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US stocks edge lower ahead of Fed decision on interest rates

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:55:24 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks edged lower on Wall Street Wednesday ahead of the Federal Reserve’s announcement in the afternoon about whether it will tighten the screws further on the economy. The S&P 500 fell 0.3% in afternoon trading. It’s coming off its first back-to-back gain in two weeks, before the second- and third-largest U.S. bank failures in history threw the industry into turmoil. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 140 points, or 0.4%, to 32,421 as of 1:11 p.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite fell 0.1%.Markets are waiting for the Fed, which is stuck with a difficult decision: whether to keep hiking interest rates to drive down inflation or to ease off the increases given the pain it’s already caused for banks, which could drag down the rest of the economy.A few weeks ago, much of Wall Street was convinced the Fed would pick up the pace on rate hikes given how stubbornly high inflation has remained. The bet was for the Fed to raise rates by 0.50 percentage points ...

Israeli army admits to covert influence campaign in Gaza war

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:55:24 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Days into Israel’s devastating war with Gaza militants in 2021, the Israeli army began deploying keyboard warriors to a second front: a covert social media operation to praise the military’s bombing campaign in the coastal enclave.The Israeli military acknowledged Wednesday that it made a “mistake” in launching the secretive influence campaign on social media in an effort to improve the Israeli public’s view of Israel’s performance in the conflict. The online campaign, which failed to gain traction, was one of several contentious steps taken by the Israeli military in the bloody 11-day war. The fighting killed over 260 Palestinians and 13 Israelis as the military bombed the Hamas-ruled territory and Palestinian militants launched rockets at Israel. Israel’s Haaretz daily first exposed the social media operation on Wednesday, reporting that the army employed fake accounts to conceal the campaign’s origin and engage audiences on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok...

Americans’ faith in banks low after failures: AP-NORC poll

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:55:24 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Only 10% of U.S. adults say they have high confidence in the nation’s banks and other financial institutions, a new poll finds. That’s down from the 22% who said they had high confidence in 2020.Following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank this month, the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research also finds that a majority say the government is not doing enough to regulate the industry.The underwhelming assessment of America’s banks and bank regulation comes after a series of shocks brought back disturbing memories of the 2008-2009 financial crisis. Silicon Valley Bank, the nation’s 16th-biggest, failed March 10 after making risky bets in the bond market. Two days later, regulators closed New York-based Signature Bank, which had gotten involved in cryptocurrencies. Across the Atlantic Ocean, long-troubled Credit Suisse was acquired by rival UBS on Sunday in a shotgun marriage designed to restore confidence in global financial ins...

Man charged after Northwest Indiana woman found beaten to death

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:55:24 GMT

WINFIELD, Ind. — A Northwest Indiana man was charged following the death of a Winfield woman last month.Raju Rawal, 65, of Merrillville, is facing a murder charge related to the Feb. 23 death of Haley Losinski, 36.On the evening of Feb. 27, Losinski's parents found her dead in her Winfield home, located in the 11200 block of Pike Place.Officers initially suspected foul play and Losinski's cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma to the head. Previous - Winfield police: Parents find 36-year-old daughter dead inside home; homicide investigation ongoing After originally not finding a weapon, investigators later returned to the home and found a rubber mallet, according to the Northwest Indiana Times. Police believe Rawal had been in a personal relationship with Losinski.He is being held without bail and his next court hearing is scheduled for May 19.

Outbreak linked to eyedrops leaves 68 infected, 8 blind and 3 dead, CDC says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:55:24 GMT

(WFLA) — U.S. officials are reporting two more deaths and additional cases of vision loss linked to eyedrops tainted with a drug-resistant bacteria.The outbreak has infected 68 people in 16 states, according to the latest update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The bacteria has now caused a total of three deaths and eight cases of people losing their vision, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Tuesday. That's up from one death and five cases of permanent vision loss reported last month.The CDC said four people have undergone surgery to remove an eyeball due to the infections.The CDC said it is investigating the outbreak of an extensively drug-resistant strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Health officials said the stain, called VIM-GES-CRPA, had never been reported in the United States prior to the outbreak."Most patients reported using artificial tears," the CDC said. "Patients reported over 10 different brands of artificial tears and so...

Utah mom dresses as traffic cone to keep drivers alert: 'Every day I see people distracted'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:55:24 GMT

WEST VALLEY, Utah (KTVX) – Motorists driving through West Valley, Utah, may have noticed a an especially large traffic cone in the intersection near Gearld L. Wright Elementary School on Tuesday morning.That's Whitney Durfee. Durfee, a crossing guard from nearby Vineyard, Utah, was turning heads and stopping cars Tuesday while dressed as a traffic cone, all in an effort to share a message about safety.“Just to remind people that I'm here and they need to slow down," Durfee told Nexstar's KTVX. "People react really differently, a lot of smiles, a lot of laughter, and it’s been fun." Terrifying Video: Kids in NC nearly hit at bus stop, alleged driver arrested “Every day I see people distracted. A lot of times it's the parents," she added. "They're worried about getting their kids to and from school and don't check their surroundings."Durfee said she sees close calls near the school almost weekly, including a recent incident where a car stopped just a foot away from her. Diana H...

80s make a return ahead of isolated severe risk

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:55:24 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Less rain and more warmth expected today compared to the gray weather that took hold of most of the area yesterday.Cloudy skies to start the afternoon will gave way to increasing sun late in the afternoon. High temperatures will return to the 80s with noticeable winds gusting 20-25 mph, both of which will combine to bring the warmth.Tomorrow will look and feel about the same - morning clouds with a few pockets of drizzle followed by some afternoon sunshine and 80s.Timing of our next cold front looks to get pushed a little later into the morning Friday, meaning less of a threat overnight but more impacts to Friday's morning commute.A cold front will move into the Hill Country in the pre-dawn hours on Friday and push southeast through early afternoon. A few isolated strong to severe storms are possible - mainly in the Hill Country - in the early morning hours on Friday.Line of storms expected to move in early Friday morningLow risk of strong to severe storms overnigh...

90-year-old critically endangered Houston Zoo turtle becomes first-time dad

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:55:24 GMT

HOUSTON (KIAH) -- At 90 years young, Mr. Pickles is the oldest animal at the Houston Zoo and the newest father after three radiated tortoise eggs hatched. These little Pickles are a big deal (big dill?) for radiated tortoise genetics as their father, Mr. Pickles, is the most genetically valuable radiated tortoise in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP).Mr. Pickles has been at our local zoo for 36 years and has been with his companion, Mrs. Pickles, since she arrived in 1996. The pair have only had one little Pickle previously in 1997. The new tortoises have been named Dill, Gherkin and Jalapeño and will remain behind the scenes in the Reptile & Amphibian House until they are big enough to safely join their parents.The Houston said the new hatchlings came as a surprise when a herpetology keeper happened upon Mrs. Pickles as the tortoise was laying her eggs at closing time. The animal care team quickly went to work uncovering the eggs and gettin...

At new women-owned Minneapolis art gallery, an exhibition explores emotion and abstraction

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:55:24 GMT

A new gallery show in Northeast Minneapolis aims to showcase movement and emotion in abstract art.The exhibition, called “Abstract Vibes,” is on display at Goza Gallery, inside the Northrup King Building artists’ complex, until mid-April. Goza Gallery was launched last fall by four women painters; their artist-in-residence is St. Paul-based collage artist Kristi Abbott.“As observers, we often see or feel (abstract art) differently,” said Sue Mooney, one of the co-owners of the gallery, via email. “When we talk about a particular piece, your experience may be totally different than mine. It can really expand your imagination, as what you see is not stating the obvious, like in realism.”The show opens Friday, March 24, with a free opening reception from 6 to 9 p.m. with light snacks and beverages. A $5 VIP ticket grants first-look access to the show from 5 to 6 p.m., along with the opportunity to purchase any of the artworks in the show before it opens to the public.Abstract Vibes, wh...

More statesmanship needed from Poilievre

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:55:24 GMT

Dear Editor:I am a supportive member of the Conservative Party of Canada. However, I disapprove of the tactics the leader and his advisers have designed in their attempts to bring down the Liberals/NDP and elevate the Conservatives.As Pierre Poilievre is the leader and mouthpiece of the Conservatives we look to him for direction and strategy in strengthening our position for a convincing win in the next election. His major and often his only tactic seems to be that of attack and attack. When Mr. Poilievre is asked a question about his own party’s doings, he turns on Mr. Trudeau and points out him and his party’s failures. If this were to happen once and a while, we could understand, but when it is constant, it begins to grind upon us and we begin to wonder if we chose the right leader from among the candidates that earlier vied for the leadership.Why doesn’t he cordially answer the questions presented to him instead of turning on his opponents and accuse them of some weakness or fai...