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Renée Fleming stars as `Nixon in China’ arrives in Paris

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:10 GMT

PARIS (AP) — After spending decades portraying generals’ wives, a countess and a courtesan, Renée Fleming walked gingerly onto the stage of the Bastille Opera in a blond wig, red coat and black gloves to depict Pat Nixon, former first lady of the United States.John Adams’ “Nixon in China,” a 1987 work among the most acclaimed American operas, received its Paris Opera premiere on Saturday night to eight minutes of applause following a revelatory production by Argentine director Valentina Carrasco that replaced literalism with metaphor. The lasting images were of a dark American eagle pitted against a bright red Chinese dragon and of ping-pong tables symbolizing both diplomacy and the quest for superiority.“You really have to be in your mid-60s to even remember this other than as it’s something that you learn about in school,” said Fleming, a 64-year-old soprano who bid farewell to the standard repertory six years ago. “I’m sorry, but in the context of what’s going on now, Water...

Capitol Police seeking $840 million budget ahead of 2024

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:10 GMT

The U.S. Capitol Police is poised to ask Congress for a 14% budget increase in 2024, which would bring the agency’s budget to more than $840 million, CBS News has learned. The request will be made this week in a hearing of a House subcommittee that oversees funding for the police department charged with securing the Capitol and keeping lawmakers safe, according to a Democratic congressman who has reviewed and shared details of the request.The budget request comes amid growing concerns of violent threats against members of Congress and during a third year of efforts to prevent a recurrence of the January 6, 2021 attack.If approved, the budget would give Congress’ internal police department an annual budget larger than the police departments of several major American cities, including Philadelphia, Denver, Cleveland and Tampa.The approximately $840 million request would dwarf some prior years’ requests, and it would more than double the budget request of $356 million...

Supreme Court to hear lawsuit involving disability activist

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:10 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court will decide whether a disabled activist can file disability rights lawsuits against hotels she doesn’t intend to visit.The high court said Monday it would decide a case involving Deborah Laufer. Laufer, who lives in Florida, has filed over 600 federal lawsuits against hotel owners and operators, according to a Supreme Court filing. Laufer has a vision impairment, uses a cane or wheelchair to get around, and has limited use of her hands, according to court documents. Her lawsuits contend that the websites of accommodations, generally small hotels and bed-and-breakfasts, are not clear enough about whether they are accessible to people with disabilities.Under the federal Americans With Disabilities Act hotels must identify and describe their accessible features including guest rooms in sufficient detail.Laufer’s lawsuits and lawsuits by other self-appointed “testers” have divided federal appeals courts. The question is whether Laufer and ...

Eric Clapton to play Ball Arena in September

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:10 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Eric Clapton will appear at Denver's Ball Arena on September 16, which will cap a limited series of concert dates across North America. These will be Clapton's only shows in in 2023. Eric Clapton’s band for these shows will include Doyle Bramhall II, Paul Carrack, Nathan East, Sonny Emory, and Chris Stainton with Sharon White and Katie Kissoon on backing vocals. Jimmie Vaughan will be supporting Clapton. Full list of concerts at Ball Arena for 2023 Ticket presales begin March 28 at 10 a.m. local time. Public sale will begin March 31 at 10 a.m. local time. For more information, please visit ericclapton.com.ERIC CLAPTON 2023 CONCERT DATESSeptember 8    Pittsburgh, PAPPG Paints ArenaSeptember 10   Toronto, ON   Scotiabank ArenaSeptember 12St. Louis, MO  Enterprise CenterSeptember 14    Minneapolis, MN Xcel Energy CenterSeptember 16Denver, COBall ArenaEric Clapton is one of about two ...

Ralphie, the ‘demon dog,’ has finally been adopted

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:10 GMT

(CNN) — Fourth time’s the charm for this mischievous pup — hopefully.Ralphie, who made headlines after a New York animal shelter described him as a “fire-breathing demon,” has finally been adopted for the fourth time, according to the shelter.The Niagara SPCA said in a Friday Facebook post they received more than 700 applications to adopt the adorable but troublesome French bulldog.They finally honed in on Ralphie’s “perfect adopter,” a man named Jason who trains dogs professionally for the Department of Energy in Tennessee.Ralphie will join Jason’s pack of other dogs, consisting of another French bulldog, a Dachshund, and a German shepherd.Although the shelter originally specified Ralphie should go to a family without other dogs, they said through training, the pup was able to get “over his reactivity around other dogs.” He was sent to a six-week boarding and training program after a third adoption att...

Twitter says portions of source code leaked online

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:10 GMT

(CNN) — Twitter said parts of its proprietary code were posted online and had been exposed until Friday when the company had the material removed from the web and filed for a court order to hunt down the source of the leak.The leak saw excerpts of Twitter’s source code — the programming that powers the Twitter platform and its internal tools — posted to the online software repository GitHub, according to a court filing Friday by a Twitter attorney. The files were posted by a pseudonymous GitHub user, identified only by the handle FreeSpeechEnthusiast. The account was created on Jan. 3 and does not appear to have posted any other material besides the Twitter code.The code leak represents the latest mishap for Twitter as CEO Elon Musk has sought to reverse a sharp decline in revenues through substantial layoffs and other cost cutting measures that some experts had already said risked making the platform less safe. Leaked source code can not only provide insight into how a ...

A one-eyed rescue cat is the newest Cadbury Bunny and the first feline to hold the role

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:10 GMT

(CNN) — A one-eyed cat named Crash is the first-ever cat to win the Cadbury Bunny contest, making him the brand’s official “spokesbunny” for the year.The chocolate company announced Crash’s win in a news release Tuesday. The lucky winner is an 8-year-old from Boise, Idaho, according to the release.Crash was injured in a “devastating” car accident, according to the release. The accident left him “severely injured and left with one eye.”While healing at a local shelter, Crash’s “quirky, outgoing personality” earned him the love of shelter staff, the release said.As the winner of the Cadbury Bunny tryouts, Crash will star in the 2023 Cadbury “Clucking Bunny” commercial. He’ll also receive a prize of $5,000 for himself, as well as $5,000 “to the shelter of his choice,” according to the release.Crash’s owner, Maddie Corey, expressed her pride at her furry friend’s a...

Teenager cycles from Alaska to Argentina

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:10 GMT

(CNN) — He’d longed to go on a “crazy adventure” for years, and as Liam Garner’s high school graduation day grew closer, the teenager was more determined than ever to make his escape.An experienced cyclist, Garner, who is from Long Beach, California, had previously ridden from Los Angeles to San Francisco, and realized that he could pedal across the continent without much difficulty if he chose to.After reading a book by adventurer Jedidiah Jenkins, who biked from Oregon to Argentina, Garner decided that he would cycle from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, the northernmost point in the United States accessible by road, to Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost point of South America.And while many of his school friends were preparing for college, Garner began preparing for the adventure of his life.Epic adventureDecember 13, 2022/ Carretera Austral, Chile“I spent the entire month after I graduated just getting the equipment and then I left,” Garner tells ...

Scottish National Party’s Humza Yousaf inherits ‘tremendous mess’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:10 GMT

LONDON — Good luck to Humza Yousaf — Scotland’s next first minister is going to need it. Narrowly elected as the new leader of the pro-independence Scottish National Party Monday (SNP), Yousaf faces the monumental task of bringing together a party that has been driven apart by a bitter leadership contest. And he must now step into the shoes of Nicola Sturgeon, who took the SNP to new heights but left her successor with a formidable in-tray, including major strategic questions about the future of Scotland’s fight for independence from the United Kingdom.“Where there are divisions to heal, we must do so quickly,” Yousaf said Monday. His slim margin of victory over his nearest rival, Kate Forbes, lays bare the scale of that task.“I think it’s been a lot more robust than people anticipated at first,” one former Scottish government adviser said of the contest, with some understatement. Others have been more forthright.“There is a tremendous mess and we have to clear it up,” th...

Worcester police make arrest after interrupting apparent house break

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:10 GMT

A 43-year-old man is facing a number of burglary and firearms-related charges after Worcester police found him at the scene of a reported house break, according to authorities.The Worcester Police Department said Devondre Cooper was arrested on Friday, March 24, after officers were called to an address on Everard Street around 5:30 p.m. for a break in progress.A detailed description of the suspect was given, according to the department, including word that the suspect was seen forcing his way through a door with a crowbar.Officials said the first officer to arrive at the scene saw a male, later identified as Cooper, who matched the suspect’s description and was apparently still holding a crowbar at the time.Cooper then allegedly fled from police when asked to speak with officers, leading to a brief foot chase that involved the 43 year old running through several backyards.Police said Cooper was later taken into custody and that officers also found a backpack he allegedly dropp...