Keeping Up With America

McDonald’s tipster in CEO’s shooting is eligible for up to $60,000 reward, but getting it takes time: More than 400 tips were called into the New York Police Department’s Crime Stoppers tip line during the five-day search for a masked gunman who fatally shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last week.

Trump downplays transgender bathroom debate as the issue rips through Congress: In an interview with Time magazine., the president-elect also appeared uncommitted on rolling back anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ students.

‘Like a miracle’: N.C. couple free of nearly $100,000 medical debt after 15 years: For 15 years, Donna and Gary Lindabury, of Vylas, North Carolina, lived with the financial equivalent of an anvil over their heads: a medical debt owed to a nonprofit hospital that at one point reached $200,000.

More than 3,700 people return to Malibu homes as calmer winds help firefighters battle blaze: More than 3,700 residents were allowed to return to their Malibu homes on Thursday after calmer winds and rising humidity in southern California helped firefighters battle a blaze that had forced thousands, including celebrities, to evacuate earlier this week.

Suspect in CEO’s killing wasn’t insured by UnitedHealthcare, company says: Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the ambush killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO, was not insured by the company, the overarching business that owns it said.

Around the World

Macron expected to name new French PM after days of political deadlock: President Emmanuel Macron is expected to name a new prime minister on Friday after days of deadlock over finding a candidate to replace Michel Barnier, whose ousting by parliament pushed France into a fresh crisis.

Former Syrian military official who oversaw notorious prison indicted in California on federal torture charges: A former Syrian military official who oversaw a prison where alleged human rights abuses took place has been charged with several counts of torture after being arrested in July for visa fraud charges, authorities said Thursday.

Lets Talk Business and Tech

Google’s latest AI will change the way we use the internet forever

The Holidays Mean Vacation Time — But Disaster Can Still Strike. Is Your Crisis Plan Ready?

OpenAI hit by outage after ‘technical issue’ impacts Meta social media apps

Richer, Wiser, Happier

Trying to settle your credit card debt? Watch these 4 red flags: Several years of high inflation are still straining the budgets of millions of Americans. Despite recent cooling, essential living costs like food, gas and housing remain elevated. Many pinched consumers are turning to their credit cards to make ends meet.

3 Little-Known Ways to Get a High Net Worth | Lyle Daly, Fool. Net worth is a way to gauge how you’re doing financially. To calculate it, you add up all your assets, then subtract your debts. The median U.S. household has a net worth of $192,700, according to the 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances.

Sports and Showbiz Shenanigans

Lions revoke fan’s tickets for verbal spat with Packers’ LaFleur | ESPN analyst Dick Vitale says scan shows he is cancer-free

James Patterson Rejected Seven-Figure Offer to Make Alex Cross a White Man; ‘Cross’ Star Aldis Hodge Is ‘Shocked, Impressed and Proud of That’ | Justin Timberlake’s ‘In Time’ and Other New Regency Films to Be Adapted Into Fortnite Games by Snoop Dogg’s Death Row

Morgan Wallen sentenced after pleading guilty in Nashville chair-throwing incident | Richard Gere Almost Turned Down ‘Pretty Woman’ Because He ‘Didn’t Understand’ His Character

Life Hacks to Hack Your Life

9 Expert Tips for Jigsaw Puzzling

Take control of holiday credit card debt with 0% interest until 2026

A Can of Coke or an Ice Cream Cone? One May Be Worse For Your Heart Than the Other, New Study Says

The Best Stretches for a Stiff Lower Back