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In the coming hours, Time Magazine is expected to name President-elect Donald Trump as the 2024 “Person of the Year.” Other contenders on their shortlist included Vice President Kamala Harris, Princess of Wales Kate Middleton, billionaire Elon Musk and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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FBI Director Christopher Wray will resign at the end of the Biden administration, the agency said Wednesday, as it became clear he would be forced out by President-elect Donald Trump. In a Truth Social post, Trump celebrated Wray’s decision to resign, calling it “a great day for America.” When Trump first chose Wray to lead the FBI in 2017, the two were on good terms. But the relationship soured as Wray oversaw an FBI that investigated Trump, resulting in two separate federal cases against the former president. Trump was also enraged with the FBI for, among other things, carrying out the lawful search of his Mar-a-Lago resort in 2022. Trump had vowed to replace the FBI director with loyalist Kash Patel, although Wray still had three years remaining in his 10-year term. Patel will need to be confirmed by the Senate.
Kristen Holmes shares how Trump reacted to Wray’s resignation
The 3D-printed gun that CEO killing suspect Luigi Mangione had when he was arrested this week in Pennsylvania matches three shell casings found at the crime scene in Manhattan, police said. The 9mm shell casings had the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose” written across them, one word per bullet. Police have been looking into whether those words, which match the title of a 2010 book critiquing the insurance industry, may point to a motive in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Mangione’s fingerprints also match those investigators found on items near the scene of the December 4 murder, authorities said. Mangione’s lawyer told CNN on Wednesday that he wants to examine the evidence police say they have against his client to assess their “truthfulness” and “accuracy.”
Police: Evidence ties Luigi Mangione to crime scene
President Joe Biden announced that he is commuting the sentences of some 1,500 individuals and pardoning 39 people convicted of non-violent crimes — marking a broad use of the presidential clemency power just weeks from the end of Biden’s administration. The individuals whose long sentences will be commuted were placed in home confinement during the Covid-19 pandemic and were deemed to have demonstrated a clear commitment to rehabilitation and reintegration into their communities, sources said. The dozens of others being pardoned were convicted of non-violent crimes and considered to have demonstrated records of meaningfully giving back to the country. This comes on the heels of Biden’s decision to issue a full and unconditional pardon of his son Hunter after repeatedly insisting that he would not do so.
Meta said Wednesday that it is close to resolving a technical issue that is causing a widespread outage of its apps, including Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp. “We’re aware that a technical issue is impacting some users’ ability to access our apps. We’re working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible and apologize for any inconvenience,” Meta Newsroom said Wednesday afternoon. WhatsApp and Instagram both confirmed outages via X, and thousands of users reported they were unable to access Meta’s apps. The outage lasted for more than three hours. By around 5:30 pm ET, Meta posted that it was “99% of the way there” to fully solving the issue.
Weeks of mysterious drone sightings across New Jersey are prompting heightened security concerns — and mounting frustrations — from residents, military personnel and federal, state and local officials. Law enforcement has not identified the origin or landing sites of the drones but emphasized there is no threat to public safety. Mayor Michael Melham of Belleville Township said the drones primarily operate at night, often displaying flashing lights, but they turn off the lights and evade police helicopters when approached. Some members of Congress have speculated that a foreign entity may be involved in the drones, something the Pentagon quickly rebuffed Wednesday.
‘They look like a small car’: New Jersey residents anxious about mysterious drone sightings
Selena Gomez is engaged
Pop star and “Only Murders in the Building” actress Selena Gomez is engaged to record producer and songwriter Benny Blanco.
Bill Belichick named head football coach at University of North Carolina
The long-time NFL coach and UNC agreed to a five-year deal pending approval of the University’s Board of Trustees and Board of Governors.
NFL’s partnership with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation ‘not changing’ amid sexual assault allegations
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is standing by Jay-Z’s Roc Nation amid allegations the rapper and businessman assaulted a teenager in 2000 with Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Herbal medicine vs. traditional medicine
Herbal medicine is prevalent across the world, but it’s difficult to standardize or regulate. Researchers in Thailand are exploring the science of herbal compresses to make this ancient remedy more accessible.
15 of the best places to go for Christmas
From England to the Philippines, these 15 places around the world offer up some of the best holiday charm for a Christmas vacation.
Veteran sketch artist William Hennessy has died. He was 67. From the Supreme Court to high-profile criminal trials to the Senate chamber during President Donald Trump’s impeachment in 2020, Hennessy’s work allowed the public to picture history unfolding in places where cameras either aren’t allowed or are heavily restricted.
28.3 million
That’s how many US adults were considered current smokers as of 2021, according to the CDC. This week, the FDA submitted a proposed rule that could significantly lower the amount of nicotine in tobacco products and potentially prompt more people to quit smoking.
“Blanketly denying health care to people who need it — just because of a biased notion against transgender people — is wrong.”
— Democratic Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, issuing a statement Wednesday after the House passed a defense policy bill that bans gender-affirming care for transgender children. The legislation, if approved by the Senate, will prevent the military’s health program, TRICARE, from covering hormone treatments for transgender children of service members.
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AND FINALLY …
Olives, capers, anchovies. Here’s the technique that makes pasta puttanesca so delicious
Italian grandma demonstrates how to make the best pasta puttanesca
Olives, capers, anchovies. See the technique passed down through generations that makes pasta puttanesca so delicious.
