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The Supreme Court made big decisions this week and more are coming. Here’s what you need to know

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:03:44 GMT

By JESSICA GRESKO and MARK SHERMAN (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is expected to announce major decisions Friday on President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness program and a case that impacts gay rights. It’s the court’s final day before the justices go on their summer break.Already this week the justices have released important decisions on other issues including affirmative action, voting rights and religious rights. The court’s final opinions tend to be on some of the most contentious issues because writing those decisions often takes the longest.Here’s a look at the decisions the justices issued this week and those left to come:The justices have yet to decide the fate of President Joe Biden’s plan to wipe away or reduce student loans held by millions of Americans. When the court heard arguments in the case in February, the plan didn’t seem likely to survive, though it’s possible the justices could de...

Health care’s AI revolution is well under way

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:03:44 GMT

Discussions about artificial intelligence have proliferated recently as more people have access to programs that can make art or answer questions.In the health care industry, the move to using AI already is well underway.Dr. Jose Morey, an Eastern Virginia Medical School radiologist, has been an AI consultant for the White House Office of Science and Technology and the United Nations and has been involved with NASA initiatives. For example, NASA iTech evaluated a fully autonomous surgical robot being developed to perform appendix removals and similar types of surgeries.Public health predictions, streamlining administration and new drug discovery are among some of the ways for AI already is in use, he said.“It’s just data and mathematics,” Morey said. “That’s it. It’s data and fancy math and it spits out a solution at the end.”He said that’s why it’s important to have the engineers and mathematicians to build algorithms, and to have subject matter experts to know what kind of data to...

Divided Supreme Court outlaws affirmative action in college admissions, says race can’t be used

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:03:44 GMT

By MARK SHERMAN (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided Supreme Court on Thursday struck down affirmative action in college admissions, declaring race cannot be a factor and forcing institutions of higher education to look for new ways to achieve diverse student bodies.The court’s conservative majority effectively overturned cases reaching back 45 years in invalidating admissions plans at Harvard and the University of North Carolina, the nation’s oldest private and public colleges, respectively. The decision, like last year’s momentous abortion ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, marked the realization of a long-sought conservative legal goal in finding that race-conscious admissions plans violate the Constitution and a law that applies to recipients of federal funding, as almost all colleges and universities are.Those schools will be forced to reshape their admissions practices, especially top schools that are more likely to consider the race of applic...

Kansas governor says state will keep allowing gender identities on documents like birth certificates despite a new law

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:03:44 GMT

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas governor says state will keep allowing gender identities on documents like birth certificates despite a new law.

Electrical fire sends smoke billowing from under New York City’s iconic Tiffany store

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:03:44 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — An electrical fire in a transformer that serves the Tiffany & Co. store on New York’s Fifth Avenue spewed thick gray smoke from under the iconic building on Thursday and caused two minor injuries, officials said.The fire did not spread to the store itself, but firefighters evacuated about 100 people from the building as a precaution, Deputy Fire Chief Joseph Carlsen said. Two people suffered minor injuries during the evacuation, Carlsen said.The fire was reported shortly after 9:30 a.m. and was under control by noon, firefighters said. Videos posted on social media showed smoke billowing out from under the store, which had reopened in April after an extensive renovation. The videos showed firefighters battling the blaze with hoses. Carlsen said the fire was in an underground transformer vault that provides power to the Tiffany building. Alfonso Quiroz, a spokesperson for the utility Consolidated Edison, said the cause of the fire was under investigat...

Yankees announcer Ryan Ruocco breaks down his call of Domingo German’s perfect game, shares how David Cone helped

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:03:44 GMT

Yankees announcer Ryan Ruocco had the perfect resource to turn to Wednesday night as he called Domingo German’s perfect game against the Oakland Athletics for the YES Network.Following the fifth inning, Ruocco texted YES analyst David Cone, who threw the Yankees’ previous perfect game more than two decades ago.“I said to him, ‘When did you start thinking about it in July of ‘99?’ And he was like, ‘Now,’” Ruocco told the Daily News. “I already thought, ‘Yeah, we really should start leaning in here a little bit,’ but the fact that Coney, who has a perspective only 23 other people in the history of baseball have, said to me, ‘Now,’ it further validated it’s cool to totally lean in.”German hurled the 24th perfect game in MLB history and the fourth ever for the Yankees. When Esteury Ruiz made the 27th out in the Yankees’ 11-0 win at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Ruocco unleashed an em...

Pirates-Padres game delayed 45 minutes in Pittsburgh due to poor air quality from wildfires

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:03:44 GMT

A game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego Padres was delayed 45 minutes Thursday due to poor air conditions caused by lingering smoke from wildfires in Canada.Moments before the scheduled start time at 12:35 p.m., the game was pushed to a 1:20 p.m. start. During the delay, the Pirates issued a statement stating they would continue to consider weather conditions and air quality index.The game began with the lights turned on at hazy PNC Park, and Pirates star Andrew McCutchen put on a face mask to run the bases after hitting a single in the first inning. Several thousand fans, including many children, were in attendance for the afternoon game.“After collaborative discussions between Major League Baseball, the Major League Baseball Players Association, our team of expert medical providers at Allegheny Health Network, our players and staff, we have made the decision to move forward with our game today,” the Pirates’ statement read. “We will continue to ...

National Geographic lays off all of its staff writers

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:03:44 GMT

Theresa Braine | New York Daily NewsNational Geographic has laid off all its staff writers, leaving the venerable, award-winning magazine to be pieced together by editors and freelancers.In all, 19 editorial staffers were cut, including the small audio department at the magazine. They had been notified in April that the ax would fall, The Washington Post reported. The layoffs are the latest in a slew of cuts at tech and media publications this year.The writers themselves tweeted out the news, focusing on the great run they’d had.“My new National Geographic just arrived, which includes my latest feature — my 16th, and my last as a senior writer,” wrote Craig Welch, whose award-winning work has graced many a cover and shed light on urgent environmental issues. “NatGeo is laying off all of its staff writers. I’ve been so lucky. I got to work (with) incredible journalists and tell important, global stories. It’s been an honor.”“National Geographic is laying off its staff writers, includ...

US pending-home sales drop to lowest this year on limited supply

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:03:44 GMT

Augusta Saraiva | Bloomberg News (TNS)U.S. pending home sales in May fell to the lowest level this year as high mortgage rates and inventory constraints continue to impact sales.The National Association of Realtors’ index of contract signings to purchase previously owned homes dropped 2.7% to 76.5 last month, according to data released Thursday. The decrease was bigger than all but one estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists.The resale market continues to face headwinds as high borrowing costs and low supply weigh on sales. Many homeowners who locked in lowers mortgage rates in the past are reluctant to move, adding to inventory constraints that are pushing many buyers into the new-home market and helping keep existing-home sales subdued.“The lack of housing inventory continues to prevent housing demand from being fully realized,” Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist, said in a statement. “It is encouraging that homebuilders have ramped up production, but the supply from new con...

Planning a road trip this 4th of July? Here’s how much it will cost to fill your gas tank

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:03:44 GMT

If you’re planning to join the estimated 50.7 million Americans taking a road trip for the Fourth of July holiday, less of your travel budget will go out your tailpipe compared to last year, according to the latest data from AAA.As of Thursday, the national price per gallon for regular unleaded gas was $3.549, down 27.3% from a year ago, when it was $4.881.You may have to take less cash, but a lot more patience for your travels: the AAA predicts that holiday travel this year will break the record 49 million trips taken in 2019. About 48.6 million people took to the roads for a trip of at least 50 miles last year.The American Automobile Association tracks gas prices in every area of the country. This chart shows how the national average has changed over the last four years.The highest prices nationwide are currently in Washington ($4.987), California ($4.827), and Hawaii ($4.727). Last year at this time, the Californians were paying $6.308 to take the 405 to the 118 to Madera Rd. to ...