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Stock market today: Wall Street ticks higher with hopes US may avoid default

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:44 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is drifting higher Wednesday, though it remains stuck in the tight range where it’s been for a month and a half.The S&P 500 was 0.4% higher in early trading, on pace for a seventh straight week where it moves by less than 1%. That would be its longest such streak since 2018. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 133 points, or 0.4%, at 33,145, as of 9:45 a.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.3% higher.Markets got some lift from hopes that the U.S. government may avoid a first-ever default on its debt. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said late Tuesday that Democrats and Republicans could reach a deal by the end of the week, though the two sides remain far apart.They’re staring down a June 1 deadline, which is when the U.S. government could default on its debt unless Congress allows it to borrow more. A default could rock the financial system because Treasurys are assumed to be the safest possible investment on Earth, and economists say it ...

Is it illegal to pick columbines in Colorado?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:44 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — While heading out on a spring hike, you might come across the beautiful white and lavender flower that has been designated as Colorado's state flower. But be warned, columbines are only meant to be admired because it is illegal to pick them.The Aquilegia caerulea, more commonly known as the Colorado blue columbine or the Rocky Mountain columbine, was adopted as the state flower on April 14, 1899.According to the Colorado General Assembly, a statewide contest asked schoolchildren across Colorado to pick the state flower, and the columbine won with more than 14,000 votes.Typically, columbines bloom from May to July and can be spotted all over the state. But did you know it is actually unlawful to pick a columbine? New to Colorado? 20 facts you should know According to the Colorado General Assembly, it is the duty of Colorado citizens to protect the state flower from needless destruction or waste. In 1925, a state law was created to prohibit the uprooting of the flowe...

Prince Harry, Meghan pursued by 'reckless' photographers in 'near catastrophic' New York car chase

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:44 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Prince Harry and his wife Meghan were pursued by photographers in cars after a charity event in New York, the couple's office said Wednesday.The pair, together with Meghan’s mother, were followed for more than two hours by a half-dozen vehicles with blacked-out windows after leaving the event.Their office said in a statement that the chase “resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers.” It called the incident “near catastrophic.”Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, died in a car crash in 1997 while being pursued by paparazzi in Paris.The NYPD did not provide immediate comment to describe or corroborate the royals’ statement about the incident.“While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety,” the statement from the couple said.Security for Harry and Meghan has been an issue since the British government stripped them of protection w...

DeSantis signs bills targeting drag shows, pronouns, bathroom use and transgender children

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:44 GMT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis chose a Christian school as his setting for signing bills Wednesday that ban gender affirming care for minors, restricts pronoun use in schools and forces people to use the bathroom corresponding with their sex in some cases.DeSantis has made anti-LGBTQ+ legislation a large part of his agenda as he builds towards a Republican presidential campaign. He signed the bills in front of a cheering crowd at the Cambridge Christian School in Tampa. The ceremony had a campaign-like feel, as opposed to when he signed measures on abortion and gun rights in private.“It’s kind of sad that we even have some of these discussions,” DeSantis told the crowd as he stood behind a lectern with a sign that read “Let Kids Be Kids.”He said the new laws will prevent mutilation of minors, protect children from “sexually explicit” entertainment and keep pronouns from being forced on students.“We never did this through all of human history until lik...

‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ drops teaser trailer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:44 GMT

We’re getting our first look at the much anticipated “Five Nights at Freddy’s” movie.The Blumhouse horror film is based on the popular survival horror video game franchise created by Scott Cawthon.As you can see, the teaser revealed how those game mechanics have been incorporated into the adaptation.The Emma Tammi-directed film stars Josh Hutcherson as a hapless security guard.Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, and Kat Conner Sterling will also appear in the movie.It’s set to debut on Peacock on October 27, the same day as its theatrical release.

State education officials want to interview students of Florida teacher under investigation for showing Disney movie to class

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:44 GMT

(CNN) — Florida education officials want to speak with students who were shown a Disney movie in their fifth-grade class, sparking an investigation of their teacher over the state’s law against the teaching of sexual orientation or gender identity.A letter was sent to “sent to several students’ parents” indicating investigators from the Florida Department of Education would be at the Winding Waters K-8 school as soon as Wednesday and may interview students, Hernando County Schools spokesperson Karen Jordan said.Parents can object to the interview, according to the Miami Herald, which obtained a copy of the letter. School officials were made aware of the planned visit last week, it reported.The investigation centers on teacher Jenna Barbee, who said she showed her class the movie “Strange World” as their peers were finishing standardized testing. The 2022 Disney film tells the story of a family of explorers and features a gay character.A parent of one of Barbee’s students, ...

Turtle causes semi-truck to hit multiple vehicles stopped on Florida highway

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:44 GMT

DEFUNIAK SPRINGS, Fla. (WSVN) — A turtle on the road caused a semi-truck to slam into several cars in Walton County after a vehicle stopped in the middle of the road in an attempt to save the slow-moving reptile.According to a Facebook post from the Walton County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO), a driver stopped on the southbound lanes of US-331, located in Florida’s panhandle, to help the shelled creature to the other side of the road.“Residents and visitors alike should marvel at the many species that call Florida home. Just preferably not in the middle of the road,” said the Facebook post.Dashcam video from the 18-wheeler captured the encounter as it failed to brake in time while other cars were stopped on the street.The WCSO released the video to caution drivers against stopping in the middle of the road, especially on a fast-moving highway.“We all can do better to protect the wildlife and natural inhabitants of our great state. Residents and visitors...

Black Sea grain deal extended for 2 more months, Erdoğan says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:44 GMT

A U.N.-brokered deal making it possible for Ukraine to export grain through the Black Sea has been extended for two months, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Wednesday, averting a looming threat of shipments stopping completely at a time of deepening world hunger.“With the efforts of our country, the support of our Russian friends and the contributions of our Ukrainian friends, it was decided to extend the Black Sea Grain Corridor Agreement for another 2 months,” Erdoğan said in a tweet. “Good luck to the whole world.”The fate of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, struck between the United Nations, Turkey, Russia and Ukraine last July, had hung in the balance after the Kremlin warned that from this Thursday, it would no longer be in a position to guarantee the safety of ships passing through the Bosphorus to collect cargoes from Ukraine’s southern ports and deliver them to world markets.With Erdoğan leading after the first round of voting in a pr...

Justice Department watchdog finds US attorney in Massachusetts tried to influence DA election

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:44 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The top federal prosecutor in Massachusetts, who has announced her resignation, tried to influence the outcome of a race for Boston’s district attorney and violated multiple policies, the Justice Department’s internal watchdog said in a report released Wednesday.The inspector general’s 161-page report alleges a broad array of misconduct by U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins. It accuses her of disclosing to a journalist nonpublic information about a Justice Department investigation, soliciting and accepting 30 free tickets to a Boston Celtics game and accepting payment from a sports and entertainment agency for travel and means.The watchdog said Rollins used her position to try to influence last year’s race for the Democratic nominee for district attorney of Suffolk County, which includes Boston, by leaking a potentially damaging information about District Attorney Kevin Hayden while supporting his political rival.The investigation also determi...

Genetic predisposition toward higher blood pressure, cholesterol may be linked to Alzheimer’s risk, study finds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:44 GMT

(CNN) — A genetic tendency toward certain forms of higher blood pressure and cholesterol is linked to a potential increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease, a new study finds.The exact cause of Alzheimer’s is unclear, and although there are medications available to slow the progress of the disease, there is still no cure.Scientists have been racing to understand Alzheimer’s better so that they can figure out ways to prevent or treat it.The understanding can’t come soon enough. More than 6 million Americans have the condition now, but the Alzheimer’s Association predicts that number will more than double by 2050, costing the country $1 trillion. Women and people who are Black or Hispanic are disproportionately affected by the disease.The researchers on this study, published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Network Open, were trying to understand modifiable risk factors that might keep someone from developing Alzheimer’s. They also hoped to help guide drug devel...