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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis launches 2024 presidential campaign to challenge Trump

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:18 GMT

By STEVE PEOPLES, ADRIANA GOMEZ and ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE (Associated Press)MIAMI (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis entered the 2024 presidential race on Wednesday, stepping into a crowded Republican primary contest that will test both his national appeal as an outspoken cultural conservative and the GOP’s willingness to move on from former President Donald Trump.The 44-year-old Republican revealed his decision in a Federal Election Commission filing before an online conversation with Twitter CEO Elon Musk. It marks a new chapter in his extraordinary rise from little-known congressman to two-term governor to a leading figure in the nation’s bitter fights over race, gender, abortion and other divisive issues. DeSantis is considered to be Trump’s strongest Republican rival even as the governor faces questions about his readiness for the national stage.DeSantis’ audio-only announcement was to be streamed on Twitter Spaces beginning at 6 p.m. EDT. He was followi...

Bruins’ Don Sweeney named GM of the Year finalist

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:18 GMT

Don Sweeney could be forgiven if he believed he did everything he could to construct a Stanley Cup team when the 82-game regular season ended. He would not have been the only one.The Bruins GM was named one of the three finalists for NHL GM of the Year along with the Florida Panthers’ Bill Zito and Dallas Stars’ Jim Nill, as voted on by the league’s general managers. Sweeney won the award after the 2018-19 season, when the B’s finished one win short of the Cup.Though the B’s were stunned in the first round by Zito’s Panthers, the club set team and league records for wins (65) and points (135).Sweeney’s work actually began two summers ago, when he dipped into the free agent market to sign this season’s Vezina Award favorite Linus Ullmark, solid bottom six regulars Nick Foligno and Tomas Nosek as well as short-timer Erik Haula, whom Sweeney flipped last summer for Pavel Zacha. The versatile, 26-year-old Zacha posted 21-36-57 totals and i...

What you need to know about vitamin D and wellness

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:18 GMT

Vitamin D is a nutrient known for its role in building and sustaining healthy bones. At the same time, emerging studies are showing that vitamin D is important for many other functions in the body. Vitamin D deficiency is relatively common, even in those with a healthy diet. Here is what you need to know about vitamin D and wellness.Vitamin D supports numerous cellular processes including anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, antioxidant, immune health, and muscle and brain function. Vitamin D helps with the absorption of calcium and phosphorus in the gut, protecting and strengthening the bones.Also known as the sunshine vitamin, vitamin D is produced from cholesterol when your skin receives sun exposure. However, even living in sunny climes, it is challenging to receive adequate vitamin D from sunshine alone. Certain foods and vitamin D supplements are other essential sources of vitamin D.There are two main dietary forms of vitamin D, vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) and vitamin D2 (ergo...

Here’s how AI will change the way we work in the next 25 years

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:18 GMT

Here’s an easy prediction about how artificial intelligence will impact work over the next 25 years: It won’t look anything like Skynet.Although references to “The Terminator” movie franchise’s world-conquering and human-hating AI are everywhere in the discussion of programs like ChatGPT or Midjourney, self-aware computer programs are squarely in the realm of fiction.“(Artificial intelligence) doesn’t have any agency. We are controlling it and changing the algorithms all the time,” said Anima Anandkumar, a professor of computing and mathematical sciences at Caltech.The “artificial intelligence” technologies available today — and into the future, barring an unforeseen sudden breakthrough — are programs that predict what to generate based on the patterns in their existing data sets.They’re essentially much more sophisticated versions of the software that suggests words while typing a text message on a smart phone. As anyone who’s ever allowed their smartphone to suggest whole sentence...

These fintechs are automating the budgeting process

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:18 GMT

René Bennett | Bankrate.com (TNS)While not a bank in the traditional sense, Oportun — formerly known as Digit — is offering a new way for consumers to do their banking that integrates artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Customers link their bills and credit cards, and Oportun’s algorithms determine how much should be allocated to each expense category when a deposit is made.This type of fintech account is part of a new trend in the financial industry where banking companies are using advanced technology to make daily money decisions on their customers’ behalf. That includes setting aside money to pay bills, tracking savings goal progress and paying down debt.The fintechs offering solutions to consumers’ budgeting challenges fill a gap that traditional banks have yet to tackle. But while the fintech industry poses a challenge to traditional banking, there are some areas where it falls short of consumers’ needs.What consumers want from banking servicesThe reality of traditional b...

UCSD ranked 7th best public university in US: CWUR

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:18 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The University of California San Diego has been ranked 7th among the best U.S. public universities, according to the latest Center for World University Rankings (CWUR). This is a notch up from last year's ranking.The 2023 rankings were determined based on four key factors: quality of education, alumni employment, quality of faculty and research performance. Top 10 degrees among SDSU’s 2023 spring graduates UC San Diego achieved high marks for its faculty rank and research rank, the university announced in a news release. These scores were measured by factors like the number of faculty members who have won prestigious academic distinctions and the number of research papers appearing in top-tier journals.Some of the most recent research efforts from UC San Diego, according to the university, include examining how advances in artificial intelligence assistants such as ChatGPT could be used in medicine. Another example includes a new report led by a UC San...

Bloc, Tories reject Johnston briefing, as Trudeau questions Poilievre’s seriousness

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:18 GMT

OTTAWA — The Bloc Québécois on Wednesday joined the Conservatives in rejecting a chance to look at secret information that led a watchdog to recommend against a public inquiry into allegations of foreign interference. Both party leaders said they do not want to be caught in a situation where they are forced to keep such knowledge quiet.But Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged his colleagues to open their eyes to facts over partisanship — taking particular aim at Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. “Pierre Poilievre is choosing to sit behind a veil of ignorance,” Trudeau told reporters during an event in Winnipeg.David Johnston, appointed by Trudeau in March as a special rapporteur to look into the foreign interference allegations, delivered his first report Tuesday which recommended Trudeau not call a public inquiry into allegations of foreign interference during the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.The allegations have embroiled the government for months after reporting...

Stock market today: Worries about a possible U.S. default and inflation weigh on Wall Street

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:18 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks kept falling on Wall Street Wednesday under the weight of concerns about the U.S. creeping closer to a default on its debt while inflation keeps squeezing the economy.The S&P 500 was 0.8% lower in afternoon trading. The White House and Congress are continuing negotiations on avoiding a disastrous default on U.S. debt. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 252 points, or 0.8%, at 32,8033, as of 2:17 p.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.8% lower.Other markets around the world were hit even harder as discouraging figures piled up on the economy. Stock indexes tumbled 1.7% in London, 1.9% in Frankfurt and 1.6% in Hong Kong.Inflation in the United Kingdom remains worse than expected, raising worries that the Bank of England may keep hiking interest rates and squeezing its economy. In Germany, business confidence fell in Europe’s largest economy. And in China, worries remain about a weaker-than-hoped reopening from COVID restrictions as tensio...

Tina Turner, Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll, dead at 83

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:18 GMT

Tina Turner has died at the age of 83, according to multiple reports.“Tina Turner, the ‘Queen of Rock ‘n Roll,’ has died peacefully today at the age of 83 after a long illness in her home in Küsnacht near Zurich, Switzerland,” read a statement from her representatives.Turner disclosed in her 2018 memoir My Love Story that she had suffered from life-threatening illnesses.Turner is one of the best-selling recording artists of all time, winning 12 Grammys, including What’s Love Got to Do with It, which won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1984.She was recognized for her electric on-stage presence and persona, with several other hits, including The Best, Proud Mary and Private Dancer.The music legend started her career alongside ex-husband Ike Turner with the classic song River Deep and Mountain High, among others.Turner previously held a Guinness World Record for the largest paying audience (180,000 in 1988) for a solo performer.This is a d...

Student arrested in shooting death of schoolmate outside Pittsburgh school

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:18 GMT

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A student was taken into custody in the shooting death of another student early Wednesday just outside a school in Pittsburgh shortly before classes were due to start, police said. The shooting happened just before 7:30 a.m. by the front steps of Oliver Citywide Academy, police said. Officers found the victim with gunshot wounds in front of the school and gave first aid, Major Crimes Commander Richard Ford told reporters at the scene.An officer saw another student running from the school with a gun. The student was arrested and police recovered a gun, Ford said. The victim was taken to a hospital in critical condition and later died, he said. No other injuries were reported.Ford said the students were minors, but didn’t specify their ages or release their names. Oliver Citywide Academy is a full-time special education center serving grades 3-12, according to the city school district’s website. It wasn’t immediately clear what prompted the shooting.Most studen...