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US retail sales rebounded last month, as lower gas prices free up cash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:45 GMT

Washington, DC (CNN) — Spending at US retailers rebounded in November after declining in the prior month, pointing to the continued resilience of the US consumer.Retail sales, which are adjusted for seasonal swings but not inflation, rose 0.3% in November from the prior month, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. That trounced economists’ expectations of a 0.2% decline, according to FactSet, and is a resurgence from the 0.2% decline in October, the first monthly decrease since the spring.Excluding sales at gasoline stations, retail sales rose by an even stronger 0.6% last month.Retail spending has only declined three times on a monthly basis since January, underscoring the remarkable strength of consumer spending this year.Sales rose across most categories in November, increasing the most at restaurants, by a strong 1.6%. Americans also spent at a solid clip at specialty stores and online. Meanwhile, sales at gasoline stations declined the most in November, dropping 2.9%....

Rudy Giuliani now won’t testify in defamation trial brought by former Georgia election workers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:45 GMT

(CNN) — Former Donald Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani will no longer testify in his defamation damages trial over how much he should pay two Georgia election workers millions of dollars in damages for spreading conspiracy theories about them after the 2020 election.A spokesman for Giuliani confirmed to CNN that the former New York mayor will not testify.The decision not to appear comes after the Georgia election workers – Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Shaye Moss – provided gut-wrenching testimony over the course of two days about how the lies spread by him damaged their reputations and upended their lives.Freeman and Moss are asking an eight-person jury in Washington, DC, to order Giuliani to pay them millions of dollars in damages for the emotional and reputational harm they say they’ve suffered.The case has refocused attention on the human impact of disinformation spread by Trump and his allies after the 2020 election as the former president awaits his own c...

Poll: What’s your opinion of Boston’s ‘electeds of color’ party?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:45 GMT

Boston’s holiday party invite for “electeds of color” has everyone talking, so what is your opinion? Take the Herald poll here …Related ArticlesPolitics | Battenfeld: Michelle Wu defends holiday party excluding white city councilors Politics | Boston City Hall roiled by email party invitation for ‘electeds of color’ sent to all  

6 GTA men charged in Home Depot gift card scam targeting U.S. residents: police

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:45 GMT

Police have arrested six men from the GTA, accused of operating an alleged million-dollar-worth gift card scam that investigators say targeted more than 50 people in the U.S.Investigators with York Regional Police say the probe began in February of this year when an elderly man got a pop-up message on his computer telling him that his computer security has been compromised.The man called the number shown on the pop-up message and was told to buy $22,000 in Home Depot gift cards.After providing the serial numbers of the gift cards to the suspects, police say the cards were redeemed at a store in Markham.York police investigators say with the assistance of Home Depot and the FBI, they were “able to identify over 50 confirmed victims across the United States who had fallen victim to the same suspects.”“All of the purchased gift cards had been redeemed by a small group of contractors in the Greater Toronto Area, with purchases totalling over $3 million,” police s...

Weekend need-to-know: Winter markets and a carnival in Dundas Square

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:45 GMT

A winter carnival in Dundas Square kicks off this weekend if you would like to take advantage of some milder temperatures this weekend. Although there are still lots of activities to take advantage of indoors in the days leading up to Christmas.Luckily, there will be no TTC or GO closures to get in the way of your travels, however, there will be several roads closures to keep in mind (full list below).Winter GlowYonge-Dundas Square will be hosting a winter carnival this year that kicks off on Dec. 14 and runs through to Dec. 23. There will be a 45 foot tall Ferris Wheel and a carousel available to ride for a cost. A $6 ticket will get you on each ride and they will be running from Monday to Friday from 4 p.. to 10 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. The Rotary Club is also offering a chance to write a message to a loved one on a yellow ribbon with a donation and attach it to their 40ft Tree of Remembrance.Winter Market at Evergreen BrickworksThe final day of th...

The Dodgers are ready to welcome Shohei Ohtani to Hollywood

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:45 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers are ready to welcome Shohei Ohtani to Hollywood.The biggest superstar in baseball will be formally introduced by the team at a news conference Thursday.A unique two-way star as both a hitter and pitcher, the 29-year-old Japanese sensation left the Los Angeles Angels as a free agent after six years. He’s moving 30 miles up Interstate 5 after the Dodgers outbid the competition by offering a $700 million, 10-year contract in a deal announced Monday.It will be Ohtani’s first time speaking with the media since Aug. 9, two weeks before a pitching injury that required surgery and will keep him off the mound until 2025. He had the operation on Sept. 19, but the nature of the surgery was not fully announced. Ohtani had Tommy John surgery on Oct. 1, 2018.The two-time AL MVP has a .274 batting average with 171 homers, 437 RBIs and 86 stolen bases along with a 39-19 record with a 3.01 ERA and 608 strikeouts in 481 2/3 innings. Ohtani has 34.7 Win...

Canadian home sales down in November, average price up from year ago: CREA

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:45 GMT

OTTAWA — The Canadian Real Estate Association says home sales fell in November as the average price of a home sold inched higher compared with a year ago.The association says November home sales fell 0.9 per cent compared with the same month last year.On a seasonally adjusted basis, November home sales were also down 0.9 per cent compared with October this year. The number of newly listed homes fell 1.8 per cent on a month-over-month basis in November.CREA says with new listings down more than sales in November, the national sales-to-new listings ratio rose for the first time since April to come in at 49.8 per cent compared with 49.4 per cent in October. The actual national average price of a home sold in November was $646,134, up two per cent from November 2022This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 14, 2023.The Canadian Press

Putin questions Olympic rules for neutral Russian athletes at Paris Games

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:45 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin questioned the International Olympic Committee rules mandating Russian athletes compete at the Paris Olympics as neutrals.Putin also indicated on Thursday that Russia has yet to take a final decision on whether its competitors will take part next year.The IOC rejected a blanket ban last week when it confirmed Russians will be allowed to compete under the name of Individual Neutral Athletes. The IOC wants no national symbols such as the flag or anthem, no team sports, and to exclude athletes who are contracted to the Russian military or security services, or who have publicly supported Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine.Similar measures apply for Russia’s ally Belarus, which Moscow used as a staging ground for troops and equipment before sending its army into Ukraine.“I’ve always said that athletes train for years and that they need to be given the opportunity to compete at the largest competitions, including the Oly...

Turkish lawmaker who collapsed in parliament after delivering speech, dies

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:45 GMT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A Turkish opposition legislator died Thursday, days after he suffered a heart attack and collapsed in parliament just after delivering a speech critical of Israel and of the Turkish ruling party’s relationship with the country.Hasan Bitmez, 53, a member of parliament from the Islamist Saadet Partisi, or Felicity Party, died at the Ankara City Hospital, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced.Bitmez collapsed at the lectern of the Turkish Grand National Assembly on Tuesday after speaking for some 20 minutes. Legislators in the hall assisted Bitmez before he was rushed to the hospital in “extremely serious and critical” condition.During his speech, he was seen holding a sign that read: “Murderer Israel, Collaborator AKP,” in reference to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party.Bitmez accused the AKP government of continuing to engage in trade with Israel even as it became one of its most vocal critics. AKP lawmakers heckled during h...

Family of Chicago woman who died in hotel freezer agrees to $10 million settlement

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:45 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — The family of a Chicago woman who froze to death after she became locked in a hotel freezer has agreed to a $10 million legal settlement.Kenneka Jenkins’ mother, Tereasa Martin, will receive about $3.7 million, according to court records made public Tuesday, the Chicago Tribune reported. Other family members will receive $1.2 million and $1.5 million. Another $3.5 million will cover attorney fees, with $6,000 covering the cost of Jenkins’ funeral.Jenkins was found dead in the walk-in freezer at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in suburban Rosemont in September 2017, a day after she attended a party there. The Cook County medical examiner’s office determined that she died of hypothermia and that her death was accidental. Alcohol intoxication and the use of a drug for treating epilepsy and migraines were “significant contributing factors” in her death, the office said. Surveillance videos released by police showed Jenkins wandering alone through a kitchen area n...