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Israel declares war, goes after Hamas fighters and bombards Gaza

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:14 GMT

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Israeli government formally declared war Sunday and gave the green light for “significant military steps” to retaliate against Hamas for its surprise attack, as the military tried to crush fighters still in southern towns and intensified its bombardment of the Gaza Strip. The toll passed 1,100 dead and thousands wounded on both sides.More than 24 hours after Hamas launched its unprecedented incursion out of Gaza, Israeli forces were still battling with militants holed up in several locations. At least 700 people have reportedly been killed in Israel — a staggering toll on a scale the country has not experienced in decades — and more than 400 have been killed in Gaza.The declaration of war portended greater fighting ahead, and a major question was whether Israel would launch a ground assault into Gaza, a move that in the past has brought intensified casualties.As many as 1,000 Hamas fighters were involved in Saturday morning’s assault, according to U.S. Se...

De’Von Achane and Tyreek Hill lead Miami Dolphins to 31-16 win over New York Giants

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:14 GMT

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Rookie De’Von Achane had a 76-yard rushing touchdown, Tyreek Hill surpassed 150 yards receiving for the third time this season, and the Miami Dolphins beat the New York Giants 31-16 Sunday.The Dolphins’ 524 yards gave them 2,568 for the season, which is the most yards through the first five games of a season in NFL history.With the win, Miami (4-1) regained first place in the AFC East after the Buffalo Bills (3-2) lost to Jacksonville in London earlier Sunday.Tua Tagovailoa was 22 for 30 for 308 yards with two touchdown passes and two interceptions.The Giants’ Jason Pinnock returned one of the interceptions 102 yards for New York’s only touchdown. It was the Giants’ first touchdown in the first half of a game this season. The 102-yard interception return tied for the longest in Giants history.Giants quarterback Daniel Jones left in the fourth with a neck injury after a sack by linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel. Tyrod Taylor replace...

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde clarifies that Aaron Hicks missed hit-and-run sign on Gunnar Henderson’s failed steal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:14 GMT

After Saturday’s playoff loss, Brandon Hyde called it a “miscommunication.” Gunnar Henderson said Hyde made the call. Aaron Hicks declined to say what the sign was, echoing his manager’s description.So … what actually happened?There was confusion Saturday evening over what happened when Henderson was caught stealing in the ninth inning of the Orioles’ 3-2 Game 1 loss to the Texas Rangers, but Hyde clarified Sunday that Hicks missed a hit-and-run sign. By missing the sign, Hicks didn’t swing at a hittable pitch, leaving Henderson out to dry on his stolen base attempt.“We just missed the hit and run sign there,” Hyde said Sunday. “Hicksey has been wonderful for us this entire season in so many ways. We do put runners in motion, we don’t hit a ton of homers, trying to generate offense a little bit at times. And we bunt, we do the little things. And yesterday we just missed a sign in the ninth inning there....

Ticker: Amazon launces web satellites; Georgia sends med pot to drug stores

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:14 GMT

Amazon launched the first test satellites for its planned internet service as a rival to SpaceX’s broadband network.United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket blasted off Friday with the pair of test satellites, kicking off a program that aims to improve global internet coverage with an eventual 3,236 satellites around Earth.Amazon plans to begin offering service by the end of next year.Elon Musk’s SpaceX has a huge head start over Amazon and its founder Jeff Bezos, who has his own rocket company, Blue Origin.SpaceX flew its first test Starlink satellites in 2018 and the first operational satellites in 2019. It has since launched more than 5,000 Starlinks from Florida and California, using its own Falcon rockets.Georgia sends med pot to drug storesGeorgia soon will become the first state in the nation to offer medical marijuana products at independent pharmacies, state officials said.The Georgia Board of Pharmacy began accepting applications last week, and nearly 120 ...

Expanded plastic ban pushed on Beacon Hill

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:14 GMT

Massachusetts could have led the nation in banning disposable food containers made from polystyrene a decade ago, a leader of an environmental advocacy group said as she pitched legislation that has instead stalled on Beacon Hill.More than 10 states and 60 Massachusetts municipalities have passed various bans on polystyrene, which can be made as a hard plastic or foam, said Jess Nahigian, political director of the Sierra Club’s Massachusetts chapter.“Polystyrene is unsustainable, it’s toxic — it is a synthetic petrochemical that doesn’t degrade,” Nahigian said at a Joint Committee on Public Health hearing late last week. “It creates microplastics that we find in our air, our water, our soil, shellfish, etc. It can’t be recycled.”The latest proposals from Rep. Marjorie Decker, the committee co-chair, and Sen. Michael Barrett would apply to single-use disposable products including plates, cups, bowls, hinged or lidded containers, s...

Shaken travelers arrive at LAX from Tel Aviv 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:14 GMT

The Hamas militant group’s surprise attack against Israel on Saturday has sent shockwaves throughout the international community, and now the conflict is hitting home.U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken told CNN on Sunday morning that officials were ‘working overtime’ to confirm if any Americans died because of the attacks, or if any were taken hostage. Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs, Ron Dermer, confirmed that Americans were among those taken captive but gave no details about them nor Americans who may have been killed.  Desperate people dig out dead and injured from quakes that killed over 2,000 in Afghanistan Dermer told CNN's "State of the Union" that he suspects the number of captive and deceased Americans to rise due to the large population of dual Israeli-American citizens.FILE - Israelis inspect the rubble of a building a day after it was hit by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty, Fil...

European soccer’s governing body UEFA postpones upcoming games in Israel

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:14 GMT

NYON, Switzerland (AP) — European soccer’s governing body UEFA has postponed all matches scheduled to take place in Israel over the next two weeks after Hamas’ surprise attack.“In light of the current security situation in Israel, UEFA has decided to postpone all matches scheduled in Israel in the next couple of weeks with new dates to be confirmed in due course,” UEFA said in a statement on Sunday.That includes Israel’s match against Switzerland in 2024 European Championship qualifying, which had been scheduled for Thursday at Tel Aviv’s Bloomfield Stadium.“UEFA will continue to closely monitor the situation and will remain in contact with all teams involved before making decisions on new dates and on potential changes to other upcoming fixtures,” UEFA said.Israel’s Euro 2024 qualifier at Kosovo on Oct. 15 could also be affected with UEFA saying it “reserves a few more days to assess” whether the match can take place on that date “or requires pos...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoes bill aimed at limiting the price of insulin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:14 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill that would have stopped insurance companies from charging more than $35 for insulin.The bill would have banned health plans and disability insurance policies from imposing any out-of-pocket expenses on insulin prescription drugs above $35 for a 30-day supply. That would have included deductibles and co-pays.Newsom, a Democrat, said earlier this year that California would soon start making its own brand of insulin. The state has a $50 million contract with the nonprofit pharmaceutical company Civica Rx to manufacture the insulin under the brand CalRx. The state would sell a 10 milliliter vial of insulin for $30.“With CalRx, we are getting at the underlying cost, which is the true sustainable solution to high-cost pharmaceuticals,” Newsom wrote in a message explaining why he vetoed the bill on Saturday. “With copay caps however, the long-term costs are still passed down to consumers through higher premiums from health plans...

Kiptum sets world marathon record in Chicago in 2:00:35, breaking Kipchoge's mark

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:14 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Kelvin Kiptum set a world record in the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, finishing in 2 hours, 35 seconds to shatter fellow Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge's old mark by 34 seconds.Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands also took advantage of cool and cloudy weather that's considered ideal for a marathon to win the women's race in 2:13:44 — the second-fastest ever for a woman at the 26.2-mile distance. What to know about the 2023 Chicago Marathon Kiptum won the London Marathon in the spring in 2:01:25 and shaved almost a minute off the world record set last year in Berlin by Kipchoge, a two-time Olympic champion and the most successful marathoner ever.“I knew I was coming for a course record, but a world record — I am so happy,” Kiptum said. “A world record was not on my mind today, but I knew one day I would be a world record-holder.”Kipchoge also broke the 2-hour mark in 2019 in a specially designed Vienna exhibition that does not qualify for the world record.Hassan's time is second be...

How long have humans lived in North America? These footprints challenge an old belief

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:14 GMT

(AP) -- New research confirms that fossil human footprints in New Mexico are likely the oldest direct evidence of human presence in the Americas, a finding that upends what many archaeologists thought they knew about when our ancestors arrived in the New World.The footprints were discovered at the edge of an ancient lakebed in White Sands National Park and date back to between 21,000 and 23,000 years ago, according to research published Thursday in the journal Science.The estimated age of the footprints was first reported in Science in 2021, but some researchers raised concerns about the dates. Questions focused on whether seeds of aquatic plants used for the original dating may have absorbed ancient carbon from the lake — which could, in theory, throw off radiocarbon dating by thousands of years. How to see the ‘ring of fire’ eclipse this October, total solar eclipse in April ’24 The new study presents two additional lines of evidence for the older date range. It uses two entirel...