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The US is moving quickly to boost Israel’s military. A look at what assistance it is providing

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:25:20 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Within hours of the horrific attack by Hamas, the U.S. began moving warships and aircraft to the region to be ready to provide Israel with whatever it needs to respond. A second U.S. carrier strike group departs from Norfolk, Virginia, on Friday. Scores of aircraft are heading to U.S. military bases around the Middle East. And special operations forces are now assisting Israel’s military in planning and intelligence. The buildup reflects U.S. concern that the deadly fighting between Hamas and Israel could escalate into a more dangerous regional conflict. So the primary mission for those ships and warplanes for now is to establish a force presence that deters Hezbollah, Iran or others from taking advantage of the situation. But the forces the U.S. sent are capable of more than that.The U.S. is also expediting the shipment of munitions and interceptors for Israel’s fight against Hamas.A look at what weapons and options the U.S. military could provide: WEA...

Republican Steve Scalise is seen as a fighter, but becoming House speaker might require a brawl

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:25:20 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — With his walker positioned on the mound, Rep. Steve Scalise threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Washington Nationals ballpark, a breathtaking comeback for the Republican congressman who just months earlier was fighting for his life after a gunman had opened fire on lawmakers at their own charity baseball game practice.An “American hero,” is how Republican colleagues describe Scalise after the 2017 shooting and on Wednesday, a narrow majority of them nominated him as their next House speaker following the unprecedented ouster of the former speaker, Rep. Kevin McCarthy.Scalise, 58, and recently diagnosed with blood cancer, spent the rest of the day holed up in the stately Speaker’s office at the Capitol, vigorously working to secure the support he will need from his detractors to lead the divided Republican majority ahead of a full House vote to take the gavel.“As we’ve all witnessed, he is a fighter,” said Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky. “He has proven against all o...

To reach their goals, Twins know they’ll need to vanquish the Astros

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:25:20 GMT

When he stood up to address his teammates after the Twins were eliminated from the playoffs on Wednesday night, Carlos Correa had multiple messages he wanted to get across to the assembled group.Remember this feeling, he told his teammates, because you don’t want to feel this again. And also show up to spring training ready — they’ll be seeing more of the Houston Astros, and they need to be prepared to beat them.“We’re going to compete against those guys again,” Correa said. “If you want to get to a World Series, you’ve got to beat that team. We’re going to prepare for that.”With the 3-2 win over the Twins on Wednesday night at Target Field, the Astros advanced to the American League Championship Series for the seventh straight season. They’ve been to the World Series in four of those seasons and have won two rings. Simply put: The road to the World Series in the American League runs through Houston, as it has for the better part of a decade.“We’re not that far from playing in...

Why did the Twins pull starter Joe Ryan so early in their elimination game?

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:25:20 GMT

The writing was on the wall for starter Joe Ryan early on with the Twins facing elimination against the Houston Astros.Not long after Ryan served up a home run to Astros left fielder Michael Brantley, things started to stir in the bullpen. Though he managed to get out of the frame without allowing any more runs, Ryan exited after a couple of innings, ceding the rest of the game to the collection of relievers.Why did manager Rocco Baldelli decide to pull Ryan so early in the elimination game?“Truthfully, in an elimination game like we were in today, there’s no need to ride our starter,” Baldelli said. “We wanted to get the best stuff out of Joe possible.”In the end, the Twins suffered a 3-2 loss to the Astros on Wednesday night at Target Field, with lefty reliever Caleb Thielbar serving up the home run to Astros first baseman Jose Abreu that proved to be the difference.“I feel terrible about it,” Thielbar said. “I know it’s not all on m...

Winning $1.73 billion Powerball ticket sold in Southern California; 3rd SoCal jackpot in a year

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:25:20 GMT

For the third time in less than a year, a Powerball jackpot worth more than $1 billion has been sold in Southern California, this time crowning a $1.73 billion winner in Frazier Park.  The winning numbers were: 22, 24, 40, 52, 64 and the Powerball 10. Before someone won the giant prize, there had been 35 consecutive drawings without a big winner, stretching back to July 19 when a player in California matched all six numbers and won $1.08 billion. The jackpot is the world’s second-largest lottery prize after rolling over for 36 consecutive drawings, since the last time someone won the top prize on July 19. That streak trails the record of 41 draws set in 2021 and 2022. The only top prize that was ever bigger was the $2.04 billion Powerball won by a player in California last November. Earlier this week, a $1 million ticket was sold in Orange County.  The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

USPS provides shipping deadlines ahead of busy holiday season

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:25:20 GMT

With the holiday season quickly approaching, many people will be sending holiday gifts and packages all across the world. To help customers plan their shipping timelines during the busy holiday season, the United States Postal Service has released their holiday shipping and mailing deadlines. To allow ample time for packages to arrive to their destination by December 25, USPS advises shoppers to adhere to the shipping deadlines listed below: USPS Ground Advantage — Dec. 16First-Class Mail (including greeting cards) — Dec. 16Priority Mail — Dec. 18Priority Mail Express — Dec. 20 USPS Ground Advantage is a new shipping option that provides a simple, reliable and affordable way to ship packages in 2-5 business days based on distance. USPS also announced that there will be no holiday peak or demand surcharges this year to allow customers to accurately budget for shipping costs. Shipping deadlines for international mail vary depending on the destination. Check out Int...

Powerball ticket sold in Kern County wins $1.73 billion jackpot

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:25:20 GMT

FRAZIER PARK, CALIF. – A single ticket sold in Kern County claimed the $1.73 billion Powerball jackpot Wednesday night.Related ArticlesCalifornia News | Powerball jackpot leaps to $1.73 billion, second largest prize in the lottery’s history California News | Powerball ticket worth $1.3 million sold in San Francisco California News | Powerball jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.2 billion for Wednesday’s drawing California News | San Jose Powerball player so close to $800 million, will have to settle for $800K California News | Powerball jackpot swells to $925 million after no winner snagged the prize Wednesday night The grand prize, the second-largest in U.S. history, has an estimated cash value of $756.6 million.The ticket was sold at Midway Market & Liquor on Frazier Mountain Park Road, about 6½ miles west of Interstate 5.The $2.04 billion jackpot won last November in California still ranks as the la...

VIDEO: RV catches fire in Oakland

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:25:20 GMT

(KRON) -- An RV caught fire in Oakland on Wednesday night, the Oakland Fire Department said. The RV was parked on 17th Street and Willow Street where the blaze has since been knocked down. Nine firefighters responded to the fire, officials said. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Vehicle crashes into SF building, causes large gas leak: officials Video from the Citizen App shows the vehicle engulfed in flames. Watch the video in the media player above. Willow and 17th Street is located in West Oakland near Raimondi Park.

A Powerball player in California snags an estimated $1.73 billion lottery jackpot, ending long stretch with no winner

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:25:20 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A Powerball player in California snags an estimated $1.73 billion lottery jackpot, ending long stretch with no winner.Source

Twins whiff their way to ALDS loss to Astros with 14 more strikeouts by MLB record holders

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:25:20 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Carlos Correa waited on deck with two outs in the ninth inning and the Minnesota Twins trailing by one run, eager for another at-bat against his former team.Tied for the third-most RBIs in postseason history, Correa has occasionally pointed to his wrist after clutch hits to signify the biggest situations are his time to shine.This moment never came. Houston closer Ryan Pressly completed a perfect ninth by striking out the side, hitting the outside corner with a full-count fastball that froze Max Kepler and ended a 3-2 victory for the Astros that eliminated the Twins in Game 4 of their AL Division Series on Wednesday night.The Astros advanced to their seventh straight ALCS. Correa played for them in the first five before coming to Minnesota.“The experience matters, and they played really good baseball this series,” Correa said. “They were just a little bit better than us.”Just a little bit better, but in a lot of ways.The Twins, who set a major league record ...