Weight loss drugs changed their lives. Then they lost coverage
The letter came in June. Mindy McCormick, 67, read that her insurer would soon stop covering the weight loss drug Wegovy, which she had been taking for more than two years.
Insurers are deserting homeowners as climate shocks worsen
The insurance crisis spreading across the United States arrived at Richard D. Zimmel’s door this month in the form of a letter.
A mouse that swims and dozens more species are discovered in a Peruvian jungle
In the summer of 2022, researchers trudged into the jungles of the Alto Mayo region of Peru in search of undiscovered creatures. This remote yet populous region had experienced significant deforestation, so the team didn’t expect to find much.
Starbucks workers’ strikes across US could reach ‘hundreds of stores’ by Dec. 24, union says
Some members of the Starbucks workers’ union that represents more than 10,000 baristas walked off their jobs in multiple U.S. cities on Friday, citing unresolved issues over wages, staffing and schedules.
Biden signs spending bill, finalizing end to shutdown drama
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Saturday signed the spending package that allowed federal funds to keep flowing until mid-March, formally ending the week’s unexpected drama over the issue a few hours after the deadline for a shutdown had technically passed.
German authorities probe motive in deadly Christmas market attack
Authorities investigated a Saudi doctor with a history of anti-Islam rhetoric as the suspected driver in a car-ramming attack on a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg that killed five people and injured scores.
Ukraine’s capital hit by Russian missiles after cyberattack
Ukraine’s capital faced a Russian missile attack for the first time in almost a month, a day after Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin offered to hold talks with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
Trump threatens EU with tariffs over oil and gas imports
(Reuters) — U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Friday the European Union should step up U.S. oil and gas imports or face tariffs on the bloc’s exports that include goods such as cars and machinery.
Israeli airstrikes kill at least 25 Palestinians in Gaza, medics say
(Reuters) — Israeli airstrikes killed at least 25 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Friday, medics said, including at least eight in an apartment in the Nuseirat refugee camp and at least 10, including seven children, in the town of Jabalia.
Cuba stages protest at US embassy over sanctions
Tens of thousands of Cubans marched in front of the U.S. embassy in Havana on Friday to protest longstanding sanctions in the waning weeks of the Biden administration, and as the island’s government worries about possibly tougher treatment under President-elect Donald Trump.
Driver kills at least two after ramming into crowd at German Christmas market
A driver rammed a car into a large crowd of revellers at a Christmas market in central Germany on Friday evening, killing at least two people and injuring more than 60 before he was arrested, authorities said.
Pakistan’s missile program is ‘emerging threat’, top US official says
A senior White House official on Thursday said nuclear-armed Pakistan is developing long-range ballistic missile capabilities that eventually could allow it to strike targets well beyond South Asia, making it an “emerging threat” to the United States.
Why it’s hard to control what gets taught in public schools
Oklahoma and Texas are among more than 20 states that have passed laws since 2021 seeking to control how race, gender and American history are discussed in schools.
House passes bill to avert shutdown with hours to spare
WASHINGTON — The House on Friday approved legislation to avert a federal shutdown that was just hours away, with lawmakers extending funding into mid-March and approving $100 billion in disaster relief for parts of the nation still reeling from storms. The Senate was expected to quickly follow suit.
US held ‘very productive’ first meeting with Syria’s al-Sharaa
Senior U.S. diplomats visiting Damascus on Friday met with Syria’s de-facto new ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa and held a “good” and “very productive” meeting with him about Syria’s political transition and decided to remove a bounty on his head.
Don’t buy your kids these items for Christmas, pediatricians say
As you stare at that long list of toys your little one wants for Christmas, be aware there are some things kids shouldn’t receive this holiday, no matter how much they want it.
Government lurches toward shutdown after House tanks Trump’s spending plan
The government lurched toward a shutdown after the House on Thursday rejected a hastily produced plan ordered up by President-elect Donald Trump to keep funding flowing, with dozens of Republicans defying his demand to pair the spending with a two-year suspension of the federal debt limit.
Giant redheaded centipedes are venom mixologists
A giant centipede’s many wriggling legs might be creepy. But the pair of legs not used for walking may be the most frightening.
Wisconsin shooter linked to California man planning separate attack
The teenage girl who killed a teacher and fellow student at her Wisconsin school this week was in contact with a California man who was planning his own mass shooting, according to California court records.
What charges does Luigi Mangione face over UnitedHealth executive killing?
Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the Dec. 4 killing of UnitedHealth Group executive Brian Thompson, faces two separate sets of murder charges in state and federal court in New York.
