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‘Who’s gonna believe an 11-year-old boy?’: Victim of clergy sex abuse speaks out

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:58:07 GMT

A nightmare has haunted WTOP anchor Dan Ronan for decades. The recurring dream has plagued him for most of his life.“I’m being chased out of the parking lot,” 63-year-old Ronan told WTOP’s DMV Download podcast. “I’m being chased through that parking lot on a dark evening. And he’s chasing me and he’s … screaming at me. And before he would catch me, I would wake up sweating and crying and shaking.”In 1971, Ronan was sexually assaulted in Chicago, Illinois, by Father Thomas Gannon — a respected priest and professor who went on to teach sociology at Georgetown University between 1983 and 1986. Ronan was in the sixth grade at the time, and didn’t tell a soul about the assault for nearly 50 years.“I kept it in and I said, ‘Who’s gonna believe an 11-year-old boy?’ If those circumstances happened nowadays? Yeah, with the [2017] #MeToo movement. They’ll start an investigation. But in 1971, no way. So I...

El grupo Evergrande de China se declara en bancarrota

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:58:07 GMT

(CNN) — El Grupo Evergrande de China, que alguna vez fue el segundo desarrollador inmobiliario más grande del país, se declaró en bancarrota en Nueva York este jueves.La empresa asediada tomó grandes préstamos y dejó de pagar su deuda en 2021, lo que provocó una crisis inmobiliaria masiva en la economía de China, que sigue sintiendo los efectos.Evergrande solicitó la protección por bancarrota del Capítulo 15, que permite que un tribunal de bancarrotas de EE.UU. intervenga cuando un caso de insolvencia involucra a otro país. La bancarrota del Capítulo 15 tiene como objetivo ayudar a promover la cooperación entre los tribunales estadounidenses, los deudores y los tribunales de otros países involucrados en procedimientos de bancarrota transfronterizos.Evergrande no respondió de inmediato a la solicitud de comentarios de CNN.¿Qué es Evergrande?: 5 cosas que debes saber sobre los problemas del conglomerado chino que está al borde del abismoEvergrande Group anuncia plan para reestru...

Braves host the Giants on 5-game home win streak

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:58:07 GMT

San Francisco Giants (64-57, second in the NL West) vs. Atlanta Braves (78-42, first in the NL East)Atlanta; Friday, 7:20 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Giants: Alex Cobb (6-4, 3.62 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 110 strikeouts); Braves: Spencer Strider (13-4, 3.81 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 217 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Braves -224, Giants +184; over/under is 8 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Atlanta Braves, on a five-game home winning streak, host the San Francisco Giants.Atlanta is 78-42 overall and 40-20 at home. The Braves have a 61-7 record in games when they have more hits than their opponents.San Francisco has a 64-57 record overall and a 29-29 record on the road. Giants pitchers have a collective 3.94 ERA, which ranks ninth in MLB play.Friday’s game is the first meeting between these teams this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Matt Olson leads the Braves with 43 home runs while slugging .615. Ozzie Albies is 16-for-45 with a double, four home runs and 14 RBI over the past 10 games.Wilmer Flores lead...

Dodgers open 3-game series at home against the Marlins

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:58:07 GMT

Miami Marlins (63-59, third in the NL East) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (74-46, first in the NL West)Los Angeles; Friday, 10:10 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Marlins: Sandy Alcantara (5-10, 4.15 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 135 strikeouts); Dodgers: Tony Gonsolin (8-4, 4.24 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 80 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Dodgers -147, Marlins +125; over/under is 8 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Los Angeles Dodgers host the Miami Marlins on Friday to begin a three-game series.Los Angeles has a 74-46 record overall and a 41-20 record at home. Dodgers hitters are batting a collective .253, which ranks eighth in the NL.Miami is 63-59 overall and 26-32 on the road. The Marlins have a 47-30 record in games when they record eight or more hits.Friday’s game is the first time these teams match up this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Freddie Freeman has 45 doubles, two triples and 23 home runs for the Dodgers. Mookie Betts is 16-for-41 with three doubles and two home runs over the past 10 games.Luis Arraez ha...

Mets play the Cardinals leading series 1-0

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:58:07 GMT

New York Mets (56-66, fourth in the NL East) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (54-68, fifth in the NL Central)St. Louis; Friday, 8:15 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Mets: Joey Lucchesi (0-0); Cardinals: Zack Thompson (2-4, 3.96 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 34 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Cardinals -149, Mets +130; over/under is 8 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The New York Mets lead 1-0 in a four-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals.St. Louis has a 27-35 record in home games and a 54-68 record overall. The Cardinals are 35-13 in games when they have more hits than their opponents.New York has a 56-66 record overall and a 25-38 record on the road. The Mets have the 10th-ranked team ERA in the NL at 4.54.The teams meet Friday for the fifth time this season. The season series is tied 2-2.TOP PERFORMERS: Nolan Arenado leads St. Louis with 25 home runs while slugging .507. Tommy Edman is 11-for-36 with four home runs and six RBI over the last 10 games.Pete Alonso has 12 doubles, two triples, 37 home runs an...

Nationals start 3-game series at home against the Phillies

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:58:07 GMT

Philadelphia Phillies (66-55, second in the NL East) vs. Washington Nationals (55-67, fifth in the NL East)Washington; Friday, 7:05 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Phillies: Michael Lorenzen (7-7, 3.23 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 93 strikeouts); Nationals: Joan Adon (1-0, 5.14 ERA, .86 WHIP, 14 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Phillies -203, Nationals +170; over/under is 9 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Washington Nationals host the Philadelphia Phillies to begin a three-game series.Washington has gone 27-35 in home games and 55-67 overall. The Nationals are 20-10 in games when they hit at least two home runs.Philadelphia has gone 32-31 on the road and 66-55 overall. The Phillies are 41-9 in games when they scored five or more runs.The matchup Friday is the 11th time these teams square off this season. The Phillies hold a 6-4 advantage in the season series.TOP PERFORMERS: Lane Thomas has 29 doubles, two triples and 20 home runs for the Nationals. Keibert Ruiz is 16-for-38 with two doubles and four hom...

Diamondbacks aim to keep win streak alive against the Padres

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:58:07 GMT

Arizona Diamondbacks (62-60, third in the NL West) vs. San Diego Padres (58-64, fourth in the NL West)San Diego; Friday, 9:40 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Diamondbacks: Brandon Pfaadt (0-6, 6.91 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 50 strikeouts); Padres: Seth Lugo (4-6, 4.16 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 94 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Padres -179, Diamondbacks +151; over/under is 9 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Arizona Diamondbacks seek to keep a three-game win streak intact when they take on the San Diego Padres.San Diego has gone 32-30 at home and 58-64 overall. The Padres have the 10th-best team on-base percentage in MLB play at .325.Arizona has a 32-29 record on the road and a 62-60 record overall. The Diamondbacks have a 48-29 record in games when they record eight or more hits.The teams play Friday for the 11th time this season. The season series is tied 5-5.TOP PERFORMERS: Juan Soto leads the Padres with 50 extra base hits (25 doubles, a triple and 24 home runs). Gary Sanchez is 9-for-33 with a double, four...

Tax charges from defunct Hunter Biden plea deal dismissed, so probe can move forward

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:58:07 GMT

(CNN) — A federal judge in Delaware dismissed two tax misdemeanor charges against Hunter Biden that were filed as part of his now-defunct plea deal, paving the way for special counsel David Weiss to potentially bring more charges in another jurisdiction as part of his continuing probe.After the plea deal collapsed earlier this month, Weiss’ prosecutors asked District Judge Maryellen Noreika to dismiss the charges in Delaware, so new charges could potentially be brought in California or Washington, DC. Hunter Biden’s lawyers agreed that the charges should be dismissed, because they were only brought in Delaware as part of the earlier plea agreement.Noreika approved the procedural request on Thursday.The two charges brought in Delaware were misdemeanors, for failing to pay taxes on time in 2017 and 2018. Without a plea deal in-hand, Hunter Biden could potentially face more serious charges: IRS whistleblowers who worked on the case told Congress they recommended charging the president’...

Russia arrests head of election watchdog

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:58:07 GMT

The head of Russia’s last independent election-monitoring campaign group has been arrested, as the Kremlin carries out a major crackdown on democratic bodies. “Grigory Melkonyants, co-chairman of the ‘Golos’ movement, has been detained and is being questioned by the Investigative Committee as a suspect,” the Russian vote-monitoring group Golos announced Thursday. Melkonyants’ home was searched Thursday morning and he was then detained.The crackdown has not only targeted Melkonyants but also “14 of his associates in eight regions, including Moscow, Kazan and St. Petersburg,” Russian state newswire RIA Novosti said, citing an anonymous source.According to the AP, which spoke with Melkonyants’ lawyer, the watchdog chief will appear in Moscow’s Basmanny District Court on Friday. He faces a maximum sentence of six years in prison for working with what Russia branded “undesirable” international organizations. Accordin...

Wealthy oil nation lays groundwork for ‘eye-popping’ climate fund

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:58:07 GMT

The United Arab Emirates is considering creating a multibillion-dollar fund to spur clean energy investments across the world that it plans to unveil at this year’s U.N. climate talks in Dubai, according to people familiar with the plan.The fund could amount to tens of billions of dollars, with a sizable slice of the money coming from the UAE’s sovereign wealth reserves, according to seven people with knowledge of the discussions. A G-7 government official said envoys from the oil-rich Mideast nation had privately mentioned the idea of a fund of at least $25 billion.“It’s an eye-popping figure,” one of the people familiar with the concept said.Creation of the fund would be one of the largest ever state-sponsored financial efforts to help countries fight climate change. And it comes as the UAE and Sultan al-Jaber, the CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. who is leading the climate talks, have drawn criticism from environmental advocates and some U.S. and European lawmakers for hosti...