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Want to visit Yosemite this summer? You’ll need a reservation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:59 GMT

Does the wilderness feel less wild when it must be scheduled?Summer visitors driving to Yosemite National Park will soon find out, when the park moves to a reservation-only entry system, like movie theaters and theme parks.Overwhelmed by last year’s crush of visitors, the popular park will also require advance booking of vehicles on spring and autumn weekends, according to a plan announced by the Park on Wednesday. Reservations will open at 8 a.m. on Jan. 5.The plan is based on the past four years of experience, as well as public feedback and lessons learned from other national parks, said Superintendent Cicely Muldoon.Reservations were required during the COVID pandemic, then again due to many construction projects that restricted access to certain areas of the park this year.It enhanced the wilderness experience, rather than detracting from it, she said.“The people who were able to get reservations absolutely loved it,” experiencing giant sequoia groves, wilderness and waterfalls ...

Stock market today: Wall Street drifts near its record ahead of the Fed’s announcement on rates

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:59 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is drifting near its all-time high Wednesday, ahead of an afternoon announcement from the Federal Reserve that could show whether all the optimism is warranted.The S&P 500 was 0.2% higher in morning trading and is 3% below its record set early last year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 24 points, or 0.1%, as of 11:28 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.1% higher.Big Tech stocks were helping to lead the way after getting some relief from easing yields in the bond market. Treasury yields sank after a report showed inflation at the wholesale level was a touch cooler last month than economists expected, and Nvidia rose 1.3%.They helped offset an 8.4% loss for Pfizer, which gave a revenue forecast for 2024 that was weaker than analysts expected. Much of the shortfall was due to expectations for its COVID-19 vaccine and treatment.Tesla slipped 3.2% after recalling more than 2 million vehicles across its model lineup to fix a defective ...

La Corte Suprema de EE.UU. decidirá si restringe un medicamento abortivo en todo el país

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:59 GMT

(CNN) — La Corte Suprema dijo el miércoles que considerará si restringe el acceso a un medicamento abortivo ampliamente utilizado, incluso en los estados donde el procedimiento todavía está permitido.El caso se refiere a la mifepristona que, combinada con otra droga, es uno de los métodos de aborto más comunes en Estados Unidos.La decisión significa que el tribunal de tendencia conservadora volverá a meterse en el debate sobre el aborto después de anular Roe v. Wade el año pasado, alterando el panorama del derecho al aborto en todo el país y provocando que más de la mitad de los estados prohibieran o restringieran severamente el procedimiento.El nuevo caso podría decidirse en julio, ubicando a la Corte Suprema en medio de las elecciones presidenciales, donde el acceso al aborto vuelve a ser una cuestión clave.Después de la anulación de Roe vs. Wade, casi 1 de cada 5 personas que buscaban un aborto viajaron a otro estado, según un análisisPor ahora, la mifepristona sigue dispon...

Auburn defensive lineman Marcus Harris declares for NFL draft

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:59 GMT

Auburn All-Southeastern Conference defensive tackle Marcus Harris says he will skip his final season to enter the NFL draft.Harris, who was a first-team Associated Press All-SEC pick, made the announcement in a social media post Tuesday night.The 6-foot-3, 295-pounder made 40 tackles with 11 tackles for loss and seven sacks this season, easily the best of his college career. He didn’t indicate if he would play in Auburn’s Music City Bowl game against Maryland on Dec. 30.Harris transferred from Kansas after the 2020 season. He had 11 sacks and 23 1/2 tackles for loss in 37 games with the Tigers, making 97 tackles.His younger brother, Pike Road (Alabama) High School defensive lineman Malik Blocton, has already signed to play for Auburn next season.___Get alerts on the latest AP Top 25 poll throughout the season. Sign up here.___AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballSource

9 Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza City ambush in sign that Hamas resistance is still strong

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:59 GMT

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinian militants carried out one of the deadliest single attacks on Israeli soldiers since the ground invasion of Gaza began, killing at least nine in an ambush in a dense urban neighborhood, the military said Wednesday, a sign of the stiff resistance Hamas still poses despite more than two months of devastating bombardment.The ambush came after repeated recent claims by the Israeli military that it had broken Hamas’ command structure in northern Gaza, encircled remaining pockets of fighters, killed thousands of militants and detained hundreds more.The tenacious fighting underscores how far Israel appears to be from its aim of destroying Hamas — even after the military unleashed one of the 21st century’s most destructive onslaughts. Israel’s air and ground assault has killed more than 18,600 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health officials. Gaza City and surrounding towns have been pounded to ruins. Nearly 1.9 million people have been driven fro...

Dad to be honored with national award after stopping armed teen near Denver school

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:59 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — A young father who was shot four times while trying to stop a teen from carrying a gun onto a school campus in southwest Denver will be recognized with a national award.Angelo Duran, 30, was picking up his fourth-grade son from Rocky Mountain Prep Southwest, near West Kentucky Avenue and South Federal Boulevard, in October when he saw a teen who appeared to be going after another student near the school.Duran didn't call 911 and said he acted impulsively out of fear a school shooting was about to take place. He chased the teen and was shot four times. Accused 16-year-old allowed at school during sex assault investigation One bullet is still in Duran’s spine. It left him paralyzed, and he’s been in the hospital ever since. Duran said he's glad to be alive.Now, the Uvalde Foundation for Kids, a nonprofit that was formed in response to the May 2022 Ulvade, Texas school shooting, said it would recognize Duran with its National Award for Heroism for his bravery."T...

Carnival cruise ship rescues 6 after vessel capsizes near Dominican Republic

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:59 GMT

Carnival Vista’s team rescued six men stranded in the waters near the Dominican Republic, early Wednesday morning. The rescue operation followed the overnight capsizing of a small cargo vessel. While the cruise ship’s officers successfully saved the stranded individuals, a search continues for six crew members still missing from the cargo vessel.Under the leadership of Captain Paolo Severini, Carnival Vista altered its course upon receiving the emergency alert from an onboard monitoring system. The ship’s officers spotted the six men on a life raft, conducted a successful rescue, and notified Coast Guard authorities in the Dominican Republic about the missing crew members.The six men rescued were brought on board Carnival Vista from a life raft. (Courtesy: Carnival Cruise Line)Carnival Vista crew saves six men stranded at sea. (Courtesy: Carnival Cruise Line)Coast Guard officials launched a search operation for the remaining crew, instructing Carnival Vista to resu...

The Geminids could send hundreds of meteors streaking across the sky this week

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:59 GMT

(CNN) — Sky-gazers will soon have the chance to see dozens of meteors streaking across the sky as the yearly Geminid meteor shower reaches its crescendo.The Geminds are set to peak, or show the most activity, at 2:27 p.m. ET Thursday, according to EarthSky. The best time to view the celestial display will be in the lead-up early that morning between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. in any time zone, said Robert Lunsford, fireball report coordinator for the American Meteor Society.In an area with clear viewing conditions and no light interference from a full moon, NASA estimates that the Geminids could offer up to 120 visible meteors per hour, making it the strongest annual meteor shower, or “king of the meteor showers,” as Lunsford called it. During this year’s event, the moon will be 1% full Wednesday night heading into Thursday, according to the society, allowing the meteors to take center stage.“It all depends on where you’re viewing from. If you’re in the middle of the desert, or on a mou...

Latest EU sanctions package in limbo over Austrian checks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:59 GMT

The EU’s latest package of sanctions against Russia is in limbo over internal checks from Austria, five European diplomats told POLITICO. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the EU has adopted 11 sanctions packages against Moscow — covering everything from energy to banking — in a bid to empty President Vladimir Putin’s war chest. The 12th sanctions package, put forward by the European Commission to EU countries mid-November, has been more focused on measures to tackle sanctions circumvention and includes a ban on Russian diamonds. There was hope that this package would be approved by EU countries in time for the last summit of the year, which kicks off on Thursday, and will also touch upon Ukraine’s prospective accession to the European Union. Securing another set of sanctions against Moscow would also be a welcome political boost for Kyiv, while it strives to carry out the necessary internal reforms to join the bloc.A deal was reached by the EU&...

Commission unblocks €10.2B for Hungary as EU tries to sway Viktor Orbán on Ukraine

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:59 GMT

BRUSSELS — The European Commission on Wednesday unblocked €10.2 billion in frozen EU cohesion funds earmarked for Hungary, one day before European leaders are set to discuss new aid to Ukraine and the opening of accession negotiations for Kyiv, which Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has ferociously opposed.“After a thorough assessment, and several exchanges with the Hungarian government, the Commission considers that Hungary has taken the measures it committed to take,” allowing the EU’s executive to free up the funds, the Commission said in a press release.“This means part of the cohesion policy funding would no longer be blocked, and therefore Hungary may start claiming reimbursements of up to around €10.2 billion,” the statement said.Orbán’s government has been embroiled in a long-standing dispute with Brussels, which has frozen billions of EU funds intended for Hungary over concerns about human rights and the rule of law in the ...