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Feldman: It’s time to bring back the independent counsel

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:16:28 GMT

The two federal criminal prosecutions most in the news right now — of Donald Trump and Hunter Biden — highlight the limits of the existing special counsel regulations. In one case, the executive branch is prosecuting the president’s leading opposition candidate. In the other, the executive branch is prosecuting the president’s son. The president, of course, is the head of the executive branch.We need a better system.To be sure, the prosecutors seem to be doing everything by the book. Yet the fact remains that, in a democracy, one candidate shouldn’t be able to prosecute another. And no one should ever be in the chain of command for the prosecution of their own child.There is a cure, one adopted by Congress after Richard Nixon ordered the firing of special prosecutor Archibald Cox during Watergate: Congress can pass a law creating a genuinely independent counsel, one who cannot be fired by the president. This would create a legitimate distance between the president and the prosecutio...

Comics Come Home talent at full strength for TD Garden show

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:16:28 GMT

Back in the early ‘90s, when Denis Leary was watching Cam Neely, Cam Neely was watching Denis Leary.During his storied professional career with the Bruins, Neely spent a lot of off nights in Boston’s comedy clubs.“I really enjoyed watching live standup,” Neely told the Boston Herald. “I preferred to do that over going to a movie so I’d go with a couple teammates to comedy clubs.”Neely dug the whole rising Boston comedy scene — a crowd of comics that included Steven Wright, Steve Sweeney, and Lenny Clarke. But there was one younger comic who he really wanted to check out.“I got to know (comedy booker) Mike Clarke, Lenny’s brother, and I said, ‘Listen, if Denis Leary ever comes into town to do anything, let me know, I’d love to see him,’” Neely said. “He said, ‘As a matter of fact he is doing a comedy benefit in Worcester.’”Neely made the trip west, loved the set, met Leary at the show, and the two became fast friends. That friendship continues to this day through the Cam Neely Founda...

Street corn pudding a twist on Southern classic

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:16:28 GMT

Summer is the best season because that’s when we get to eat corn.This easy corn pudding recipe is made with two types of canned corn: the cream variety and kernel.Rich and creamy, with a soft, soufflé-like texture, corn pudding is a classic Southern side dish. Here, it gets extra oomph from roasted jalapeno peppers and a generous dusting of crumbled queso fresco, a soft and slightly tangy white cheese that’s a staple in many Mexican kitchens.The result is “like Mexican street corn and cornbread had a baby,” says Ernest Servantes, whose Texas restaurant Burnt Bean Co. originated the elotes-flavored dish.No truer words have ever been spoken!The pudding is offered as a side dish but honestly, you could almost make a vegetarian meal out of it if you pair it with a nice salad. I wouldn’t turn it down for breakfast, either. Also, while it’s best served hot, it’s pretty delicious at room temperature, too.Crema, the Mexican version of sour cream (it...

Pesto & aioli add fresh kick to easy chicken salad

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:16:28 GMT

If you want nothing to do with the oven or the stove, look to the Curious Palate’s Chicken Salad and simply skip over the part about roasting the chicken.Garnished with dried cranberries and roasted, sliced almonds, the salad is bound by a garlicky mayo that gets a punch of flavor from a freshly made basil pesto. (If you don’t want to make your own aioli or pesto, you can buy those premade as well — we don’t judge.)This wonderful chicken salad from Mar Vista’s The Curious Palate restaurant features almonds, dried cranberries and scallions.TAG GOES HEREThe Curious Palate’s Chicken SaladINGREDIENTS1 (5- to 5 1/2-pound) roasting chickenSalt1/2 apple1/2 lemonA few sprigs thyme1 garlic clove2 bay leaves5 black peppercornsDIRECTIONSHeat the oven to 375 degrees.Season the chicken with 1 teaspoon salt, seasoning the inside and outside. Stuff the chicken with the apple, lemon, thyme, garlic, bay leaves and black peppercorns.Truss the chicken and place it on a rack in a roasting pan. Ro...

Lowry: GOP race not quite as over as it looks

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:16:28 GMT

If it “got late early” in the old majestic Yankee Stadium with its long shadows, as the famous Yogi Berra quote had it, it’s gotten late before about the fourth inning in the Republican presidential race.A new national CBS poll has Donald Trump leading second-place Ron DeSantis by 46 points, 62-16. The latest Fox News poll had a more modest 37-point Trump lead. (Vivek Ramaswamy is third in both surveys, at 7 and 11% respectively.)It’s sometimes said that Trump is the de facto incumbent in the race, and indeed these are the kind of numbers you’d expect of a sitting president who is sweeping marginal opponents to the side as he secures his party’s renomination.The top-line results aren’t that different from the primacy race — such as it is — on the Democratic side. The Fox poll has Joe Biden beating Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. 64 to 17, with Marianne Williamson at 9.Is there a mercy rule in presidential politics?Trump could be forgiven ...

Watermelon’s the star of this steakhouse wedge salad

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:16:28 GMT

Steakhouse fans eagerly anticipate digging into the savory cuts of sizzling beef waiters serve up. The precursor to that portion of the meal is often a wedge salad, which offers a crisp complement to the richness of the steak.Wedge salads are traditionally made with iceberg lettuce and drizzled with a flavorful dressing – often blue cheese. However, there’s no set rules when it comes to wedge salads. With this recipe for “Watermelon Wedge Steakhouse Salad,” courtesy of the National Watermelon Promotion Board and 2018 Watermelon Recipe Contest Winner Chauna Havey, diners can skip the lettuce altogether.TAG GOES HEREWatermelon Wedge Steakhouse SaladINGREDIENTSFor the dressing:1/3 cup finely diced watermelon1 cup sour cream1/3 cup peeled and finely diced watermelon rind1/4 cup watermelon juice1 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon black pepperFor the salad and toppings:4 thick wedges of watermelon4 tablespoons real bacon crumbles4 tablespoons blue cheese crumbles2 tablespo...

Editorial: Biden can’t spin his way out of migrant crisis

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:16:28 GMT

President Biden and his White House handlers are nothing if not masters of spin.He insisted his Build Back Better agenda, which called for trillions in government spending, would cost “zero dollars.”As the country reeled from brutal inflation spurred by all that spending, Biden termed it “transitory,” and when that didn’t work, blamed inflation on Donald Trump (“It was already there when I got here, man,” he said).Now Biden’s having his Katrina moment, running damage control with a trip to Maui to see the devastation caused by the massive wildfires there. His earlier, dismissive “no comment” take on the disaster casts a pall on any words of comfort from him.Yet Democrats are still backing Biden for re-election, despite his dismal poll numbers. A Morning Consult survey found 77% of potential Democratic primary voters saying they would opt for Biden.The spin is strong.But it may be hitting a snag.The immigration crisis has sp...

Dear Abby: Hubby thinks it’s fun to talk dirty to women

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:16:28 GMT

Dear Abby: My husband has, for years, felt the need to talk filthy and ask sexual questions of other women. It bothers me something terrible. He’s upset that I ruin his “fun,” and insists he isn’t hurting anyone and that he likes being the life of the party. We have fought over this for years, and I’m exhausted from it.I told him I don’t see the need for him to do this, and he continues to tell me I need to quit being so unreasonable. I don’t know what to do, and I’m ready to just give up. It doesn’t make me love or respect him. I actually loathe him when he does it. Please help. — Repelled in IowaDear Repelled: It’s sad that your husband would continue to do something he knows embarrasses you. You can’t change him, so it’s time to change the way you react to his outrageous behavior. Try ignoring him and distancing yourself when it happens.It would be interesting to know how his questions affect the women ...

Over 7,000 impacted in San Diego power outage

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:16:28 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- An outage in three San Diego neighborhoods left over 7,000 San Diego Gas & Electric customers without power Tuesday evening, according to the utility company.The outage, which started at 4:38 p.m., impacted four circuits in the neighborhoods of Logan Heights, Mountain View and Lincoln Park. A total of 7,117 people are estimated to be without power at the beginning of the outage.According to SDG&E, electricity was expected to be resorted at 10 p.m. As of 9:40 p.m., all of the customers have had their power restored.The cause of the outage has not yet been determined by the utility company.This comes several days after Tropical Storm Hilary brought widespread power outages to SDG&E customers in the region, due to heavy rain and wind.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Man, 86, accused of assuming dead brother’s identity in 1965 is convicted of several charges

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:16:28 GMT

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — An 86-year-old man accused of assuming his brother’s identity decades ago and using it to double dip on Social Security benefits has been convicted of several charges, caught by facial recognition technology that matched the same face to two different identities, authorities say.Napoleon Gonzalez, of Etna, assumed the identity of his brother in 1965, a quarter century after his sibling’s death as an infant, and used the stolen identity to obtain Social Security benefits under both identities, multiple passports and state identification cards, law enforcement officials said.A U.S. District Court jury in Bangor on Friday convicted him of mail fraud, Social Security fraud, passport fraud and identity theft. Mail fraud carries the greatest potential prison sentence, up to 20 years.His attorney said Tuesday that he intends to appeal and will seek to keep Gonzalez out of prison until the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issues a ruling.Gonzalez’s benefits wer...