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Gypsy Rose Blanchard says she’d still be abused if her mother were alive today

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:14 GMT

(CNN) — Gypsy Rose Blanchard says the first time she tasted freedom was not last week, when she walked out of a Missouri prison after serving eight and a half years for helping to kill her abusive mother.The first time she tasted freedom, she says, was when she went to prison in the first place.“For me, getting to prison was a chance to start a life for myself in terms of gaining independence from everyone,” she said in an interview with CNN on Thursday, ahead of the premiere of the Lifetime docuseries, “The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard.”“Being able to just do something as simple as make friends for the first time, go out in the sun, enjoy a day with friends, socializing with other people my age,” she added. “It was definitely more freedom than I had ever felt before in my life living with my mother.”Following her release on parole last week, Blanchard, 32, is finally experiencing true freedom.Blanchard became the subject of tabloid fascination after her...

The US economy added 216,000 jobs in December

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:14 GMT

New York (CNN) — The US economy added 216,000 jobs in December, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Friday, blowing past expectations and capping off a year of resilience in the labor market.The unemployment rate remained at 3.7%.Economists were expecting net job gains of 160,000 for December and for the unemployment rate to tick up to 3.8%.The continued strength in the labor market has helped to fuel consumer spending and economic growth. It has remained robust despite the Federal Reserve’s 11 rate hikes over the past two years to bust inflation.Still, Fed officials believe slower demand will help bring down inflation.Through 2023, the US recorded a net gain of nearly 2.7 million jobs, according to seasonally adjusted data from the BLS.That’s almost half of the 4.79 million jobs gained in 2022, which was the second-highest annual total on records going back to 1939. It’s also significantly under 2021’s record-setting year, when 7.27 million jobs were added as...

Chicago Bears confidential: The buzz in the NFL surrounding coach Matt Eberflus’ future and the state of the team

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:14 GMT

The Chicago Bears are heading toward a fascinating pivot point in franchise history, looking to elevate a rapidly improving team through a series of key decisions during the 2024 offseason.On Thursday, we took a deep dive into the team’s big-picture evaluation of quarterback Justin Fields while exploring the possibility of drafting USC standout Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick.In this installment, after speaking with more than a dozen sources in recent weeks about the state of the Bears and the opportunities ahead, we zero in on the coaching staff, organizational health and roster-building efforts.Here are eight things to consider as the Bears march toward their season finale Sunday in Green Bay.1. Within league circles, there’s chatter that the Bears are considering keeping Matt Eberflus as their coach in 2024.Publicly, general manager Ryan Poles has said he won’t reach final decisions on any of his most important big-picture evaluations until after the season. ...

Andy Shaw: What are 3 keys to the Bears’ future? A longtime fan offers some advice.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:14 GMT

After my freshman year at Evanston Township High School, where my final tackle football experience was starting center on the “B” team, I froze my 15-year-old behind off on a 50-yard-line wooden seat in Wrigley Field’s upper deck on a 5-degree Sunday in December 1963. I watched as the Bears beat the New York Giants 14-10 for the NFL championship, the team’s last until the glorious 1985 Super Bowl year.(The single bathroom in our concourse was totally insufficient, I might add.)My family had those fantastic season ticket seats with a live, sightline equivalent of today’s TV view courtesy of my grandfather, who purchased them in the 1930s. I accompanied Gramps and my dad to every home game from the time I was 10 until I headed off to college eight years later.After that, I went to home games whenever I was in Chicago up until 2003, when a box office snafu after the Soldier Field makeover relocated us to an end zone, prompting me to give up my season ticke...

Guest referee gig turns into Super Bowl trip as Markham woman named Bears Fan of the Year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:14 GMT

Shameka Leach has been a Chicago Bears fan since she was a little girl watching games with her father and brothers, but it’s the team’s outreach to others that has cemented the team in her heart.“As a team, I love the Bears for the community service part of it. I’m a really big community service activist,” the Markham resident shared.“What I love about them is they continuously — this is the part that I see and participate in — they do stuff for their community and across the state. That’s the part I love where they give back. … It’s not just the game for me. Why I love them is for the game and community service. A lot of people don’t get to see what the actual players or the organization are doing.”Leach, who volunteers plenty of time herself both with the team and off the field, was surprised at a game when the Bears played the Las Vegas Raiders by being named the Bears’ nominee for 2023 NFL Fan of...

Lawyer for alleged victim of Dani Alves files legal complaint after video circulates on social media

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:14 GMT

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — The lawyer representing the woman who was allegedly sexually assaulted by Brazilian soccer player Dani Alves has filed a legal complaint with Spanish authorities after a video circulated on social media that reportedly reveals the identity of her client.Ester García, the lawyer of the alleged victim, told The Associated Press on Friday that her office filed the legal complaint. Spanish newspaper La Vanguardía said García filed the complaint with Catalan police in Barcelona.In the video, alleged images of the young woman are shown along with information supposedly revealing her name and other personal data. The Spanish state prosecutors’ office in Barcelona told the AP that it was analyzing the video to see if there were grounds to open a formal investigation. Spanish law forbids the publication of material revealing the identity of someone without their consent.The prosecutors’ office has also asked the Barcelona-based court to ensure it guarantees the privac...

Rays shortstop Wander Franco faces judge as officials accuse him of having sex with a 14-year-old

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:14 GMT

PUERTO PLATA, Dominican Republic (AP) — Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco appeared in a Dominican court Friday to face allegations that he had a brief relationship with a 14-year-old girl and gave her mother a small car and thousands of dollars in exchange for her consent, according to court documents obtained by The Associated Press.The 22-year-old All-Star is accused of commercial sexual exploitation and money laundering. A judge who is scheduled to issue a ruling in the case on Friday has several options: release Franco on bond, temporarily arrest him, prevent him from leaving the Dominican Republic or demand that he make occasional appearances until the investigation or a trial has ended.The girl’s mother faces the same charges as Franco. The AP is not naming the woman in order to preserve her daughter’s privacy. Franco, who was detained Monday in the northern province of Puerto Plata, hasn’t been charged with any crimes. The judge has received a nearly 600-page docum...

Jo Koy ready to fulfill childhood dream of hosting Golden Globes with hopes of leaving positive mark

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:14 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jo Koy remembers watching major award ceremonies like the Golden Globes with his mother on their living room sofa trying to guess the winners.It was a ritual that Koy cherished as a child. Since then, he’s grown as a comedian with various stand-up specials and several acting credits including last year’s film “Easter Sunday.”On Sunday, Koy will live out his childhood dream of hosting the Globes — which is looking to return to form after being tarnished following years of scandal. He calls his upcoming duties a “very big moment.”“This is a throwback to my childhood, and now I’m the guy who’s onstage,” said Koy, the second Asian host in Globes history. (Sandra Oh emceed the show in 2019.) He wants to the inspire those from the Asian community in his first major hosting gig.“As a kid and watching TV and not having that many role models to kind of indirectly inspire me, that’s what this means to me,” said the Filipino American actor, whose “Easter Su...

Brazil postpones visa requirements for U.S., Canada and Australia citizens to April

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:14 GMT

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil postponed for the second time the reintroduction of requirements to obtain tourist visas for citizens of the U.S., Australia and Canada, officials said.Former president Jair Bolsonaro scrapped the visa requirements in 2019 to support the tourism industry, but the three countries continued to demand visas from Brazilians. The South American country requires visas from travelers based on principles of historical reciprocity and equal treatment.The government initially postponed the visa implementation on Oct. 1. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in September then set Jan. 10 as the new deadline. On Thursday night, Brazil’s presidency said it would be postponed yet again till April. 10.The statement said the government was still finalizing the new visa system and wanted to avoid implementing it close to the high season, mainly during the New Year’s celebrations and Carnival festivities in February, which attract tens of thousands of tourists. ...

Precision Drilling meets debt reduction goal, on track to repay $500 million by 2025

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:14 GMT

CALGARY — Precision Drilling Corp. says its long-term debt reduction target is on track and it met its 2023 goal by shedding $152 million of debt.The Calgary-based energy services company ended the year with a cash balance of approximately $55 million and total liquidity of around $615 million.In an update posted Friday, Precision says it is exceeding pace on its long-term debt reduction goal of repaying $500 million between 2022 and 2025.It says it also returned $30 million to shareholders through share repurchases last year and plans to improve capital returns to shareholders in 2024 by increasing debt reduction and share buybacks.The company says there is strong demand for its drilling services in Canada, with an average active rig count of 63 during the fourth quarter and 74 rigs currently active. It expects its rig count to peak in the low to mid-80s during the winter drilling season.In the U.S., the company’s average active rig count was 42 in the fourth quarter and has ...