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Editorial: Romney is right – GOP is not out to cut Social Security

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:49:49 GMT

When it comes to the political narrative, Democrats control the ball.With an able assist from mainstream media allies, the Biden Administration is presented as solidly on track to better the lives of American families and ensure a bright, carbon-free future for the country. Spending trillions is great for the economy, and the ensuing inflation was Putin’s fault, really.Those who disagree or question the script are wrong, revisionist and greedy capitalists. In Democratic shorthand: Republicans.Every narrative needs a villain, and the progressives in charge trot out the GOP whenever they need to cast some deflective blame.Now the focus is on Social Security, and while the Congressional panel addressing the fund’s fiscal viability going forward is bipartisan, Democrats have framed the issue as “Republicans want to cut Social Security.”Never mind that profligate spending has spiked the national debt, a financial albatross around the neck of future government fund...

Cornerback Nik Needham returning to Dolphins as he rehabs torn Achilles

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:49:49 GMT

The journey for Nik Needham, which started as an undrafted rookie that made the Dolphins’ roster in 2019, will continue in Miami.The Dolphins agreed to terms with Needham on a one-year contract worth just under $2 million, according to NFL Network late Wednesday night.Needham, who is rehabbing a torn Achilles that cut his 2022 season short, remains with the team where he has made his mark over four NFL seasons. He has six career interceptions — two each in his first three seasons and one for a touchdown on “Monday Night Football” in New Orleans in 2021 — 192 tackles, three sacks and 25 pass deflections.Needham, since going undrafted out of Texas-El Paso and making the team in ex-coach Brian Flores’ first season at the helm, has been a valued member of the secondary who can play cornerback in the slot or on the boundary.His Achilles tear cut his season short in the Oct. 16 loss to the Minnesota Vikings last year.“Nik Needham is in good spirit...

Family of former NFL player Stanley Wilson Jr. files lawsuit alleging he died from excessive force

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:49:49 GMT

The family of Stanley Wilson Jr. claims in a new lawsuit there is evidence the former Detroit Lions cornerback may have died from excessive force.The lawsuit comes over a month after Wilson collapsed and died while being transferred from a Los Angeles jail to a mental hospital.Photos of Wilson’s body show “fresh wounds to his forehead, which appear to have been caused by a shoe,” People quoted family attorney John Carpenter as saying at a Tuesday press conference.Pictures of the athlete’s wrists showed he may have also been in handcuffs when he collapsed at Twin Towers Correctional Facility on Feb. 1, the lawyer said.Wilson had been held at the correctional facility since an arrest in August 2022 for allegedly breaking into $30 million Hollywood Hills mansion for the second time and causing upwards of $5,000 in damage, according to TMZ.Carpenter claims the event may have been a result of Wilson suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a degene...

Get your Bruins fan game on in these Boston hotspots

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:49:49 GMT

Boston has long been a city of sports champions. Pick any year, and at least one of our teams is in contention. Right now, all eyes are on the Boston Bruins, who started the season with questions (Caesar’s Sportsbook gave them 25-1 odds to win the Stanley Cup), only to close in on what could be an historic season that has already broken long-standing records. They just have to get over their Midwest slump.While you can score tickets to games now and into the post season, you can also find other ways to revel in fandom. Consider these fun activities to soak in the excitement of the hometown team.Revisit history: The Boston Bruins celebrate 100 years of competitive hockey next year, and dominated for decades since the team’s start (they won the first Stanley Cup to feature two American teams in 1929). From those early years to the storied 1970’s Bobby Orr era and more, you can get close up to it all at The Sports Museum at TD Garden.You don’t have to be attending the game ...

King: A day to celebrate Irish exceptionalism

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:49:49 GMT

The Irish punch above their weight. That is why worldwide, on March 17, people who don’t have a platelet of Irish blood and who have never thought of visiting the island of Ireland joyously celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.That day may or may not have been when St. Patrick, Ireland’s patron saint, died in the 5th century.The fact is, very little is known about St. Patrick. The broad outline is that he was born in Roman Britain, kidnapped by pirates as a child and taken to Ireland as a slave. He escaped, returned to Ireland as a Christian missionary and became a bishop.To be sure, in the Emerald Isle truth can be augmented with folklore, mysticism, and the great love of a good story.Hence devout Ireland can also believe in fairies and leprechauns, or little people, to this day. Both are quite real to some in Ireland, although, unlike the festival of St. Patrick, they don’t seem to have crossed the Atlantic, or even the Irish Sea, except in movies.When horseback riding with my wife on an a...

Ravens trade starting safety Chuck Clark to New York Jets in cap-clearing move

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:49:49 GMT

The Ravens made their first move to clear salary cap space, agreeing to trade durable safety Chuck Clark to the New York Jets for an undisclosed draft pick, the team announced Wednesday.The move, which ESPN and NFL Network reported is for a 2024 seventh-round selection, saves the Ravens about $4.1 million on their 2023 salary cap. Baltimore needed to clear about $9 million by Wednesday to comply with the cap, and Clark, 27, was entering the last year of his deal.The 2017 sixth-round pick out of Virginia Tech became a starter in 2019 and played almost every defensive snap each of the past three seasons. He made 101 tackles, defended four passes and forced a fumble for a pass defense that ranked 11th in Football Outsiders’ DVOA in 2022.Clark was unhappy when the Ravens signed Marcus Williams in free agency last offseason then used a first-round draft pick on Kyle Hamilton. But coaches praised his professionalism in the wake of those moves, and he ultimately started beside Willia...

Chicago Bulls face a rough final stretch — 15 matchups in 26 days — to earn a postseason spot: ‘Every game is important’

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:49:49 GMT

For the last week, the Chicago Bulls have posted the Eastern Conference standings on the board in their locker room. It’s a prominent focal point for a team that barely controls its destiny.The Bulls are teetering on the edge of contention for the last spot in the play-in tournament, sitting 11th in the Eastern Conference after spending recent weeks bobbing between the 10th and 12th slots. The final brutal stretch of the season — 15 games in 26 days entering Wednesday — will be decided by the ninth-hardest schedule in the league as the Bulls face teams with an average winning percentage of .518.And unless the Bulls win all 15 games, their playoff hopes would at least be partially decided by the teams surrounding them in the standings.“They know exactly where we’re at, what’s going on,” coach Billy Donovan said. “But we can’t be a group of guys that sits there and looks at the scoreboard all the time, wanting help from somebody el...

‘Supercell’ whips up good weather-action thrills

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:49:49 GMT

MOVIE REVIEW“Supercell”Rated PG-13. At Gloucester Cinema and on VOD.Grade: B-A sub-Spielbergian throwback, “Supercell” is a drama about a Texas son trying to live up to the legendary status of his father. Set in West Texas “Tornado Alley” country, the film begins with flashbacks to the death of tornado chaser extraordinaire Bill Brody (Richard Gunn), who didn’t need a college degree to follow his dream, that dream being close encounters with life-threatening weather events.Ten years after Brody’s death, his tall, meteorological prodigy son William (Daniel Diemer, TV’s “The Man in the High Castle”) helps his mother Quinn (the late, missing-from-the-Academy-Awards-memorial-segment Anne Heche) with her house-cleaning business. William also learns to drive a manual transmission with the help of his “friend” Harper (Jordan Kristine Seamon, TV’s “We Are Who We Are”) and her vintage, sky-blue Ford Mustang. William also gets into trouble for bringing a device his fat...

Dear Abby: Co-worker insists on grabbing the check

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:49:49 GMT

Dear Abby: I have a colleague who has become an amazing friend over the last few years. We plan dinner dates or work conferences periodically, and we also try to book spa appointments together when we have vacation time.“Sandy” is everything a person would want in a friend. However, when we go out to eat, she usually insists on paying for my meal. She has also prepaid some of my spa appointments. When this pattern first started, I was a little put off, but I appreciated her generosity — maybe a little selfishly — because it saved me money. But now I feel constantly indebted to her because I can never seem to return the favor.When I insist on paying for myself, we argue and bicker. Sandy says she wants to show her appreciation for my partnership at work. She also explains that I have children (who are assumedly expensive) whereas she is childless. She justifies it by rationalizing that her husband makes an impressive salary. They are comfortable, but not extra...

Laugh it up with comedian Ali Wong in San Diego

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:49:49 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Comedian Ali Wong will be wrapping up her 19-city comedy tour in San Diego, according to Live Nation officials.Known for her comedy specials Baby Cobra, Hard Knock Wife and Emmy-nominated Don Wong, the comic is set to make her final stop at the San Diego Civic Theatre on Friday, Sept. 1, at 7 p.m., the press release stated. Dump day: How to dispose of unwanted items for free this week The comedy tour kicks off on Apr. 24 at the Tabernacle in Atlanta and then continues to other California cities including Wheatland, Thousand Oaks and Long Beach.Wong, who has a New York Times Bestselling-book called Dear Girls, is also releasing her next project Beef with A24 on Netflix in April.