra declines to reveal lineups when he speaks 90 minutes before games, there was no tell Thursday from the Heat coach.Then again, perhaps there was.“Yeah, you know, everything’s on board,” Spoelstra said when asked about possible lineup or rotation adjustments. “Every one of these things, that’s how I’m viewing it.”The Heat twice have undergone significant lineup adjustments since the All-Star break, first replacing Martin with Kevin Love and then, more recently, moving Max Strus into the starting lineup in place of Love.Tuesday night, the small-ball approach with Strus as the de facto power forward was exposed with the Heat outrebounded 63-39 in their 116-105 loss to the A...

Brockton to name former Patriot Jermaine Wiggins as new head football coach

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:26 GMT

If Brockton was looking to make a splash with its football hire, they certainly succeeded in doing so.The school announced it will hire former New England Patriot tight end Jermaine Wiggins as the school’s new football coach. Wiggins will be introduced by Brockton Mayor Robert F. Sullivan and Brockton Public Schools Superintendent Michael P. Thomas at a press conference Friday afternoon (12:30) at Marciano Stadium.While preferring to wait until the press conference to deliver his statements, Wiggins did speak about the legacy of the Brockton football program and the impact it had on him as a youngster starring at East Boston High School.“I am happy to have the opportunity to follow an unbelievable legacy that the Colombos have created at BHS,” Wiggins said in a text message. “As a kid growing up in Eastie and playing football Brockton was the gold standard. And now to have the chance to coach kids that are growing up in a neighborhood just like Eastie who have goals and dreams...

BC wide receiver Ryan O’Keefe burning it up in spring ball

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:26 GMT

Boston College wide receiver Ryan O’Keefe came of age in a football culture.O’Keefe is a graduate transfer from Central Florida who torched the turf during the Eagles’ 14 spring practice sessions while learning a new system. The 5-10, 170-pound pass catcher from Austin, Texas will put his stretch-the-field speed on display in Saturday’s (11 a.m.) Jay McGillis Memorial Spring Football Game at Alumni Stadium.“I am looking forward to the spring game and just seeing what the offense has gotten so far,” said O’Keefe, following the final spring practice on a warm and sunny Thursday morning at Alumni Stadium.“I want to be a force in our plans and just to be able to learn a new system and watch the team operating as a group together. This will be the first time we will be going full speed together so it should be exciting.”O’Keefe began his rise at Round Rock High School in Round Rock, Texas Round Rock is a nationally recognized scholastic program in a part of Texas where football is a reli...