New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays announce Wednesday night starting lineups

USA TODAY
Feds charge eight Venezuelan nationals with sex trafficking women from South America
The defendants are accused of luring dozens of victims from Venezuela and other countries to the U.S. on the “promise of a better life."
NBC News
Winter storms threaten snow, extreme cold and travel warnings across the U.S.
New York City and Washington, D.C., were among the cities urging unsheltered people to get in from the cold Tuesday as the Northeast, the Great Plains and the Midwest faced winter storms that put tens of millions under weather alerts.
AFP
Asian stocks mostly rise as Powell rate warning taken in stride
Most equities rose in Asia on Wednesday as traders took in their stride a warning from Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell that the US central bank "did not need to be in a hurry" to cut interest rates again.Powell told lawmakers at a congressional hearing that with policy "now significantly less restrictive than it had been and the economy remaining strong, we do not need to be in a hurry to adjust" rates.
TODAY
'Stroke Mama' suffered brain bleed at 38 after giving birth, reveals 2 warning signs
Erin Adelekun, who had a stroke days after giving birth, raises awareness as "Stroke Mama." Her stroke symptoms included a severe headache and a limp arm.
USA TODAY
Puzzle solutions for Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025
Find answers to the latest online sudoku and crossword puzzles that were published in USA TODAY Network's local newspapers.
CNN
Trump wants China to play a role in peace in Ukraine. Is Xi Jinping willing to help?
As the war in Ukraine grinds toward its fourth year, US President Donald Trump has made clear which world leader he thinks can help America end the conflict: Vladimir Putin’s ally Xi Jinping.
Reuters
China's purchases of chipmaking equipment to decline in 2025, consultancy says
China's purchases of chipmaking equipment are set to decline this year after three years of growth, as the industry grapples with overcapacity and faces greater constraints from U.S. sanctions, a consultancy said on Wednesday. China has been the biggest buyer of wafer fabrication equipment for at least the past two years, purchasing $41 billion worth of tools and accounting for 40% of global sales in 2024, Canadian semiconductor research company TechInsights said. But this year, China's spending is expected to drop to $38 billion, down 6% year-on-year, and its share of global purchases will fall to 20% in the first decline since 2021, Boris Metodiev, a senior semiconductor manufacturing analyst at TechInsights, told an online seminar.
AFP
Zelensky offers land swaps as Russia heartens Trump with prisoner release
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was ready to swap land in negotiations with Russia, which freed at least one American prisoner in what US President Donald Trump described Tuesday as a goodwill gesture on ending the war."We will swap one territory for another," Zelensky said, adding that he was ready to trade land in Russia's Kursk region -- which Ukraine seized in a surprise offensive last year.
AFP
Nerves fray in Turkey textile sector as Syria refugees mull return
As excitement swept through the Syrian community after Bashar al-Assad's overthrow, businesses in Turkey that rely on them for labour began quickly crunching the numbers."If the Syrians leave, our labour costs will increase significantly, as well as our production costs," he told AFP. Turkey is the world's sixth-largest textile manufacturer and its industry is based in the southern regions that host most of its around 2.9 million Syrian migrants.
NBC News
After armed neo-Nazis get police protection, some Black residents in Ohio express disbelief
Some Black leaders and residents in greater Cincinnati expressed dismay after armed, masked neo-Nazis were allowed to gather on a freeway bridge without arrest.
Time
The Plastic vs. Paper Straw Debate, Explained
Trump signed an Executive Order to end the use of paper straws. Here’s what to know about the history of plastic straws.
Reuters
Trump administration readies reciprocal US tariffs as trade war fears mount
Donald Trump's trade advisers were finalizing plans on Wednesday for the reciprocal tariffs the U.S. president has vowed to impose on every country that charges duties on U.S. imports, ratcheting up fears of a widening global trade war. Trump stunned markets with his decision on Monday to impose tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports beginning March 12. Last week, Trump slapped an additional 10% tariff on Chinese goods, effective February 4, with Chinese countermeasures taking effect this week.
Associated Press
Judge orders LSU to reinstate professor who was removed from class following political comments
A judge has ordered Louisiana State University to fully reinstate a professor who was removed from his teaching duties last month after he used vulgar language to criticize Gov. Jeff Landry and President Donald Trump during a lecture. The ruling, which allows tenured law professor Ken Levy to return to his classroom this week, was issued following the conclusion of Tuesday's hearing over a lawsuit Levy filed against the university. During two days of testimony, law students and another professor spoke about the “chilling effect” Levy's removal had on them and that it exacerbated fears over speaking freely in the classroom.
Associated Press
Snow and freezing rain pummel the mid-Atlantic while California prepares for likely flooding
Snow, sleet and freezing rain were expected to continue pummeling the central Appalachians and mid-Atlantic states Wednesday, while California readied for a storm that could flood areas ravaged by the recent wildfires. Especially heavy snowfall — up to nearly 14 inches (25 centimeters) — was expected in parts of Virginia and West Virginia, according to the National Weather Service. Ice accumulations could reach more than a third of an inch (8.4 millimeters) in Stanleytown, Virginia, and a quarter of an inch (6.3 millimeters) in Glendale Springs, North Carolina.
Reuters
Taiwan's Foxconn says it can plan production around Trump tariffs
Taiwan's Foxconn, the world's largest contract electronics manufacturer and Apple's main iPhone maker, can plan its production around new U.S. tariffs, the company's chairman said on Wednesday. U.S. President Donald Trump announced and then paused until March 4 an across-the-board 25% tariff on all U.S. imports from Mexico and Canada. Foxconn Chairman Young Liu, speaking to reporters at the company's headquarters in New Taipei, outside the capital Taipei, noted it manufactures in both the United States and Mexico.
The Wall Street Journal
Why Today’s Inflation Report Is Especially Important
Fed officials are wary about getting through turn-of-the-year price resets, which contributed to big inflation jumps in recent years.
Associated Press
Relatives of Israeli hostages are terrified as the Gaza ceasefire teeters
After 16 months of excruciating uncertainty, Idit Ohel finally received word this week that her 24-year-old son, a hostage in Gaza, is still alive. Bound by chains in an underground tunnel, Alon Ohel has subsisted on a piece of bread or less each day. As the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas seems increasingly at risk of falling apart — Hamas says it will not free three hostages on Saturday as planned, and Israel says it's ready to resume the war if it doesn't — families of the hostages are struggling to maintain hope.
AFP
'Saudi is the best!': Why are TikTok mumfluencers lauding desert megacity?
Expat "mumfluencers" are taking to TikTok to sing the praises of life in Saudi Arabia and to extol the virtues of its new NEOM megacity, filming their idyllic lives spent picnicking by turquoise waters and shopping in gleaming malls."If you have children, Saudi Arabia is the best place," Aida McPherson, an Azerbaijani born in London, told her almost 60,000 followers as she filmed her daughter in traditional Saudi dress on a shopping trip.
Associated Press
Leaders of Indonesia and Turkey hold talks on defense and economic ties
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met his Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto on Wednesday for talks aimed at strengthening economic and defense ties between the two Muslim-majority nations. Erdogan’s state visit to Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country and Southeast Asia's largest economy, was his second stop in a four-day visit that also includes Malaysia and Pakistan. On Monday, the Turkish leader met Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and reiterated his opposition to a U.S. proposal to relocate Palestinians from Gaza and said Israel should pay for the territory's reconstruction.
CNN
Wrongfully detained American teacher Marc Fogel meets with Trump after being released from Russia in an ‘exchange’
Marc Fogel, an American teacher detained for more than three years in Russia, was welcomed back to the US by President Donald Trump on Tuesday night after the White House secured his release in an “exchange.”

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