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‘Verified’ Twitter accounts share fake image of ‘explosion’ near Pentagon, causing confusion

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:50:20 GMT

A fake image purporting to show an explosion near the Pentagon was shared by multiple verified Twitter accounts on Monday, causing confusion and leading to a brief dip in the stock market. Local officials later confirmed no such incident had occurred.The image, which bears all the hallmarks of being generated by artificial intelligence, was shared by numerous verified accounts with blue check marks, including one that falsely claimed it was associated with Bloomberg News.“Large explosion near the Pentagon complex in Washington DC. – initial report,” the account posted, along with an image purporting to show black smoke rising near a large building.The account has since been suspended by Twitter. It was unclear who was behind the account or where the image originated.Under owner Elon Musk, Twitter has allowed anyone to obtain a verified account in exchange for a monthly payment. As a result, Twitter verification is no longer an indicator that an account represents who it claims to re...

Police: Officer’s gun accidentally goes off during response to swatting call at St. John’s Prep in Danvers

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:50:20 GMT

Authorities said an officer’s firearm accidentally went off while police were responding to what turned out to be a “swatting” hoax call at St. John’s Preparatory School in Danvers on Monday.Massachusetts State Police said no threats were found after state and local police were called to the Catholic, all-boys school for what was initially a report of an active shooter.Authorities said the sound of the gunshot during the response prompted even more panic, though.Police said they first responded to the school around 2 p.m. after receiving a call reporting a man with a gun in the school. The St. John’s campus went into lockdown as police arrived. Officers, police said, made quick entry during their response and were able to determine that there didn’t appear to be injuries or an active shooter threat.Then, though, the accidental gun discharge happened, contributing to a situation where Danvers Police Chief James Lovell said communication was difficult.&nbs...

Ukraine’s ambassador speaks to BC students during commencement 

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:50:20 GMT

Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States was at Boston College’s Alumni Stadium Monday, giving a special message to the school’s graduating class during their commencement. Oksana Markarova was appointed to her ambassador role in 2021, just months before Russia’s all out invasion of Ukraine. “Love gives you the strength to perform miracles,” she said. “Russia set our house on fire fueled by hatred. We fight out of love for our country.”“We all have many battles to fight in, many obstacles to overcome, many challenges to see through,” Markarova continued. “And where we altogether will get strength to do it? In our responsibility to take action for what we love.” The ambassador accepted an honorary degree on behalf of the people of Ukraine during the commencement ceremony. Approximately 4,400 Boston College students received undergraduate and graduate degrees.

Police investigating after one person shot in Dorchester

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:50:20 GMT

One person was shot in Dorchester Monday, drawing an emergency response and prompting road closures in the area, according to police. SKY7-HD was over the scene at the intersection of Columbia Road and Devon Street around 5:30 p.m., where several Boston police cruisers were visible. Police said the person who was shot was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. Traffic was shut down at multiple intersections along Columbia Road as of around 5:30 p.m.This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

NFL owners approve Thursday Night Football flexing between Weeks 13-17

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:50:20 GMT

Despite John Mara’s vehement protests on behalf of football’s fans in March, the NFL’s owners approved flexing Thursday Night Football by the minimum amount of votes, 24-8, on Monday.The NFL and Amazon are now allowed to flex a maximum of two games into Thursday Night Football from Week 13 through 17 in the upcoming season.That’s in addition to a measure that passed in March allowing the NFL to schedule teams for two Thursday night games in a single season instead of one.The Giants, Jets, Packers, Bears, Raiders, Lions, Bengals and Steelers all voted against the flexing proposal, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, but it passed anyway with 75% of the owners’ voting in favor.The games must be flexed a minimum of 28 days prior to the date, which is more notice than the previously proposed 15-day period. And the rule change is billed as a “one-season trial.”But in the event that the NFL and Amazon don’t flex the two games to Thursda...

Biden ‘optimistic’ on debt ceiling as White House negotiation with McCarthy underway

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:50:20 GMT

By LISA MASCARO, STEPHEN GROVES and ZEKE MILLER (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said he was “optimistic” of making progress on debt ceiling talks as he opened a critical meeting with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy late Monday at the White House, a pivotal moment as Washington works to strike a budget compromise and raise the nation’s borrowing limit in time to avert a potentially chaotic federal default. It’s a crucial conversation for the Democratic president and the Republican speaker, just 10 days before a looming deadline to raise the debt limit. As soon as June 1 the U.S. could start running short of cash to cover its debts, a daunting situation. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a letter to Congress on Monday “it is highly likely” that Treasury would be unable to pay all the nation’s bills. An unprecedented default would be financially damaging for many Americans and others around the world relying on ...

Stefan Bondy: Carmelo Anthony wore his basketball joy on his face

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:50:20 GMT

It was the smile.Even during those down years with the Knicks — those seasons of Phil Jackson’s triangle and dysfunction trickling from the top — the grin was never far from Carmelo Anthony.It gave the viewer the sense, whether through watching his game or interacting with him in the locker room, that Anthony really enjoyed himself. He enjoyed playing the sport. He enjoyed his teammates. He enjoyed the media. He enjoyed stardom. He enjoyed New York City.And that’s easier to root for. It’s easier to understand why an athlete on a nine-figure contract would smile. More relatable. So when Anthony was introduced at Madison Square Garden during Game 2 against Miami — just about three weeks before the future Hall of Famer announced his retirement — the arena exploded, as if those fans were pushing James Dolan through vocal force to retire No. 7. For over six seasons in orange and blue, he spoke to a generation of Knicks supporters with an isolatio...

Ticker: State seeks $250M grid expansion grant; Regulators review bad bets on DraftKings; Building trades job fair

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:50:20 GMT

State officials have submitted an application for $250 million in federal funds to build clean energy infrastructure.The Department of Energy Resources submitted the application to the U.S. Department Of Energy’s Grid Innovation Program for the Cleaner Grid New England (CGNE) Project, the Healey administration said Monday. The CGNE Project is a partnership with Eversource and National Grid.The project would enable interconnections for about 3,600 megawatts of offshore wind power by increasing the grid’s hosting capacity by 2,400 megawatts in the Brayton Point area and at least 1,200 megawatts on the South Coast, while enabling the incremental interconnection of 300 megawatts of solar resources.“Transmission is the great enabler of offshore wind in Massachusetts and the region,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “With new energy sources coming online, it’s critical that we also build out transmission to deliver this ne...

Picture books explore what spring brings — fun puddles, big bikes, eager seeds, jumping spiders and more

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:50:20 GMT

Caroline Luzzatto | Virginian-Pilot CorrespondentSpring is here, bringing with it rain, mud, bugs, birds, frogs, flowers and the joy of rediscovering long, leisurely hours outside. These new picture books capture the delight of unpredictable weather, touring the neighborhood on a bicycle, communing with plants and creatures — and embracing the endless fascination of spring spreading through backyards, gardens and streets, with the promise of summer just around the corner.“A Seed Grows” by Antoinette Portis. (Ages 4 through 8. Neal Porter Books. $18.99.)With simple words and bold, bright illustrations, author/illustrator Antoinette Portis takes a poetic look at the life cycle of a sunflower.Optimistic springtime gardeners will appreciate the step-by-step path from seed to sprout to towering plant shedding seeds that start the process all over again. Notes at the end discuss the cycle in a bit more detail, and include other resources and help for those who want to grow their own.(Cand...

New nasal spray to reverse fentanyl and other opioid overdoses gets FDA approval

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:50:20 GMT

By MATTHEW PERRONE (AP Health Writer)WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health regulators on Monday approved a new easy-to-use version of a medication to reverse overdoses caused by fentanyl and other opioids driving the nation’s drug crisis.Opvee is similar to naloxone, the life-saving drug that has been used for decades to quickly counter overdoses of heroin, fentanyl and prescription painkillers. Both work by blocking the effects of opioids in the brain, which can restore normal breathing and blood pressure in people who have recently overdosed.The Food and Drug Administration endorsed Opvee, a nasal spray update of the drug nalmefene, which was first approved as an injection in the mid-1990s but later removed from the market due to low sales. Naloxone comes as both a nasal spray and injection. It’s not immediately clear how the new drug will be used differently compared to naloxone, and some experts see potential downsides to its longer-acting effect. The drug will be avai...