Nick Smith Jr. is practicing. What Eric Musselman said about when Arkansas basketball star would play

CBS News
U.S. Steel faces murky future after proposed Nippon Steel takeover
The Biden Administration blocked the purchase of U.S. Steel by Japan's Nippon. Here's what could happen next.
Associated Press
Agency approves expanding Okefenokee wildlife refuge, setting up possible buyout of mining project
A federal agency said Friday that it has approved a plan to expand the Okefenokee Swamp's vast wildlife refuge, setting up a potential buyout offer for land intended for a private company's mining project that conservationists have fought for years. The plan approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service could add 22,000 acres (8,900 hectares) along the boundaries of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, the largest federal refuge east of the Mississippi River. "This minor expansion will help further conservation efforts for the swamp along with the threatened and endangered species that inhabit it,” Michael Lusk, the Okefenokee refuge manager, said in a news release.
Associated Press
An Arizona prisoner is asking to be executed sooner than the state wants
An Arizona death row prisoner asked the state’s highest court to skip legal formalities and schedule his execution earlier than authorities were aiming for, pushing as he had in the past to have his death sentence carried out. Aaron Brian Gunches' execution would mark a resumption of Arizona’s use of the death penalty after a two-year pause while it reviewed its procedures. In a handwritten court filing this week, Gunches asked the state Supreme Court to schedule his execution for mid-February for his murder conviction in the 2002 killing of Ted Price.
AFP
Judge to sentence Trump before inauguration in hush money case
The New York judge presiding over President-elect Donald Trump's hush money case on Friday set sentencing for 10 days before his January 20 inauguration and said he was not inclined to impose jail time."It seems proper at this juncture to make known the Court's inclination to not impose any sentence of incarceration," the judge said, noting that prosecutors also did not believe a jail term was a "practicable recommendation."
CBS News
Major airlines offer storm waivers to passengers ahead of winter storm
American, JetBlue, Southwest and United are offering passengers waivers to reschedule flights ahead of Winter Storm Blair.
USA TODAY
House Republicans warn of 'sincere reservations' Speaker Johnson can pass Trump's agenda
Eleven House Republicans skeptical about Speaker Mike Johnson's leadership outlined what they expect to fulfill President-elect Donald Trump's agenda.
CBS News
Video shows arrest of Olympian Fred Kerley after confrontation with police
The track athlete is facing two charges after physical incident Thursday night.
USA TODAY
Vegas Cybertruck explosion 'a tragic case of suicide' by veteran with PTSD, officials say
Matthew Livelsberger left behind a trove of information investigators are still sorting through. He said the attack was a 'wake-up call.'
Associated Press
Ohio governor vetoes medical free speech clause he says would gut state's regulatory power
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed part of a bill late Thursday that state lawmakers cast as protecting the medical free speech of doctors and other health professionals but that the Republican governor says would “totally gut” the state’s ability to regulate misconduct. DeWine left in place another provision of the bill that will alow law enforcement agencies to charge up to $75 an hour for police body camera video, despite objections raised by open government groups including the American Civil Liberties Union and NAACP. DeWine’s veto of the health-related language comes as Republican President-elect Donald Trump prepares to appoint anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head the nation’s health agencies and with national divisions over medical science still festering in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
NBC News
Utah woman 'who always wanted to be a mom' dies nine days after having twins
A Utah woman died of a rare heart condition called peripartum cardiomyopathy just nine days after she gave birth to twins, her grieving father said.
CBS News
Cybertruck bombing appears to be suicide of veteran who had PTSD, FBI says
Las Vegas police identified Matthew Alan Livelsberger as the driver of the Cybertruck who died in the New Year's Day bombing.
AFP
Wall Street stocks bounce higher, Europe retreats
Wall Street stocks bounced higher on Friday, but European stock markets retreated as traders booked profits from a positive start to 2025.Wall Street ended lower Thursday on the first US trading day of 2025, but bounced back to close the week.
Reuters
Alcohol cancer risk warning may face tough road with Trump
President-elect Donald Trump and his nominee to run the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., do not drink and have been outspoken about the dangers of alcohol. But neither rushed on Friday to embrace the recommendation by the outgoing Biden administration that alcoholic beverages carry warning labels about cancer risk. A combination of factors, including Republicans’ traditional resistance to regulation, a powerful industry lobby and the presence of top liquor companies in conservative states, make it unlikely the incoming administration would adopt the health suggestions in the near term.
CNN
Cruise ships hit by worst year for stomach bugs in over a decade, CDC data reveals
2024 was the worst year for gastrointestinal outbreaks on cruise ships in over a decade, thanks to a surge in norovirus, according to figures from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Associated Press
Why are US flags being flown at half-staff on Inauguration Day?
President-elect Donald Trump has expressed frustration that flags will be flying at half-staff when he takes office later this month. It's an action put in place by President Joe Biden to honor the late President Jimmy Carter, who died Sunday at 100. Here's what to know about why flags are lowered when a president dies, who can issue that order and how long the process lasts: Why are U.S. flags being flown at half-staff?
NBC News
U.S. House ushers in a tiny Republican majority to tackle enormous tasks in 2025
A new Congress starts Friday with a long to-do list for Donald Trump’s second term: keeping the government open, raising the debt ceiling, immigration and taxes.
Associated Press
Honduras suggests ending US military cooperation over Trump mass deportation threat
Honduras President Xiomara Castro ’s comments earlier this week threatening to stop her country’s cooperation with the U.S. military if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on promised mass deportations have generated political heat at home, even as the U.S. government has remained silent. In a New Year’s Day speech on a national television channel, Castro said that if Trump goes ahead with massive deportations, Honduras would reconsider military cooperation with the U.S. “Faced with a hostile attitude of mass expulsion of our brothers, we would have to consider a change of our cooperation policies with the United States, especially in the military realm,” Castro said.
Associated Press
US new vehicle sales rose 2.7% last year as prices and interest rates dropped a little
New vehicle sales in the U.S. rose 2.7% last year as prices and interest rates eased a bit, making SUVs, cars and trucks a little more affordable. Despite high sales prices that averaged more than $47,000, automakers sold just over 16 million vehicles in the U.S. last year, Motorintelligence.com said Friday. Electric vehicle sales rose 8.8% for the year to just under 1.3 million, beating 2023's record of 1.19 million.
Associated Press
DOJ finds Oklahoma City police discriminate against people with behavioral disabilities
Oklahoma City and its police department have discriminated against people with behavioral health disabilities, the U.S. Department of Justice said Friday after releasing the latest in a series of investigations into state and local law enforcement agencies. In its 45-page report, the DOJ found the city unnecessarily institutionalizes adults with mental illness and that the police department often escalates crisis situations by responding with armed officers instead of with behavioral health professionals.
CNN
His parents said their son had ‘the biggest heart.’ He’s one of the victims of the Bourbon Street attack
A loving father of two, a former college football player, and a student from the University of Alabama were among the 14 people killed when a rented pickup truck plowed into a crowd celebrating the New Year in New Orleans during Wednesday’s early hours.

Latest Stories