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Stock market today: Wall Street drifts as it counts down to a decision by the Federal Reserve

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:14 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are drifting Wednesday as Wall Street waits to hear what will come out of the Federal Reserve’s latest announcement on interest rates.The S&P 500 was 0.2% higher in early trading, coming off its third straight losing month largely because of higher yields in the bond market. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 11 points, or less than 0.1%, as of 9:40 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.3% higher.The Fed is wrapping up its latest meeting on interest-rate policy in the afternoon, and the overwhelming expectation is for it to hold its main interest rate steady for the second straight time. It’s already yanked the overnight rate above 5.25% from nearly zero early last year to its highest level since 2001. The big question is whether the Fed will give any hints about how long it will keep the rate high before cutting it to provide financial markets more oxygen.Longer-term Treasury yields have been rising rapidly since the spring and cat...

Nighttime becomes the right time for November football in the Big Ten, like it or not. Bundle up

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:14 GMT

Night football historically has been a rarity in the Big Ten after the first Saturday in November. The conference’s billion-dollar-a-year television package will make it a regular thing beginning next week when Michigan State visits Ohio State for a 7:30 p.m. EST game.The rationale for the general prohibition was that the conference’s traditional footprint in the Upper Midwest made November night games a hardship for teams and fans because of the increasing likelihood of inclement weather.Dollar signs have trumped tradition and any pushback that might have come from the schools.“I get all the reasons why, that’s for sure,” Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck said. “I get it: There’s a massive business aspect of that.”Coaches generally said they have no preference about kickoff times and that their teams are tough enough to play through harsh weather conditions. Wisconsin’s Luke Fickell and Nebraska’s Matt Rhule said night games at any point in the season can create raucous ...

How this weekend’s clock change can affect your driving

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:14 GMT

You may get an hour of sleep back this weekend when the clocks switch to standard time, but the time change can still affect your sleep habits enough to leave you fatigued and drowsy, which is a big problem as you hit the road.“Anytime we change our body’s kind of natural time clock or circadian rhythm, it messes with us,” Matt Camden, a senior research associate with the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, told WTOP.Camden said that drowsiness is a contributing factor to a large percentage of crashes on American roads. An estimated 10% to 20% of crashes may be related to drowsiness and fatigue, but he said an exact number is “hard to nail down.”The worst times to drive when it comes to drowsiness is 2 to 4 a.m., unsurprisingly, when the natural circadian rhythm in the human body is at its lowest.“Of course, some people have to drive during that time, whether you’re a professional truck driver, or whether you’re working third shift,” Camden commented. “The key ...

Liquor store owner shot during robbery in Arapahoe County

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:14 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Deputies are investigating a shooting at a liquor store early Wednesday morning.According to the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office, the shooting took place at 1422 S. Parker Road at the OK Liquor store at about 5:58 a.m.SkyFOX flew over the scene where several emergency personnel were on site. Deputies were setting up crime scene tape around the liquor store. Caught on camera: Truck driver’s dash cam captures intense crash on I-70 According to Deputy John Bartmann with the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office, at least two suspects broke into the liquor store using a rock to smash the windows.The owner confronted the suspects inside the store, and a suspect fired shots and hit the owner in the leg. At that point, the owner returned fire but neither of the suspects were hit. The two suspects then fled the scene in a red vehicle, according to Bartmann.The suspects were last seen traveling north on Parker Road. Download the FOX31 App: Breaking news alerts & Pinpoin...

Miami Police arrest suspect in violent sexual assault case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:14 GMT

The City of Miami Police Department’s Special Victims Unit arrested a man, they said, was wanted in connection with a violent sexual assault earlier in the week. According to officials, 24-year-old Mike Kevin Jacques was apprehended Monday following a felony traffic stop. A 29-year-old female victim reported that at around 5:30 a.m. Monday, as she was taking out her trash, Jacques approached her from behind, grabbed her by the hair, and forcibly pulled her away from her home into a nearby parking lot. At that location, officials said, Jacques took off her clothes and sexually assaulted her. The victim was able to fight off Jacques, escape and get help. She then located an off-duty Miami Police Officer at the intersection of North Miami Avenue and 77th Street.Special Victims Detectives promptly launched an investigation and were able to review nearby surveillance footage which confirmed her account. Through investigative leads, officials said, detectives were able to locate the...

Pilot accused of threatening to shoot captain who tried to divert flight for a medical emergency, officials say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:14 GMT

(CNN) — An armed pilot on a commercial airliner threatened to shoot the flight’s captain if they diverted the flight for a passenger medical event, according to a statement from the US Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General and court documents.Jonathan J. Dunn was indicted by a Utah grand jury on October 18 and charged with interference with a flight crew, stemming from an August 2022 incident, according to court documents.Dunn used a dangerous weapon to assault and intimidate a crew member, interfering with the crew member’s ability to perform their duties, the documents state.Dunn, who was the crew’s first officer, “told the Captain they would be shot multiple times” after a disagreement regarding a possible flight diversion for a passenger medical event, the Office of Inspector General said.The inspector general’s statement didn’t say which airline was operating the flight, but Delta told CNN in a statement, “This first officer is no longer employ...

Boris Johnson asked scientists if COVID could be killed by hairdryer up nose, ex-aide claims

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:14 GMT

LONDON — Boris Johnson asked the U.K.’s most senior scientist and medical professional if it was possible to use a hairdryer to kill coronavirus, his former top aide Dominic Cummings claimed Wednesday.In his written submission to Britain’s ongoing coronavirus inquiry, Cummings — who was sacked by Johnson in 2020 and has made clear his ongoing disdain for his old boss — was highly critical of both Johnson’s management of the COVID pandemic and Britain’s governing systems.In the 115-page document, Cummings said Johnson at one stage “circulated a video of a guy blowing a special hair dryer up his nose ‘to kill COVID’.” The video, which Johnson sent to top advisers and officials via WhatsApp, has since been removed from YouTube.The former adviser said Johnson then asked the U.K. government’s Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance and Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty “what they thought.” Cummings did not detail how th...

‘Existential to who?’ US VP Kamala Harris urges focus on near-term AI risks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:14 GMT

LONDON — U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris urged the international community Wednesday to focus on the “full spectrum” of artificial intelligence risks, and not just far-off existential threats from the emerging tech.Speaking at the U.S. Embassy in London as British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s AI Safety Summit kicked off 50 miles away at Bletchley Park, Harris nodded to the existential risks such as AI being used to create bioweapons and launch cyberattacks that are the focus of Britain’s summit.But she called for a broader definition of AI safety to include existing and near-term threats of the tech. “Let us be clear, there are additional threats that also demand our action. Threats that are currently causing harm, and which to many people also feel existential,” Harris said.“When a woman is threatened by an abusive partner with explicit deepfake photographs, is that not existential for her?,” she asked by way of example. “When a young father is wrongfully imprisoned because ...

Salem State University student killed in overnight shooting near campus

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:14 GMT

Authorities say a university student was killed early Wednesday morning after a shooting in Salem.The Essex District Attorney’s Office said 18-year-old Carl Hens Beliard of Salem State University was found inside a vehicle suffering from gunshot wounds around 1:30 a.m. after officers were called to Forest Avenue for a report of a shooting.According to the DA’s office, Beliard was pronounced dead after he was taken to Salem Hospital.“As both the Salem State president and a college dad, this tragedy is heartbreaking for all in our community and every parent’s worst nightmare,” Salem State University President John Keenan stated.“This senseless gun violence is tragic not only for the victim’s family but for the SSU community and beyond. State Police detectives assigned to my office are working closely with the Salem Police Department and Salem State University officials to identify and bring the person responsible to justice,” Essex District Attorney Paul Tucker said....

More adults should be screened for lung cancer under updated guideline, American Cancer Society says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:14 GMT

(CNN) — Nearly 5 million additional people are recommended to get screened for lung cancer under an updated guideline from the American Cancer Society, which expanded its recommendations to include older adults who smoke or formerly smoked — no matter how long ago they quit smoking.Previously, the American Cancer Society recommended annual lung cancer screening for adults ages 55 to 74 with at least a 30 pack-year smoking history who either currently smoke or quit smoking less than 15 years ago. Now, the organization says how long ago you quit smoking should no longer be a factor in whether you get screened for lung cancer.In its updated guideline, published Wednesday in the CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, the American Cancer Society recommends annual lung cancer screening for current or past smokers, ages 50 to 80, with at least a 20 pack-year smoking history. A pack-year is defined as smoking an average of one pack of cigarettes per day for one year. For instan...