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Groundbreaking broadcaster Greg Gumbel, 78, diesDuke Energy Florida files for costs associated with emergency activation and response following devastating 2024 hurricane seasonWe hear a lot about the British Royal family — maybe more than we to know — but has anyone stopped to appreciate across the continent? Many African royals come from diverse educational, political, and even ethnic backgrounds, and with so much to love in the motherland, it’s about time we show African royals some much-needed appreciation. From Morocco all the way to Lesotho, here’s a list of African royals who are doing the damn thing! 2 / 17 Her Royal Highness the Nnabagereka Sylvia Nagginda is the wife of the King of Buganda, King Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, according to She is regarded as an humanitarian for her transformational leadership and her work in empowering the youth, advocating for disability rights and women’s rights. 3 / 17 King Amon N’Douffou V (Ivory Coast) King Amon N’Douffou V (Ivory Coast) King Amon N’Douffou V took over the throne in 2005, and his enthronement was met with national celebration, according to . In 2009, the king named civil rights leader Jesse Jackson a prince of the Kingdom of Sanwi. Jackson marked the second person to receive the title from King Amon. The first person was Michael Jackson. 4 / 17 LisaRaye McCoy (Ghana) LisaRaye McCoy (Ghana) Actress Lisa Raye McCoy was named the Queen Mother of Ghana by King Yahweh, at a ceremony in Los Angeles in 2019. She did have a crowning ceremony, but there has been criticism of the legitimacy of the title. Lisa Raye was also the First Lady of Turk and Caicos in 2006 when she married Michael Misick, the former Premier of the Turks and Caicos. 5 / 17 David Oyelowo (Nigeria) David Oyelowo (Nigeria) Actor is a prince in Nigeria. His grandfather was the King of Awe in the Oyo State. In an interview with , Oyelowo said that he does not flaunt this title because royal families are “a dime in a dozen,” in Nigeria. 6 / 17 The princess, who also goes by “Stephanie Benson,” was raised royal her whole life. At just 14 years old, Benson was sent to Britain to prepare for her role as Queen, but while working at De Beers, she fell in love with John Benson and the couple eventually wed, according to . The princess is still a Ghanaian royal, but she spends her time pursuing her career as a singer. 7 / 17 King Kwongo Dak Padiet (Sudan) King Kwongo Dak Padiet (Sudan) The 35th Reth — or King — of the Shilluk Kingdom in Sudan came to power in 1993. At the time of his coronation, Sudan was in the middle of a bloody civil war, which didn’t end until 2005. Most recently, King Kwongo has been criticized for banning non-traditional wedding practices in his kingdom, according to . According to him, these decrees are in efforts to preserve the traditions and culture of his people. 8 / 17 Queen ‘Masenate Mohato Seeiso (Lesotho) Queen ‘Masenate Mohato Seeiso (Lesotho) ‘Masenate Mohato Seeiso is the Queen of Lesotho and the wife of King Letsie III of Lesotho. According to Lesotho records, she was the first commoner in modern history to marry into the country’s royal family. Since becoming queen, ‘Masenate has used her power to advocate for projects related to HIV/AIDS in addition to donating to several charities. 9 / 17 King Misuzulu Zulu (South Africa) King Misuzulu Zulu (South Africa) After the death of his father, King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu, in 2021, Misuzulu Zulu came to power over the Zulu nation. He is one of 28 children, according to . After his father’s death, Misuzulu’s rise to power ruffled quite a few feathers in his own family, with many calling his coronation unlawful. 10 / 17 Princess Esther Kamatari (Burundi) Princess Esther Kamatari (Burundi) Esther Kamatari went from being Burundi’s exiled princess to France’s first Black model after fleeing from her home country. She decided to step away from her royal life and move to France after her father, Prince Ignace Kamatari, was assassinated when she was only 13, according to 11 / 17 (Benin) (Benin) Born Eheneden Erediauwa, the Benin royal values education and public service. Before taking the throne, Ewuare spent much time in Great Britain pursuing his education. He holds a degree in economics and a master’s degree from New Jersey’s Rutgers University, according to . 12 / 17 Princess Sikhanyiso Dlamini (Eswatini) Princess Sikhanyiso Dlamini (Eswatini) Her father, King Mswati III, is Africa’s last absolute monarchy. In his role, the king has unrestricted political power and can rule by decree, according to Eswatini law. His eldest daughter, Princess Sikhanyiso Dlamini, is the country’s former Minister of Information and Communication Technology. 13 / 17 (Morocco) (Morocco) The king first came to power in 1999, just hours after his father died of a heart attack, according to . King Mohammed VI is now regarded as one of the wealthiest royals in the world. According to , his net worth was around $2.1 billion as of 2019. 14 / 17 Princess Princess While most royals like to lavish in their wealth and status, Buganda Princess Joan Nassolo has created a career of her own by advocating and helping others. She has her own non-profit organization committed to environmental conservation, cultural heritage preservation, and youth empowerment. Nassolo holds a title belt for the East and Central Xtra Combat Muay Thai Women’s Championship, according to the She is also the creator and author of the Legend Of Buganda Comic Book Series. 15 / 17 Oba Fredrick Obateru Akinruntan is the current traditional ruler of Ugbo Kingson. He is the founder of Obat Oil, one of Nigeria’s largest and leading privately held oil companies, according to . Apparently, Akinruntan’s rise to power was set in stone from his childhood. “There were two separate prophecies that Iwas going to be an Oba [King],” he told The Capital. 16 / 17 The death of Angola’s Queen Nhacatolo Chilombo Tchissengo in 2023 devastated the country. In her place, Queen Nhakatolo Anabela Ngambo Kaumba took the throne and was coronated in 2024. Kaumba marks the newest addition to — meaning only women can sit on the throne with the title “nhakatolo.” 17 / 17
One of my top shows of 2024 actually premiered in 2021. That’s because it took a couple of years for the Australian series “The Newsreader” to make its way Stateside. Alas, it was only legal to stream in the U.S. for a handful of weeks in September and then — pffft! — it was gone before most people had even heard of it. Well, I have great news. The show is available once again, this time via Sundance Now (accessible through the AMC+ streaming platform), which has licensed the first season. It stars Anna Torv (“Fringe”) and Sam Reid (“Interview with the Vampire”) as TV reporters in Melbourne, circa 1986. At the outset, Reid’s character exudes big loser energy, which is such an amusing contrast to his work as Lestat. The show is unexpectedly funny and terrifically Machiavellian in its portrayal of small-time office politics, and I’m thrilled audiences in the U.S. will get another shot at watching it. Overall, 2024 offered a modestly better lineup than usual, but I’m not sure it felt that way. Too often the good stuff got drowned out by Hollywood’s pointless and endless pursuit of rebooting intellectual property (no thank you, Apple’s “Presumed Innocent”) and tendency to stretch a perfectly fine two-hour movie premise into a saggy multipart series (“Presumed Innocent” again!). There were plenty of shows I liked that didn’t make this year’s list, including ABC’s “Abbott Elementary” and CBS’ ”Ghosts” (it’s heartening to see the network sitcom format still thriving in the streaming era), as well as Netflix’s “A Man on the Inside” (Ted Danson’s charisma selling an unlikely premise) and Hulu’s “Interior Chinatown” (a high-concept parody of racial stereotypes and cop show tropes, even if it couldn’t sustain the idea over 10 episodes). Maybe it just felt like we were having more fun this year, with Netflix’s “The Perfect Couple” (Nicole Kidman leading a traditional manor house mystery reinterpreted with an American sensibility) and Hulu’s “Rivals” (the horniest show of 2024, delivered with a wink in the English countryside). I liked what I saw of Showtime’s espionage thriller “The Agency” (although the bulk of episodes were unavailable as of this writing). The deluge of remakes tends to make me cringe, but this year also saw a redo of Patricia Highsmith’s “The Talented Mr. Ripley” on Netflix that was far classier than most of what’s available on the streamer. Starring Andrew Scott, I found it cool to the touch, but the imagery stayed with me. Shot in black and white, it has an indelible visual language courtesy of director of photography Robert Elswit, whether capturing a crisp white business card against the worn grain wood of a bar top, or winding stairways that alternately suggest a yawning void or a trap. As always, if you missed any of these shows when they originally premiered — the aforementioned titles or the Top 10 listed below — they are all available to stream. Top 10 streaming and TV shows of 2024, in alphabetical order: “Couples Therapy” (Showtime) The least cynical reality show on television remains as absorbing as ever in Season 4, thanks to the probing questions and insights from the show’s resident therapist, Dr. Orna Guralnik. Everything is so charged. And yet the show has a soothing effect, predicated on the idea that human behavior (and misery) isn’t mysterious or unchangeable. There’s something so optimistic in that outlook. Whether or not you relate to the people featured on “Couples Therapy” — or even like them as individuals — doesn’t matter as much as Guralnik’s reassuring presence. “Diarra From Detroit” (BET+) Created by and starring Diarra Kilpatrick, the eight-episode series defies categorization in all the right ways. Part missing-person mystery, part comedy about a school teacher coming to grips with her impending divorce, and part drama about long-buried secrets, it has tremendous style right from the start — sardonic, knowing and self-deprecating. The answers to the central mystery may not pack a satisfying punch by the end, but the road there is as entertaining and absorbing as they come. We need more shows like this. “English Teacher” (FX) A comedy created by and starring Brian Jordan Alvarez (of the antic YouTube series “The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo”), the show has a sensibility all its own, despite a handful of misinformed people on social media calling it a ripoff of “Abbott Elementary.” There’s room enough in the TV landscape for more than one sitcom with a school setting and “English Teacher” has a wonderfully gimlet-eyed point of view of modern high school life. I’m amused that so much of its musical score is Gen-X coded, because that neither applies to Alvarez (a millennial) nor the fictional students he teaches. So why does the show feature everything from Laura Branigan’s “Gloria” to Exposé’s “Point of No Return”? The ’80s were awash in teen stories and maybe the show is using music from that era to invoke all those tropes in order to better subvert them. It’s a compelling idea! It’s streaming on Hulu and worth checking out if you haven’t already. “Fifteen-Love” (Sundance Now) A one-time tennis phenom accuses her former coach of coercing her into a sexual relationship in this British thriller. The intimacy between a coach and athlete often goes unexplored, in real-life or fictional contexts and that’s what the show interrogates: When does it go over the line? It’s smart, endlessly watchable and the kind of series that would likely find a larger audience were it available on a more popular streamer. “Hacks” (Max) There’s real tenderness in this show. Real cruelty, too. It’s a potent combination and the show’s third and strongest season won it an Emmy for best comedy. Jean Smart’s aging comic still looking for industry validation and Hannah Einbinder’s needy Gen-Z writer are trapped in an endless cycle of building trust that inevitably gives way to betrayal. Hollywood in a nutshell! “Hacks” is doing variations on this theme every season, but doing it in interesting ways. Nobody self-sabotages their way to success like these two. “Interview with the Vampire” (AMC) I was skeptical about the show when it premiered in 2022. Vampire stories don’t interest me. And the 1994 movie adaptation starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt wasn’t a persuasive argument to the contrary. But great television is great television and nothing at the moment is better than this show. It was ignored by Emmy voters in its initial outing but let’s hope Season 2 gets the recognition it deserves. Under showrunner Rolin Jones, the adaptation of Anne Rice’s novels is richly written, thrillingly inhabited by its cast and so effortlessly funny with a framing device — the interview of the title — that is thick with intrigue and sly comedy. I wouldn’t categorize the series as horror. It’s not scary. But it is tonally self-assured and richly made, rarely focused on the hunt for dinner but on something far more interesting: The melodrama of vampire existence, with its combination of boredom and lust and tragedy and zingers. Already renewed for Season 3, it has an incredible cast (a thrilling late-career boost for Eric Bogosian) and is well worth catching up with if you haven’t already. “Nobody Wants This” (Netflix) It’s been too long since the pleasures of banter fueled a romantic comedy in the spirit of “When Harry Met Sally.” But it’s all over the place in “Nobody Wants This,” one of the best shows on Netflix in recent memory. Renewed for a second season, it stars Kristen Bell as a humorously caustic podcaster and Adam Brody as the cute and emotionally intelligent rabbi she falls for. On the downside, the show has some terrible notions about Jewish women that play into controlling and emasculating stereotypes. You hate to see it in such an otherwise sparkling comedy, because overall Bell and Brody have an easy touch that gives the comedy real buoyancy. “Nolly” (PBS Masterpiece) I suspect few people saw this three-part series on PBS Masterpiece, but it features a terrific performance by Helena Bonham Carter playing the real-life, longtime British soap star Noele “Nolly” Gordon, who was unceremoniously sacked in 1981. She’s the kind of larger-than-life showbiz figure who is a bit ridiculous, a bit imperious, but also so much fun. The final stretch of her career is brought to life by Carter and this homage — to both the soap she starred in and the way she carried it on her back — is from Russell T. Davies (best known for the “Doctor Who” revival). For U.S. viewers unfamiliar with the show or Gordon, Carter’s performance has the benefit of not competing with a memory as it reanimates a slice of British pop culture history from the analog era. “Shōgun” (FX) The year is 1600 and a stubborn British seaman piloting a Dutch ship washes ashore in Japan. That’s our entry point to this gorgeously shot story of power games and political maneuvering among feudal enemies. Adapted from James Clavell’s 1975 novel by the married team of Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks, it is filled with Emmy-winning performances (for Anna Sawai and Hiroyuki Sanada; the series itself also won best drama) and unlike something like HBO’s far clunkier “House of the Dragon,” which tackles similar themes, this feels like the rare show created by, and for, adults. “Slow Horses” (Apple TV+) The misfits and losers of Britain’s MI5 counterintelligence agency — collectively known as the slow horses, a sneering nickname that speaks to their perceived uselessness — remain as restless as ever in this adaptation of Mick Herron’s Slough House spy novels. As a series, “Slow Horses” doesn’t offer tightly plotted clockwork spy stories; think too deeply about any of the details and the whole thing threatens to fall apart. But on a scene-by-scene basis, the writing is a winning combination of wry and tension-filled, and the cumulative effect is wonderfully entertaining. Spies have to deal with petty office politics like everyone else! It’s also one of the few shows that has avoided the dreaded one- or two-year delay between seasons, which has become standard on streaming. Instead, it provides the kind of reliability — of its characters but also its storytelling intent — that has become increasingly rare.Kings To Name Doug Christie Interim Coach
Did Elon Musk's Political Gambit Costs Tesla? 40% Sales Drop in Europe Raises Alarm
SHAREHOLDER ALERT: Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of Sana Biotechnology, Inc. - SANAATLANTA — The U.S. government’s premier research body has made an important discovery that could help create new drugs to lower “bad” cholesterol, and hopefully prevent heart attacks and stroke. But the interesting part of that story isn’t just the discovery itself, but the technology responsible for it: a relatively new type of microscope that essentially froze LDL cholesterol molecules, allowing researchers for the first time to get a detailed view of the structure of LDL and find new ways to approach stopping LDL buildup into body. The technology, cryo-electron microscopy, allowed National Institutes of Health scientists to view how LDL accumulates in the blood. The microscope’s inventors won the Nobel Prize in 2017, and the tech promises breakthroughs of all kinds in science. Research with this tool is going to have serious health benefits, the NIH said, because it allowed them for the first time to see how “bad” cholesterol, known as low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol or LDL-C, builds up in the body, and causes heart attacks and strokes in people who have genetically high LDL cholesterol. That condition is known as familial hypercholesterolemia. The genetic disorder causes LDL (bad) cholesterol levels to spike and remain elevated. The condition begins at birth and can cause heart attacks at an early age, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The researchers hope the breakthrough will help scientists cure FH, which affects 1 in 250 Americans, and increases their likelihood of dying from coronary artery disease at a younger age. Presently, most people who have FH treat it by taking statins or other drugs. But until the NIH discovery in December, which allowed them to take a sort of freeze-frame photo of the molecule, the actual way in which LDL accumulated in the body wasn’t completely understood. The findings provide new insights that one day can lead to new types of drugs, said Dr. Alan Remaley , senior investigator in lipoprotein metabolism at the NIH. “Our findings provide a potential new strategy for increasing the ability of the LDL receptor for binding and removing LDL from the circulation,” Remaley explained. Dr. Aditi Das and Dr. MG Finn, both with Georgia Tech’s School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, explained in an email that the technology represents a revolution in biology and biochemistry because it allows scientists to determine the structures of biological molecules in great detail. How molecules function is determined by their structures. “When we know their structures, we have a big clue as to how they work, how to fix them if they are defective, or how to stop them if they cause harm. Nature is the supreme molecular architect, and we need techniques like cryo-EM to see the details of what she builds,” Finn explained. Why LDL is bad The breakthrough came when the NIH was able to preserve the LDL’s structure, creating a sort of freeze-frame that literally trapped LDL in a form of ice that allowed it to be seen by an electron microscope. The images were sent to a computer algorithm that then built a 3D model of the molecule. Cryo-electron machines cost between $2 million and $3 million per device, and have become essential tools for modern biological and biomedical research, Finn said. Atlanta has two of them: one at Georgia Tech , the other at Emory . The fact that LDL cholesterol contributes to cardiovascular disease has been known for some time, but until the NIH finding, researchers couldn’t quite observe the process. LDL causes fatty deposits, known as plaque, to build up in the walls of arteries, which is a major cause of heart disease. LDL’s purpose isn’t entirely harmful: it’s job is to transport cholesterol to cells for energy, repair or hormone production. But excess LDL is harmful, and the liver produces too much LDL when we eat unhealthy fats (like saturated and trans fats), which contributes to cardiovascular risk. Excess LDL in the bloodstream can get stuck in the arteries, triggering inflammation and narrowing the blood vessels. Over time, this plaque buildup can reduce blood flow or rupture, forming clots that block blood supply to the heart or brain, leading to heart attacks or strokes. Saturated fats are found naturally in animal products (like butter, cheese, fatty meats) and some tropical oils (like coconut and palm oils). Overeating foods high in saturated fat can raise LDL cholesterol. Trans fats are found in margarine, shortening, baked goods and fried foods. They raise LDL cholesterol significantly while lowering HDL (good) cholesterol, making them much more harmful, according to the American Heart Association. For heart health, it’s best to replace these fats with unsaturated options like those found in fish, nuts, seeds, avocados and plant-based oils, said Dr. Danny J. Eapen, of the Cardiac Rehabilitation Center at Emory St. Joseph’s Hospital and Emory University School of Medicine. Olive oil can also help lower cholesterol, especially when it replaces harmful fats such as butter and margarine, Eapen said. ©2024 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Visit at ajc.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Drought, fires and deforestation battered Amazon rainforest in 2024Political bigwigs join Awam Pakistan party
JUIF slams Chitral admin for musical event CHITRAL: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF) leader and former tehsil nazim Maulana Muhammad Ilyas has criticised the district administration for organizing a musical event at the Polo Ground on Thursday night. “It is also a matter of concern that the elected representatives from the area enjoyed the music festival despite the fact that the people of both the districts are on the roads seeking redressal of their grievances,” JUIF leader Maulana Muhammad Ilyas told a press conference here. JUIF Chitral tehsil head Pir Sarwar Nadeem, Maulana Aftab Ilahi, Maulana Inam-ul-Haq and others were also present on the occasion. Maulana Ilyas said that such events tarnish the moral and cultural values of Chitral, transforming its dignified environment into one lacking decency. He described the gathering as an invitation to Allah’s wrath. He urged the people of Chitral to collectively and individually seek forgiveness and turn to Allah. He criticized the elected representatives’ absence from a prolonged protest camp at Bazaar Bridge, where citizens were voicing their grievances over the electricity crisis. “However, these same representatives found time to attend an indecent gathering on the sacred night of Friday,” he said, adding that the event disturbed the peace of residents near the Polo Ground. Maulana Ilyas extended his support to the sentiments expressed by prominent scholar Maulana Israr-ud-Din Al-Hilal, who had condemned the event on social media. He also criticized the deputy commissioner of Lower Chitral, advising him to focus on addressing public issues instead of indulging in such activities. The JUIF leader announced that the party would deliberate on the future line of action to address this matter.PSNI refer case to Police Ombudsman due to ‘widespread public concern’ after teen with autism removed by officers from Lisburn shopIs Washington positioned for long-term success in the Big Ten? We aren't convinced, for a variety of reasons. Share this: Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to print (Opens in new window) Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Report an error Policies and Standards Contact Us Most Popular Dear Abby: She won’t marry me because of my young hiking buddy Dear Abby: She won't marry me because of my young hiking buddy Miss Manners: The bride ignored my rules as mother of the flower girl Miss Manners: The bride ignored my rules as mother of the flower girl Asking Eric: I saw what my teen calls me in his phone contacts Asking Eric: I saw what my teen calls me in his phone contacts Miss Manners: The old-timers insist on their strange pronunciations for streets Miss Manners: The old-timers insist on their strange pronunciations for streets Dear Abby: Do I have to thank the driver who hit my bicycling son? Dear Abby: Do I have to thank the driver who hit my bicycling son? ‘Bomb cyclone’ storm dumps more rain, with Friday to be biggest day in East Bay, Peninsula and South Bay 'Bomb cyclone' storm dumps more rain, with Friday to be biggest day in East Bay, Peninsula and South Bay Dear Abby: I don’t want to spend my wedding budget on shirttail in-laws Dear Abby: I don't want to spend my wedding budget on shirttail in-laws Alec Baldwin wasn’t invited to ‘Rust’ premiere, incites anger of slain cinematographer’s family Alec Baldwin wasn't invited to 'Rust' premiere, incites anger of slain cinematographer's family Harriette Cole: I’m worried about living with my brother’s persnickety wife Harriette Cole: I'm worried about living with my brother's persnickety wife Harriette Cole: Nobody understands why I won’t learn to drive Harriette Cole: Nobody understands why I won't learn to drive Trending Nationally Castle Rock school bus driver who left 40 kids at busy intersection “didn’t know what to do” A ‘horrific accident’: 2 deputies who died, 1 injured in Palm Beach County crash identified Illinois high court overturns Jussie Smollett’s convictions in allegedly staged hate crime San Diego toddler’s backyard snake bite bills totaled more than a quarter-million dollars Trump chooses Pam Bondi for attorney general pick after Gaetz withdraws
Stock market today: Wall Street slips as the 'Magnificent 7' weighs down the market NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are closing lower as Wall Street ends a holiday-shortened week on a down note. The S&P 500 fell 1.1% Friday and the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 333 points, or 0.8%. The Nasdaq composite dropped 1.5%. The “Magnificent 7” stocks weighed on the market, led by declines in Nvidia, Tesla and Microsoft. Even with the loss, the S&P 500 had a modest gain for the week and is still headed for its second consecutive annual gain of more than 20%, the first time that has happened since 1997-1998. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.62%. 10 tips from experts to help you change your relationship with money in 2025 NEW YORK (AP) — As the calendar changes to 2025, you might be thinking about how to approach your relationship with money in the new year. Whether you’re saving to move out of your parents’ house or pay off student loan debt, financial resolutions can help you stay motivated. If you’re planning to make financial resolutions for the new year, experts recommend that you start by evaluating the state of your finances in 2024. Then, set specific goals and make sure they’re attainable for your lifestyle. An online debate over foreign workers in tech shows tensions in Trump's political coalition WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — An online spat between factions of Donald Trump’s supporters over immigration and the tech industry has thrown internal divisions in the president-elect’s political movement into public display. The argument previews fissures and contradictory views his coalition could bring to the White House. The rift laid bare tensions between the newest flank of Trump’s movement — that is, wealthy members of the tech world who want more highly skilled workers in their industry — and people in Trump’s Make America Great Again base who championed his hardline immigration policies. A 9th telecoms firm has been hit by a massive Chinese espionage campaign, the White House says WASHINGTON (AP) — A top White House official says a ninth U.S. telecoms firm has been confirmed to have been hacked as part of a sprawling Chinese espionage campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans. Administration officials said this month that at least eight telecommunications companies, as well as dozens of nations, had been affected by the Chinese hacking blitz known as Salt Typhoon. But Anne Neuberger, a deputy national security adviser, said Friday that a ninth victim had been identified after the administration released guidance to companies about how to hunt for Chinese culprits in their networks. Most Americans blame insurance profits and denials alongside the killer in UHC CEO death, poll finds WASHINGTON (AP) — Most Americans believe health insurance profits and coverage denials share responsibility for the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO — although not as much as the person who pulled the trigger. So says a new poll from NORC at the University of Chicago. It finds that about 8 in 10 Americans say that the person who committed the killing has “a great deal” or “a moderate amount” of responsibility for the Dec. 4 shooting of Brian Thompson. Still, some see suspect Luigi Mangione as a heroic figure. About 7 in 10 adults say coverage denials or health insurance profits also bear at least “a moderate amount” of responsibility for Thompson’s death. Another jackpot surpasses $1 billion. Is this the new normal? Remember this moment because it probably won’t last: A U.S. lottery jackpot is projected to soar above $1 billion, and that's still a big deal. Friday’s Mega Millions drawing is worth an estimated $1.15 billion. The prize has evoked headlines across the country, despite the nation's top 10 jackpots already having boasted billion-dollar payouts. Jonathan Cohen is the author of the book “For a Dollar and a Dream: State Lotteries in Modern America.” He says he expects jackpots to continue to grow in size. Larger payouts attract more media attention, increase ticket sales and bring in new players. How the stock market defied expectations again this year, by the numbers NEW YORK (AP) — What a wonderful year 2024 has been for investors. U.S. stocks ripped higher and carried the S&P 500 to records as the economy kept growing and the Federal Reserve began cutting interest rates. The benchmark index posted its first back-to-back annual gains of more than 20% since 1998. The year featured many familiar winners, such as Big Tech, which got even bigger as their stock prices kept growing. But it wasn’t just Apple, Nvidia and the like. Bitcoin and gold surged and “Roaring Kitty” reappeared to briefly reignite the meme stock craze. Richard Parsons, prominent executive who led Time Warner and Citigroup, dies at 76 NEW YORK (AP) — Richard Parsons, one of corporate America’s most prominent Black executives who held top posts at Time Warner and Citigroup, has died. He was 76. Parsons died Thursday at his Manhattan home. He was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2015 and cited “unanticipated complications” from the disease for cutting back on work a few years later. Financial services company Lazard confirmed his death. Parsons was a longtime member of the company's board. His friend Ronald Lauder told The New York Times that the cause of death was cancer. Parsons stepped down Dec. 3 from the boards of Lazard and Lauder’s company, Estée Lauder, citing health reasons. He had been on Estée Lauder’s board for 25 years. Israel strikes Houthi rebels in Yemen's capital while the WHO chief says he was meters away JERUSALEM (AP) — A new round of Israeli airstrikes in Yemen has targeted the Houthi rebel-held capital of Sanaa and multiple ports. The World Health Organization’s director-general said Thursday's bombardment took place just “meters away” as he was about to board a flight in Sanaa. He says a crew member was hurt. The strikes followed several days of Houthi attacks and launches setting off sirens in Israel. Israel's military says it attacked infrastructure used by the Houthis at the airport in Sanaa, power stations and ports. The Israeli military later said it wasn’t aware that the WHO chief was at the location in Yemen. At least three people were reported killed and dozens injured in the Sanaa airport strike. Holiday shoppers increased spending by 3.8% despite higher prices New data shows holiday sales rose this year even as Americans wrestled with still high prices in many grocery necessities and other financial worries. According to Mastercard SpendingPulse, holiday sales from the beginning of November through Christmas Eve climbed 3.8%, a faster pace than the 3.1% increase from a year earlier. The measure tracks all kinds of payments including cash and debit cards. This year, retailers were even more under the gun to get shoppers in to buy early and in bulk since there were five fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Mastercard SpendingPulse says the last five days of the season accounted for 10% of the spending. Sales of clothing, electronics and Jewelry rose.Sportscaster Greg Gumbel dies from cancer at age 78
Sportscaster Greg Gumbel dies from cancer at age 78
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is expected to announce that it will send $1.25 billion in military assistance to Ukraine, U.S. officials said Friday, as the Biden administration pushes to get as much aid to Kyiv as possible before leaving office on Jan. 20. The large package of aid includes a significant amount of munitions, including for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems and the HAWK air defense system. It also will provide Stinger missiles and 155 mm- and 105 mm artillery rounds, officials said. The officials, who said they expect the announcement to be made on Monday, spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details not yet made public. The new aid comes as Russia has launched a barrage of attacks against Ukraine’s power facilities in recent days, although Ukraine has said it intercepted a significant number of the missiles and drones. Russian and Ukrainian forces are also still in a bitter battle around the Russian border region of Kursk, where Moscow has sent thousands of North Korean troops to help reclaim territory taken by Ukraine. Earlier this month, senior defense officials acknowledged that that the Defense Department may not be able to send all of the remaining $5.6 billion in Pentagon weapons and equipment stocks passed by Congress for Ukraine before President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in. Trump has talked about getting some type of negotiated settlement between Ukraine and Russia, and spoken about his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin . Many U.S. and European leaders are concerned that it might result in a poor deal for Ukraine and they worry that he won't provide Ukraine with all the weapons funding approved by Congress. The aid in the new package is in presidential drawdown authority, which allows the Pentagon to take weapons off the shelves and send them quickly to Ukraine. This latest assistance would reduce the remaining amount to about $4.35 billion. Officials have said they hope that an influx of aid will help strengthen Ukraine’s hand, should Zelenskyy decide it’s time to negotiate. One senior defense official said that while the U.S. will continue to provide weapons to Ukraine until Jan. 20, there may well be funds remaining that will be available for the incoming Trump administration to spend. According to the Pentagon, there is also about $1.2 billion remaining in longer-term funding through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which is used to pay for weapons contracts that would not be delivered for a year or more. Officials have said the administration anticipates releasing all of that money before the end of the calendar year. If the new package is included, the U.S. has provided more than $64 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022.
Sportscaster Greg Gumbel dies from cancer at age 78