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Social Studies Grade 12

Please review each article prior to use: grade-level applicability and curricular alignment might not be obvious from the headline alone.

Class-action lawsuit filed in B.C. over 2009 Interior Health data breach

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Class-action lawsuit filed in B.C. over 2009 Interior Health data breach

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

VANCOUVER - British Columbia's Interior Health Authority has been hit with a class-action lawsuit over a data breach in 2009 that allegedly compromised thousands of employees' personal information that ended up being sold on the dark web.

The lawsuit filed in B.C. Supreme Court on Thursday says the data breach occurred in December 2009, exposing "highly sensitive" personal information belonging to people who worked for the health authority between 2003 and 2009.

Court documents say the information was accessed by "cybercriminals and other malicious actors," and the "full extent" of the hack still hasn't been disclosed by Interior Health in the 16 years since.

Former employee Rae Fergus, one of the lead plaintiffs, says her personal information has been used since 2022 to fraudulently get a car loan and a credit card, and to open a bank account without her "knowledge or consent."

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Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

A man uses a computer keyboard in Toronto in this Oct. 9, 2023 photo illustration. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy

A man uses a computer keyboard in Toronto in this Oct. 9, 2023 photo illustration. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy

Georgia man who fled with the nanny after his wife’s killing is charged with murder 19 years later

Russ Bynum, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Georgia man who fled with the nanny after his wife’s killing is charged with murder 19 years later

Russ Bynum, The Associated Press 4 minute read Saturday, May. 24, 2025

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Investigators first believed Doris Worrell was killed in a botched robbery after her husband found her fatally shot at the South Georgia business they ran in 2006. When suspicion later turned toward Worrell's husband, he fled the U.S. to live in Costa Rica with the couple's live-in nanny.

Nearly 19 years later, Jon Worrell was jailed on murder charges Thursday in rural Coffee County, where the sheriff said authorities never gave up on the cold case. They got a big break in April, when investigators traveled to Costa Rica and found the nanny willing to talk after her relationship with Worrell had ended.

“This case was never forgotten,” Sheriff Fred Cole told reporters at a news conference Friday. "And while the road has been long and often frustrating, we never gave up. Justice delayed is still justice.”

Doris Worrell had worked as a teacher and an interior designer before deciding stay at home to raise three children. She and her husband operated a recreation business, Jon's Sports Park, in the small community of Douglas, about 130 miles (209 kilometers) southwest of Savannah.

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Saturday, May. 24, 2025

In this image from video provided by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Coffee County Sheriff Fred Cole speaks with reporters in Douglas, Ga., on Friday, May 23, 2025, to discuss the arrest of Jon Worrell in the 2006 death of his wife, Doris Worrell. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation via AP)

In this image from video provided by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Coffee County Sheriff Fred Cole speaks with reporters in Douglas, Ga., on Friday, May 23, 2025, to discuss the arrest of Jon Worrell in the 2006 death of his wife, Doris Worrell. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation via AP)

North Carolina court says it’s OK to swap jurors while they are deliberating

Gary D. Robertson, The Associated Press 3 minute read Saturday, May. 24, 2025

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina's highest court on Friday left intact a murder conviction that a lower appeals court had thrown out on the grounds that a jury shake-up during deliberations violated the defendant's rights and required a new trial.

By a 5-2 decision, the state Supreme Court reversed last year's decision of a state Court of Appeals panel that had sided with Eric Ramond Chambers, who has been serving a sentence of life in prison without parole.

The state constitution says no one can be convicted of a crime except by “the unanimous verdict of a jury in open court” that state justices have declared in the past repeatedly must be composed of 12 people.

A 2021 state law says an alternate juror can be substituted for one of the 12 after deliberations begin as long as the judge instructs the amended jury to begin deliberations anew. The judge at Chambers' 2022 trial did just that when an alternate juror joined deliberations because an original juror couldn’t continue the next day due to a medical appointment.

‘Soup Nazi’ actor dips ladle for victims of Vancouver festival attack

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

‘Soup Nazi’ actor dips ladle for victims of Vancouver festival attack

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Tuesday, Sep. 23, 2025

VANCOUVER - "Soup Nazi" actor Larry Thomas, best known for his guest role as a strict soup seller on the sitcom "Seinfeld," will be picking up his ladle again to raise money for victims of last month's attack on Vancouver's Lapu Lapu Day festival.

The Los Angeles-based actor said he will be serving at the Greens And Beans Deli in New Westminster, B.C., on Sunday as part of the restaurant's fundraising efforts.

Thomas said the April 26 attack that killed 11 people was a "terrible thing," prompting him to reprise his fundraising relationship with the deli that stretches back 20 years.

Leona Green, owner of the deli, first reached out to Thomas to ask him to serve soup at a fundraiser for the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.

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Tuesday, Sep. 23, 2025

People hold a candlelight march during a vigil on the street where a vehicle-ramming attack occurred at the Filipino community's Lapu Lapu Day festival last week in Vancouver, on May 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

People hold a candlelight march during a vigil on the street where a vehicle-ramming attack occurred at the Filipino community's Lapu Lapu Day festival last week in Vancouver, on May 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Jim Irsay’s impact can be felt all around Indianapolis as city celebrates big sports weekend

Michael Marot, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Jim Irsay’s impact can be felt all around Indianapolis as city celebrates big sports weekend

Michael Marot, The Associated Press 5 minute read Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — When Mark Miles strolls around downtown Indianapolis, he sees Jim Irsay's influence everywhere.

From the trademark sports facilities to the towering J.W. Marriott hotel to the Pan Am Plaza currently under construction, he's not sure any of it could have happened without the assistance of the longtime Colts owner who helped this small Midwestern town shed its image as Indiana No Place and emerge as Indiana Some Place.

So as Indy steps into a new role, the mega center of a jam-packed Memorial Day sports weekend, the longtime local sports executive is saddened Irsay won't be here to enjoy the results of his efforts. Irsay died Wednesday in his sleep at age 65.

“It's incredibly sad, it's a big ache in my heart," Miles said Thursday. “ He had such a huge heart. He cared so, so much about the people in this community. I don't care what day it was, it was going to be a horrible loss but this weekend is sort of emblematic of what he helped build and I'm sorry he missed it."

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Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

FILE - Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay raises the Vince Lombardi trophy during a rally in Indianapolis, Monday, Feb. 5, 2007. The Colts defeated the Chicago Bears to win Super Bowl XLI. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)

FILE - Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay raises the Vince Lombardi trophy during a rally in Indianapolis, Monday, Feb. 5, 2007. The Colts defeated the Chicago Bears to win Super Bowl XLI. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)

The road back to respectability proving to be a long one for Toronto FC

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

The road back to respectability proving to be a long one for Toronto FC

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

TORONTO - A record 6-1 win at rival CF Montreal last time out and the possible return of captain Jonathan Osorio from injury for Saturday's visit by Nashville SC offer hope for beleaguered Toronto FC fans.

But the road back to respectability is proving to be a long one for Toronto (3-7-4).

Saturday's game is the 600th regular-season outing for the franchise, which has compiled a 180-264-155 record since entering Major League Soccer in 2007. Eighty-five of those wins came between 2015 and 2020, when Toronto made the playoffs five out of the six seasons — its only post-season appearances to date.

Toronto reached the MLS Cup final in 2016, '17 and '19, hoisting the trophy in 2017 when it also won the Canadian Championship and Supporters' Shield (for the best regular-season record).

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Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

CF Montreal's Samuel Piette (right) knocks Toronto FC's Jonathan Osorio (21) off the ball during first-half Canadian Championship preliminary round soccer action in Toronto on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

CF Montreal's Samuel Piette (right) knocks Toronto FC's Jonathan Osorio (21) off the ball during first-half Canadian Championship preliminary round soccer action in Toronto on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

Hot diggity dog! Wienermobiles put on riveting race in Wienie 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Dave Skretta, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Hot diggity dog! Wienermobiles put on riveting race in Wienie 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Dave Skretta, The Associated Press 3 minute read Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Give the Borg-Wiener Trophy at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to the Wienermobile affectionately known as Slaw Dog.

In a down-to-the-wire race among the six iconic Wienermobiles that serve as goodwill ambassadors for Oscar Mayer, the hot dog-on-wheels representing the Southeast proved to be the big dog on Carb Day ahead of Sunday's running of the Indianapolis 500.

It made a dramatic pass of the Wienermobile repping Chicago at the finish line to win the inaugural Wienie 500 on Friday.

The margin was about a half a bun.

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Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

The Oscar Mayer Wienermobiles head into the first turn as they compete in the Wienie 500 following the practice session for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Friday, May 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

The Oscar Mayer Wienermobiles head into the first turn as they compete in the Wienie 500 following the practice session for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Friday, May 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Justice Department reaches deal to allow Boeing to avoid prosecution over 737 Max crashes

Alanna Durkin Richer, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Justice Department reaches deal to allow Boeing to avoid prosecution over 737 Max crashes

Alanna Durkin Richer, The Associated Press 4 minute read Friday, May. 23, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has reached a deal with Boeing that will allow the airplane giant to avoid criminal prosecution for allegedly misleading U.S. regulators about the 737 Max jetliner before two of the planes crashed and killed 346 people, according to court papers filed Friday.

Under the “agreement in principle,” which still needs to be finalized, Boeing would pay or invest more than $1.1 billion, including an additional $445 million for the crash victims’ families, the Justice Department said.

In return, the department has agreed to dismiss the fraud charge against Boeing, allowing the manufacturer to avoid a possible criminal conviction that could have jeopardized the company's status as a federal contractor, according to experts.

“Ultimately, in applying the facts, the law, and Department policy, we are confident that this resolution is the most just outcome with practical benefits,” a Justice Department spokesperson said in a statement.

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Friday, May. 23, 2025

The U.S. Department of Justice logo is seen on a podium before a press conference with Attorney General Pam Bondi, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, at the Justice Department in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

The U.S. Department of Justice logo is seen on a podium before a press conference with Attorney General Pam Bondi, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, at the Justice Department in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Cohere asks U.S. court to toss complaint from media alleging copyright infringement

Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Cohere asks U.S. court to toss complaint from media alleging copyright infringement

Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

TORONTO - Cohere is asking a U.S. court to throw out complaints from media outlets that have accused the artificial intelligence company of infringing on their copyright.

In a dismissal motion filed in a New York court on Thursday, Cohere accused publishers including the Toronto Star, Condé Nast, McClatchy, Forbes Media and Guardian News of deliberately using its software to "manufacture a case."

The Toronto-based company said the outlets must have "stylized" prompts they entered into Cohere's software to elicit portions of their own work, which sometimes included inaccuracies.

It argued nothing in the complaint filed by the outlets suggests that any real customer has ever used the company's software to infringe on the publisher's copyright.

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Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

A man uses a computer keyboard in Toronto in this Sunday, Oct. 9, 2023 photo illustration. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy

A man uses a computer keyboard in Toronto in this Sunday, Oct. 9, 2023 photo illustration. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy

Trump administration sues 4 New Jersey cities over ‘sanctuary’ policies

Mike Catalini, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Trump administration sues 4 New Jersey cities over ‘sanctuary’ policies

Mike Catalini, The Associated Press 3 minute read Friday, May. 23, 2025

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — The Trump administration sued four New Jersey cities over their so-called sanctuary city policies aimed at prohibiting police from cooperating with immigration officials, saying the local governments are standing in the way of federal enforcement.

The Justice Department filed the suit Thursday against Newark, Jersey City, Paterson and Hoboken in New Jersey federal court. The lawsuit seeks a judgment against the cities and an injunction to halt them from enacting the so-called sanctuary city policies.

“While states and local governments are free to stand aside as the United States performs this important work, they cannot stand in the way,” the suit says.

It's the latest case from Republican President Donald Trump's administration against sanctuary policies. The administration also sued Chicago, Denver, the state of Colorado, and Rochester, New York.

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Friday, May. 23, 2025

FILE - Mayor Ras Baraka speaks to supporters and media after a court appearance in Newark, N.J., Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

FILE - Mayor Ras Baraka speaks to supporters and media after a court appearance in Newark, N.J., Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

PWHL’s Vancouver expansion team names Cara Gardner Morey first general manager

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

PWHL’s Vancouver expansion team names Cara Gardner Morey first general manager

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

VANCOUVER - Vancouver's new Professional Women's Hockey League team has named Cara Gardner Morey its first general manager.

The league made the announcement Friday.

"Cara brings exceptional experience at all levels of the game, a deep understanding of player development, and an unwavering passion for advancing women’s sports,” Jayna Hefford, the PWHL's executive vice president of hockey operations, said in a release.

"Cara becoming general manager of PWHL Vancouver is a powerful addition to our league.”

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Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) logo is seen on a player's training camp jersey at TD Place in Ottawa, Friday, Nov. 17, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) logo is seen on a player's training camp jersey at TD Place in Ottawa, Friday, Nov. 17, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

Man gets 10 years for trying to carjack car with 2 members of Justice Sotomayor’s security detail

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Man gets 10 years for trying to carjack car with 2 members of Justice Sotomayor’s security detail

The Associated Press 2 minute read Friday, May. 23, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — A 19-year-old man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for trying to carjack a car occupied by two U.S. Marshals Service deputies who were members of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s security detail.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, in handing down the sentence Thursday, also ordered Kentrell Flowers to have five years of supervised release after his prison term.

Flowers pleaded guilty in February to using a firearm during a crime of violence.

Around 1 a.m. on July 5, 2024, two deputies dressed in Marshals Service shirts were on duty in an unmarked government car in Washington when Flowers exited a minivan, approached the vehicle and pointed a loaded gun at one of the deputies through a window. The deputy fired four shots at Flowers, hitting him in the mouth.

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Friday, May. 23, 2025

FILE - U.S. Marshals patrol outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in Chevy Chase, Md., June 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

FILE - U.S. Marshals patrol outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in Chevy Chase, Md., June 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

South Africa police minister says Trump ‘twisted’ facts to push baseless genocide claims

Gerald Imray And Michelle Gumede, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

South Africa police minister says Trump ‘twisted’ facts to push baseless genocide claims

Gerald Imray And Michelle Gumede, The Associated Press 5 minute read Monday, Sep. 22, 2025

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa’s top law enforcement official said Friday that U.S. President Donald Trump wrongly claimed that a video he showed in the Oval Office was of burial sites for more than 1,000 white farmers and he “twisted” the facts to push a false narrative about mass killings of white people in his country.

Police Minister Senzo Mchunu was talking about a video clip that was played during the meeting between Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House on Wednesday that showed an aerial view of a rural road with lines of white crosses erected on either side.

“Now this is very bad,” Trump said as he referred to the clip that was part of a longer video that was played in the meeting. “These are burial sites, right here. Burial sites, over a thousand, of white farmers, and those cars are lined up to pay love on a Sunday morning."

Mchunu said the crosses did not mark graves or burial sites, but were a temporary memorial put up in 2020 to protest the killings of all farmers across South Africa. They were put up during a funeral procession for a white couple who were killed in a robbery on their farm, Mchunu said.

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Monday, Sep. 22, 2025

South African businessman Johann Rupert, standing right, watches a video during a meeting between President Donald Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

South African businessman Johann Rupert, standing right, watches a video during a meeting between President Donald Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Harvard has long been the world’s top college. Trump’s sanction puts its allure at risk

Collin Binkley And Michael Casey, The Associated Press 7 minute read Preview

Harvard has long been the world’s top college. Trump’s sanction puts its allure at risk

Collin Binkley And Michael Casey, The Associated Press 7 minute read Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — For students around the world, an acceptance letter to Harvard University has represented the pinnacle of achievement, offering a spot among the elite at a campus that produces Nobel Prize winners, captains of industry and global leaders.

That allure is now in jeopardy. In its intensifying fight with the White House, Harvard was dealt its heaviest blow yet on Thursday, when the government blocked the Ivy League school from enrolling foreign students. The move threatens to undermine Harvard’s stature, revenue and appeal among top scholars globally.

Even more than the government’s $2.6 billion in research cuts, the administration's action represents an existential threat for Harvard. The school summed it up in a lawsuit seeking to block the action: “Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard.”

Within hours of the decision, the consequences started becoming clear. Belgium’s Princess Elisabeth, who just finished her first year in a Harvard graduate program, is waiting to find out if she can return next year, the palace said. The Chinese government publicly questioned whether Harvard’s international standing will endure.

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Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

FILE - A sculler rows down the Charles River near Harvard University, at rear, Tuesday, April 15, 2025, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

FILE - A sculler rows down the Charles River near Harvard University, at rear, Tuesday, April 15, 2025, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

Leader of neo-Nazi “murder cult” extradited to the US from Moldova

Jake Offenhartz, The Associated Press 3 minute read Tuesday, Sep. 23, 2025

NEW YORK (AP) — The leader of an eastern European neo-Nazi group has been extradited to the United States from Moldova following his arrest last summer for allegedly instructing an undercover federal agent to dress as Santa Claus and hand out poisoned candy to Jewish children and racial minorities, prosecutors said.

Michail Chkhikvishvili, a 21-year-old from the republic of Georgia, was arraigned Friday before a federal judge in Brooklyn on multiple felonies, including soliciting hate crimes and acts of mass violence.

He pleaded not guilty through an attorney, Samuel Gregory, who requested his client receive a psychiatric evaluation and be placed on suicide watch while in custody. Gregory did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Prosecutors described Chkhikvishvili, who also goes by “Commander Butcher," as the leader of the Maniac Murder Cult, an international extremist group that adheres to a “neo-Nazi accelerationist ideology and promotes violence and violent acts against racial minorities, the Jewish community and other groups it deems ‘undesirables.’”

The Cannes Film Festival is over. Here’s some key things that happened

The Associated Press 8 minute read Preview

The Cannes Film Festival is over. Here’s some key things that happened

The Associated Press 8 minute read Thursday, Sep. 18, 2025

CANNES, France (AP) — This year's Cannes Film Festival is over, ending in dramatic fashion with a power outage ahead of the closing ceremony that bestowed the Palme d'Or trophy to Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi's film, “It Was Just an Accident.”

This year's festival included a strong slate as Cannes has become increasingly important to the Oscars’ best picture hopefuls. As the festival drew to close Saturday, it was clear that filmmakers are reckoning with geopolitical doom, climate change and other calamities that closely resemble current events.

This year's festival was an attention-grabbing affair since its start — from new rules for its red carpets, nerves about potential U.S. tariffs and the return of Tom Cruise.

Even in a normal year, Cannes is a lot to keep up with. Here's a handy guide of what's happened so far, what's left and what it may mean.

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Thursday, Sep. 18, 2025

Rihanna, left, and A$AP Rocky pose for photographers upon departure from the premiere of the film 'Highest 2 Lowest' at the 78th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Monday, May 19, 2025. (Photo by Lewis Joly/Invision/AP)

Rihanna, left, and A$AP Rocky pose for photographers upon departure from the premiere of the film 'Highest 2 Lowest' at the 78th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Monday, May 19, 2025. (Photo by Lewis Joly/Invision/AP)

Lawyer challenging Trump’s trade war says tariffs are ‘illegal and abusive’

Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Lawyer challenging Trump’s trade war says tariffs are ‘illegal and abusive’

Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Friday, May. 23, 2025

WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump's global trade war is an "illegal and abusive" use of power, said a lawyer representing small businesses who are challenging the tariffs.

George Mason University law professor Ilya Somin, along with the Liberty Justice Center, represents five American small businesses who had a hearing before the U.S. Court of International Trade last week in an effort to block Trump's sweeping "reciprocal" tariff agenda.

"He's sort of breaking various precedents and doing things which are highly illegal and obviously our contention is that this is highly illegal," Somin said in an interview Thursday.

The president is facing at least seven lawsuits that argue Trump has acted beyond his powers by wielding tariffs through the International Economic Emergency Powers Act of 1977.

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Friday, May. 23, 2025

President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Venezuelan workers at Disney put on leave from jobs after losing protective status

Mike Schneider And Gisela Salomon, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Venezuelan workers at Disney put on leave from jobs after losing protective status

Mike Schneider And Gisela Salomon, The Associated Press 4 minute read Thursday, Sep. 25, 2025

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Almost four dozen Venezuelan workers who had temporary protected status have been put on leave by Disney after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to strip them of legal protections.

The move was made to make sure that the employees were not in violation of the law, Disney said in a statement Friday.

The 45 workers across the company who were put on leave will continue to get benefits.

“We are committed to protecting the health, safety, and well-being of all our employees who may be navigating changing immigration policies and how they could impact them or their families,” the statement said.

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Thursday, Sep. 25, 2025

FILE - People visit the Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., April 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)

FILE - People visit the Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., April 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)

What issues to watch as ‘big, beautiful bill’ moves to the Senate

Mary Clare Jalonick, Matt Brown And Joey Cappelletti, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

What issues to watch as ‘big, beautiful bill’ moves to the Senate

Mary Clare Jalonick, Matt Brown And Joey Cappelletti, The Associated Press 6 minute read Friday, May. 23, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans were jubilant after muscling through President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful” tax and immigration package by a single vote. But across the Capitol, senators were more cautious.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune can afford to lose three Republican senators and still pass the bill, and there are more than that, right now, who have problems with it. Like the House, he will have to balance the concerns from moderate and conservative members of his conference.

Republicans’ aspirational deadline is July 4, ahead of a potential debt default. Thune said groups of senators had already been meeting to discuss the legislation and that they would want to take some time to review it. “And then we’ll put our stamp on it,” he said.

“We’ll see how it goes,” Thune said. “What does it take to get to 51?”

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Friday, May. 23, 2025

File - The Capitol is seen in Washington, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

File - The Capitol is seen in Washington, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Kashmir tourism bears the brunt after tourist massacre and India-Pakistan military strikes

Aijaz Hussain, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Kashmir tourism bears the brunt after tourist massacre and India-Pakistan military strikes

Aijaz Hussain, The Associated Press 5 minute read Monday, Sep. 22, 2025

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — There are hardly any tourists in the scenic Himalayan region of Kashmir. Most of the hotels and ornate pinewood houseboats are empty. Resorts in the snowclad mountains have fallen silent. Hundreds of cabs are parked and idle.

It’s the fallout of last month’s gun massacre that left 26 people, mostly Hindu tourists, dead in Indian-controlled Kashmir followed by tit-for-tat military strikes by India and Pakistan, bringing the nuclear-armed rivals to the brink of their third war over the region.

“There might be some tourist arrivals, but it counts almost negligible. It is almost a zero footfall right now,” said Yaseen Tuman, who operates multiple houseboats in the region’s main city of Srinagar. “There is a haunting silence now.”

Tens of thousands of panicked tourists left Kashmir within days after the rare killings of tourists on April 22 at a picture-perfect meadow in southern resort town of Pahalgam. Following the attack, authorities temporarily closed dozens of tourist resorts in the region, adding to fear and causing occupancy rates to plummet.

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Monday, Sep. 22, 2025

Rows of empty houseboats in Dal lake, one of the major tourist destination seen from a mountain in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, India, Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Rows of empty houseboats in Dal lake, one of the major tourist destination seen from a mountain in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, India, Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Increase in sextortion cases prompts call for legislation to combat predators

Chris Kitching 6 minute read Preview

Increase in sextortion cases prompts call for legislation to combat predators

Chris Kitching 6 minute read Thursday, May. 8, 2025

The spike in online sextortion cases in Winnipeg has alarmed police and augmented advocates’ calls for Canada to begin regulating social media platforms to help protect children from predators.

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Thursday, May. 8, 2025

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS

Jacques Marcoux, with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, says the Winnipeg Police Service’s online exploitation stats are not surprising, as this type of crime is rampant.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
                                Jacques Marcoux, with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, says the Winnipeg Police Service’s online exploitation stats are not surprising, as this type of crime is rampant.

‘Special to the world’: Supporters hope to save beloved Drumheller dinosaur

Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

‘Special to the world’: Supporters hope to save beloved Drumheller dinosaur

Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Monday, Sep. 22, 2025

DRUMHELLER - A plan to send Tyra the tyrannosaurus, the popular tourist attraction that towers over the skyline in Drumheller, Alta., into proverbial extinction has sparked demands that she be spared.

The town of 8,400 northeast of Calgary bills itself as the Dinosaur Capital of the World. Home to the famed Royal Tyrrell Museum, the community also has statues of dinosaurs that look like they've crawled out of "The Flintstones" cartoon greeting people on the streets.

There's an extinct reptile riding a motorcycle. A triceratops in a frilly dress sits on a bus bench. Another dinosaur wearing a fireman's hat and holding a hose is poised outside a fire station.

The biggest is Tyra, standing across from the intersection of Gorgosaurus Street and Tyrannosaurus Drive near a visitor information centre. A nearby ice cream stand offers fossils, T-shirts and dino toys.

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Monday, Sep. 22, 2025

Tyra the Tyrannosaurus, the lovable landmark that towers over the Drumheller skyline in the heart of the Canadian Badlands, is facing an extinction-level event and is pictured in Drumheller, Alta., Tuesday, April 1, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Tyra the Tyrannosaurus, the lovable landmark that towers over the Drumheller skyline in the heart of the Canadian Badlands, is facing an extinction-level event and is pictured in Drumheller, Alta., Tuesday, April 1, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Lawyer, philanthropist had a fierce sense of social justice

Janine LeGal 7 minute read Preview

Lawyer, philanthropist had a fierce sense of social justice

Janine LeGal 7 minute read Saturday, Mar. 22, 2025

A luminary in human rights advocacy, Canadian lawyer Yude Henteleff was a natural explorer both in his travels and in his daily life. Henteleff lived 97 years with passion and dynamism.

He died Dec. 8, 2024.

Henteleff’s accomplishments and list of awards and accolades began at age 16 when he was elected president of the Jewish Youth Council and then to the youth division of the Canadian Jewish Congress. His activities in the Jewish community were extensive and lifelong.

The father, grandfather and partner lived life to the fullest, propelled by a fierce sense of social justice and belief in “tikkun olam,” a Hebrew phrase meaning “to repair the world.”

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Saturday, Mar. 22, 2025

SUPPLIED Yude Henteleff on his 90th birthday - for Passages feature Winnipeg Free Press 2025

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Yude Henteleff on his 90th birthday.

SUPPLIED Yude Henteleff on his 90th birthday.
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Paleontologist makes strides toward understanding the way mosasaurs behaved

AV Kitching 6 minute read Preview
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Paleontologist makes strides toward understanding the way mosasaurs behaved

AV Kitching 6 minute read Monday, Jan. 20, 2025

Maximilian Scott is a vertebrate paleontologist who focuses on extinct animal behaviour and behavioural evolution. Scott, 27, from Ovid, Mich., is in the last year of his master’s degree at the University of Manitoba studying mosasaurs, an ancient marine lizard that lived in Manitoba during the late-Cretaceous period.

He also offers tutoring in geology, biology, animal behaviour and conservation to people of all ages. You can find him on Instagram.

Our story doesn’t start with the first book that was written, our story starts a long time before that, a long time before the first humans. It’s all one long story.

Humans have only existed for 200,000 years. The Earth has been around for 4.5 billion years. Life has been around for three billion years, and complex life has been around for 542 million years.

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Monday, Jan. 20, 2025

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS

Vertebrate paleontologist Maximilian Scott handles the fossilized jaw of a tylosaurus (a type of mosasaur) jaw in the University of Manitoba paleontology lab.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
                                Vertebrate paleontologist Maximilian Scott handles the fossilized jaw of a tylosaurus (a type of mosasaur) jaw in the University of Manitoba paleontology lab.