Monday, 11 July 2022

A pregnant driver says her unborn baby counts as a passenger in HOV lane. Plus, thefts of this car part are exploding. Here's the latest.

July 11, 2022 | VIEW IN BROWSER

Your day starts here. The latest in news, pop culture, wellness and more.

Firefighters try to save ancient sequoia trees from a growing wildfire, and a pregnant woman's fight against a traffic ticket for using the HOV lane. Plus, see how you can protect your vehicle from thieves seeking this one valuable part.

THE LATEST

Firefighters are trying to save Yosemite National Park sequoias that have stood for thousands of years.

Fire crews are working to save the giant sequoia trees of Mariposa Grove in California's Yosemite National Park from a wildfire that continued to expand on Sunday. Park officials have also turned to portable sprinklers to protect the 500-plus sequoias in the grove, which was set aside for public benefit by President Abraham Lincoln in 1864. The blaze, known as the Washburn Fire, was measured at 2,044 acres on Sunday night.

The Jan. 6 panel is making its final push this week. Meanwhile, Steve Bannon says he's "willing" to testify.

The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot will hold its final two hearings this week, starting with one on Tuesday focusing on how the mob came together to storm the Capitol. After months of stonewalling the committee, former White House strategist Steve Bannon said he would now be willing to testify after he received a letter from former President Trump saying he would waive his claim of executive privilege, according to two letters obtained Sunday by NBC News. Bannon was indicted in November by a federal grand jury and charged with two counts of contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena from the committee. Tuesday's hearing is at 1 p.m., and the final hearing is scheduled for Thursday.

👶 Pregnant woman fights ticket for using HOV lane by saying her unborn baby counts as a passenger.

A pregnant Texas woman is fighting a traffic ticket from June in which she was stopped for using the high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane that requires drivers to have at least one passenger with them. Brandy Bottone, who was 34 weeks pregnant at the time, argues that she did have a passenger — her unborn child. "And then I said, 'Well (I'm) not trying to throw a political mix here, but with everything going on (with Roe v. Wade), this counts as a baby,'" she told NBC Dallas-Fort Worth. She received a $275 ticket that she plans to fight at her court date on July 20.

🚗 Thefts of this valuable car part are skyrocketing across the country. Is your car a top target?

Since the pandemic, thefts of catalytic converters — an antipollution part made of platinum, palladium and rhodium — have exploded, fueled by a huge demand for those metals on the black market. Unfortunately for owners, the part sits exposed on the car's underside and can be removed in under a minute. And replacing one is expensive, up to $3,000 in some states. But now legislators are fighting back, introducing new legislation to tackle thefts. Certain models, like Ford F Series trucks and Honda Accords, are common targets. To see where your vehicle ranks as a target for thieves, go here.

GIVE IT A SHOT

Achieve your life goals with this easy tip.

Pilates has become a common workout to help people tone their stomachs, but a type of exercise called reformer Pilates has been gaining popularity. It uses a reformer, which is a machine resembling a bed frame that rolls back and forth on wheels. The exercise is ideal for people trying recover from an injury or focus on their core, while isolating muscles more than traditional Pilates on a mat. Interested? Check out these 4 key questions that may help decide if it's right for you.

WHAT'S FOR DINNER?

Allow us to do the meal-planning for you.

Slow cookers may evoke images of heating up soup or stew, but they have a place in the summer season, too, when you still want to make a memorable meal without spending too much time preparing it. So, make sure you follow these 11 essential tips and get ready for 25 mouth-watering recipes, including spare ribs, bacon macaroni and cheese and deep dish pizza with pepperoni and jalapeños.

DAILY DELIGHT

A little pick-me-up before you go.

Alex Morgan scores goals on the field and fans off of it. The U.S. women's national soccer team star recently met a little boy named Luca after her team's match in Monterrey, Mexico, where the U.S. defeated Jamaica. The meeting came after a video of the boy shouting her name surfaced on Twitter, causing hearts to melt and catching the attention of Morgan herself. "Is this not the most adorable thing you've ever seen?" Morgan asked in a video before they met.