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Early lab tests suggest new COVID-19 variant BA.2.86 may be less contagious and less immune-evasive than feared

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

(CNN) — Scientists around the world are fast-tracking lab experiments to try to understand the highly mutated BA.2.86 variant of the virus that causes COVID-19. Results just beginning to emerge are offering some reassurance, experts say.Two groups — one in China and one in Sweden — have publicly reported results, and more are expected as early as Monday from the United States. So far, early results paint BA.2.86 as more of a paper tiger rather than the looming beast it first appeared to be, although that impression could change as more results come in.BA.2.86, also known by the nickname Pirola, captured the world’s attention because it looks radically different than any other variants of the coronavirus that we’ve seen so far.This new lineage has more than 30 changes to its spike protein compared with both its next closest ancestor, BA.2, and compared with the recently circulating XBB.1.5 lineage. It was an evolutionary leap on par with the one the original Omicron variant...

21-year-old man arrested on murder charge in deadly Dorchester shooting

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

A 21-year-old man is facing a murder charge in connection with a deadly shooting in Dorchester late Saturday night that left a 22-year-old man dead, officials said.Officers responding to a reported shooting in the area of Old Road and Michigan Avenue in Dorchester around 11:45 p.m. Saturday found Xavier Rivas, 22, of Boston, suffering from gunshot wounds, according to Boston police. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.On Sunday afternoon, police arrested Mikai Thomson, 21, of Dorchester, on a straight warrant for charges including assault and battery on a police officer and weapons charges. After further investigation, he was also arrested on charges of murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm, and unlawfully carrying a loaded firearm in connection with Rivas’ death. In a statement, Suffolk DA Kevin Hayden said, “This is an arrest built on strong police work and help from the community. Our neighbor...

Congress poised for messy September as McCarthy races to avoid government shutdown

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

(CNN) — GOP hardliners in the House are eager to play a game of chicken over the end-of-the-month deadline to fund federal agencies, seeking to force the White House and Senate to make a choice: Accept a slew of conservative priorities or risk a debilitating government shutdown.And caught in the middle, once again, is Speaker Kevin McCarthy.In a private conference call last week, McCarthy urged his colleagues to back a short-term spending deal to avoid an October 1 shutdown and instead focus their energy on the larger funding fight later in the fall, sources on the call told CNN. His argument: The year-long spending bills to fund federal agencies would be better suited to enact cuts and policy changes they have demanded, including on hot-button issues like border security and immigration policy.And, he argued, if they spend too much time squabbling among themselves, they’ll end up getting jammed by senators in both parties and forced to accept higher spending levels than t...

Heat builds in past Labor Day

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

Temperatures will continue to climb as a ridge of high pressure builds over the Northeast. The late-season heat will also be accompanied by abundant sunshine until the end of the week.Labor day expect high temperatures to reach the upper 80s once again but with a stronger sea breeze for the afternoon. Expect 70s at the beach most of the day on Labor Day, but abundant sunshine in the forecast. Near 90 degree weather will be with us most of the upcoming week, so get used to the heat, with the next cool down arriving on Saturday…

Orioles promoting shortstop Jackson Holliday, baseball’s No. 1 prospect, to Triple-A

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

Jackson Holliday is one step away from the major leagues.The Orioles are promoting Holliday, ranked by Baseball America as the sport’s top prospect, to Triple-A Norfolk, a source with direct knowledge of the move told The Baltimore Sun late Sunday evening.Baltimore drafted the shortstop out of high school with the first pick in the 2022 MLB draft. About 14 months later, he’s one more call from playing at Camden Yards.Holliday, 19, began the 2023 campaign, his first full one as a professional, with Low-A Delmarva and has risen all the way to Triple-A in about five months. In 107 games between Low-, High- and Double-A, Holliday is slashing .333/.451/.517 — good for a .968 OPS — with 26 doubles, nine triples, 10 home runs, 23 stolen bases and 85 walks versus 101 strikeouts.In July, Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias said he “wouldn’t rule it out” when asked if Holliday could play for Baltimore in 2023.“I would...

3 takeaways from the Chicago Cubs’ 4-game split in Cincinnati, including hitters stepping up and Jameson Taillon’s slow starts

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

In moments late during Sunday’s back-and-forth series finale at Great American Ball Park, it felt more like a Chicago Cubs home game than a road atmosphere against a division rival with postseason implications.The Cubs delivered the decisive blow in their 15-7 victory with a seven-run eighth inning after they exchanged leads with the Cincinnati Reds four times through the first two innings. A boisterous “Let’s go, Cubbies!” chant started among the 37,029 fans after Dansby Swanson’s RBI double capped the big inning by extending the lead to 12-5.“We just kept having at-bats, started off really well,” manager David Ross said. “Fighting back for (starting pitcher Jameson Taillon). We kept it close. Offensively we were great all day.”As the Cubs (73-64) return home from the one-city trip for a seven-game homestand, here are three takeaways from the series in Cincinnati.1. Different day, different hitter steps up.The Cubs have touted t...

From Styx to Coldplay: Can't miss concerts in San Diego this September

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- While summer's end normally marks the close of peak concert-going season, there's still dozens of artists headed to San Diego this month that are sure to get music enthusiasts excited.From the 70s legend Styx to R&B star Daniel Caesar, the options are endless this September for concert-lovers' to satiate their need to see their favorite musicians live. ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ streams suddenly skyrocket — thanks to Filipinos Here's a round-up of this month's shows that you do not want to miss:Aly & AJSister duo Aly & AJ are bringing their nostalgic pop-rock style to the bayside theater in Shelter Island this month. The former Disney Channel stars made a comeback in December 2019 with the release of their EP, "Ten Years." The duo is most known for songs like "Potential Breakup Song," "Slow Dancing" and "Like Whoa."Tickets are available via Ticketmaster.When: Thursday, Sept. 07 at 7:30 p.m.Where: Humphreys Concerts By the BayBruno MajorLondon croone...

Biden says he went to his house in Rehoboth Beach, Del., because he can’t go ‘home home’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. (AP) — There may be no place like home but President Joe Biden says he cannot go to his.Unprompted, Biden approached reporters Sunday in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, after he went to Mass at St. Edmond Roman Catholic Church to say he was not on vacation.“I have no home to go to,” said Biden, who lives at the White House on weekdays and spends most weekends in Delaware, where he has two homes.The U.S. Secret Service has been doing work on his longtime primary residence in Wilmington, Delaware, to make it more secure “in a good way,” he said. It has been at least a few months since he last spent a night there. “So I have no place to go when I come to Delaware, except here, right now,” he said, speaking of his other home in Rehoboth Beach. “I’m only here for one day.” Biden arrived on the Delaware coast on Saturday night after he spent the early part of the day in Florida surveying damage from Hurricane Idalia. He had been scheduled to spend Labor Day weekend he...

As G20 leaders prepare to meet in recently flooded New Delhi, climate policy issues are unresolved

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — Rekha Devi, a 30-year-old farm worker, is dreading the moment when her family will be ordered to leave their makeshift tent atop a half-built overpass and return to the Yamuna River floodplains below, where their hut and small field of vegetables is still under water from July’s devastating rains.Devi, her husband and their six children fled as the record monsoon rains triggered flooding that killed more than 100 people in northern India, displaced thousands and inundated large parts of the capital, New Delhi. The waters took her husband’s work tools, the children’s school uniforms and books and everything else the family had accumulated over 20 years, forcing them and thousands of others into makeshift relief camps.Their temporary perch is less than 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the site of this weekend’s Group of 20 summit at which leaders will have a final chance to decide how to better protect people like Devi when the next extreme weather event...

Southeast Asian leaders are besieged by thorny issues as they hold an ASEAN summit without Biden

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Southeast Asian leaders led by Indonesian host President Joko Widodo are gathering in their final summit this year, besieged by divisive issues with no solutions in sight: Myanmar’s deadly civil strife, new flare-ups in the disputed South China Sea, and the longstanding United States-China rivalry.The Association of Southeast Asian Nations meetings will open Tuesday in the Indonesian capital Jakarta under tight security. The absence of U.S. President Joe Biden, who typically attends, adds to the already somber backdrop of the 10-state bloc’s traditional show of unity and group handshakes. After discussions Tuesday, the ASEAN heads of state would meet Asian and Western counterparts from Wednesday to Thursday, providing a wider venue that the U.S. and China, and their allies, have used for wide-ranging talks on free trade, climate change and global security. It has also become a battleground for their rivalries.Chinese Premier Li Qiang was set to join the mee...