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Henrietta Lacks’ family settles lawsuit with a biotech company that used her cells without consent

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:56:00 GMT

By LEA SKENE and SARAH BRUMFIELD (Associated Press)BALTIMORE (AP) — More than 70 years after doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital took Henrietta Lacks’ cervical cells without her knowledge, a lawyer for her descendants said they have reached a settlement with a biotechnology company that they accused of reaping billions of dollars from a racist medical system.Tissue taken from the Black woman’s tumor before she died of cervical cancer became the first human cells to continuously grow and reproduce in lab dishes. HeLa cells went on to become a cornerstone of modern medicine, enabling countless scientific and medical innovations, including the development of the polio vaccine, genetic mapping and even COVID-19 vaccines.Despite that incalculable impact, the Lacks family had never been compensated.Lacks’ cells were harvested in 1951, when it was not illegal to do so without a patient’s permission. But lawyers for her family argued that Thermo Fisher Scientific...

Trump indicted over efforts to overturn 2020 election

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:56:00 GMT

(NewsNation) — Former President Donald Trump has been indicted by a federal grand jury on four charges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.Trump has been charged with four crimes: one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, one count each of obstructing an official proceeding and conspiring to do so, and one count of conspiracy against rights."For more than two months following election day on November 3, 2020, the Defendant spread lies that there had been an outcome-determinative fraud in the election and that he had actually won," the indictment reads. "These claims were false, and the Defendant knew that they were false.Federal prosecutors say Trump's "knowingly false claims" created "an intense national atmosphere of mistrust and anger" that eroded public faith in the election, according to the indictment.Read the full indictment: Trump Indictment by NewsNation Digital on ScribdThe Trump campaign blasted the new charges in a statement Tuesday evenin...

Crews search for missing hiker near El Capitan Reservoir

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:56:00 GMT

LAKESIDE, Calif. — Officials are searching for a hiker who went missing Monday near the El Capitan Reservoir, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department said.Around 5:30 p.m. Monday, the department received a call that the hiker did not return home, SDSO told FOX 5.Crews began searching for the hiker Monday evening after receiving the report. The Sheriff's Search and Rescue Team and ASTREA helicopter were deployed to assist with search. Three county parks close for month of August Officials said the last known address they had for the hiker was at the 16900 block of El Monte Road, but it is unclear which trail the hiker was on as there are many in the area.Authorities are still working to determine when the hiker initially set foot on the trail.No description of the hiker was immediately available, the department said.

Padres acquire Ji-Man Choi, Rich Hill in trade with Pirates

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:56:00 GMT

SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Padres have reportedly made a move ahead of the Major League Baseball trade deadline as the team pushes for a playoff spot.The Padres on Tuesday traded with the Pittsburgh Pirates to acquire left-handed pitcher Rich Hill and first baseman Ji-Man Choi, the team announced.The Padres will be sending away first baseman Alfonso Rivas and a pair of prospects -- left-handed pitcher Jackson Wolf and outfielder Estuar Suero.Hill has made 22 starts in 2023 with a 4.76 ERA. The 43-year-old pitcher is the oldest player in baseball, according to MLB. Limited-edition ‘Mr. Padre’ cans coming to AleSmith Brewing On the season, Choi is batting .205/.224/.507, but he has been on a hot streak since coming the injured list for an Achilles strain, the San Diego Union-Tribune said. In his last 44 plate appearances he has hit .268/.296/.634 with four home runs and three doubles.Hill is expected to move into the Padres starting rotation while Choi can make starts at first base a...

Prosecutors in Gilgo Beach killings are giving Rex Heuermann’s defense a vast trove of evidence

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:56:00 GMT

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (AP) — Weeks after charging a Long Island architect in a string of killings known as the Gilgo Beach murders, prosecutors said Tuesday that they’ve begun providing his lawyer with reams of evidence including autopsy findings, DNA reports and crime scene photos.Suffolk County prosecutors said at a brief court hearing that they’ve given Rex Heuermann’s lawyer at least 8 terabytes of material — equivalent to about 2,500 pages of records, along with about 100 hours of surveillance video recorded outside Heuermann’s home and office prior to his July 13 arrest. District Attorney Ray Tierney said that’s a fraction of the evidence amassed since the bodies of four women were found buried along a remote beach highway in 2010 and 2011. More evidence will be turned over on a rolling basis, he said. This kind of evidence sharing, called discovery, is routine in criminal cases and is intended to help ensure a fair trial.“You’re talking about 13 years of inv...

Cyberattack on B.C. health websites may have taken workers’ personal information

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:56:00 GMT

VANCOUVER — A cyberattack on three websites hosted by the Health Employers Association of British Columbia may have seized personal information associated with 240,000 email addresses of health-care workers. Michael McMillian, CEO of the association, said information obtained could include social insurance numbers, email addresses, passport and licence details and other personal data. He said the affected server hosted websites for Health Match BC, the BC Care Aide and Community Health Worker Registry, and the Locums for Rural BC program.“I sincerely regret that this event happened,” he said during a news conference on Tuesday. McMillian said they’ll be reaching out to everyone whose information may have been compromised and will offer them two years of monitoring by the credit agency Equifax. Investigators cannot “conclusively determine” which information may have been stolen but caution demanded that they assume all information on the affected server had been compromised, he said,...

Trump has now been indicted for a 3rd time. Here’s where all the investigations stand

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:56:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump has now been indicted for the third time, with the former president being charged Tuesday in Washington over his efforts to overturn his defeat in the 2020 election.The federal investigation is the latest criminal case for Trump as he runs for the White House in 2024.Special counsel Jack Smith, who indicted Trump in the election case, has also charged Trump in federal court with the illegal retention of top secret documents. In New York, Trump faces criminal charges in a hush money case and a civil trial over his business practices. And in Georgia, a county district attorney is expected to announce charging decisions in August over efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state.Trump, a Republican, has denied any wrongdoing and says he is being targeted by Democrats trying to keep him from reclaiming the presidency.Here’s a look at some of the other top probes against the former president:CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS CASETrump ...

Helicopter crashes near South Carolina airport, leaving pilot with non-life-threatening injuries

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:56:00 GMT

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — A helicopter belonging to a county sheriff’s office crashed near the Charleston International Airport in South Carolina on Tuesday, prompting the airport to temporarily suspend commercial flights.The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office said on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that crews were on the scene. The pilot was the only person on the helicopter and suffered “non-life-threatening injuries,” authorities said. Charleston County Aviation Authority Executive Director Elliott Summey told WCIV-TV that the helicopter’s pilot anticipated the crash and maneuvered the aircraft to the middle of the airfield before the helicopter went down.Summey told the television station that the helicopter is “in shambles.” The airport posted on X on Tuesday afternoon to say commercial flights have been temporarily suspended “due to an ongoing incident.”“Travelers are asked to check in with their individual airlines before arriving at CH...

Astros reacquire Justin Verlander from Mets, a deal owner Jim Crane tells AP was an easy decision

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:56:00 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — The Astros are bringing back Justin Verlander, acquiring the three-time Cy Young Award winner from the New York Mets in a trade deadline blockbuster Tuesday, Houston owner Jim Crane told The Associated Press.The Astros are shipping outfield prospects Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford to New York. Crane said the Mets will send roughly $54 million to Houston to help pay off Verlander’s contract. The 40-year-old pitcher signed an $86.7 million, two-year deal with the Mets in December that includes a vesting option for 2025 at $35 million.“(General manager) Dana (Brown) and his team worked on it hard,” Crane told the AP. “After we looked at the numbers — it’s always tough to give up prospects, but I think they determined that it was the right move. We needed starting pitching. He’s been throwing well. And I think the other factor is they ate a lot of the contract. So it wasn’t a really hard decision. It was just would we give up enough prospects?”The underperforming Me...

Pac-12 leaders hear details of media deal, but no vote to accept terms as league future stays murky

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:56:00 GMT

With speculation swirling about the future of the Pac-12, Commissioner George Kliavkoff presented details of a long-awaited media rights deal to league stakeholders who concluded Tuesday’s meeting without voting on whether to accept the terms, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.The meeting comes just days after Colorado decided not to wait and see what Kliavkoff could deliver and announced it would re-join the Big 12 in 2024 while USC and UCLA are leaving at the same time for the Big Ten. With nine members still committed to trying to stick it out, the media rights deal could make or break the Pac-12.The person discussed the meeting with AP on the condition of anonymity because the Pac-12 is not making its internal discussion public, and gave no details about prospective network or streaming partners nor the value. ESPN reported the deal would make Apple’s online streaming service, Apple TV, the primary home of Pac-12 football games, and the t...