Broncos’ Pat Surtain is the NFL’s highest-graded CB this season

Yahoo News
What you should — and shouldn't — do if you win the Mega Millions jackpot, according to an expert
There's still a chance for one lucky winner to score the Mega Millions jackpot, which has climbed to $825 million. Here's what you should — and shouldn't do — with your winnings, according to an expert.
Reuters
Qcells says technology breakthrough could reduce space needed for solar panels
Space is among the most pressing issues for the rapidly growing solar power industry, which has encountered growing opposition in some parts of the United States to large-scale projects that take up big swathes of land. Qcells said it had set a world record for the efficiency of a large-area silicon solar cell with a top layer of perovskite, the name for materials with a crystal structure that absorbs large amounts of light and is cheap to produce. The technology's potential could dramatically shrink the size of projects and slash costs.
Yahoo News
Winter weather forecast: Arctic blast to send temperatures plunging on East Coast just before Christmas
According to the National Weather Service, an arctic airmass “should bring daytime highs down to as much as 15 to 20 degrees below normal” for parts of the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic on Saturday and Sunday.
Associated Press
Wisconsin's tight Republican majority sparks hope for bipartisan cooperation
When the Wisconsin Legislature returns to work in January, Republicans will still be in charge but will have the narrowest majorities since taking control in 2011. Both sides are eyeing the state's massive budget surplus, which sits at more than $4 billion. What to do with that money will drive debate over the next two-year budget, which will be written in 2025, while questions hang in the air about whether Evers plans to run for a third term in 2026 and how the state will interact with President-elect Donald Trump's administration.
AFP
US Supreme Court agrees to hear TikTok ban case
The US Supreme Court agreed on Wednesday to hear TikTok's appeal of a law that would force its Chinese owner to sell the online video-sharing platform or shut it down.A three-judge US appeals court panel earlier this month unanimously upheld the law's premise that TikTok divesting from Chinese ownership "is essential to protect our national security."
Associated Press
NATO leader says he wants to put Ukraine in a position of strength for any peace talks with Russia
NATO's secretary-general said he wants to discuss ways to put Ukraine in a position of strength for any future peace talks with Russia during a meeting Wednesday with Ukraine’s president and a small number of European leaders.
AFP
US reports first severe case of bird flu in a human
A patient in Louisiana has been hospitalized with a severe infection of avian influenza, marking the first serious human case in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Wednesday.The case brings the total number of avian influenza infections in the United States during the current 2024 outbreak to 61.
USA TODAY
Washington power outage map: Over 88,000 customers without power Wednesday morning
Thousands of Washington residents are left in the dark after a wintry mix of precipitation entered the state on Tuesday.
AFP
Stocks and dollar edge higher before Fed rate decision
Stock markets mostly edged higher while the dollar rose against main rivals Wednesday ahead of an expected decision by the US Federal Reserve to cut interest rates. Across the Atlantic, official data Wednesday showed UK inflation had picked up in November, firming expectations that the Bank of England will hold off cutting its key interest rate on Thursday.
USA TODAY
Bird flu sweeps through California dairies; first person with severe illness reported
Bird flu virus has swept through farms across the nation’s largest dairy producing state. All human cases had been mild - until now.
Reuters
NATO command in Germany to assist Ukraine is up and running, says Rutte
A new NATO command in the German city of Wiesbaden has taken up its work to coordinate Western military aid for Ukraine, the alliance's Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on Wednesday. The command takes over coordination of the aid from the United States, in a move widely seen as aiming to safeguard the support mechanism against NATO sceptic U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. "The NATO command in Wiesbaden for security assistance and training for Ukraine is now up and running", Rutte told reporters at NATO's headquarters in Brussels.
Reuters
Trump says he wants retribution. Some critics fear he will use the IRS to get it
Some prominent critics of President-elect Donald Trump - including three officials in his first administration - are instructing their accountants to safeguard against the possibility of Trump ordering investigations into their tax records after he returns to the White House, according to interviews with Reuters. Several American administrations in the 20th century misused the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. tax collection agency, to target opponents by ordering audits of their tax filings, historians say. Six Trump critics, including two national security officials and one CIA officer in his first administration, told Reuters they fear a malicious IRS audit.
Associated Press
House Ethics Committee secretly voted to release Matt Gaetz ethics report, source says
The House Ethics Committee voted in secret to release the long-awaited ethics report into ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz, raising the possibility that the allegations against the Florida Republican who was President-elect Donald Trump's first choice for attorney general could be made public in the coming days. Just last month, members voted along party lines to not release the findings of their nearly four-year investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct with minors and use of illicit drugs while Gaetz was in office. Democrats had pressing to make the report public even though Gaetz was no longer in Congress and had withdrew as Trump's pick to lead the Justice Department.
AFP
Zelensky huddles with European leaders as Trump looms
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meets NATO chief Mark Rutte and key European leaders in Brussels Wednesday to strategise over Russia's war ahead of Donald Trump's return to power in the United States.But Ukraine's leader has said Trump's arrival could mean the war ends next year, and has called for allies to help secure a peace deal that Moscow cannot violate.
Reuters
Steps to rein in pharmacy benefit managers in US bill "manageable" for firms
The stopgap measure aimed at averting a partial government shutdown includes a healthcare package that prohibits these companies from deriving remuneration based on a drug's Medicare list price. "It is important to note there is no call for the total elimination of rebates in the legislation and the provisions do not go into effect until 2028, which provides time for the industry to renegotiate and restructure contracts," said Mizuho analyst Ann Hynes.
AFP
Notre Dame cathedral unveils controversial new stained glass windows
Designs for six new stained glass windows in fire-damaged Notre Dame cathedral were unveiled for the first time on Wednesday, with contemporary French painter Claire Tabouret chosen for a project intended to add a modern flourish to the 12th-century masterpiece. The new stained glass windows are set to be installed at the end of 2026, while the old ones will be taken down and either placed in a museum or in another church or cathedral, Notre-Dame reconstruction project manager Philippe Jost told
CBS News
Prominent pro-Putin ballet star Sergei Polunin says he's leaving Russia
Ukrainian-born ballet phenom Sergei Polunin was rewarded for backing Putin's attacks on his native country, but he appears to have fallen from Moscow's graces.
USA TODAY
Florida man beat child for nearly 30 minutes over missing couch cushion, deputies say
According to authorities, Lance Rachel, 42, told the boy he would break his jaw. His wife, Kimberly Rachel, was also arrested for failure to report.
CNN
Wild temperature swings are coming the rest of the year. Here’s what to expect
Topsy turvy temperatures are on the way for millions in the United States in the final days of 2024 as winter struggles to take hold.
Associated Press
Health officials say Louisiana patient is first severe bird flu case in US
A person in Louisiana has the first severe illness caused by bird flu in the U.S., health officials said Wednesday. The patient had been in contact with sick and dead birds in backyard flocks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Agency officials didn't immediately detail the person's symptoms.

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