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Look out for a total solar eclipse, full moons and meteor showers in 2024

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:45 GMT

(CNN) — The night sky will have a multitude of delights in store for stargazers in 2024.Full moons and meteor showers will light up the sky. An increase in solar activity is expected to cause auroras that will create colorful displays. And eclipse chasers have been counting down to 2024 since the “Great American Eclipse” of 2017 — because a total solar eclipse will travel across the United States in April.Many nights, there will be opportunities to spot different planets or look for the International Space Station as it orbits Earth.Keep your telescopes and binoculars at the ready, and don’t forget to snag a pair of eclipse glasses so you can safely watch the total solar eclipse.Full moons and supermoonsTwelve full moons will occur during 2024, and September and October’s lunar events will also be considered supermoons, according to EarthSky.Definitions of a supermoon can vary, but the term generally denotes a full moon that is closer to Earth than norm...

The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier is returning home after extended deployment defending Israel

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:45 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — After months of extra duty at sea providing protection for Israel, the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group will be heading home, the Navy announced on Monday.The Ford and its accompanying warships will be replaced by the amphibious assault ship the USS Bataan and its accompanying warships, the USS Mesa Verde and the USS Carter Hall. The three vessels had been in the Red Sea and have been transiting toward the Eastern Mediterranean over the last few days.The Ford was sent to the Eastern Mediterranean to be within striking distance of Israel since the day after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks. The carrier stayed in the Eastern Mediterranean while its accompanying warships had sailed into the Red Sea, where they repeatedly intercepted incoming ballistic missiles and attack drones fired from Houthi-controlled Yemen. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited the Ford last month.Since it was extended in the Eastern Mediterranean, ...

2 men arrested in connection with Ugandan Olympic runner’s killing in Kenya, police say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:45 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Two men were arrested in connection with the killing of Ugandan Olympic runner Benjamim Kiplagat, who was found fatally stabbed in a car in Kenya on New Year’s Eve, police said Monday.A knife suspected of being used in the killing of the 34-year-old Kiplagat was found on one of the suspects, Moiben sub county police commander Stephen Okal said. The motive for the killing appears to have been robbery, he said, because money and a cell phone had been taken from Kiplagat.Kiplagat’s throat was cut, police said. He was found dead in his brother’s car early Sunday on the outskirts of Eldoret, a high-altitude town in western Kenya renowned as a training base for elite athletes.Kiplagat competed in three Olympic games and six world championships in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. He won a bronze medal at the 2012 African championships.Kiplagat is the fourth athlete to be killed in the area in recent years.Two-time cross country world champion Agnes Tiro...

More Americans think foreign policy should be a top US priority for 2024, an AP-NORC poll finds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:45 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — In this time of war overseas, more Americans think foreign policy should be a top focus for the U.S. government in 2024, with a new poll showing international concerns and immigration rising in importance with the public.About 4 in 10 U.S. adults named foreign policy topics in an open-ended question that asked people to share up to five issues for the government to work on in the next year, according to a December poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. That’s about twice as many who mentioned the topic in the AP-NORC poll conducted last year. Long-standing economic worries still overshadow other issues. But the new poll’s findings point to increased concern about U.S. involvement overseas — 20% voiced that sentiment in the poll, versus 5% a year ago. It also shows that the Israeli-Hamas war is feeding public anxiety. The conflict was mentioned by 5%, while almost no one cited it a year ago. The issue has dominated geopolitics ...

Marsha Warfield, bailiff Roz Russell on ‘Night Court,’ returns to the show that has a ‘big heart’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:45 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Fans of the rebooted hit NBC sitcom “Night Court” might have been forgiven for tuning in all season long and asking “Where’s Roz?”Roz Russell — played by comedian Marsha Warfield — was the salty, no-nonsense bailiff alongside Bull Shannon who had a world-weary view of the shenanigans in the courtroom during the show’s original run from 1984 to 1992. But Roz wasn’t in the reboot that aired at the top of 2023. John Larroquette as prosecutor Dan Fielding was the only full-time cast member to return. So fans were excited when Roz popped up in the season one finale, surprising Fielding as a defendant. “Roz?!” he exclaimed in disbelief. Seconds later, the screen went dark.The reboot has been spearheaded by Melissa Rauch, a former star of “The Big Bang Theory” who is the new night court judge and the sunshine to Larroquette’s gloom.The revival earned the highest ratings for a comedy series on the network since 2017. Season two begins Tuesday with Warfield&...

Pakistan human rights body says an upcoming election is unlikely to be free and fair

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:45 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s independent human rights commission said Monday there is little chance of free and fair parliamentary elections in the country next month because of “pre-poll rigging.” It also expressed concern about authorities rejecting the candidacies of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and most other members of his party. At a news conference in Islamabad, the co-chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Munizae Jahangir, said other political parties have been subjected to similar tactics to varying degrees. “At this point, there is little evidence to show that the upcoming elections will be free, fair or credible,” Jahangir said. She said Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, was “being dismembered in a systematic manner” and that the rejection of nomination papers for most of its candidates raised questions about the country’s Election Commission. People should be allowed to vote for their candidate of choice on February 8,...

NJ mayor says buses of migrants bound for NY are being dropped off at NJ train stations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:45 GMT

SECAUCUS, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey mayor says buses of migrants bound for New York City have been stopping at the train station in his town and others in an apparent effort to evade an executive order by New York’s mayor trying to regulate how and when migrants can be dropped off in the city.Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli said Sunday that Secaucus police and town officials had been told by Hudson County officials about the arrival of buses at the train station in Secaucus Junction beginning Saturday. He said four buses were believed to have arrived and dropped off migrants who then took trains into New York City.Gonnelli said the executive order signed recently by Mayor Eric Adams of New York requires bus operators to provide at least 32 hours’ advance notice of arrivals and to limit the hours of drop-off times. “It seems quite clear the bus operators are finding a way to thwart the requirements of the executive order by dropping migrants at the train station in Secaucu...

Powerball jackpot reaches $810 million to start 2024: What to know ahead of next drawing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:45 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — A Powerball player (or players) could begin 2024 on a high note: the current jackpot has ballooned to an estimated $810 million ahead of the next drawing. The current jackpot has been building since October when a $1.765 billion prize was won by a ticket sold in California. It had a chance to be the largest-ever Powerball jackpot won on Christmas Day, but no ticket matched the winning numbers drawn that day. Now, the jackpot is on pace to be the first and largest lottery jackpot of 2024 (the Mega Millions jackpot is currently only $114 million). Not sure how to play Powerball? Here’s what you need to know As of Monday, Powerball officials estimate the jackpot to be $810 million, with a cash value of $408.9 million. At this size, the jackpot ranks as the fifth-largest in game history, coming in behind the $1.08 billion jackpot won in California in July of last year. Here are the 10 largest Powerball jackpots:$2.04 billion: Nov. 7, 2022; California$1.765 billion: Oct. 1...

Actor Ian Ziering reportedly attacked by mini-bikers in Hollywood

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:45 GMT

(KTLA) — Actor Ian Ziering, best known for his role in “Beverly Hills 90210,” appears to have been caught on camera in a fight with a group of people riding motorized mini bikes in Hollywood on New Year's Eve, according to a report from TMZ. Officers responded to the area of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue at around 3 p.m. Sunday on reports of a fight that broke out after the group of bikers were driving recklessly in the area, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to Nexstar's KTLA. It is unclear what exactly prompted the brawl between Ziering and the bikers, but video posted by the tabloid outlet appears to show the actor pushing one of the mini-bike riders, who was right in front of what seems to be his SUV just before an all-out fight broke out. Celebrities who had the worst year in 2023 The 59-year-old “Sharknado” star is then immediately ganged up on by several of the other bikers. In an attempt to get away, Ziering makes a dash across busy Hollywood Boul...

Indiana gubernatorial candidates speak on respective campaigns as election year begins

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:45 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS -- In 2024, the state of Indiana will have a new governor, with Eric Holcomb, the current Republican governor of Indiana, not being able to seek reelection in 2024 because of term limits.Throughout 2023, and even into 2022, a number of people have thrown their hat into the ring, announcing that they plan to run for the position. Many of the candidates have spent portions of the last year speaking with Hoosiers, seeing what they want out of a governor. FOX59/CBS4 spoke with each of the candidates who have announced their intentions to run for governor so far. Take a look at what they had to say as their campaigns move into 2024. Republican PartyMike Braun U.S. Senator Mike Braun, R-Ind. announced in December 2022 his intention to run for Indiana's governor in 2024. According to previous reports, Braun filed paperwork with the Indiana Election Division in late November 2022 to begin his campaign. According to his website, Braun said he believes that he would be more fit t...