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Fed holds the line on rates 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:15 GMT

WASHINGTON  — The Federal Reserve left its key interest rate unchanged for the second time in its past three meetings, a sign that it’s moderating its fight against inflation as price pressures have eased.But central bank officials also signaled that they expect to raise rates once more this year.Consumer inflation has dropped from a year-over-year peak of 9.1% in June 2022 to 3.7%. Yet it’s still well above the Fed’s 2% target, and its policymakers made clear Wednesday that they aren’t close to declaring victory over the worst bout of inflation in 40 years.“The process of getting inflation sustainably down to 2% has a long way to go,” Chair Jerome Powell said at a news conference. “We’ve seen progress, and we welcome that, but we need to see more progress” before concluding that it’s appropriate to end the rate hikes.The Fed’s latest decision left its benchmark rate at about 5.4%, the result of 11 rate hikes it unlea...

Brayan Bello allows career-worst eight runs as Red Sox blown out by Rangers 15-5

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:15 GMT

It started off as well as the Red Sox could have hoped. The offense crushed two home runs in the first two innings to take an early 4-0 lead, and with Brayan Bello on the mound it seemed like the club was sitting pretty.Then the Rangers got rolling, and Bello couldn’t do anything to stop them.The second-year right-hander endured the worst outing of his career Wednesday, allowing eight runs over three innings in Boston’s 15-5 loss to Texas. Bello first melted down in the second, allowing six runs before recording an out in the inning, and after eventually working out of that frame, allowed two more runs in the third, the last on a bases-loaded walk.All told, Bello allowed more runs in his outing than any Red Sox starter this season, and the most since Nathan Eovaldi allowed nine in last summer’s 28-5 debacle against the Toronto Blue Jays.“Not a good one,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “They put some good swings on pitches in the zone, the command...

Fed keeps rates unchanged and signals optimism about a potential ‘soft landing’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:15 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve left its benchmark interest rate unchanged Wednesday for the second time in its past three meetings, a sign that it’s moderating its fight against inflation as price pressures have eased. The Fed’s policymakers also signaled that they expect to raise rates once more this year and envision their key rate staying higher in 2024 than most analysts had expected.But as their latest policy meeting ended Wednesday, the 19 members of the Fed’s rate-setting committee conveyed growing optimism that they will manage to slow inflation to their 2% target without causing the deep recession that many economists had feared earlier this year. It’s a hopeful scenario that economists call a “soft landing.”In a set of new quarterly projections, the policymakers showed that they expect faster economic growth and lower unemployment this year and next year than they had foreseen just three months ago. Even with solid economic growth in sight, they al...

Republican former congressman endorses Democratic nominee in Mississippi governor’s race

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:15 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The last Republican who lost a general election for Mississippi governor is endorsing the Democratic nominee in this year’s race.Democrat Brandon Presley’s campaign released a statement Wednesday from former U.S. Rep. Mike Parker, who said he is choosing Presley over first-term Republican Gov. Tate Reeves.“It’s a big deal for me as a former Republican member of Congress and as a former Republican nominee for governor to vote for a Democrat,” Parker said. “But I’m supporting Brandon Presley because he’s a good man, he’s a conservative, he’s pro-life, and he’s exactly what Mississippi needs at this point in time. Tate Reeves has failed Mississippi. Brandon will not.”Presley has been trying to appeal to voters across party lines.“I want to win this election with a bipartisan, biracial coalition — for Black Mississippians and white Mississippians, Republicans, Democrats, independents,” Presley said during an appearance last week in Summit.Parker was ele...

Trump launches his fall push in Iowa to lock in his lead before the first Republican caucuses

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:15 GMT

MAQUOKETA, Iowa (AP) — Donald Trump began a fall press Wednesday to lock in thousands of Republican caucusgoers in early-voting Iowa, where the former president faces sky-high expectations in his campaign for a White House comeback.Having campaigned far less often in Iowa than many of his 2024 rivals, Trump was making his first of five Iowa visits planned through the end of October. The visits are aimed at converting what polls in Iowa show as a commanding lead into committed supporters and volunteers as Trump’s campaign tries to secure a massive victory that would deny his rivals momentum and effectively end the primary on caucus day.“In less than four months from now, we’re going to win the Iowa caucuses in a historic landslide,” Trump predicted as he addressed a crowd of more than 1,000 people in small-town Maquoketa and urged them to bring friends to the Jan. 15 caucuses.On display was his team’s promised commitment to better organize in Iowa than it did ...

Saudi crown prince says in rare interview ‘every day we get closer’ to normalization with Israel

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:15 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman says in an interview with Fox News airing Wednesday that ongoing negotiations over Israel means the prospects of normalized relations between both countries “get closer” every day but that treatment of Palestinians remains a “very important” issue to be resolved. Saudi Arabia is discussing a major agreement with the United States in which it would normalize relations with Israel in exchange for a U.S. defense pact and aid in developing its own civilian nuclear program. The Saudis have said any deal would require major progress toward the creation of a Palestinian state, which is a hard sell for the most religious and nationalist government in Israel’s history.Widely known as MBS, Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader was asked during an interview on “Special Report with Bret Baier” what it would take to normalize relations with Israel and answered that the Biden administration supports that happening.“For us, the Palestinian is...

Emergency lane along Parliament lost during ‘Freedom Convoy’ protest, court hears

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:15 GMT

OTTAWA — The emergency lane on the street along Parliament Hill was blocked by trucks that had chained themselves together during the “Freedom Convoy” protest in Ottawa last year, the city’s emergency services manager told the court Wednesday.The defence lawyer for one of the protest organizers says that statement doesn’t add up with the manager’s prior testimony. Tamara Lich and Chris Barber are on trial for alleged mischief and counselling others to commit mischief, intimidation and other offences during the protest against COVID-19 public-health measures.Kim Ayotte said the city and police had planned to keep one lane open for emergency vehicles, but it was “lost” after the first night of the protest. Lich’s lawyer Lawrence Greenspon pointed out that Ayotte gave a different answer when asked about emergency lanes last year as part of a federal inquiry into the invocation of the Emergencies Act.“Mr. Ayotte confirmed that convoy...

Travellers rattled by Canada-India row, but trip plans remain unchanged

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:15 GMT

MONTREAL — Travellers and the transportation sector at large have been rattled by the sudden ramp-up in tensions between Canada and India, but see no reason to rethink their overseas plans for now.“People are a little scared,” said Urvi Chawla, who works at Sahib Travel Agency in Brampton, Ont.The agency has been inundated with questions about visas and flight availability. However, no signs of a dip in demand have emerged.“People are asking if anything’s going wrong or if flights will be cancelled,” she said.On Wednesday, Indian officials warned students bound for Canada of security risks here, ratcheting up a spat that erupted after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that India may have been involved in the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in suburban Vancouver.The fallout continues to play out, right down to the retail level.“‘Should I make the booking or not? What about relations between India and Canada?'” Chawla said, paraphrasin...

What is an inverse vaccine and how can it reverse autoimmune disorders?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:15 GMT

Inverse vaccines are opposite of the vaccines we have come to know. Instead of giving a shot to rev up the immune system, these vaccines give orders to stop the immune response to certain cells. Chicago area doctors believe with the inverse vaccine, they may have found the key to disabling some of the most debilitating autoimmune diseases. Dr. Jeffrey Hubbell is an immuno engineer with the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering“A regulatory vaccine, an inverse vaccine, revs up regulatory mechanisms to protect your own cells,” he said. Recent Coverage: Emerging technique offers less invasive, gentler treatment for prostate cancer Think of it as the opposite of a typical vaccine. Researchers at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering have figured out a way to tell the immune system which cells in the body to leave alone. In other words, mark healthy cells otherwise destroyed by multiple sclerosis, Type 1 diabetes or ce...

Justin Fields says he was 'robotic' in loss to Bucs. Is that because of coaching?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:15 GMT

LAKE FOREST, Ill — Many outside the organization have been free to express their frustrations at the start of the Bears' season, and their quarterback is no different. Justin Fields was honest about his play last week and the reason why, during his news conference at Halas Hall on Tuesday afternoon."I felt like I wasn't necessarily playing my game. I felt like I was kinda robotic," said Fields when asked about what he didn't like about his performance in a 27-17 loss to the Bucs. "Not playing like myself." So why did he feel like he was not playing that way? His next response has generated plenty of attention on Wednesday."Could be coaching, I think," said Fields in response to that question. "At the end of the day, the're doing their job when they're giving me what to look at and stuff like that, but at the end of the day, I can't be thinking about that when the game comes. I prepare myself throughout the week, and when the game comes, it's time to play free at that point."Just thi...