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Ticker: Apple pulls watches over patent dispute; EU takes up X probe 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:26 GMT

Apple Inc. will stop selling the latest versions of its smartwatch in the U.S. due to a patent dispute, taking the devices off the market in the middle of the busy holiday season.Sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 will be halted on the company’s online store on Dec. 21 and at its physical retail stores beginning on Christmas Eve.The move comes ahead of the anticipated import ban of Apple Watch models with a blood oxygen sensor — first added to the lineup in 2020 — stemming from a legal battle with Masimo Corp.The International Trade Commission ruled in October that Apple violates Masimo patents. The patents relate to an Apple Watch app that allows the device to calculate a person’s blood oxygen saturation.A presidential review of that order is now underway. “While the review period will not end until Dec. 25, Apple is preemptively taking steps to comply should the ruling stand,” the company said.EU takes up X probeThe European Union on Monday made Elon Musk’s online...

Bruins send Matt Poitras to World Junior Championships

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:26 GMT

The Bruins let the cat out of the bag before the official announcement was made.After coach Jim Montgomery called the team to the middle of the ice, whatever he said –muffled by distance – was met with stick taps all around. Then rookie Matt Poitras was given three shootout attempts on goalie Jeremy Swayman. The pride of Alaska and the University of Maine stopped all three shots from the Canadian kid, immediately eliciting a brief “USA! USA!” chant undoubtedly from some Americans.That served as the 19-year-old Poitras’ send-off to Team Canada and the World Junior Championship tournament to be held this year in Sweden, kicking off on December 26.The B’s had been wrestling with the decision of whether to send Poitras — whose skill, hockey sense and puck battle level surprisingly earned him a roster spot with the B’s — to the elite junior tourney that has become such a big deal, especially in Canada.With many factors considered, the team in the end chose t...

When raises fail: New study looks at downsides of performance-based pay

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:26 GMT

Many companies use raises or bonuses to motivate employees. But, new research suggests it doesn’t always work.Tony Kong, professor of organizational leadership at the University of Colorado Boulder, found that performance-based pay can backfire, causing decreased productivity and negative attitudes among employees.The factor that determines whether pay for performance will work relies on the leader being competent and personable.“A leader’s competence … is beneficial for employees engagement and performance under pay for performance,” Kong said. “The takeaway from this research is having pay for performance in place is one thing and leadership development is also important.”Michael Sturman is a professor at Rutgers University’s School of Management and Labor Relations. He said researchers have known that pay for performance systems can and usually do motivate people to perform better, but that they don’t always work, and leadership matters.“This paper takes the important step of com...

Amanda Bynes hits pause on podcast after one episode

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:26 GMT

A little more than a week after debuting her podcast — and streaming one episode — Amanda Bynes is pausing her latest media venture.The “She’s the Man” alum thanked her fans and listeners in a Sunday TikTok, explaining that she would be taking a break from the podcast because she hadn’t been able to book the guests she wanted for the show — namely top musicians she had been eyeing.“So even though the podcast is doing really well and the response has been great, I am going to take a pause on it for now,” the 37-year-old said in the video.“We are not able to get the type of guests that I’d like on the show, like say Jack Harlow or Drake or Post Malone,” Bynes said. “So maybe one day if we’re able to get those types of guests on the show, we will resume the podcast. But for now, I’m taking a pause on it.”The “Hairspray” and “All That” actor launched the show, “Amanda Bynes & Paul Sieminski: The Podcast,” with her friend on Dec. 9. They invited L.A. tattoo artist Dahlia Moth to spea...

What the 2024 Social Security COLA could mean for your retirement

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:26 GMT

By Dalia Ramirez | NerdWalletSocial Security benefits for millions of people will rise by an average of over $50 a month starting in January, thanks to the Social Security Administration’s 3.2% annual cost of living adjustment for 2024, announced on Oct. 12. The change will immediately put more money in current retirees’ pockets, but it also could have a considerable effect on payouts to future retirees.The 2024 increase is much smaller than last year’s 8.7%, the largest since 1981. But because the COLA reflects inflation, a smaller increase is not necessarily a bad thing; it suggests that inflation is more stable and may help the Social Security Administration provide maximum benefits for longer.The COLA has been relatively volatile in recent years, however, and future retirees are understandably concerned about the health of the Social Security benefits program.Here’s what the cost of living adjustments really mean and how to factor Social Security benefits into your f...

YouTube mom who gave parenting advice, Ruby Franke, pleads guilty in child abuse case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:26 GMT

By AMY BETH HANSON (Associated Press)A Utah mother of six who gave parenting advice via a once-popular YouTube channel called “8 Passengers” pleaded guilty Monday to four felony counts of second-degree aggravated child abuse for abusing and starving two of her children and likely faces a prison sentence.Ruby Franke, wearing gray and white jail clothing, stood and closed her eyes and took a deep breath before pleading guilty to each of the first three charges individually. On the fourth, she fought back some emotion before saying: “With my deepest regret and sorrow for my family and my children, guilty.” Judge John J. Walton accepted the plea agreement and scheduled sentencing for Feb. 20. The agreement leaves the sentencing up to the judge, her attorney LaMar Winward said.“There won’t be any argument about whether prison is the appropriate sentence and there’s an agreement about the four counts for running consecutive,” Walton clarifie...

Pope approves blessings for same-sex couples that must not resemble marriage

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:26 GMT

By NICOLE WINFIELD and DAVID CRARY (Associated Press)ROME (AP) — Pope Francis formally approved letting Catholic priests bless same-sex couples, the Vatican announced Monday, a radical shift in policy that aimed at making the church more inclusive while maintaining its strict ban on gay marriage.But while the Vatican statement was heralded by some as a step toward breaking down discrimination in the Catholic Church, some LGBTQ+ advocates warned it underscored the church’s idea that gay couples remain inferior to heterosexual partnerships.The document from the Vatican’s doctrine office elaborates on a letter Francis sent to two conservative cardinals that was published in October. In that preliminary response, Francis suggested such blessings could be offered under some circumstances if the blessings weren’t confused with the ritual of marriage.The new document repeats that condition and elaborates on it, reaffirming that marriage is a lifelong union between a...

Bodycam video shows police shooting in 4S Ranch

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:26 GMT

Warning: The video linked in this article contains violence. Viewer discretion is advised.SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Police Department has released bodycam footage of the shooting in 4S Ranch in early December where the suspect died and a police sergeant was shot in the head.Officers responded to reports of a stolen vehicle in the parking lot of a 4S Ranch shopping center on Dec. 7 around 11:30 p.m. SDPD on Monday released a video containing bodycam footage on YouTube of the officer-involved shooting. The video details the 911 call, where the victim stated her car was stolen and was believed to be driven by 46-year-old Curtis Harris, who also had an unserved Emergency Protection Order against him tied to a prior domestic violence incident.When officers found the vehicle, they found a woman sleeping in the passenger seat. They then went into the store to search for Harris. San Diego police sergeant injured, suspect killed after shootout in 4S Ranch When officers approac...

After years of decline, the Biden administration says environmental enforcement is on the upswing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:26 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency conducted more on-site inspections of polluting industrial sites this year than any time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency said Monday as it seeks to reinvigorate its enforcement program after more than a decade of budget cuts.EPA opened nearly 200 criminal investigations this year, a 70% increase over 2022, the agency said in a report. It completed nearly 1,800 civil settlements, a 9% increase over 2022. More than half the inspections and settlements involved poor and disadvantaged communities long scarred by pollution, the agency said, reflecting the Biden administration’s emphasis on environmental justice issues.But some parts of EPA’s enforcement efforts still lag. In 2023, for example, it charged 102 defendants criminally. The Trump administration charged more every year, although most years only marginally. Nearly 200 defendants were charged in the latter years of the Obama administration. There is,...

NCAA athletes who’ve transferred multiple times can play through the spring semester, judge rules

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:26 GMT

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — College athletes who have transferred multiple times but were denied the chance to compete immediately can play through the remainder of the academic year, a federal judge ruled Monday.U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey in West Virginia made the ruling on a motion filed Friday by the NCAA and a coalition of states suing the organization. Preston extended a temporary restraining order he had issued last Wednesday barring the NCAA from enforcing its transfer rule for 14 days.The earlier ruling had opened a small window for multiple-transfer athletes to compete. But that window was extended by Monday’s decision, which converts the restraining order into a preliminary injunction. Bailey also canceled a previously scheduled Dec. 27 hearing and said the case would be set for trial no sooner than the last day of competition in the winter and spring sports seasons.“This is a great day for student athletes — they will finally be able to compete in the spor...