In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Satire news outlet The Onion purchases Alex Jones' InfoWars with backing from Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting families, owed nearly $1.5B by Jones following defamation lawsuits (More)

> Craig Melvin tapped to replace Hoda Kotb as "Today" show coanchor; Kotb announced in September she'd be stepping down after more than two decades (More)

> Skiing legend Lindsey Vonn to come out of retirement at age 40, more than five years since her last competition (More) | Tampa Bay Rays to play 2025 home games at New York Yankees' spring-training field in Tampa after Hurricane Milton tore roof off Tropicana Field (More)


Science & Technology
> OpenAI to launch AI-powered agent capable of independently carrying out tasks, such as booking travel and sending emails; "Operator" to launch in January, compete with similar products from Anthropic and Microsoft (More) | The rapid rise of OpenAI (More, w/video)

> Researchers develop algorithm to predict when lithium-ion batteries are about to catch fire by analyzing sounds from inside the devices; batteries can briefly emit flames almost as hot as a blowtorch during failure (More) | Why Li-ion batteries combust (More)

> Skull's bone marrow continues to grow and expand over time, study finds, allowing production of healthy new blood cells as we age (More)


Business & Markets
> US stock markets close lower (S&P 500 -0.6%, Dow -0.5%, Nasdaq -0.6%) as Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell signals caution on further rate cuts (More) | Disney shares close up 6% after company reports growth in profits and customers, forecasts stronger-than-expected earnings outlook (More)

> European Union fines Meta $841M for violating antitrust laws by tying its Marketplace online classified ads business to its Facebook social network (More) | US regulators reportedly seeking to put Google under federal supervision similar to how banks are overseen (More)

> Coach owner Tapestry ends bid for $8.5B acquisition of Michael Kors owner Capri following regulatory hurdles (More)


Politics & World Affairs
> President-elect Donald Trump taps Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head Department of Health and Human Services; role requires Senate confirmation (More) | See background on Kennedy Jr. (More) | See all picks announced so far (More)

> NY Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) unveils revised New York City congestion pricing plan, the first such plan in the US; plan would charge a daily $9 toll on most vehicles entering Manhattan's central business district during peak hours (More)

> Tropical Storm Sara forms in Caribbean Sea, expected to bring life-threatening flash-flooding and mudslides across Central America, including Honduras (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS