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Have you ever looked at a bath and thought “Nah, not today!”? Well, you are not alone, as bathing has been a very up-and-down trend across history and from culture to culture. Ancient Rome’s public baths could be a grand affair, with all classes of Roman society taking frequent hot soaks. This contrasts with people in early-modern Europe who avoided clean water altogether for fear that it caused illnesses. Then there are more recent times, when having baths and showers in the house is basically considered essential. These different trends raise the important question: what happens when humans decide not...

The Senate on Thursday confirmed John Ratcliffe as CIA director, giving President Donald Trump the second member of his new Cabinet. Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during Trump’s first term and is the first person to have held that position and the top post at the CIA, the nation’s premier spy agency. The Texas Republican is a former federal prosecutor who emerged as a fierce Trump defender while serving as a congressman during Trump’s first impeachment. The vote was 74-25. At his Senate hearing last week, Ratcliffe said the CIA must do better when it comes to using technology...

NORTHSTATE, Calif. — Northstate leaders are responding to President Donald Trump's executive order, which plans to reroute water from Northern California to the southern part of the state. Trump has signed the order, directing agencies to divert more water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to other areas of the state. This is restarting work from his first term. Trump said it will help people "who desperately need a reliable water supply."

Indian-origin Republican leader Vivek Ramaswamy pulled out of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) due to differences with the Tesla CEO over H-1B visas, a report has suggested. Hours after Donald Trump's inauguration as the 47th US President, Ramaswamy announced that he would not co-head DOGE. The Tesla CEO who wanted Ramaswamy 'out' of the team over the 39-year-old entrepreneur's remarks on X regarding H-1B visas made in December last year. Ramaswamy's comments on X during a discussion of H-1B visas were the one 'main reason' for some Republicans getting frustrated with him, a report in Politico said. "Venerated mediocrity...

Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) claimed Thursday on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” that President Donald Trump had “legitimized” political violence against Democrats. When asked about the J6 pardons, Murphy said, “I mean, let’s let’s really talk about who he let out of prison this week, who walked out of prison. The guy walked out of prison this week that pepper sprayed multiple officers to the point where one had a heart attack, he let out of jail this week. People who were beating police officers over the head with poles he let out of jail. Someone who said when he arrived...

WASHINGTON — (AP) — The Senate advanced the nomination of Pete Hegseth as President Donald Trump's defense secretary Thursday on a largely party-line vote, despite grave objections from Democrats and stirring unease among Republicans over his behavior and qualifications to lead the U.S. military. Two Republicans, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, broke ranks with Trump and his allies who have mounted an extensive public campaign to push Hegseth toward confirmation. The former combat veteran and Fox News host faces allegations of excessive drinking and aggressive actions toward women, which he has denied. The vote...

Explanation: Point your telescope toward the high flying constellation Pegasus and you can find this cosmic expanse of Milky Way stars and distant galaxies. NGC 7814 is centered in the sharp field of view that would almost be covered by a full moon. NGC 7814 is sometimes called the Little Sombrero for its resemblance to the brighter more famous M104, the Sombrero Galaxy. Both Sombrero and Little Sombrero are spiral galaxies seen edge-on, and both have extensive halos and central bulges cut by a thin disk with thinner dust lanes in silhouette. In fact, NGC 7814 is some 40 million...

HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — A 12-year-old boy was shot while throwing snowballs Wednesday evening in Hartford, according to police.

Scientists have uncovered evidence suggesting that hominins, the ancient relatives of modern humans, were present in Europe at least 1.95 million years ago. This finding, from the Grăunceanu site in Romania’s Olteț River Valley, represents the earliest-known trace of hominin activity on the continent, predating prior European hominin fossils by more than half a million years. The discovery, recently published in Nature Communications, hinges on meticulously analyzed cut-marked animal bones unearthed in a fossil-rich region historically overlooked in discussions of early human migration. According to researchers, these cut marks were made with tools, indicating that hominins were actively butchering animals...

Former CIA chief John Brennan was not happy about President Donald Trump’s decision to cancel his security clearance, claiming the only reason he maintained a clearance was to provide advice to the president. Brennan, who unrepentantly signed a letter falsely claiming Hunter Biden’s laptop was Russian disinformation, was Barack Obama’s director of the CIA and played a massive role in the Russia hoax, along with reportedly dismissing intelligence that Russia wanted Hillary Clinton to win the U.S. presidential election in 2016. During a recent interview on MSNBC, Brennan criticized Trump for preventing him from giving the president advice on national...

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (CMC)— The Dominican Republic military said nearly 2,000 Haitians have been detained for illegally entering the country following operations conducted in several communities last weekend. According to a statement issued by the army, 1,936 Haitians were intercepted by motorised patrols while travelling on foot through various border communities. The statement by the army said that during these operations, nine nationals from the Dominican Republic were arrested for transporting Haitian nationals on vehicles ranging from a motorcycle to a minibus. Earlier this month, the Directorate General of Migration (DGM) said it had returned more than a quarter...

Just days after American tycoon Elon Musk caused a stir when he made a gesture reminiscent of a Nazi salute, the prime minister stood by him. 'Elon is a great friend of Israel,' Netanyahu wrote on the X platform, owned by the billionaire who is close to President Trump.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has described as "shameful" President Donald Trump's sweeping executive order granting clemency to the 1,500-plus people charged in the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. "The President's actions are an outrageous insult to our justice system and the heroes who suffered physical scars and emotional trauma as they protected the Capitol, the Congress and the Constitution," she wrote on X on Monday night.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said on Thursday she can't support Pete Hegseth to be President Donald Trump's secretary of Defense. "Given the global security environment we’re operating in, it is critical that we confirm a Secretary of Defense, however, I regret that I am unable to support Mr. Hegseth," she concluded in a lengthy statement posted to X. In her reasoning, Murkowski cited infidelity, "allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking" and Hegseth's previous comments on women serving in the military.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Thursday rejected the idea of combining California wildfire aid with a debt ceiling hike, saying Democrats would oppose such a package if Republicans bring it to the floor. “It’s a nonstarter,” Jeffries said during a press briefing in the Capitol. The pushback could complicate the plans of Republican leaders in both chambers, who are reportedly weighing a strategy to craft a massive legislative package combining an extension of government spending — which is scheduled to expire March 14 — with an increase in the debt limit, aid for wildfire victims and border security...

Camel milk may be better for our immune health than cow's milk. (Leo Morgan/Shutterstock) In a nutshell * Camel milk contains significantly more immune-supporting proteins than cow’s milk (1,143 vs. 851) and lacks the main protein that triggers dairy allergies * Its bioactive compounds may help fight harmful bacteria, support heart health, and create a healthier gut environment, though more research is needed * While production is currently limited (camels produce about 5L/day vs. cows’ 28L), camel milk’s ability to be produced in arid climates makes it promising for regions where traditional dairy farming is challenging JOONDALUP, Australia — Move...

A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order ending the constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship regardless of the parents’ immigration status. U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour ruled in the case brought by the states of Washington, Arizona, Illinois and Oregon, which argue the 14th Amendment and Supreme Court case law have cemented birthright citizenship.

Here’s the California home insurance debacle made simple: No more bargains. Property owners are keenly aware of the state’s numerous risks to their property, most notably wildfires. But they might be surprised to learn that California home insurance policies are among the nation’s cheapest. How often do we say “low” regarding any Golden State housing cost? Such thriftiness translated to California essentially asking insurers to take a high-risk gamble with low rewards. Would you make this bet? Insurers knew it was a losing gamble, so they increased their odds of success by removing the highest-risk customers. That’s why so many...

Racine resident Kya Christian Nelson, 23, admitted to one count of conspiracy and two counts of unauthorized access to a protected computer to obtain information, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release. From Nov. 7 to 13, 2020, Nelson went on a “swatting” spree where he’d falsely report dangerous situations at residences across the country, then livestream the ensuing police raids on social media, “sometimes while taunting responding police officers in communities such as West Covina and Oxnard,” the DOJ said. Those officers had often just cleared a home’s residents at gunpoint, as the reports they received...

ESPN host Stephen A. Smith expressed concern over the pushback against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) during President Trump’s second term, believing that competent minorities will miss out on lucrative jobs. Since Trump’s inauguration this week, the new president’s administration has already instituted numerous measures to gut DEI in the government while encouraging businesses to do the same. In response, Stephen A. Smith told The Will Cain Show that the American right has mishandled the issue. “I’m concerned about it. I’m certainly not going to celebrate it because I don’t like the way I believe the right is handling this...