International News

Israelis brace to learn the fate of Hamas' youngest hostage, taken captive as a baby

Jan. 24, 2025

On lampposts, in shop windows and on smartphone screens across Israel, the posters show a smiling, red-headed baby boy clutching a pink elephant. And now the country is bracing to learn Kfir Bibas’ fate. The youngest hostage still in captivity in Gaza, Kfir was just shy of 9 months old when he was kidnapped during the Hamas-led terrorist attack Oct.7, 2023. On Saturday, he turned 2, having never known a birthday outside captivity.

Sports

Novak Djokovic booed after retiring from Australian Open semifinal match with injury

Jan. 24, 2025

The Melbourne, Austrailia, crowd was not kind to Novak Djokovic early Friday morning. In his quest to extend his record with a 25th grand slam, Djokovic only managed to play one set, withdrawing from his Australian Open semifinal match after tearing a muscle in his left leg.

Travel

Delta Air Lines crew accidentally deploys emergency slide, cancels flight to Honolulu

Jan. 24, 2025

Delta Air Lines had to call off one of its flights Thursday after crew members accidentally deployed an emergency slide. According to Delta, Delta Flight 419 traveling from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, was canceled after crew members mistakenly deployed the Boeing 767’s emergency slide and the flight crew timed out before the aircraft could be repaired.

Science & Tech

Two mysterious fast radio bursts originated from wildly different places in space

Jan. 24, 2025

Mysterious fast radio bursts, or millisecond-long bright flashes of radio waves from space, have intrigued astronomers since the first detection of the phenomenon in 2007. The enigmatic signals, known as FRBs, release as much energy in less than the blink of an eye as the sun emits in one day. Researchers are still trying to unravel what the celestial pulses are, as well as how and where they occur. Specialized telescopes have enabled astronomers to track radio bursts within the Milky Way galaxy as well as up to 8 billion light-years away.

Entertainment

Jewel defends RFK Jr. MAHA ball performance, says Trump administration willing to help on mental health crisis

Jan. 24, 2025

Jewel is defending herself after fans voiced their disappointment over her decision to perform at the MAHA Inaugural Ball for Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Following her surprise performance of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" for Kennedy and his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, at the ball, many fans took to the comments section of her recent Instagram posts to share that they were upset with her decision to perform at the ball. "Incredibly disappointed. Jewel is MAGA. Unfollow," one fan wrote in the comments section of a post shared by the singer-songwriter on Monday. "You are a huge disappointment. I was a fan for decades but now will never listen to your music again or pay any money to see you perform live," another follower added.

Science & Tech

Newly discovered asteroid turns out to be Tesla Roadster launched into space

Jan. 24, 2025

Elon Musk’s sense of humor is out of this world. Seven years after the SpaceX CEO launched a Tesla Roadster into orbit, astronomers from the Minor Planet Center at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Massachusetts confused it with an asteroid earlier this month. A day after the astronomers with the Minor Planet Center registered 2018 CN41, it was deleted on Jan. 3 when they revealed that it was in fact Musk’s roadster.

Automotive

New vehicle prices rose 1.3% YoY in December

Jan. 24, 2025

New vehicle prices increased for the fourth consecutive month in December, nearly reaching the all-time record set at the end of 2022, Cox Automotive’s Kelley Blue Book reported Jan. 15. The average purchase price of a new car last month was $49,740, a 1.3% year-over-year increase and a 1.5% gain from November, inching closer to the record-high of $49,958 set in December 2022, according to the report. Luxury vehicles tend to sell better in December and 2024 was no exception, with increased sales of high-end models boosting the average transaction price for the month, Kelley Blue Book said. Luxury models selling for over $80,000 represented 5.6% of total new car sales in December—a record high.

Sports

Tiger Woods moves Genesis Invitational to San Diego after wildfires impact LA course

Jan. 24, 2025

Tiger Woods' famed annual golfing event, The Genesis Invitational, is being moved from Los Angeles to San Diego after the devastating wildfires damaged the original course. The PGA announced Friday the event will move 123 miles south to Torrey Pines Golf Course in the La Jolla neighborhood in San Diego, the site of this week's Farmers Insurance Open.

Sports

Tiger Woods' famed annual golfing event, The Genesis Invitational, is being moved from Los Angeles to San Diego after the devastating wildfires damaged the original course. The PGA announced Friday the event will move 123 miles south to Torrey Pines Golf Course in the La Jolla neighborhood in San Diego, the site of this week's Farmers Insurance Open.

Jan. 24, 2025

LIV Golfer Bryson DeChambeau has a grand plan for the $125 million he's receiving from his Saudi Arabian bosses. The controversial 31-year-old golf star said during an interview on "The Joe Pomp Show" he bought 200 acres of land in his hometown of Modesto, California, and plans to expand the town by 30%.

Health

UnitedHealth shares dive after report of US investigation into Medicare billing

Jan. 24, 2025

UnitedHealth Group shares tumbled Friday on a report that the U.S. Department of Justice has started an investigation into the health care giant’s Medicare billing practices. The Wall Street Journal said federal officials have launched a civil fraud investigation into how the company records diagnoses that lead to extra payments for its Medicare Advantage, or MA, plans. Those are privately run versions of the government’s Medicare coverage program mostly for people ages 65 and over.