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White House preparing for government shutdown as House Republicans lack a viable endgame for funding

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:40 GMT

WASHINGT)N (AP) — The White House is preparing Friday to direct federal agencies to get ready for a shutdown after House Republicans left town for the weekend with no viable plan to keep the government funded and avert politically and economically costly disruption of federal services.A federal shutdown after Sept. 30 seems all but certain unless Speaker Kevin McCarthy can convince his rebellious hard-right flank of Republicans to allow Congress to approve a temporary funding measure to prevent closures while they work on the annual federal spending plan. But the House is not expected back until Tuesday, leaving just five days to resolve his standoff.“We got members working, and hopefully we’ll be able to move forward on Tuesday to pass these bills,” McCarthy, R-Calif., told reporters at the Capitol.McCarthy signaled his preference for avoiding a closure, but a hard-right flank of his House majority has effectively seized control. “I still believe if you shut down you’re in a weaker...

Assaulted Polish MP urges government to break ‘spiral of hate’ after attack

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:40 GMT

Leading Polish opposition lawmaker Borys Budka urged his country’s government to break the “spiral of hate” ahead of next month’s national elections after he was physically assaulted on Friday.Budka, a senior member of Poland’s largest opposition group, Civic Platform, was attacked by an unidentified man at midday while shopping in Katowice, according to media reports.Budka told reporters that the man verbally abused him before pushing him and breaking the phone he was using to record the encounter. The man was detained by police.“I was called names like German, Tusk’s pig, Nazi,” Budka said, referring to Civic Platform leader Donald Tusk, who has been the subject of barrages of abuse from the ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party and pro-government media.Budka blamed PiS leader and Poland’s de facto ruler Jaroslaw Kaczyński for creating a polarized climate that inspired the attack. He said Kaczyński bears “political res...

‘Nobody is helping us’: Inside the fall of Nagorno-Karabakh

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:40 GMT

KORNIDZOR, Armenia — Many of the men waiting at the Armenian border have been there for days. When news broke on Tuesday that Azerbaijan had launched a major attack into the ethnic-Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, dozens of them pulled on warm jackets and wooly hats and drove towards the checkpoint. Now they can only watch the road, once the sole highway cutting through the mountains to the breakaway region where their families live, hoping their relatives are able to get out.Sleeping in their cars, peering through binoculars, or standing around smoking in small circles on the dusty asphalt, the group of about 40 Karabakh Armenians is only growing, with a sense of angry desperation permeating the air.“Nobody is helping us. Not Armenia, not Russia, not the world,” said one man, spitting out his words with fury.  “Look at my hands” — he held out a palm blackened with dirt — “I’m an honest guy, I’ve worked with these my whole life. Now they’re all I have to protect my family....

iPhone 15 hits shelves around the world. Here’s what you need to know

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:40 GMT

(CNN) — Apple’s iPhone 15 lineup hit stores Friday as people waited in long lines across China, Europe and the US to be among the first to get their hands on one of the company’s next-generation smartphones.Leading up to launch day, analysts at firms such as Wedbush Securities have reported iPhone 15 pre-orders tracking much stronger than originally expected, with a heavy demand on its premium iPhone 15 Pro offerings, especially the Pro Max. Delivery and shipment times have moved to late October through mid-November for various Pro models.The new iPhones come as Apple’s sales fell for the third consecutive quarter last month. iPhone revenue came in at $39.7 billion for the quarter, marking an approximately 2% year-over-year decline, as people update their devices less often.According to Wedbush estimates, about 250 million iPhones have not been upgraded in more than four years. Advancements made to the processor and camera system, along with discounts from mobile carriers, coul...

Orioles recall Tyler Wells, their top first-half starter, to boost beleaguered bullpen

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:40 GMT

Before playing a game for the 15th straight day, the Orioles supplied a fresh arm to their bullpen — a pitcher who was their best starter in the first half.Ahead of Friday’s game with the Cleveland Guardians, Baltimore recalled right-hander Tyler Wells and optioned right-hander Mike Baumann. Through the All-Star break, Wells allowed the fewest base runners per inning of any American League starter, but signs of fatigue showed in three second-half starts, prompting the Orioles to option Wells to the minors. The team soon decided to convert him to a short-relief role for the rest of the season, a position in which he thrived as a rookie in 2021 before becoming a starter the next year.The Orioles hope Wells has moved past his fatigue and can boost a bullpen now experiencing it. Baltimore hasn’t had a day off since Sept. 7 and has three games left before its next break. In the past four games, Orioles relievers have allowed 12 earned runs in 13 2/3 innings, including t...

Save billions or stick with Humira? Drug brokers steer Americans to the costly choice

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:40 GMT

Arthur Allen | (TNS) KFF Health NewsTennessee last year spent $48 million on a single drug, Humira — about $62,000 for each of the 775 patients who were covered by its employee health insurance program and receiving the treatment. So when nine Humira knockoffs, known as biosimilars, hit the market for as little as $995 a month, the opportunity for savings appeared ample and immediate.But it isn’t here yet. Makers of biosimilars must still work within a health care system in which basic economics rarely seems to hold sway.For real competition to take hold, the big pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, the companies that negotiate prices and set the prescription drug menu for 80% of insured patients in the United States, would have to position the new drugs favorably in health plans.They haven’t, though the logic for doing so seems plain.Humira has enjoyed high-priced U.S. exclusivity for 20 years. Its challengers could save the health care system $9 billion and herald savings from the ...

The best places in the Caribbean for nature lovers

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:40 GMT

By Patrick Clarke, TravelPulseIt’s no secret that the Caribbean is one of the world’s premier regions for breathtaking nature.However, some places stand out as can’t-miss destinations for travelers seeking to make a closer connection with Mother Nature.Here are five attractions that offer visitors a unique experience in the natural environment.Waitukubuli National Trail, DominicaThe longest hiking trail in the Caribbean at a lengthy 115 miles, Dominica’s Waitukubuli National Trail showcases all there is to love about the Nature Isle as visitors pass by rivers, waterfalls, dramatic cliffs, rainforests and so much more.The trail, which takes nearly two weeks to traverse, also introduces hikers to the island’s culture and traditions as they pass through small villages along the way.Trunk Bay Underwater Snorkel Trail, US Virgin IslandsAmericans can escape to the U.S. Virgin Islands without a passport and one of the territory’s gems is the Trunk Bay Un...

Health workers warn loosening mask advice in hospitals would harm patients and providers

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:40 GMT

Amy Maxmen | (TNS) KFF Health NewsNurses, researchers, and workplace safety officers worry new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention might reduce protection against the coronavirus and other airborne pathogens in hospitals.A CDC advisory committee has been updating its 2007 standards for infection control in hospitals this year. Many health care professionals and scientists expressed outrage after the group released a draft of its proposals in June.The draft controversially concluded that N95 face masks are equivalent to looser, surgical face masks in certain settings — and that doctors and nurses need to wear only surgical masks when treating patients infected by “common, endemic” viruses, like those that cause the seasonal flu.The committee was slated to vote on the changes on Aug. 22, but it postponed action until November. Once the advice is final, the CDC begins a process of turning the committee’s assessment into guidelines that hospitals throughout th...

Wrigley Field concessions workers OK strike ahead of Cubs’ final home weekend

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:40 GMT

About 700 concessions workers at Wrigley Field could walk off the job at any time after an “overwhelming majority” voted to authorize a strike, said their union, Unite Here Local 1.The concessions workers include bartenders, cashiers, cooks, dishwashers and other food service workers at the North Side ballpark who are employed by Chicago-based food service provider Levy. The workers are employed in stationary concessions stands and suites in the ballpark; vendors who work in the stands are not unionized with Unite Here.The strike vote comes ahead of the final home weekend of the Cubs’ regular season. The team is scheduled to play a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies this weekend, with games scheduled Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The concessions employees’ contract expired in October 2020, said Unite Here, which announced the results of the strike vote late Thursday.Some concessions workers make the city minimum wage of $15.80 an hour, the local sa...

Auto workers are expanding their strike to 38 locations in 20 states, targeting Stellantis and GM

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:40 GMT

By DAVID KOENIG (AP Business Writer)The United Auto Workers union expanded its strike against major carmakers Friday, walking out of 38 General Motors and Stellantis parts-distribution centers in 20 states.Ford was spared additional strikes because the company has met some of the union’s demands during negotiations over the past week, UAW President Shawn Fain said during an online presentation to union members.“We’ve made some real progress at Ford,” Fain said. “We still have serious issues to work through, but we do want to recognize that Ford is showing that they are serious about reaching a deal. At GM and Stellantis, it’s a different story.” GM and Stellantis, he said, have rejected the union’s proposals for cost-of-living increases, profit sharing and job security, and “are going to need some serious pushing.”Instead of targeting more production plants Friday, the UAW went after centers that distribute parts to car dea...