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Nationals Notebook: Teetering on the precipice

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:58:00 GMT

Believe it or not with just 12 games left in the regular season, the Washington Nationals are technically in contention because the team has 84 losses while three teams chasing the final Wild Card berth each have 78 wins.So with the next Nats loss or a win by either Cincinnati Reds, Miami Marlins or the Chicago Cubs, Washington will officially be out of the postseason party.But last week was big for the past, present, and future of the club. The present has been secured with general manager Mike Rizzo signing a multiyear extension. The future had its night with prime pitching prospect Jackson Rutledge making his Major League debut. Will they be able to put their streak of last place finishes (three straight) in the past? Time is running out on the team that’s already almost out of it.Digesting the Division: Atlanta (96-53) despite getting swept by Miami remains in the driver’s seat for home field in the playoffs. Matt Olson (52 home runs with 129 RBI) is having one of th...

A railroad worker was crushed to death in Ohio by a remote-controlled train. Unions have concerns

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:58:00 GMT

A railroad worker was crushed to death between two railcars over the weekend by a remote-controlled train in a CSX railyard in Ohio, raising concerns among unions about such technology.The death highlights the need for an in-depth review of the use of remote-controlled locomotives, the Transportation Communications Union and Brotherhood of Railway Carmen said in a news release Sunday. Every major railroad has used such locomotives inside, and increasingly outside of, railyards across the country for years.The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the death, which happened shortly before 4 a.m. Sunday in Walbridge, Ohio.Fred Anderson is the third carman killed in an incident involving a remote-controlled locomotive, the unions said.“Enough is enough. A full-scale review of the use and practices around remote-control locomotives is long overdue. CSX — and every railroad — must evaluate their use of these supposed technological advancements to ensure they are actually m...

Fall TV Guide: What to watch amid Hollywood strikes

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:58:00 GMT

toggle audio on and off change volume download audio WTOP's Jason Fraley previews fall TV season amid strikes (Part 1) $(function () { $('.wtop-audio-container .fa-play').on('click', function(){ var audio_filename = $('div.wtop-audio-file').data("mp3-url"); ga('send', 'event', 'Audio', 'play', audio_filename); }); }); This time of year is typically when television networks roll out their fall TV lineups.However, the Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strikes are causing content to dry up.Network TV hits like “Abbott Elementary,” “Ghosts,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Saturda...

The Los Angeles County sheriff says a suspect has been arrested in the ambush killing of a deputy

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:58:00 GMT

PALMDALE, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles County sheriff says a suspect has been arrested in the ambush killing of a deputy.Source

Critics slam Belgian Green chief’s taxi ride on car-free Sunday 

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:58:00 GMT

Belgian politicians have criticized the co-chair of Green party Ecolo, Rajae Maouane, for taking a taxi to talk about sustainability on car-free Sunday, the only Sunday of the year in which cars are prohibited in Brussels.“I am not going to lie to you, I came here in a taxi,” she told hosts Martin Buxant and Christophe Deborsu during the TV interview after the pair asked her how she got to the studio on a day in which no private vehicles are allowed in the city. “From my home to here, I had a 45-minute bike ride, which was a bit complicated, so I took a taxi,” she added. Taking a taxi is allowed during the Belgian capital’s car-free day but critics called her out for choosing a high-emission mode of transport. During the interview, she supported reinvesting in public transport, changing the city’s parking setup, and reducing the prices of bus and train tickets. “If people choose cars, it’s because other public transport isn’t dev...

At least 20 killed in South Africa as bus erupts in flames after head-on collision

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:58:00 GMT

(CNN) — At least 20 people – mostly mine workers – were killed in South Africa’s Limpopo province on Sunday after a bus they were traveling in erupted in flames following a head-on collision with a truck, state media reported.The Limpopo transport department said on Monday 20 people were confirmed dead on the scene while two others died at the hospital. It is not immediately known how many people were on the bus and if there were any survivors.The vehicles collided on a major road between Musina town and Venetia mine in the northern Limpopo province, the transport agency added.Murray and Roberts company, the employer of the deceased mine workers, said 18 of its staff who were “traveling to the Venetia mine” were killed in the accident, citing preliminary reports.The Venetia mine is South Africa’s largest diamond producer.Videos from the scene of the bus crash posted on social media showed bodies lying scattered on the ground and a plume...

Remnants of Lee move over northern Atlantic after bringing fierce winds and coastal flooding to Canada and northeast US

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:58:00 GMT

(CNN) — The remnants of post-tropical cyclone Lee were moving out over the ocean and away from Atlantic Canada on Monday, after US officials announced at least two deaths due to the storm.Lee, once a powerful hurricane, churned northward with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph on Sunday after making landfall Saturday on Long Island in Nova Scotia, the National Hurricane Center said in its final advisory about the storm.The storm knocked out power to tens of thousands and lashed the coasts of the northeastern US and Atlantic Canada with strong winds and waves.At least two deaths have been attributed to dangerous conditions associated with Lee.Officials in Fernandina Beach, Florida, announced a 15-year-old had drowned in the surf “due to turbulent wave conditions as a result of Hurricane Lee.”The boy was last seen Wednesday by witnesses holding onto a floating raft, “and then the raft got away from him,” Fernandina Beach Police Department Interim Police Chief J...

UK police investigate sexual assault report after Russell Brand allegations

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:58:00 GMT

(CNN) — London’s Metropolitan Police said Monday they were investigating an allegation of sexual assault in 2003, after a joint investigation into the comedian and actor Russell Brand by three British media outlets was published Saturday.The Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4’s “Dispatches” published an investigation in which four women alleged Brand sexually assaulted them in separate instances between 2006 and 2013. One of the women said she was 16 and Brand was 31 at the time of the alleged assault in London.Without naming the British comedian – who denies the allegations – a Met spokesperson said on Monday: “We are aware of reporting by The Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches about allegations of sexual offenses. “On Sunday, 17 September, the Met received a report of a sexual assault which was alleged to have taken place in Soho in central London in 2003. Officers are in contact with the woman and will be providing her with support.”Downing S...

Benjamin Netanyahu asks Elon Musk to ‘roll back’ antisemitism on X

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:58:00 GMT

(CNN) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Elon Musk to ‘roll back’ antisemitism on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, during an in-person conversation broadcast live on Monday afternoon.After an exchange about the regulation of artificial intelligence, Netanyahu praised Musk for his commitment to freedom of speech and pleaded with him to fight back against hate speech.“I know your commitment to free speech,” Netanyahu told Musk. “But I also know your opposition to antisemitism. You’ve spoken about it, tweeted about it. And all I can say is, I hope you find, within the confines of the First Amendment, the ability to stop not only antisemitism, or roll it back as best you can, but any collective hatred of people…. I know you’re committed to that and I hope you succeed. And it’s not an easy task, but I encourage you and urge you to find a balance.”Musk replied that he was “against attacking any group, doesn’t matter who it is,” and that his vision for hum...

Five Americans detained in Iran walk free, released in deal for frozen Iranian assets

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:58:00 GMT

By JON GAMBRELL, LUJAIN JO and MATTHEW LEE (Associated Press)DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Five Americans detained for years in Iran walked off a plane and into freedom Monday, many arm-in-arm, as part of a politically risky deal that saw President Joe Biden agree to the release of nearly $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets owed by a third country, South Korea. The successful negotiations for the Americans’ freedom brought Biden profuse thanks from their families but heat from Republican presidential rivals and other opponents for the monetary arrangement with one of America’s top rivals.“Today, five innocent Americans who were imprisoned in Iran are finally coming home,” Biden said in a statement released as the plane carrying the group from Tehran landed in Doha, Qatar. A plane carrying the Americans home to the United States was due to land Monday night.Iran’s hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi, on hand for the United Nations General Assembly in New York, ...