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Latest ruling on pill shifts US abortion landscape again

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:25:11 GMT

A federal appeals court late Wednesday kept an abortion pill available, clarifying the U.S. abortion landscape but not settling it. The court preserved but narrowed access to an abortion pill across the U.S. It was a major development in a fast-shifting landscape in flux since June, when the Supreme Court overturned the nationwide right to an abortion.WHAT’S NEW?The majority of abortions in the U.S. are obtained using a combination of two medications. Anti-abortion groups have been trying to limit access to one of them, mifepristone.The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled that the Food and Drug Administration’s initial approval of mifepristone in 2000 should remain in effect, overriding a district court ruling from less than a week before. Without Wednesday’s ruling, the drug would have been unavailable in at least some places starting on Saturday.The 2-1 ruling came with a catch: the judges put on hold a 2016 regulatory decision to relax some prescribing and disp...

Stocks tick higher on Wall Street as inflation slows further

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:25:11 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is ticking higher Thursday following the latest sign that inflation continues to cool.The S&P 500 was 0.6% higher in midday trading after a report showed inflation at the wholesale level slowed last month by more than expected. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 144 points, or 0.4%, at 33,790, as of 11:15 a.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite was 1.3% higher.Thursday’s report showed that prices paid to producers last month were 2.7% higher than a year earlier, the lowest inflation level there in more than two years. The hope on Wall Street is that easier inflation on the wholesale level will not only support profits for companies but also flow through to cooler inflation for consumers. A day earlier, a separate report said inflation for consumers slowed to 5%. Inflation and how high the Federal Reserve will hike interest rates to tame it have been at the center of Wall Street’s struggles for more than a year. The Fed has hiked rates at su...

Second expelled Black Democrat reinstated to Tennessee House

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:25:11 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The second of two Black Democrats who were kicked out of the Republican-led Tennessee House followed his colleague back to work at the Capitol on Thursday, a week after their expulsion for participating in a gun control protest propelled them into the national spotlight.State Rep. Justin Pearson, of Memphis, was sworn in Thursday outside the Statehouse. The day before, Shelby County commissioners unanimously voted to reinstate him.“Yes indeed, happy resurrection day,” Pearson said Thursday morning as he signed paperwork for his return.“There will be a new building of this building, with a foundation built on love,” Pearson said during a fiery speech outside the Capitol after being sworn in. “With pillars of justice rising up. With rafters of courage covering us. With doors that are open to everybody in the state of Tennessee. Not just rich somebodies, but everybody. Not just straight somebodies, but everybody. Not just Republican somebodies, but everybody.”Af...

Promising new malaria vaccine for kids approved in Ghana

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:25:11 GMT

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Ghana on Thursday became the first country to approve a new malaria vaccine for young children, one that officials hope will offer better protection against the disease that kills hundreds of thousands every year.Final results from late-stage trials have not yet been published, and the vaccine is under review at the World Health Organization. But preliminary results from early testing of the new vaccine, developed at the University of Oxford, have suggested the vaccine is far more effective than the only malaria vaccine now authorized for use by the WHO.Late-stage testing of the vaccine still is underway in Burkina Faso, Kenya, Mali and Tanzania, with results expected later this year. Results from an earlier trial released last year showed that in children vaccinated in Burkina Faso, the vaccine was up to 80% effective depending how much of an immune-boosting ingredient was included in the shots. The WHO has already rolled out a pilot program of the world’s fir...

Supreme Court upholds acquittal of Quebec man who refused breathalyzer test

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:25:11 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada’s highest court has upheld the acquittal of a Quebec man who refused to provide a sample of his breath to officers who didn’t have immediate access to a breathalyzer test.The Supreme Court of Canada says the demand was invalid because police did not have in their possession an approved screening device to test for alcohol.Police in April 2017 were looking for a man who had been reported by patrollers for being drunk while driving an all-terrain vehicle.Officers stopped a man who was on foot, who allegedly had bloodshot eyes and smelled of alcohol.Police radioed their nearby colleagues to provide them with a test, but the man repeatedly refused to give a breath sample and insisted he had not been behind the wheel of an ATV.He was found guilty by a municipal court of refusing to comply with a police order for a breath sample, but the Quebec Court of Appeal acquitted him.This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 13, 2023.The Canadian Press

It’s moving season — here are some ways to cut down costs

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:25:11 GMT

As moving season dawns, those looking to save money on the process have a truckload of options before them.Preparation, research and timing are all factors in determining whether a move empties your pocketbook or merely lightens it.A small move might be done for less than $200, with companies such as U-Haul offering half-day rentals of trucks with a 10-foot-long cargo bed for $170, complete with dolly and furniture pads. That can suffice for a sparsely furnished one-bedroom apartment or a storage unit hosting a handful of household items.“If it’s just boxes, if it’s light furniture — those are definitely doable on your own,” said Tiam Behdarvandan, who runs Let’s Get Moving.But those looking to limit the stress and physical effort of leaving a sizable home may want to opt for professional movers, with time and expertise as key considerations.“We will do something in six hours that a regular client would do over 12 hours or over two days,” said Aaron Parker, who owns Toro...

‘The Marilyn Denis Show’ to end after 13 seasons

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:25:11 GMT

Daytime TV mainstay Marilyn Denis says her long-running series “The Marilyn Denis Show” will end this June.The veteran broadcaster announced the news this morning on her CTV talk show after 34 years in daily daytime television.“Hosting a national television show has been a career highlight, and such a rewarding and fulfilling chapter in my life, but after more than three decades of balancing my radio show with a daytime series I’m ready to step away and refocus on my family and other projects,” said Denis.“While I’m moving on from daytime TV, I’m not saying goodbye and will continue on the CHUM morning show and with my podcast. I want to thank the entire team at The Marilyn Denis Show, who are and always will be family, the incredible experts and guests who have joined me over the years, and most importantly — every studio audience member and the viewers at home for welcoming me into your lives. I’ll be forever grateful for the w...

AP source: Investigators narrow suspect pool in leak probe

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:25:11 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department and FBI have narrowed the pool of potential suspects believed responsible for the disclosure of highly classified military documents on the Ukraine war, a person familiar with the investigation said Thursday.The Biden administration has been working to assess the diplomatic and national security consequences of the leaked documents since they first surfaced online last week. A top Pentagon spokesman told reporters earlier this week that the disclosures present a “very serious risk to national security,” and the Justice Department opened an investigation to identify the person responsible.Since then, investigators have winnowed down the number of suspects who might be responsible, according to a person with knowledge of the probe who was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation. It was not clear how many suspects remained or when or if an arrest might be made.The Justice Department declined to comment Thursday.Eric Tucker, The Associ...

‘I think it’s a great idea’, Ford supports moving science centre to Ontario Place

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:25:11 GMT

Premier Doug Ford appeared to tease an announcement on the future of Ontario Place.Ford expressed support for the idea of moving the Ontario Science Centre to the waterfront space and all but confirmed an announcement would be coming soon. He made the comment while making a jobs announcement in Kitchener on Thursday morning.“That came on the table, probably a year ago,” said Ford when asked about the prospect of relocating the Science Centre. “I personally think it’s a great idea. If I told you now, my minister of infrastructure would shoot me on the spot. Stay tuned to next week.”Ford goes on to say “I think you know where I’m going with that“ he suggests housing could possibly take the spot of the science centre. 2/2— Richard Southern (@RichardCityNews) April 13, 2023Former Toronto councillor and mayoral candidate Ana Bailão announced last week she would support relocating the Science Centre to Ontario Place. She says the move would free up the ...

$2.1 billion CTA Red and Purple modernization project is underway

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:25:11 GMT

CHICAGO — Construction crews will descend on the Chicago Transit Authority's (CTA) Red and Purple Line tracks in the city's Uptown and Edgewater neighborhoods later this year.They will be working to remove "nearly all of the century-old embankment structure and walls" between W. Lawrence and W. Ardmore avenues, creating more than one-mile of open space underneath the lines, according to a press release from the CTA. Jonathan Toews’ time with the Blackhawks is done The $2.1 billion project is the largest capital improvement project in CTA history, according to the project's website. The work highlighted Thursday is part of phase one, with multiple phases set to take place. Phase one construction is scheduled to run through 2025.