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A ‘rolling recession’ or a ‘richcession’ might spare the US economy from a full-scale downturn

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:16 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Despite more than a year of widespread warnings that a recession was near, America’s economy is, if anything, accelerating. Even as the Federal Reserve has sent borrowing costs sharply higher, the economy’s resilience has been on plain display: Consumers keep spending, and employers keep hiring. Inflation has reached its lowest level in two years, helping Americans stretch their paychecks.The government estimated Thursday that the economy expanded at a solid 2.4% annual rate in the April-June quarter, an unexpected pickup from the 2% pace in the first quarter. Businesses helped drive the growth, with robust investment in equipment, software and buildings. The latest snapshot of the economy coincides with rising sentiment that it may achieve an elusive “soft landing,” in which growth slows and inflation falls without igniting a full-blown recession. Analysts point to two trends that might help stave off an economic contraction. Some say the economy is experiencing a...

Biden announces an advanced cancer research initiative as part of the bipartisan ‘moonshot’ effort

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:16 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s administration on Thursday announced the first cancer-focused initiative under its advanced health research agency, aiming to help doctors more easily distinguish between cancerous cells and healthy tissue during surgery and improve outcomes for patients.The administration’s Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, or ARPA-H, is launching a Precision Surgical Interventions program, seeking ideas from the public and private sectors to explore how to dramatically improve cancer outcomes in the coming decades by developing better surgical interventions to treat the disease.ARPA-H is modeled after the military-focused DARPA, which spawned the internet and GPS. The administration hopes the new investment will yield tools that will help surgeons avoid healthy nerves and blood vessels, while ensuring they can remove all cancerous cells. ARPA-H, along with the administration’s “cancer moonshot,” is a key part of Biden’s “unity a...

Today in Sports – Week Ahead, July 28 – August 3

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:16 GMT

July 281913 — The United States wins its first Davis Cup since 1902 by beating Britain three matches to two.1928 — The Summer Olympics open in Amsterdam and the Olympic flame is lit for the first time.1929 — The Chicago Cardinals become the first NFL team to train out of state, holding camp in Michigan.1972 — The American Basketball Association announces that San Diego will receive a franchise and the NBA’s Buffalo Braves relocate to San Diego and are renamed the San Diego Clippers.1972 — The Dallas Cowboys beat the College All-Stars in Chicago 20-7.1984 — The Summer Olympics open in Los Angeles with a record 140 nations competing. The Soviet Union and 13 Communist allies, including Cuba and East Germany, boycott the games.1987 — Laura Davies shoots a 1-under 71 to defeat Ayako Okamoto and JoAnne Carner in an 18-hole playoff to win the U.S. Women’s Open.1987 — Angel Cordero Jr. becomes the fourth U.S. jockey to win 6,000 races when he rides Lost Kitty to victory at Monmouth Park, N....

Poland’s ruling party leader vows to protect the EU border with Russia’s ally Belarus

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:16 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The European Union’s border with Russian ally Belarus has become more dangerous because of Russia’s military presence there, and securing the frontier is the Polish government’s top priority, Poland’s ruling party leader said Thursday.Jaroslaw Kaczynski, a deputy prime minister and head of the conservative Law and Justice party, made the comments while visiting the village of Koden on the EU’s border with Belarus. The Polish defense minister was due to meet with troops on the border later in the day.Amid Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, thousands of Russia’s Wagner mercenaries have deployed to Belarus over the past month, and the Kremlin says it also has moved some of its short-range nuclear weapons into Belarus.“We want to say it clearly: We are doing everything that is needed and that is sufficient for us to easily repel any potential provocations or aggressive undertakings,” from the Belarus side, Kaczynski said.Last year, Poland’s rig...

Este julio será, con diferencia, el mes más cálido registrado en el planeta y el más caluroso de los últimos 120.000 años, según los científicos

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:16 GMT

(CNN) — A medida que vastas franjas de tres continentes se calcinan bajo temperaturas abrasadoras y los océanos se calientan a niveles sin precedentes, los científicos de dos autoridades climáticas mundiales informan antes de que termine julio que este mes será el más caluroso del planeta registrado hasta ahora.El calor de julio ha sido ya tan extremo que es “prácticamente seguro” que este mes batirá récords “por un margen significativo”, según afirman el Servicio de Cambio Climático Copérnico de la Unión Europea y la Organización Meteorológica Mundial en un informe publicado este jueves.Acabamos de vivir el período de tres semanas más caluroso del que se tiene constancia, y casi con toda seguridad en más de cien mil años.Normalmente, estos récords, que registran la temperatura media del aire en todo el mundo, se superan por centésimas de grado. Pero la temperatura de los primeros 23 días de julio promedió 16,95 grados Celsius (62,51 Fahrenheit), muy po...

Hayao Miyazaki’s ‘The Boy and the Heron’ to open Toronto Film Festival

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:16 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — “The Boy and the Heron,” the first film in a decade by Japanese anime master Hayao Miyazaki, will open the 48th Toronto International Film Festival, organizers announced Thursday.The long-awaited “The Boy and the Heron” opened earlier this month in Japan under the title “How Do You Live?” Miyazaki, the 82-year-old co-founder of Studio Ghibli and the maker of films including “Spirited Away” and “My Neighbor Totoro,” came out of retirement to make his 12th feature. “The Boy and the Heron,” about a boy named Mahito whose mother is killed in the WWII fire bombings of Tokyo, was released without any trailer or marketing promotions in Japan as a way, Miyazaki has said, to make seeing the film more of a discovery. But “The Boy and the Heron” will get a big platform to make its North American premiere when it kicks off TIFF on Sept. 7 at the Roy Thomson Hall.“We are honored to open the 48th Toronto International Film Festival with the work of one of cinema’s grea...

Trump lawyers meeting with prosecutors as potential new federal indictment looms, AP source says

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:16 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawyers for Donald Trump were meeting Thursday with members of special counsel Jack Smith’s team as a potential indictment loomed over the former president’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, according to a person familiar with the matter.The meeting included Trump lawyer John Lauro, said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to The Associated Press to describe a private gathering.Trump earlier this month was informed by Smith’s office that he was a target of the Justice Department’s investigation, suggesting that an indictment could be soon.A spokesman for Smith declined to comment on meeting.

11-year-old Florida girl arrested for fake kidnapping report inspired by YouTube challenge

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:16 GMT

PORT ORANGE, FLA. (WSVN) – An 11-year-old girl from Port Orange was taken into custody after texting a false kidnapping report to 911, leading law enforcement to launch an extensive search for a non-existent armed suspect. The incident occurred on Wednesday morning on South I-95 in Oak Hill, according to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office.The deceptive 911 call prompted a swift response from multiple agencies, including deputies from the Sheriff’s Communications Center, Edgewater, New Smyrna Beach, and Port Orange police, as well as Air One. However, despite their efforts, no sign of the alleged white van and its armed male suspect was found.The events unfolded at approximately 9:45 a.m. when a dispatcher at the Sheriff’s Communications Center received a text message reporting a suspicious incident. The sender, an 11-year-old girl, claimed that her 14-year-old friend had been kidnapped, stating that she was trailing the suspect’s vehicle in a blue Jeep.Over t...

DiGiorno pilots vending machine pizza service

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:16 GMT

DiGiorno, the popular frozen pizza brand, is venturing into the world of vending machines to bring its mouthwatering 10-inch thin-crust pizzas to consumers on the go. The company has recently set up two experimental kiosks in strategic locations – one inside a Walmart store in Colorado and another at the Nestlé Company’s Ohio campus.The vending machines, equipped with commercial-grade ovens, are the key to delivering piping hot, fully-cooked DiGiorno pizzas in just three minutes. Pizza enthusiasts can now savor the delectable flavors of classic Cheese and zesty Pepperoni pizzas at their convenience, without compromising on taste or quality.The cost of this swift and tasty indulgence? Each 10-inch DiGiorno pizza from the vending machine is priced at approximately $9, making it a competitive and affordable option for those seeking a delicious and fuss-free meal.

‘Cocaine Sharks’ documentary suggests sharks consume narcotics dumped in ocean

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:16 GMT

FLORIDA KEYS (WSVN) — Marine biologists uncovered evidence suggesting that sharks off the coast of Florida may be consuming dumped cocaine from the Atlantic and Caribbean Sea. The U.S. Coast Guard, responsible for seizing tens of thousands of pounds of cocaine and other drugs each year, has left some wondering about the fate of the narcotics that evade capture – leading to a potential connection with these enigmatic sea creatures.Marine biologist Tom “The Blowfish” Hird and his team of researchers conducted a unique experiment as part of the “Cocaine Sharks” documentary for Shark Week. “Sharks are intelligent creatures,” Hird emphasized the intelligence of sharks. “They’ve gone up and touched it with the only thing they’ve got, their mouth, and taken a bite out of it. They would have got to hit of cocaine, so, it sounds crazy, but, the probability of it occurring is actually quite high.”To test the theory, the t...