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Your odds at the Mega Millions jackpot are slim, but can you increase them?

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:31:41 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — After yet another winnerless drawing Friday, the Mega Millions jackpot has grown to an estimated $820 million ahead of the next drawing. The jackpot has been growing since April and will continue to grow until a ticket (or tickets) successfully matches all six numbers in a drawing. It currently ranks as the fifth-largest Mega Millions jackpot on record, positioned just behind a $1.05 billion prize won by a 2021 ticket in Michigan.What are the odds of winning the Mega Millions?If you, like millions of others, are ready to try your luck at the Mega Millions pot, you should know your chances of winning it are roughly 1 in 302.6 million, slightly worse than the odds of winning the Powerball jackpot. You have a better chance of being attacked by a grizzly bear in Yellowstone National Park (roughly 1 in 2.7 million for all park visitors) or an alligator in Florida (about 1 in 3.1 million, according to the state’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission).But is it possible to...

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy floats an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:31:41 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy says Republicans may consider an impeachment inquiry of President Joe Biden over unproven claims of financial misconduct, as he faces enormous GOP pressure to demonstrate support for Donald Trump ahead of the 2024 presidential election.Speaking Monday on Fox News, McCarthy said the questions raised by House Republicans about the Biden family finances need to be investigated. So far, he acknowledged, the House’s probes have not proven any wrongdoing, but an impeachment inquiry “provides Congress the strongest power to get the rest of the knowledge and information needed.”An impeachment inquiry by the House would be a first step toward bringing articles of impeachment. Such a probe could be as lengthy or swift as the House determines, potentially stretching into campaign season.In his brief comments on Fox, McCarthy said the House needs to “get the rest of the knowledge” of what’s happening with the Biden family finances.“We will fo...

Indianapolis police introduce Officer Gus, a therapy dog providing support and comfort to officers

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:31:41 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS, In. (WSVN) — The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department welcomed its newest and most unconventional addition to the force, Officer Gus, an Australian Mini Labradoodle with a unique role. Officer Gus stands out from his canine colleagues, as he is not trained to sniff drugs or pursue suspects, but to boost the well-being of the officers he serves. As the official therapy dog of the Indianapolis Police Department, Gus’s presence has already had a positive impact on the force.This furry officer has undergone extensive training and boasts an impressive repertoire of over 30 commands. Gus has been specially conditioned to remain composed and unfazed in the face of gunfire and sirens, ensuring he remains a steady source of comfort during high-stress situations. His primary handler also underwent rigorous training to become certified in handling therapy dogs.The decision to introduce Officer Gus to the force is backed by scientific studies that highlight the ...

Panthers agree to three-year extension for forward Eetu Luostarinen

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:31:41 GMT

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Panthers have agreed on a three-year contract extension for forward Eetu Luostarinen, which will put him under contract through the 2026-27 season.Luostarinen, 24, had a breakout season in 2022, setting career highs in goals (17), assists (26) and points (43). During the Panthers’ 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs run, Luostarinen had five points over 16 games, including the winning goal in Game 6 of the opening round against Boston.The Panthers made it to the Stanley Cup Final, where they lost to the Vegas Golden Knights.Carolina selected Luostarinen in the second round (42nd overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft. He was traded to Florida in 2020. He has skated in 212 NHL games, with 78 career points.The 6-foot-3, 190-pound native of Siilinjarvi, Finland, spent three seasons (2016-17 to 2018-19) in Finland with KalPa (Liiga). He appeared in 141 games, collecting 63 points.

Astronomers discover never-before-seen two-faced star

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:31:41 GMT

(CNN) — Astronomers have made a first-of-its-kind discovery — a white dwarf star with two completely different faces.White dwarfs are burnt remains of dead stars. Our sun will become a white dwarf in about 5 billion years after it swells into a red giant star, blows out its outer material and, with only the core left, shrinks back into a blinding white-hot remnant.The newly discovered white dwarf has two sides, one made of hydrogen and the other made of helium. Researchers have nicknamed the star Janus, for the Roman god of transition, which has two faces. A study detailing the findings was published July 19 in the journal Nature.“The surface of the white dwarf completely changes from one side to the other,” said lead study author Ilaria Caiazzo, a postdoctoral scholar research associate in astronomy at the California Institute of Technology, in a statement. “When I show the observations to people, they are blown away.”White dwarfs are incredibly dense, compressing a mass comparable...

Russia raises maximum military draft age to 30

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:31:41 GMT

The lower house of the Russian parliament on Tuesday voted in favor of a bill increasing the maximum conscription age for military service from 27 to 30, in a renewed push by the Kremlin to recruit soldiers to fuel its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.This means that starting January 1, 2024, men aged 18-30 will be subjected to compulsory one-year military service, Russian state-owned newswire TASS reported.The bill still needs to be approved by the parliament’s upper house and signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin to become law.In recent months, Putin has repeatedly sought to expand the military draft to feed Moscow’s army, which has seen conscripts being sent to the front lines in Ukraine.Last week, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner paramilitary group, announced that his troops would not return to fight in Ukraine after relocating to Belarus following an aborted mutiny against Russia’s military leadership last month.

Gulf Stream shutoff could happen this century, scientists warn

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:31:41 GMT

The Atlantic Ocean current that keeps large parts of Europe warm could come to an abrupt and catastrophic stop any time in the coming decades, according to a new study published Tuesday.A collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) was likely to occur “around mid-century under the current scenario of future emissions” — perhaps as soon as 2025 and not later than 2095, said Peter Ditlevsen and Susanne Ditlevsen from the University of Copenhagen in a peer-reviewed study published in Nature Communications.Other scientists urged caution in interpreting the findings.Niklas Boers of the Technical University of Munich, said the modeling was “heavily oversimplified.” The authors of Tuesday’s study themselves admitted they made assumptions that were uncertain. AMOC pushes warm water north along the Gulf Stream. As a result, England, which is at the same latitude as Canada, is much warmer. Its sudden end is a long-standing climate change prediction but there are de...

ESPN: Jaylen Brown agrees to 5-year, $304 million supermax contract extension with Celtics

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:31:41 GMT

Boston Celtics star player Jaylen Brown has agreed to a supermax contract extension with the team that will span five years and total $304 million, the richest deal in NBA history, according to ESPN.ESPN’s Marc J. Spears reported that, per Brown’s agent Jason Glushon, the Celtics were still finalizing “the remaining elements of the historic deal” that beats the previous record set when Nikola Jokic reached a $276 million deal with the Denver Nuggets.This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins forward and captain, announces retirement after 19 seasons

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:31:41 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — Patrice Bergeron, who in two decades with the Boston Bruins established himself as the NHL’s dominant two-way forward and one of the most respected players in the game, announced Tuesday “with a full heart and a lot of gratitude” that he will retire.“I have given the game everything that I have physically and emotionally, and the game has given me back more than I could have ever imagined,” the Bruins captain said in a statement posted on social media. “As I step away today, I have no regrets. I have only gratitude that I lived my dream, and excitement for what is next for my family and I. I left everything out there and I’m humbled and honored it was representing this incredible city and for the Boston Bruins fans.”Bergeron, who turned 38 on Monday, helped the Bruins win the Stanley Cup in 2011 and make two other trips to the Final. He considered retirement last summer only to return for another season: With him as the captain and the first-line center, th...

Ex-US Marine accused of training Chinese military pilots fights extradition to the US

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:31:41 GMT

Brisbane, Australia (CNN) — Former Marine Daniel Duggan once flew Harrier jets for the United States, taking off and landing on Navy carriers during international missions as part of Marine Attack Squadron 214, based in Yuma, Arizona.That was over 20 years ago, but his activity since leaving the service is now the subject of a US indictment that alleges he used his specialist skills to teach Chinese pilots how to land planes on aircraft carriers, claims he denies.Since last October, Duggan, 54, has been held in a maximum-security prison in regional Australia as his lawyers fight an extradition order, approved by Australia’s attorney general, to return him to the US to face trial on charges including money laundering and conspiracy to export US defense services.On Tuesday, Duggan’s lawyers argued for a stay of extradition while Australia’s Office of the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) investigates claims of improper action by Australian ...