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Giants special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey sees ‘uncharted territory’ with new kickoff rule

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:54 GMT

Giants special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey didn’t have to blast the NFL’s new kickoff rule on Thursday to make it clear where he stands.He said it all with his shoulder shrugging, his grim acceptance of a change that heavily impacts his livelihood, and his response to whether special teams coaches feel like an endangered species these days.“That’s a really good question,” McGaughey said with a sad smile. “That’s a really good question.”McGaughey knows all he can control is his response to a rule that allows a fair catch anywhere behind the 25-yard line to bring the ball out to the 25 for 1st and 10.“We might not agree with it, but that’s just what it is, and we’ll govern ourselves accordingly,” he said, speaking for all coaches on his marginalized side of the ball.But the Giants’ coordinator did echo one of the common complaints of this rule’s critics: NFL owners are ignoring the possible unin...

Patriots’ Kendrick Bourne enjoying transition to Bill O’Brien: ‘It’s something we needed’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:54 GMT

FOXBORO — The joy on Kendrick Bourne’s face was apparent after Friday’s OTA practice at Gillette Stadium. He was smiling. The Patriots wide receiver was soaking in the fresh air.The 2022 season was an obvious disaster, a failure for a Patriots offense led by Matt Patricia and Joe Judge. Desperate change was needed. They got it with the return of Bill O’Brien as offensive coordinator.The early reviews from OTAs have been universally positive. Just take it from Bourne, who was at the center of the Patriots frustrations last season.“He’s familiar with what he’s doing, so it feels good,” Bourne said. “You can tell he knows what he’s doing in all areas of the offense. …“He’s doing well. He knows how to engage with all of us, I feel like. He knows our strengths right now and he knows where to put us, so it’s been good. … You can tell he knows what he’s doing.”When it was noted to Bourne that what he was saying would indicate that last year was the exact opposite feeling for the Patriots’ ...

Trump, now facing indictment, was caught on tape admitting he can’t declassify secret documents, report says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:54 GMT

Dave Goldiner | New York Daily NewsFormer President Donald Trump, now facing a federal indictment, was caught on tape admitting he was in possession of a secret military document at a 2021 meeting at his New Jersey golf resort, according to a transcript of the damning audiotape reported on Friday.“As president, I could have declassified. But now I can’t,” Trump says on the tape, according to the transcript obtained by CNN.Trump, who on Thursday was reportedly charged with seven counts for taking hundreds of classified documents to his Mar-a-Lago resort after leaving office, was discussing a secret U.S. plan to attack Iran in a meeting with researchers for an unrelated book project at his Bedminster resort.According to the tape transcript, the former president then flashes a document that he boasts is highly classified.“It’s, like, confidential. This is secret information. Look, look at this,” Trump adds, according to the transcript. “This was done by the military and given to me.”Th...

Families scramble for food and dry places to sleep after a dam collapses in Russian-occupied Ukraine

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:54 GMT

By ILLIA NOVIKOV, YURAS KARMANAU and HANNA ARHIROVA (Associated Press)KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Alyona Shkrygalova’s family kept a rubber boat for their daily needs along the broad Dnieper River.The boat was nothing special until Tuesday, when the Kakhovka dam ruptured and sent a flood from Ukraine’s largest reservoir into cities, towns and countryside downstream.Water climbed waist-high on the second floor of Shkrygalova’s two-storey house. Her family began using their boat to scavenge for food, and find houses on higher ground with dry places to sleep. That way, they survived in the war zone until Shkrygalova, 60, spotted a group of people in a boat and raised yellow, white and pink fabrics to get their attention.“We were scared, we were trying to understand, ‘Who’s approaching us? Are they Russian or not?’ We raised a flag,” Shkrygalova said. Lucky for her and her family, they were Ukrainian.According to those stranded and their de...

Home Showcase: Views take home buyers to new heights

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:54 GMT

Boston’s assorted building height rules mean that there aren’t too many views from a 28th floor to be had in town. That is, unless you’re the lucky new resident of Unit 28B in the Ritz-Carlton Residences located at 1 Avery Street, directly across from Boston Common.It’s a feast for the eyes from this tall perch — an unparalleled vantage point with limitless views across the Common and looking out over the Back Bay and the Charles River. During the day, you can see the sun sparkle over the water but when the sun sets over the West-facing windows, it’s a glittering panorama of city lights.Just under 2,700 square feet are at your disposal here, with three bedrooms each with their own en-suite bath plus a bonus half-bath. There’s a sleek open-concept living and dining space with floor-to-ceiling windows, perfect for hosting, as well as a full-size eat-in kitchen with a breakfast bar and passthrough to the dining room.From your home base, Boston’s entertainment districts are all within s...

Kansas governor picks high-ranking DEA official to take over embattled highway patrol

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:54 GMT

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas governor chose a high-ranking U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration official Friday to head the state highway patrol, replacing a retiring superintendent who is facing federal lawsuits over the agency’s policing and allegations that he sexually harassed female employees.Gov. Laura Kelly’s appointment of Erik Smith came on retiring Superintendent and Col. Herman Jones’ last day. Until Smith can take over as superintendent July 7, patrol Lt. Col. Jason DeVore, who also was named as a defendant in the sexual harassment lawsuit, pursued by five patrol employees.Smith has strong ties to Kansas. He is a native of the small central Kansas town of Ellsworth, holds a criminal justice degree from Friends University in Wichita, and served nine years with the Sedgwick County sheriff’s office, also in Wichita, before joining the DEA. He has been chief of the DEA’s Inspection Division since 2021. Smith’s appointment must be confirm...

Biden, in North Carolina, pushes clean energy agenda and promotes order aiding military spouses

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:54 GMT

FORT LIBERTY, N.C. (AP) — President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Friday that aims to bolster job opportunities for military and veteran spouses whose careers are often disrupted by their loved ones’ deployments, telling them “we never forget that you’ve also answered the nation’s call.” Biden used a visit to the recently renamed Fort Liberty in North Carolina to highlight the order. The order directs agencies to develop a federal government-wide strategic plan on hiring and job retention for military spouses; bolster child care options; improve the collection of data on military and veteran spouses, caregivers and survivors in the federal workforce; and more than a dozen additional actions.In remarks shortly before signing the order, Biden noted that the U.S. next month will mark 50 years of the all-volunteer force, which the president proclaimed the “greatest fighting force in the history of the world, bar none.” “The reason we’ve been able to sustain th...

Lawmakers propose to weaken Obama rule requiring airlines to advertise full airfare price

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:54 GMT

Lawmakers are considering rolling back an Obama-era rule that requires airlines to show the total price of a ticket upfront in advertising, while also tweaking training requirements for airline pilots and making other changes in a massive bill covering the Federal Aviation Administration.On Friday, Republicans and Democrats on the House Transportation Committee released a 773-page proposal to reauthorize FAA programs for the next five years.Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., described the proposal as a compromise and said many issues could still be fought out when congressional committees begin considering changes in the legislation next week.The FAA is under fire for a shortage of air traffic controllers, aging technology and close calls between planes. The agency has a new acting administrator with no aviation experience. It has lacked a Senate-confirmed leader for more than a year, since the last one resigned halfway through his term.One provision of the House bill would let airlines adv...

Toronto Holocaust Museum opens, shares stories of dozens of survivors

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:54 GMT

A new museum that features stories from more than 70 Holocaust survivors has opened in Toronto, with the aim of sharing their experiences and combating antisemitism.The Toronto Holocaust Museum, which received funding from the federal and provincial governments as well as donors, features themed galleries, a theatre and educational programming.Ontario Premier Doug Ford encouraged people both within and outside the Jewish faith to visit the museum, saying it will help educate many about the Holocaust.Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino says the government has a “sacred obligation” to fight hate against Jewish communities.Dara Solomon, the executive director of the museum, says Holocaust survivors in Toronto have wanted to see such a space become a reality for the last 40 years.Nate Leipciger, a 95-year-old Holocaust survivor whose story is featured in the museum, says he and many other survivors were too traumatized to initially talk about their experiences and the mus...

Happy to help Canada, but U.S. wildfire season is rapidly approaching, officials warn

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:54 GMT

WASHINGTON — The agency co-ordinating the deployment of U.S. firefighters and equipment to Canada says it is keeping a wary eye on its own looming fire season. The U.S. National Interagency Fire Center says there are currently 345 federal firefighters and support personnel helping out north of the border. A total of 649 U.S. personnel have been cycled through Canada since early May — but that number doesn’t include state-level resources that are also assisting. More than 100 firefighters and support workers have been sent separately to Alberta, Nova Scotia and Quebec, along with four airtankers from Alaska and Washington state. A 17-person suppression crew with members from Connecticut, New York, Maine and New Hampshire was also assembled to help Nova Scotia, and a hand crew is being assembled to send to Quebec. But many of those workers will soon be needed closer to home, the agency warns, with the busy summer fire season rapidly approaching. “We are more than willing t...