Keeping Up With America

UnitedHealthcare CEO murder suspect Luigi Mangione hit with federal charges in New York after waiving extradition: Luigi Mangione, the suspect indicted in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, waived his right to an extradition hearing and was flown from Pennsylvania to New York Thursday afternoon to face federal charges.

Appeals court disqualifies DA Fani Willis from prosecuting Trump Georgia case: A Georgia appellate court Thursday disqualified Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and removed her from prosecuting Donald Trump and co-defendants in a case she brought over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Wisconsin school shooting victims named as teacher Erin West and student Rubi Vergara: Tributes have been paid to the two victims who died in the shooting at the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, on Monday, who have been named as 42-year-old teacher Erin M. West and 14-year-old student Rubi P. Vergara.

How Dave McCormick won 2024’s closest Senate race — and how he’ll shape the GOP in Washington: The freshman senator-to-be from Pennsylvania was one of the first Republicans to outline what became the party’s core strategy against Kamala Harris in the fall. For months, Dave McCormick knew a victory in Pennsylvania’s critical Senate race was far from certain.

Inside the ‘targeted operations’ ICE agents carry out against undocumented immigrants: The time and staffing needed to arrest a single immigrant reveals how difficult it may be to scale up to mass deportations. The operation begins before dawn. More than a dozen agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement — or ICE — gear up in a parking lot in suburban Boston for what the agency calls “targeted enforcement.”

Around the World

Putin says he will ask Assad about missing U.S. journalist Austin Tice at annual news conference: Russian President Vladimir Putin promised on Tuesday that he would help to find American journalist Austin Tice who went missing in Syria a dozen years ago.

France’s President Emmanuel Macron tours cyclone-battered Mayotte, meets survivors pleading for help: France’s President Emmanuel Macron traveled Thursday to the Indian Ocean archipelago of Mayotte to survey the devastation that Cyclone Chido wrought across the French territory as thousands of people tried to cope without bare essentials such as water or electricity.

Lets Talk Business and Tech

How Vuori reached a $5.5 billion valuation by taking share from Lululemon

Tesla in talks with city of Austin over self-driving technology, Bloomberg News reports

Dow rebounds 100 points from Wednesday’s rout, poised to snap 10-day decline

Richer, Wiser, Happier

HELOC or home equity loan: Which will be better in 2025?: Borrowing from your home equity can be a wise way to improve your financial health, especially in today’s economy. For example, you can tap into home equity to fund home renovations that may improve your home’s value. Similarly, home equity loans and home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) typically offer lower rates than credit cards and other types of borrowing products, making them a useful option for consolidating debt and reducing interest costs. And with Americans sitting on an average of $319,000 in home equity currently, these loans may offer higher borrowing limits than other options.

How to get a low student loan rate for the spring 2025 semester | Christy Bieber, CBS News. With the fall semester coming to an end and the spring semester fast approaching, undergraduate, graduate and professional students who must borrow to pay tuition or living expenses should start exploring student loan options sooner rather than later. Borrowers can take out federal loans, including direct subsidized or unsubsidized loans, Grad PLUS loans or Parent PLUS oans. However, these federal loans have annual and lifetime limits and come with a fixed interest rate set by law.

Sports and Showbiz Shenanigans

Mavericks’ Luka Doncic out vs. Clippers with heel contusion | Cody Bellinger excited to join Yankees, dad’s former team

Questlove Directing ’50 Years of SNL Music’ Documentary for NBC | Oscar Predictions: Best Costume Design — Could Paul Tazewell Make ‘Wicked’ Awards History?

Ethan Slater’s wife breaks silence on divorce, ‘Wicked’ press tour with Ariana Grande | Paris Hilton-backed bill targeting institutional child abuse passes Congress

Life Hacks to Hack Your Life

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Try this 7-sec hack for bone-on-bone relief (it’s genius)

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