In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> President Donald Trump becomes first US president to host the Kennedy Center Honors, distributing lifetime achievement awards to actors Sylvester Stallone and Michael Crawford, rock band KISS, and singers Gloria Gaynor and George Strait; ceremony will air Dec. 23 on CBS and Paramount+ (More)

> Indiana takes No. 1 spot in 12-team field competing for college football's 2025 national championship (More) | Lionel Messi leads Inter Miami to first MLS Cup title (More)

> The UK's Lando Norris wins first Formula 1 world championship title following third-place finish in Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (More) | Former NASCAR driver Michael Annett dies at age 39 (More)


Science & Technology
> OpenAI reportedly moves up the release of ChatGPT 5.2 to as early as this week; move follows CEO Sam Altman's "Code Red" memo in response to Google's Gemini 3 (More)

> Scientists develop process using CO2 to create carbon-negative construction materials; concrete production accounts for about 8% of global CO2 emissions (More)

> California officials issue warning against wild mushroom foraging after identifying 21 cases and one death linked to amatoxin poisoning, likely linked to the "death cap" mushroom (More)


Business & Markets
> US stock markets rise Friday (S&P 500 +0.2%, Dow +0.2%, Nasdaq +0.3%), with analysts projecting a nearly 90% chance the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates again Wednesday (More)

> SpaceX to offer insider shares valuing it at $800B, passing OpenAI as the most valuable privately held company; may eye initial public offering late next year (More) | What we've learned about SpaceX (1440 Topics) | ... and IPOs (1440 Topics)

> Federal officials waive final, $11M installment of $140M against Southwest Airlines over its 2022 holiday meltdown that left more than 2 million travelers stranded; decision cited company's efforts to upgrade infrastructure (More)


Politics & World Affairs
> Supreme Court to hear case challenging President Donald Trump's move to fire Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, testing 90-year-old limits on presidential power to remove regulators (More)

> Japan says Chinese jets locked radar on its fighter jets; incident comes weeks after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi indicated the country could get involved if China took action against Taiwan (More)

> Hong Kong voters elect 90-member legislature weeks after fire in Tai Po kills at least 159 people; turnout is estimated at nearly one-third of the eligible population (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS