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For the third time this week, Earth sets an unofficial heat record. What’s behind those big numbers?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:27:05 GMT

By SETH BORENSTEIN (Associated Press)Earth’s average temperature set a new unofficial record high on Thursday, the third such milestone in a week that already rated as the hottest on record and what one prominent scientist says could be the hottest in 120,000 years.But it’s also a record with some legitimate scientific questions and caveats, so much so that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has distanced itself from it. It’s grabbed global attention, even as the number — 63 degrees Fahrenheit (17.23 degrees Celsius) — doesn’t look that hot because it averages temperatures from around the globe.Still, scientists say the daily drumbeat of records — official or not — is a symptom of a larger problem where the precise digits aren’t as important as what’s causing them.“Records grab attention, but we need to make sure to connect them with the things that actually matter,” climate scientist Friederike...

‘Vanderpump Rules’ star Ariana Madix joins ‘DWTS’ in wake of Scandoval

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:27:05 GMT

“Vanderpump Rules” star Ariana Madix is dancing away from Scandoval.The Bravo personality and “Anger Management” actress, 38, will be joining season 32 of ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars,” “Good Morning America” announced Friday.“We can’t wait to see her moves on the dance floor!” tweeted the morning show staple.Madix — who first joined “VPR,” a spinoff of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” in 2013 — is the first contestant to be revealed from the upcoming season, which will return to ABC this fall after a season spent on Disney+.Ariana Madix (L) and Lala Kent attend CAA Kickoff Party for The White House Correspondents’ Dinner Weekend at The Henri on April 28, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for CAA)“We are going absolutely mad for Madix,” Derek Hough, multiple-”DWTS” winner-turned-judge, said. “Say goodbye to the drama and hello to the dance floor.”Madix’s heartbreak became the fascination of the internet earlier this year when her longtime boyfriend Tom ...

US Treasury chief Yellen and China’s No. 2 leader express hope for improved bilateral communication

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:27:05 GMT

By JOE McDONALD (AP Business Writer)BEIJING (AP) — U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Chinese Premier Li Qiang expressed hope Friday for better communication after Yellen appealed to Beijing not to let frustration over U.S. curbs on technology exports disrupt economic cooperation.Both governments used positive terms to describe Yellen’s visit to China’s capital, which was aimed at improving strained relations, and stressed the importance of U.S.-China economic ties. They announced no plans for more high-level meetings or to revive additional contacts that disputes over technology, security and other respective irritants have disrupted.Yellen is one of several senior U.S. officials expected to travel to Beijing to encourage Chinese leaders to revive interactions between the governments of the world’s two largest economies. Treasury officials said earlier she wouldn’t meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, and no breakthroughs were expected.In a one-h...

Canada’s record wildfire season set to worsen as heat builds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:27:05 GMT

Canada is bracing for higher-than-normal wildfire activity to continue into August, as soaring temperatures and drought turn much of the country’s vast forests into kindling.The Canada fire season, which normally runs from April to September, is barely half over but the country has already surpassed the modern historical record for area burned, with an estimated 8.8 million hectares scorched so far, an area larger than South Carolina. That’s well above the 10-year average of about 805,000 hectares. The previous record of 7.6 million hectares was set in 1989.“Through July, expected warm and dry conditions will increase wildfire risk from British Columbia and the Yukon across the country right to Western Labrador,” Michael Norton, director general of the Northern Forestry Centre at the Canadian Forest Service, said in a briefing. The area at risk is expected to shrink only slightly in August. “It is anticipated that many parts of Canada will continue to see above normal fire activity,...

SoCal teen in finals for annual duct tape prom dress contest

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:27:05 GMT

When you think about duct tape, your first thought probably isn't elegant promwear, but for a Los Angeles teen, it's just that. Karla Torres dedicated 120 hours of her life and used 14 rolls-worth of duct tape to construct a one-of-a-kind prom dress as part of a nationwide contest.Karla is in the finals of Duck brand's annual Stuck at Prom contest, which challenges high school students to transform the utility do-it-all tape into lavish and unbelievable fashion pieces as either a prom dress or tuxedo.Karla drew on inspiration from 18th Century French art for her duct tape prom gown. (Karla Torres)The duct tape brand reviewed hundreds of entries before narrowing down the field to the top 10. Color, craftsmanship, originality and accessories were all considered in the judging criteria, with grand prizes for the two categories of $10,000 in scholarship money being awarded to the winners.For Karla, the amateur fashionista drew inspiration from 18th-century French art to design her duct ...

Texas gunman in Walmart shooting sentenced to 90 life sentences but could still face death penalty

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:27:05 GMT

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — A white gunman who killed 23 people in a racist attack on Hispanic shoppers at a Walmart in a Texas border city was sentenced Friday to 90 consecutive life sentences but could still face more punishment, including the death penalty.Patrick Crusius, 24, pleaded guilty earlier this year to nearly 50 federal hate crime charges in the 2019 mass shooting in El Paso, making it one of the U.S. government’s largest hate crime cases. Police say Crusius drove more than 700 miles from his home near Dallas to target Hispanics with an AK-style rifle inside and outside the store. Moments before the attack began, Crusius posted a racist screed online that warned of a Hispanic “invasion” of Texas. In the years since the shooting, Republicans have described migrants crossing the southern U.S. border as an “invasion,” waving off critics who say the rhetoric fuels anti-immigrant views and violence.Crusius pleaded guilty in February after federal prosecutors took the death penalty...

Activists in Kenya burn tires and block roads to protest taxes. Police detain more than 20 people

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:27:05 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Anti-government demonstrators in Kenya lit bonfires and barricaded major roads in the capital Friday as part of nationwide protests against the government’s plans to increase taxes. Police detained more than 20 protesters.Hundreds of protesters turned up in Nairobi, as well as in the coastal city of Mombasa and the lakeside city of Kisumu, where the opposition enjoys huge support. Some businesses closed their doors. Police dispersed the protesters with tear gas canisters.Protester Emmanuel Wafula in Nairobi said he wanted President William Ruto to lower the cost of living, not raise it through his administration’s newly passed tax package. “He wants to tax the little money we have in our pockets. What will we eat?” Wafula said. “He is increasing taxes to people who have nothing. If one has money, it is okay to be taxed. We have nothing!”Nairobi police commander Adamson Bungei told The Associated Press that “more than 20 people” had been arrested by ...

Fire that killed 2 aboard a cargo ship in New Jersey is expected to burn for days

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:27:05 GMT

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A cargo ship docked at the East Coast’s biggest port smoldered for a third day and will likely burn for several more after the fire claimed the lives of two New Jersey firefighters, officials said Friday, acknowledging that they’ll be discussing how first responders are trained.What caused the fire aboard the Grande Costa d’Avorio, an Italian-flagged vessel carrying cars and other goods, at port in Newark won’t be known until an investigation after the fire is out, according to Coast Guard Capt. Zeita Merchant, the captain of the Port of New York and New Jersey. A crew of 20 firefighters, salvage workers and a New York fire boat blasted jets of water onto the ship to contain the intense heat, which officials have said burned on the 10th through 12th levels at the rear of the ship. Flames occasionally flared from top level. Crews described the difficulty controlling the blaze. “Access is tough. The heat is extreme. It’s a steel box. So it’s...

Stock market today: Wall Street rises after jobs report comes in warm but hopefully not too hot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:27:05 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street shook off a mixed start and gained ground Friday after data suggested the U.S. job market is still warm enough to keep the economy growing but maybe not so hot that it stokes inflation much higher.The S&P 500 rose 0.5% in afternoon trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 76 points, or 0.2%, at 33,999, as of 12:43 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.8% higher.A lot is riding on whether the economy can navigate the narrow pathway to avoid a long-predicted recession. It needs to keep growing despite much higher interest rates instituted by the Federal Reserve to bring down inflation. But it can’t grow so quickly that the Fed feels pressure to brake much harder on the economy to prevent inflation from spiraling higher.Friday’s report showed U.S. employers added 209,000 jobs last month, a slowdown from May’s hiring of 306,000. Perhaps more importantly, it wasn’t far off economists’ expectations. That’s unlike a report from Thursday, wh...

Police investigating east end shooting, 1 victim found

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:27:05 GMT

Toronto Police are on the scene of a shooting in Leslieville that injured one person on Friday afternoon. Officers were called to the Queen Street East and Carlaw Avenue area at around 12:23 p.m. for reports of shots fired. One victim was found in the area with undisclosed injuries. No further details were immediately available. More to come