NBC Sets Premiere Dates for ‘America’s Got Talent,’ ‘World of Dance’

Associated Press
US census data shows how Middle Eastern and Hispanic residents differ in racial identity
As the U.S. Census Bureau gets public feedback about how it should tally people into new race and ethnicity groups, the agency has released new research reflecting how U.S. residents from different backgrounds regard their racial and ethnic identities. Earlier this year, the U.S. government changed how it categorizes people by race and ethnicity to more accurately count residents who identify as Hispanic and of Middle Eastern and North African heritage. Under the revisions, questions about race and ethnicity that previously were asked separately on forms will be combined into a single question.
Associated Press
Turkey's soaring costs are creating a 'lost generation' of kids forced to help their families get by
In a dim one-room apartment in one of Istanbul’s poorest neighborhoods, 11-year-old Atakan Sahin curls up on a threadbare sofa with his siblings to watch TV while their mother stirs a pot of pasta. Atakan, his two younger brothers and 5-year-old sister are among the one-third of Turkish children living in poverty. “Look at the state of my children,” said Rukiye Sahin, 28.
TODAY
A ‘silent’ COVID surge may hit the US over the holidays, experts warn — here's what that means
The 2024-2025 winter COVID-19 wave is hitting later than usual. Some experts are warning about a "silent" surge in cases this holiday season.
TODAY
Baby name experts share their favorite 'dupes' of the most popular names
If you love popular baby names, but they feel a bit overused, consider a fresh alternative with these unique baby name dupes.
AFP
Pope kicks off Christmas under shadow of war
Christmas revellers around the world donned red and white Santa hats, offered meals to the homeless and lit candles on Wednesday, as Pope Francis launched observation of the global holiday with a sombre mass in the Vatican.Francis is due to deliver his traditional Christmas Day blessing, Urbi et Orbi (to the city and the world), at midday on Wednesday, while in the biblical birthplace of Jesus, the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem, observations of the holiday have been muted.
AFP
Catholics hold muted Christmas mass in Indonesia's Sharia stronghold
With flickering candles and the sound of organs, hundreds of Catholics held a muted Christmas Eve mass in Indonesia's Aceh province, the only one under ultraconservative Islamic law in the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation.Christmas decorations are not allowed on the streets of Aceh -- the only Indonesian province to implement strict Sharia law that includes punishments like flogging -- where 98 percent are Muslim and just 6,000 Catholics live.
AFP
Japan's top diplomat in China to address 'challenges'
Japanese foreign minister Takeshi Iwaya was due in Beijing on Wednesday for talks with counterpart Wang Yi and other top officials as Tokyo acknowledged "challenges and concerns" in ties."Between Japan and China, there are various possibilities but also multiple challenges and concerns," he said.
CBS News
Winning numbers drawn for Mega Millions $1 billion Christmas Eve jackpot
A Mega Millions player may win a big jackpot on Christmas Eve. The lottery prize for the December drawing is now at $1 billion.
Politico
Cities worldwide hold subdued Christmas Eve celebrations amid conflicts
“Happiness comes from what happens. Joy comes from a much deeper place, and it doesn’t matter what’s going on around you."
AFP
Thousands attend Christmas charity dinner in Buenos Aires
Some 3,000 homeless people sat down for a festive Christmas charity dinner on Tuesday in the center of Buenos Aires, at a time when more than half of Argentina's population is affected by poverty, one year into ultra-liberal Javier Milei's term in office.According to the INDEC government statistics agency, in the first half of the year poverty jumped 11 points and reached 52.9 percent, 18.1 percent of whom are homeless.
TODAY
American Airlines nationwide ground stop on Christmas Eve is lifted
The FAA issued a nationwide ground stop for all American Airlines flights on Christmas Eve due to a “technical issue.”
CBS News
Where is Santa right now? NORAD tracker maps his Christmas flight
NORAD, the North American Aerospace Command, is tracking Santa on his trip around the world this Christmas, so children and families can see where he is right now.
CNN
Thousands of liters of chemicals dumped into Brazilian river during deadly bridge collapse
Brazilian authorities are investigating after a bridge collapsed Sunday, killing at least four people and sending trucks loaded with sulfuric acid and pesticides plunging into a river, raising concerns about water contamination.
Associated Press
After 20 years, the post-tsunami generation stays vigilant for future disasters
Qurrata Ayuni, a 28-year-old survivor of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated her hometown two decades ago, has transformed her resilience into purpose. Defying Aceh's male-dominated coffee culture, she runs a café that serves as a welcoming space for everyone, especially women, by employing and empowering them in the region worst hit by the tragedy. Ayuni survived the tsunami by chance, staying at her aunt’s house in Banda Aceh instead of her family home in Lampuuk, Aceh Besar district.
Associated Press
Medical examiner says a Hawaii crime boss died of a drug overdose while in federal detention
A Hawaii crime boss who died in federal detention this month was killed by an opioid overdose, Honolulu’s medical examiner said Tuesday. Michael Miske, 50, died of “toxicity of fentanyl and para-fluorofentanyl,” the medical examiner’s office said in a statement. It's not clear how Miske got ahold of fentanyl or para-fluorofentanyl while at the Honolulu Federal Detention Center.
NBC News
The bald eagle is officially America's national bird after Biden's signature
The bald eagle has landed in U.S. Code as President Joe Biden signed a bill Tuesday making the predator the official national bird.
Politico
Pope Francis kicks off yearlong Jubilee
It will test his stamina and Rome’s patience.
AFP
Bethlehem marks sombre Christmas under shadow of war
Christians gathered at the Church of the Nativity in the holy city of Bethlehem on Tuesday to mark a solemn Christmas overshadowed by war, as Pope Francis led mass in the Vatican.Pope Francis marked Christmas Eve on Tuesday with a special ceremony launching Jubilee 2025, a year of Catholic celebrations set to draw more than 30 million pilgrims to Rome.
USA TODAY
Biden signs law mandating colleges report hazing incidents
Among the dozens of bills President Joe Biden signed on Christmas Eve was the Stop Campus Hazing Act.
Associated Press
Ecuadorian police probe if bodies found are of missing children allegedly taken by soldiers
Ecuadorian police on Tuesday found an undisclosed number of bodies in an area close to a military base, officials said, and were investigating whether the bodies could be of some of the four children who were last seen taken by men in military uniform earlier this month. The case of the children, aged 11 to 15, who went missing on Dec. 8, has profoundly shaken Ecuador, with rights groups and the public demanding information about their whereabouts and asking that the case be investigated as a forced disappearance. Also Tuesday, prosecutors said they are looking to charge some members of the military with forced disappearance in the case.

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