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Insider Q&A-Benn Steil of the Council on Foreign Relations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:42 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Over the past year, the world economy has withstood the combined shocks of high interest rates and a war in Ukraine better than just about anyone expected.The International Monetary Fund, among other agencies, has upgraded its economic forecast for 2022. Europe has defied fears that an energy shock from the cutoff of Russian natural gas would cause a severe recession. The U.S. job market remains super-charged. The Associated Press spoke recently about the economy’s surprising resilience with Benn Steil, director of international economics at the Council on Foreign Relations. The interview has been edited for clarity and length.Q: For a year, the Federal Reserve and other central banks have been raising rates to fight inflation, and the war in Ukraine has raged on. But the world economy is in better shape than expected. What happened?A: Europe has been more robust than almost everyone anticipated a year ago. We also had quite an impressive adaptation of the global e...

Tumbleweeds invade a Colorado Springs community after strong winds

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:42 GMT

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KXRM) — The strong winds and dry weather that have primed the Colorado Springs area for wildfires over the past few days have also caused a tumbleweed invasion in one community.Homes in the Lorson Ranch neighborhood were swarmed with tumbleweeds after strong winds picked up on Friday. Tumbleweeds piled as high as one story on some properties blocking entrances and doorways. "They can't even get in and out of their houses without actually having to pull and move tumbleweeds out of the way," said Tyler Medina, a homeowner in the Lorson Ranch neighborhood. Could gas prices start going back up? Over the weekend, the National Weather Service reported wind gusts of up to 65 miles per hour in the Colorado Springs area."Days like we saw with a 65-mile-an-hour gust, that's considered high wind warning criteria.It's all been from the west-southwest," said Klint Skelly, warning coordination meteorologist at NWS Pueblo.Consecutive days of strong winds blowing from the...

Could gas prices start going back up?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:42 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — If you need to head to the pump to fill up your car on Monday, the cost is even lower than last week.However, gas prices could be on the way back up, according to AAA. Vote now for Colorado’s best burger: 4 remain in Round 5 of Big Burger Bracket “Oil prices finally crested and have now settled above the $70 per barrel mark after weeks of hovering just below it,” said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson. “Gas demand is very robust. These two factors will cause drivers to see prices increase for now.”  The average price for a gallon of regular fuel in Colorado is $3.50, which is down 10 cents from last week, according to AAA.Date/Avg.RegularMid-GradePremiumDieselCurrent Avg.$3.500$3.853$4.151$4.197Yesterday Avg.$3.510$3.864$4.158$4.210Week Ago Avg.$3.602$3.968$4.266$4.332Month Ago Avg.$4.006$4.369$4.654$4.737Year Ago Avg.$3.978$4.316$4.619$4.890AAA, 4/3/2023The national average for a gallon of regular fuel is at $3.50, which is up 7 cents since last week.Where are the ch...

Michael Che pranks Colin Jost on ‘Saturday Night Live’ Weekend Update for April Fools’ Day

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:42 GMT

(CNN) — No one is ever safe on April Fools’ Day, and this year that included hapless Weekend Update anchor Colin Jost.The “Saturday Night Live” castmember was doing his usual Weekend Update segment with co-anchor Michael Che this weekend, on the episode hosted by Quinta Brunson, and from the top of the segment, Jost seemed to be getting considerably less laughs than Che.About a third of the way through, while the pair were still serving up jokes related to the Trump indictment, Jost seemingly fell flat during a joke at his expense about the former president’s supporters.Amid the lukewarm laughter, an audience member yelled out, “You stink!” and Jost appeared to finally catch on to what was happening.Then Che confirmed it, informing his co-anchor, “I told them not to laugh at you for April Fools’.”At this point, Jost completely lost it, putting his head down on the desk while laughing.“I was truly like, ‘Am I not...

Russia arrests young woman for St. Petersburg bombing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:42 GMT

Russian law enforcement on Monday detained a young woman suspected of bombing a St. Petersburg cafe, in which a pro-Kremlin military blogger was killed and dozens injured on Sunday, according to media reports.In a video from the interior ministry published by state news agency TASS, a woman presented as Darya Trepova can be heard saying she “brought a statuette” inside the cafe, which “later exploded.” She said she had been arrested for “being present at the place” where the bombing occurred.POLITICO was not able to independently verify whether Trepova’s statement was made under duress.Trepova was reportedly detained for several days last year for taking part in a protest against the war in Ukraine on the day Russia’s full-scale invasion started.Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky was killed by the St. Petersburg cafe blast, which also injured 25 people according to Reuters.Tatarsky — whose real name was Maxim Fomin — was part of...

Finland to join NATO on Tuesday 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:42 GMT

Finland will formally become a full-fledged NATO ally on Tuesday, the alliance’s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday. “This is an historic week,” the NATO chief told reporters. “Tomorrow, we will welcome Finland as the 31st member of NATO, making Finland safer and our alliance stronger.” A ceremony marking Finland’s accession is set to take place Tuesday afternoon. “We will raise the Finnish flag for the first time here at the NATO headquarters,” Stoltenberg said, adding: “It will be a good day for Finland’s security, for Nordic security, and for NATO as a whole.” The move comes after Hungary and Turkey ratified Finland’s membership bid last week, removing the last hurdles to Helsinki’s accession. Sweden’s membership aspiration, however, remains in limbo as Budapest and Ankara continue to withhold support. Speaking ahead of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, Stoltenberg reiterated that he believes Stockholm is still on its way to ultimatel...

‘Follow your heart’: 102-year-old woman receives college degree

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:42 GMT

A resident at a senior living facility in Ohio has proved it’s never too late to follow your dreams. Nancy Power Hodous, 102, has her lifelong dream of receiving a college degree come true. Hodous was thrilled to be given an honorary Associate of Public Service degree from Zane College. “Like they say, follow your heart,” Hodous said. “If it’s something you can, go ahead and do it.”The honor comes just ahead of Hodous’ 103rd birthday in April.

Boston Ballet, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute partner to present ‘La Mer’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:42 GMT

The ocean and the ballet come together in the upcoming production of La Mer at the Citizens Bank Opera House. Choreographer Nanine Linning created the ballet to show the beauty of the deep sea and discuss the dangers of pollution. The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution heard about the show and thought it was a great opportunity for education.“I contacted the Boston Ballet because I thought that Nanine and some of the other artists might be interested in talking to some of our researchers,” said WHOI Senior Scientist Larry Pratt“I wanted to educate myself and learn more and spend more time as an artist on this topic, because it’s so relevant, it’s urgent, it’s important, and it’s magnificent,” Linning said.La Mer takes the stage starting April 6 and will perform shows for nine days.

NASA set to unveil the crew of astronauts for moon flyby mission, 2 New England natives being considered

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:42 GMT

(CNN) — Four astronauts — including three Americans and one Canadian — will be tapped by NASA to complete a generation-defining mission to the moon’s orbit, returning humans to deeper into the solar system than has been reached in five decades.On Monday, the public will finally learn the crew members’ names.Scheduled to launch in 2024, Artemis II will be the program’s first crewed mission to orbit the moon, flying farther into space than any humans since the Apollo program. It will pave the way for the Artemis III crew to walk on the moon in 2025, all aboard the world’s most powerful rocket and at a price tag that by then will approach $100 billion.Following months of closed-door decision making, NASA officials plan to unveil the names of the crew members in a ceremony scheduled for Monday at 11 am ET.Though officials have remained tight-lipped about their choices, CNN previously spoke with nearly a dozen current and former NASA officials...

A breakdown of every remaining Heat playoff/play-in possibility

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:42 GMT

With the NBA stepping aside for a night to provide Monday’s basketball stage solely for the NCAA championship game, the league’s latest round of results offered the Miami Heat a sobering reminder of what is gone, what is slipping away and the work that still remains.For example, with the New York Knicks’ Sunday victory over the Washington Wizards, the Heat were blocked from the opportunity to finish higher than No. 6 in the Eastern Conference.And with the Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors, Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls also winning Sunday, it means Erik Spoelstra’s team could have to work all the way into Sunday’s season finale against the visiting Orlando Magic to determine when and where their postseason begins.At 41-37 and No. 7 in the Eastern Conference, the Heat close out their regular season Tuesday night in Detroit, Thursday night in Philadelphia, Friday night in Washington and then Sunday’s finale at Miami-Dade Arena against the Magic.The t...