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'Lighting a fuse': Amazon vote may spark more union pushes

What happens inside a warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama could have major implications not just for the country’s second-largest employer but the labor movement at large. Organizers are pushing for some 6,000 Amazon workers there to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union on the promise it will lead to better working conditions, better pay and more respect. Amazon is pushing back, arguing that it already offers more than twice the minimum wage in Alabama and workers get such benefits as health care, vision and dental insurance without paying union dues. The two sides are fully aware that it’s not just the Bessemer warehouse on the line. 

DraftKings buys VSiN sports betting video broadcast company

DraftKings has bought Vegas Sports Information Network, a multiplatform broadcast and content company delivering sports betting news, analysis, and data to U.S. customers. DraftKings made the announcement Tuesday. The acquisition provides more content for DraftKings, which has retail or online sports betting operations in 14 states. Terms of the deal were not released. It continues a nascent trend in the industry of sports betting and gambling companies acquiring broadcast partners in an effort to reach more potential sports betting customers, a tactic employed last year by Bally’s Corp. in partnering with Sinclair Broadcast Group. VSiN's on-air roster includes the noted sports broadcaster Brent Musburger.

School plotters often are bullied, suffer from depression

Students who make plans to attack schools show the same types of troubled histories as those who carry them out. A U.S. Secret Service study released Tuesday shows the students were badly bullied, often suffered from depression with stress at home and exhibited behavior that worried others. The report finds that if other students, teachers and the community are aware of these behaviors, they can work to prevent school shootings. The study by the Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center is a twist on the study of school shootings. The group analyzed 100 students responsible for plotting 67 thwarted attacks nationwide from 2006 to 2018 in K-12 schools.

US home prices soared in January by most in seven years

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. home prices increased at the fastest pace in seven years in January as the pandemic has fueled demand for single-family houses even as the supply for such homes shrinks. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-city home price…

Epic Games complains about Apple to UK competition watchdog

LONDON (AP) — Epic Games submitted a complaint Tuesday about Apple's alleged “monopolistic practices" to the U.K. competition watchdog, which is investigating the iPhone maker over concerns it has a dominant position in app distribution. The move by the maker…

Dapper Labs, creators of NBA Top Shot, get $305M in funding

Canadian blockchain technology company Dapper Labs has secured $305 million in private funding — some of it from current and former NBA players, including Michael Jordan — to scale up its virtual NBA trading card site, the company said Tuesday. Dapper says NBA Top Shot has rung up $500 million in sales and registered more than 800,000 accounts since October. The virtual cards come in the form of a floating digital cube with a video highlight of an NBA player. A LeBron James dunk sold for $210,000 recently but more common cards can often be had for less than $10. 

Review: Tammy Duckworth illustrates a bold refusal to quit

Tammy Duckworth’s path to U.S. senator from Illinois was strewn with obstacles that would have defeated all but the most determined. The daughter of a white American military man and a Thai-Chinese woman, Duckworth endured prejudice in her early years overseas and poverty in Hawaii. But as Associate Press critic Jeff Rowe observes in his review of “Every Day Is a Gift: A Memoir,” Duckworth overcame far greater obstacles than those as an Army helicopter pilot. Hers is an enduring story of how unfailing determination and a refusal to quit can overcome the most difficult challenges. “When the only obstacle is effort,” Duckworth writes, she will “move heaven and earth.”

Leader of Merkel's party vows to boost German voters' trust

BERLIN (AP) — The new leader of Chancellor Angela Merkel's party pledged Tuesday to restore voters' confidence after discontent over Germany's pandemic management and a scandal over lawmakers enriching themselves in mask-procurement deals led to a sharp drop in its…

EU commissioner holds migration talks with Greek officials

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The European Union’s home affairs commissioner was meeting Tuesday with Greece’s prime minister and foreign minister, a day after touring two of the eastern islands in the Aegean Sea most heavily affected by migration into Europe.…

Trump's heir? Pence reemerges, lays groundwork for 2024 run

Former President Donald Trump recently rattled off the names of those he viewed as future leaders of the Republican Party, including Sens. Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz along with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Conspicuously absent from the list: Mike Pence. The former vice president is steadily reentering public life as he eyes a potential run for the White House in 2024. He’s writing op-eds, delivering speeches, preparing trips to key primary states and launching an advocacy group that will likely focus on promoting the Trump administration’s accomplishments. But Trump’s neglect in mentioning Pence during a podcast interview earlier this month signals the former vice president’s unique challenge. 

Former SC governor, congressman Sanford joins lobbying firm

Mark Sanford, the former South Carolina governor, congressman and one-time presidential candidate, is going to work for a lobbying firm. Shumaker Advisors announced Tuesday that Sanford would be joining the firm, working from Charleston. The government relations arm of a law firm founded in 1925, Shumaker Advisors operates seven offices in Ohio, Florida, Michigan and the Carolinas. It wasn’t immediately clear if Sanford, technically an advisor at the firm, would register as a lobbyist. Sanford has been working to find a foothold since end of the most recent iteration of his political career. He served two stints in the U.S. House, was elected twice as governor and mounted a short-lived 2020 GOP challenge to Donald Trump.

BTS condemns anti-Asian racism, says they've experienced it

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — K-pop superstar group BTS has condemned racism against Asians, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in a statement saying they've experienced it themselves. “We stand against racial discrimination,” BTS tweeted Tuesday in English and Korean. The…

Baylor broils No. 3 Razorbacks, ready for even bigger game

Baylor more than lived up to its top-seeded billing, pulling away from No. 3 Arkansas early and then again the second the game got uncomfortably close. The Bears booked a spot in the Final Four come Saturday against No. 2 Houston, which had a much tougher time shaking free from 11th-seeded Oregon State. The Bears' win was more commanding than it looked; even opposing coach Eric Musselman conceded “they played phenomenal tonight.” The other side of the bracket is in action Tuesday, with overall top seed Gonzaga facing No 6 USC, and the final No. 1, Michigan, taking on 11th seeded UCLA.

German industrial union, employers reach pay agreement

BERLIN (AP) — Germany's biggest industrial union and employers on Tuesday reached a deal that will give workers a one-time “corona bonus” and envisions an extra annual payment starting next year. The deal between employers and the IG Metall union…

Baylor beats Arkansas 81-72 for first Final Four in 71 years

Baylor reached the Final Four for the first time in 71 years, getting 22 points from MaCio Teague and a dominating defensive performance from Davion Mitchell to beat Arkansas 81-72. The South Region final was a reunion of former Southwest Conference programs aiming to join another (Houston) in the Final Four. The top-seeded Bears had not been able to get over the Elite Eight hump in two previous tries under Scott Drew and appeared to be barreling toward a blowout. The Razorbacks trimmed an 18-point lead down to four. The Bears ran away from there, right into next weekend’s Final Four against the Cougars.

China sharply reduces elected seats in Hong Kong legislature

China has sharply reduced the number of directly elected seats in Hong Kong's legislature in a setback for the democracy movement. The changes were announced Tuesday after a two-day meeting of China's top legislature. In the new make-up, the legislature will be expanded to 90 seats, and only 20 will be elected by the public. Currently, 35 seats or half of the 70-seat legislature are elected. Of the other seats, 40 will be chosen by an election committee that currently selects Hong Kong’s leader. The remaining 30 will be picked by groups representing various professions and interests. 

McDonald powers Arizona past Indiana and into Final Four

Aari McDonald scored 33 points and No. 3 seed Arizona beat fourth-seeded Indiana 66-53 to earn its first trip to the Final Four of the women’s NCAA Tournament. McDonald did everything for the Wildcats, from slashing drives to a banked-in 3-pointer. She briefly left the game with a twisted ankle with 2:35 left, but limped back on and scored six more points. Arizona advanced to Friday’s national semifinal against top-seeded UConn. Mackenzie Holmes scored 20 points for Indiana, which was playing its first Elite Eight game.

Houston tops Oregon State, reaches 1st Final Four since '84

Houston overcame a blown 17-point lead to hold off Oregon State 67-61 in the NCAA Tournament and reach the Final Four for the first time in 37 years. Quentin Grimes hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 3:21 left and Marcus Sasser finished with a game-high 20 points. Maurice Calloo scored 13 points to lead the 12th-seeded Beavers, who were trying to become the lowest-seeded team ever to make the Final Four. Houston built its big lead behind a dominant defense but poor shooting after halftime allowed Oregon State to rally.

One Good Thing: A Singapore skyline view for migrant workers

Migrant workers are getting a bird's eye view of Singapore, with the public's help. The ItsRainingRaincoats initiative asked Singaporeans to donate tourism vouchers they've received from the government to the workers. They did, by the thousands. Migrant workers in dormitories accounted for many of Singapore's coronavirus cases, and their movements are still restricted. So riding a Ferris wheel and seeing other attractions was a welcome diversion. Ganesan Thivagar and his dormitory mates didn't mind the rain when they got their chance to ride the Singapore Flyer. Thivagar marveled at how the skyline had changed over the years and snapped photos to send home to India. 

Stepping up Myanmar coup penalties, US suspends trade deal

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States on Monday suspended a trade deal with Myanmar until a democratic government is restored in the Southeast Asian country after a Feb. 1 coup followed by a violent crackdown on protests. The military overthrew…

Barty goes distance, tops Azarenka to reach Miami quarters

Ash Barty seems to enjoy getting pushed to a deciding set. The top seed from Australia moved into the quarterfinals of the Miami Open on Monday, holding off 14th-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 6-1, 1-6, 6-2 in a matchup of past Miami champions. Barty improved to 17-3 in her last 20 matches that have gone the distance. Another winner Monday was world No. 2 Naomi Osaka, who ran her winning streak to 23 matches.

Asian shares mixed after Wall St. fall, mixed market signs

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mixed in listless trading Tuesday after U.S. stocks finished mostly lower as cause for optimism, such as the Suez Canal reopening, mixed with caution about the vaccine rollout. Japan's benchmark slipped 0.1% in morning…