3 things to know as Jackson State basketball opens season

Associated Press
Capybaras take their turn as the holiday season's 'it' animal
The world’s largest rodent is having a big moment. The capybara – a semi-aquatic South American relative of the guinea pig -- is the latest in a long line of “it” animals to get star treatment during the holiday shopping season. Shoppers can find capybara slippers, purses, robes and bath bombs.
AFP
Serbia's capital Belgrade to make public transport free
All public transport in Serbia's capital Belgrade will be free from next month -- the latest European city to adopt the radical measure to counter gridlocked roads. The Serbian capital is one of the few major European capitals without an underground mass transit system.
USA TODAY
Starliner astronauts won't return home until at least March after latest NASA delay
The Starliner astronauts have had their homecoming delayed yet again after NASA postponed the launch of the mission whose crew would replace them.
The Wall Street Journal
The Last-Ditch Efforts to Win Over Critics of the Nippon-U.S. Steel Deal
The Japanese company continues to doggedly campaign for support from mayors, governors and especially members of the steelworkers union.
Yahoo Finance
Nvidia is on a collision course with a $5 trillion valuation: Analyst
If Nvidia were an all-night party, this would be 10 p.m., argues Wedbush analyst Dan Ives.
Reuters
US single-family housing starts rebound in November
U.S. single-family homebuilding rebounded in November as the drag from hurricanes faded, but the threat of tariffs on imported goods and potential labor shortages from mass deportations could hamper new construction next year. Single-family housing starts, which account for the bulk of homebuilding, jumped 6.4% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.011 million units last month, the Commerce Department's Census Bureau said on Wednesday. Homebuilding has struggled for much of this year after benefiting from a severe shortage of previously owned homes for sale.
CBS News
Here's what to expect from the Fed's interest rate decision today
The Federal Reserve will announce a rate decision today, Wednesday, Dec. 18. Economists are now expecting fewer cuts in 2025.
Reuters
US House speaker defends stopgap spending as some Republicans, Musk balk
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson defended a stopgap measure aimed at funding the federal government through mid-March and averting a partial government shutdown despite complaints from some fellow Republicans and Donald Trump ally Elon Musk. Johnson, in an interview on Fox News, said the bill was necessary to keep the government operating until U.S. President-elect Trump and his fellow Republicans had full control of Congress and could fully enact promised bigger spending changes. Tesla founder Musk, who along with fellow businessman Vivek Ramaswamy were tasked by Trump to lead an outside advisory panel that they say will make the government more efficient, balked at the spending bill and urged lawmakers to reject it.
The Conversation
Yes, Philadelphia is a sanctuary city − but that offers undocumented immigrants little protection from mass deportations
Activists are calling on city officials to bolster Philly’s sanctuary city policies, as they fear retaliation from the incoming Trump administration.
The Conversation
What is an AI agent? A computer scientist explains the next wave of artificial intelligence tools
The latest buzz phrase coming from technology companies is ‘AI agents.’ A computer scientist explains what that means – and how ChatGPT and your Roomba fit into the picture.
The Conversation
Why Syria’s reconstruction may depend on the fate of its minorities
The fall of the Assad regime marks a turning point in Syria’s history. But it also opens a ‘chapter fraught with peril’ for the country’s minorities, an expert on religious minorities writes.
The Conversation
Luigi Mangione isn’t the first alleged criminal to capture many people’s imaginations – and hearts
Ted Bundy, the Menendez brothers and Bonnie and Clyde are other criminals who captivated observers because of their intriguing personal stories – and the violent nature of their crimes.
The Conversation
Nixon’s official acts against his enemies list led to a bipartisan impeachment effort
An enemies list isn’t a weapon against ‘the Deep State.’ It was a tool Richard Nixon used to create a deep state of his own.
The Conversation
Assault on DEI: Critics use simplistic terms to attack the programs, but they are key to uprooting workplace bias
Often rooted in racism, DEI backlash ignores the full picture, one where these programs help employees thrive and lead to professional success.
Reuters
Congo lawyers say Apple's supply chain statement must be verified
International lawyers for the Democratic Republic of Congo welcomed Apple's decision to stop sourcing minerals from there due to worsening conflict, but said they would press ahead with their cases against the company in Europe. Criminal complaints were filed against Apple subsidiaries in France and Belgium this week on behalf of Congo, accusing the tech firm of using conflict minerals in its supply chain. Congo is a major source of tin, tantalum and tungsten, so-called 3T minerals used in computers and mobile phones.
The Conversation
Why natural disasters hit harder in rural school districts
Floods, hurricanes, fires and pandemics are hard for any school district to deal with. But in rural districts the struggle to recover is even harder.
Associated Press
Democracies across the globe are at a crossroads, as authoritarians seek to chip away at freedoms
In November, the world's most powerful democracy elected as its next president a man who schemed to overturn its last presidential election. Incumbent parties and leaders were battered in elections that covered 60% of the world's population, a sign of widespread discontent in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. From Asia to Africa to the Americas, it produced examples of democracy working and citizens standing up against attempted coups or authoritarians.
USA TODAY
Are your plastic kitchen utensils toxic? An alarming study gets an update.
A recent study found black plastic kitchen tools had high levels of toxins - but researchers admit they overestimated the risk.
Associated Press
Prayerful, playful, mystical: Some of AP's most compelling religion photos of 2024.
Photographs are an essential aspect of how The Associated Press covers religion and spirituality around the world, as evidenced by this gallery featuring some of 2024’s most compelling images. In Lakeland, Florida, a more intimate joy is palpable as Sam and Tori Earle watch their infant daughter, Novalie, swing in their backyard.
AFP
Three 'transformations' for nature, according to UN experts
Human societies need a radical overhaul to stop the destruction of the planet, according to the UN biodiversity expert panel's "transformative change" report released Wednesday. The assessment, the second by the expert panel this week, says overconsumption in richer countries, a concentration of wealth and power, and a society increasingly disconnected from nature, were driving ecological destruction.

3 things to know as Jackson State basketball opens season

SWAC defensive player of the year returns

Replacing the SWAC's leading scorer

Malachi Wideman is on the roster

Latest Stories

Capybaras take their turn as the holiday season's 'it' animal

Serbia's capital Belgrade to make public transport free

Starliner astronauts won't return home until at least March after latest NASA delay

The Last-Ditch Efforts to Win Over Critics of the Nippon-U.S. Steel Deal

Nvidia is on a collision course with a $5 trillion valuation: Analyst

US single-family housing starts rebound in November

Here's what to expect from the Fed's interest rate decision today

US House speaker defends stopgap spending as some Republicans, Musk balk

Yes, Philadelphia is a sanctuary city − but that offers undocumented immigrants little protection from mass deportations

What is an AI agent? A computer scientist explains the next wave of artificial intelligence tools

Why Syria’s reconstruction may depend on the fate of its minorities

Luigi Mangione isn’t the first alleged criminal to capture many people’s imaginations – and hearts

Nixon’s official acts against his enemies list led to a bipartisan impeachment effort

Assault on DEI: Critics use simplistic terms to attack the programs, but they are key to uprooting workplace bias

Congo lawyers say Apple's supply chain statement must be verified

Why natural disasters hit harder in rural school districts

Democracies across the globe are at a crossroads, as authoritarians seek to chip away at freedoms

Are your plastic kitchen utensils toxic? An alarming study gets an update.

Prayerful, playful, mystical: Some of AP's most compelling religion photos of 2024.

Three 'transformations' for nature, according to UN experts