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Patriots OC Bill O’Brien doesn’t shoot down notion of having quarterback competition

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:09:20 GMT

Last month, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick didn’t shoot down the notion of having a quarterback competition between Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe for the starter job this season.What did offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien say Friday when asked if that was the current plan, if he was anticipating having both Jones and Zappe vying for the top job?“I think everything we do here, is always based on competition,” O’Brien began. “That’s been the same that it’s been for 23 years, including all the years I wasn’t here.“And everywhere I’ve been, whether I was working for Nick Saban or Bill Belichick, or when I was a head coach, everything is earned in the meeting room and on the practice field. That’s the way it’s always been.”O’Brien then reiterated his message from the last media session, that the slate is clean, and everyone is starting fresh.“The best players I’ve ever been around in th...

Revolution host FC Cincinnati for first place in the Eastern Conference

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:09:20 GMT

The New England Revolution are in a good place to play a “statement” game in their own conference.The Revolution (6-1-2) will look to extend their unbeaten streak to seven games and assume undisputed possession of first place in the Eastern Conference when they host FC Cincinnati (6-1-2) on Saturday night (7:30) at Gillette Stadium.The Revolution are unbeaten at home (4-0-1) and close out a stretch of four home games in the last five matches. The Revolution are coming off a 2-1 victory over Sporting Kansas City on April 22 at Gillette.“Yes, obviously a (statement) game and we know that if we win, we will be alone on the top and that is what we want,” said Revolution midfielder Carles Gil, the 2021 league MVP. “I think we know the way. If we want to be the best team and this way is obviously a way to make a good game.“At home we are strong and win all the games. So, here with our fans at Gillette Stadium, we need to be the strong team that we are on Saturday. We will try to show that...

Jason Isbell talks ‘painful’ HBO Max doc, acting for Martin Scorsese

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:09:20 GMT

Jason Isbell’s voice can be a strapping, mournful thing, muscular and dripping with vulnerability as he chronicles his life in song. And on this day, it’s still waking up.“This time of year I drink my black coffee cold so I can get it down quicker,” the 44-year-old singer-songwriter said over the phone from his Nashville porch on Monday. “I’ve spent so many years working late at night that it makes it hard for me to get on with normal life. It’s tough, you know? But I think it’s tough no matter how you do it.”Isbell’s family and acclaimed music career test his resolve while giving him motivation to stay sober and productive. He has won a quartet of Grammy Awards since 2018 — about a decade after getting kicked out of his former alt-country band, Drive-By Truckers, for drinking and drugging — and would seem to have nothing to prove in the music industry. At least from the outside.In the HBO Max documentary “Music Box: Jason Isbell — Running with Our Eyes Closed,” which was released o...

‘Disappointed’: YCDSB students speak out after chaotic board meeting over Pride flag

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:09:20 GMT

Two students who have been advocating for flying the Pride flag are speaking out after being caught in the middle of another chaotic York Catholic District School Board meeting on Tuesday.Security guards were forced to remove members of the community who disrupted the meeting as tempers flared during a debate over raising the Pride flag. Some in the audience could be heard chanting “shame” and “disgusting” at board members and those attempting to speak on the matter.Eighteen-year-old Isio Emakpor and 17-year-old Patrick Mikkelsen say they were very emotional after the meeting, adding they and other supporters were absolutely shaken by the opposition and backlash coming from the gallery.“I was disappointed that so many people were being so cruel, especially that my peers were crying, and they brought people I know and people I care about to tears,” said Emakpor, who believes the school board could have done more to support them in that situation.Ci...

Steve Austin ‘vulnerable’ in ‘Stone Cold Takes on America’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:09:20 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — “Stone Cold” Steve Austin missed out on many seemingly mundane experiences during his legendary, bloodied, broken-bodied rise to becoming one of the most popular wrestlers of all time. But the Texas Rattlesnake is making up for lost time with his new adventure reality series, “Stone Cold Takes on America.”“It’s about doing different things in America and doing some of the things that I’ve always wanted to do,” said the six-time WWE champion. “Like almost anything in life, to reach a high level, you sacrifice a lot of stuff. … It sounded like a great idea to go do a lot of bucket list items.”The A&E series, premiering Sunday at 10 p.m. ET/PT, gives a glimpse into Austin’s post-wrestling lighter side as he attempts to conquer activities like to bartending and competing against skilled senior citizen bowlers. He also does live TV weather forecasting and waits tables at a steak restaurant (no patrons were hit with the Stone Cold Stunner ).“There are some things I’m l...

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will attend King’s coronation in London next week

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:09:20 GMT

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to attend the coronation of King Charles in London next week alongside dignitaries from around the world. Trudeau’s office is expected to officially confirm his itinerary for the trip to the United Kingdom next week.The coronation of the 73-year-old monarch will take place at Westminster Abbey on May 6 in a religious ceremony conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.The confirmation came as the Mounties announced that the King has taken on a new title: the RCMP Commissioner-in-Chief.His mother, Queen Elizabeth II, had been the first person to adopt that title in 2012.“His Majesty will play a titular role in recognizing the importance of the RCMP at home and abroad by highlighting the rich history between the RCMP and the monarchy, which dates back to the genesis of the RCMP during the reign of Queen Victoria,” the force said in a news release on Friday.The Mounties say that interim Commissioner Mike Duheme and Ral...

S&P/TSX composite gains more than 100 points Friday, U.S. markets also rise

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:09:20 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index gained more than 100 points Friday on strength in the energy sector, while U.S. indexes also rose to cap off a volatile week in North American markets. The S&P/TSX composite index was up 113.90 points at 20,636.54.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 272 points at 34,098.16.The S&P 500 index was up 34.13 points at 4,169.48, while the Nasdaq composite was up 84.35 at 12,226.58.New GDP data Friday helped justify the Bank of Canada’s continued interest-rate pause, said Ashish Utarid, assistant vice-president of investment strategy at IG Wealth Management.The data showed that economic growth in Canada is cooling, with Statistics Canada saying the economy grew by 0.1 per cent in February, compared with 0.6 per cent growth in January. Utarid said the Bank of Canada is still hoping for a “Goldilocks” scenario, where inflation cools without sending the economy into a recession. “In Canada, we’re in a better position, be...

Conflict over transgender rights simmers across the US

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:09:20 GMT

As transgender people have increasingly gained acceptance and visibility, conservative lawmakers have zeroed in on restricting their rights: keeping transgender children off girls’ sports teams and out of certain bathrooms, and blocking them from receiving gender-affirming medical care.In response, a growing number of Democratic-controlled states officials have moved to protect such rights, especially access to gender-affirming care.In developments this week, one governor is telling lawmakers they’ll have to return for a special session if they fail to pass some restrictions, two others signed protections into law and a transgender lawmaker was barred from a Statehouse floor amid a standoff with colleagues.THE BIG PICTUREThe push by conservatives has mushroomed over the last few years and become, alongside abortion, a major theme running through legislative sessions across the country in 2023.Six states have laws or policies in effect barring minors from receiving puberty bloc...

Canada, U.S. to share more data in fight against cross-border gun smuggling, opioids

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:09:20 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada and the United States have agreed to share more information about the smuggling of guns across their shared border.Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino says Ottawa has signed four new or updated agreements with Washington that allow the RCMP and Canada Border Services Agency to exchange more data with partners south of the border.Mendicino says the agreements under a rebooted Canada-U.S. Cross-Border Crime Forum will allow more information-sharing with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.Mendicino made the announcement this afternoon in Ottawa alongside Justice Minister David Lametti and their American counterparts, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Attorney General Merrick Garland.The four have agreed to help stem the flow of opioids such as fentanyl, with Garland saying they aim to track the ingredients used to create the deadly drug and the flow of its components from China.The new...

Stock market today: Wall Street rises to cap a winning April

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:09:20 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street closed out a winning April with gains Friday after more companies said their profits at the start of the year weren’t as bad as expected. The S&P 500 rose 34.13, or 0.8%, to 4,169.48. Despite some sharp swings this week, it still clinched a second straight winning month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 272.00, or 0.8%, to 34,098.16, and the Nasdaq composite gained 84.35, or 0.7%, to 12,226.58.Exxon Mobil did some of the market’s heavier lifting after it rose 1.3%. It reported stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than forecast. Intel gained 4% after reporting a milder loss than expected and stronger revenue for the latest quarter. Mondelez International, the food giant behind Oreo and Ritz, rose 3.9% after topping Wall Street’s estimates. It also raised its forecast for revenue and earnings over the full year. They helped to offset a 4% drop for Amazon, which weighed heavily on the market despite reporting stronger profit a...