'Scream 6' writers tease that Drew Barrymore's Casey Becker could return as a cyborg

Reuters
Morning Bid: Fed draws veil over post-election easing
Faced with another monthly round of stubborn inflation and uncertainty about fiscal, tariff and immigration policy ahead, the Federal Reserve is getting cagier about the extent of further policy easing. Fed boss Jerome Powell didn't give much away in a keenly-watched set-piece speech on Thursday, but made it clear that the central bank still sees a robust economy and has a lot of new information to take on board in deciding just how much further it should lower interest rates. "The economy is not sending any signals that we need to be in a hurry to lower rates," Powell said at a Dallas Fed event.
AFP
UK economy slows, hitting government growth plans
Britain's economy grew less than expected in the third quarter, official data showed Friday, dealing a blow to the Labour government that has set its sights on growth expansion.The EU on Friday forecast that the eurozone economy is expected to grow 1.3 percent next year from 0.8 in 2024.
AFP
Oil execs work COP29 as NGOs slam lobbyist presence
Oil executives and lobbyists descended on COP29 in Baku for "energy day" Friday, as environmental groups denounced the presence of the fossil fuel industry at the UN climate talks."The fossil fuel industry is creating havoc in people's lives, the fossil fuel industry is responsible for destruction," said Makoma Lekalakala, a South African environmental campaigner.
Reuters
Trump's Texas border gains highlight Republican inroads in former Democratic stronghold
The United States' swing toward President-elect Donald Trump in last week's election was pronounced along its border with Mexico, particularly in southern Texas, where Republicans have gained a foothold in traditionally Democratic-voting counties. Across border counties where nearly all of the ballots have been counted, the president-elect's share of the vote rose almost 10 percentage points from four years ago and was about 20 percentage points higher than in his first presidential campaign in 2016. Republicans' successes along the southern border with Mexico, where many voters are Hispanic, reflect the party's gains with such voters across the country.
Yahoo Finance
Wall Street ponders a potential debt reckoning from Trump spending plans: Morning Brief
The incoming Trump administration's plans, if enacted, would involve a large increase in the US government's debt. For years, this hasn't been a problem for markets. But once again, Wall Street is asking if this time will be different.
Reuters
Futures drop as Powell signals no hurry on rate cuts
In a speech on Thursday, Powell pointed to ongoing economic growth, a solid job market, and inflation above the Fed's 2% target as reasons the central bank can afford to be careful as they determine the pace and scope of rate cuts going forward. U.S. Treasury yields rose broadly after Powell's comments, while Wall Street's main indexes closed lower.
Associated Press
Senegal enters last day of tense campaign ahead of key legislative election
Politicians in Senegal wrapped up a tense electoral campaign on Friday ahead of a key legislative election this weekend that's set to determine if the country's newly-elected president can carry out ambitious reforms. Voters in Senegal will on Sunday choose 165 lawmakers in Senegal's assembly, where the party of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye currently does not hold a majority. Faye, who was voted in in March on an anti-establishment platform, said that has blocked him from executing the reforms he pledged during his campaign, including fighting corruption, reviewing fishing permits for foreign companies, and securing a bigger share from the country’s natural resources for the population.
Associated Press
Top Iranian official holds talks in Lebanon on Israel-Hezbollah war as U.S. pushes for cease-fire
A top Iranian official held talks Friday with Lebanese leaders on the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah, which came as the United States continued actively pushing both sides to agree to a new cease-fire deal. The visit of Ali Larijani, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei, to the Lebanese capital was punctuated with a renewed aerial attack by Israel on the southeastern edge of the city.
CNN
See the best — and most outlandish — national costumes from Miss Universe 2024
Is it a bird? Is it a winged goddess? Is it a giant roulette wheel? At the Miss Universe national costume contest, it was all those things — and more.
AFP
Primary schools empty as smog persists in Indian capital
Residents in India's capital New Delhi again woke under a blanket of choking smog on Friday, a day after authorities closed primary schools and imposed measures aimed at alleviating the annual crisis.The smog is blamed for thousands of premature deaths each year and is an annual source of misery for residents, with various piecemeal government initiatives failing to measurably address the problem.
Reuters
Pakistan's Punjab shuts construction and schools, and lockdown looms to fight smog
Pakistan's Punjab declared a health emergency due to toxic smog on Friday, banning construction, shutting schools for another week and moving universities online, with a three-day lockdown possible, the province's senior minister said on Friday. Air quality has deteriorated drastically in recent weeks and the province's capital Lahore currently ranks as the world's most polluted city, says IQAir.
Reuters
COP climate talks not fit for purpose and need reform, say climate leaders
BAKU (Reuters) -A group of former leaders and climate experts said the annual U.N. COP climate talks were no longer fit for purpose and needed to be reformed, publishing a critical open letter mid-way through what has so far been a fractious summit. Nearly 200 countries are gathered in Baku, Azerbaijan with a primary goal of agreeing a new target for how much money needs to be provided to help developing countries adapt to climate change and recover from destructive weather. Delegates struggled for hours on the opening day to agree an agenda and the mood has been soured by doubts about the United States' future role under a Donald Trump presidency, diplomatic spats involving the host nation and the withdrawal of the Argentinian delegation.
Reuters
Ukraine fights to liberate all its territory, defence minister says
Ukraine is fighting to liberate all territory captured by Russia in the last decade, and any claim that the country is shifting its focus in the war to prioritise security over land is false, Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said on Friday. "Territorial integrity is part of our values," the Ukrainian minister told a joint press conference with his Norwegian counterpart in Oslo. When asked about reports that Ukraine is shifting its focus in the war, Umerov said this was false and part of Russian propaganda efforts.
Reuters
German government taps Greens politician to plan for Trump presidency
BERLIN (Reuters) -Germany's embattled minority government has named Greens politician Tobias Lindner as its transatlantic coordinator tasked with preparing for the second U.S. presidency of Donald Trump, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday. Lindner's predecessor, Michael Link of the Free Democrats (FDP), who had cultivated ties with Republicans and Democrats ahead of the election, was a casualty of the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-party coalition last week.
USA TODAY
With Trump's return, are Jan 6 Capitol rioters off the hook?
Now that Trump has won, what will happen to the Jan. 6 prosecutions?
USA TODAY
Is Trump signaling retribution agenda with Gaetz, other picks for his administration?
Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy called Donald Trump's nomination of Matt Gaetz for attorney general a "red alert moment for American democracy."
AFP
Heavy strikes hit south Beirut after Israel evacuation call
A building in Beirut's southern suburbs collapsed in a gigantic cloud of smoke and dust, an AFP photographer reported, as two strikes attributed to Israel hit the Hezbollah bastion on Friday. Later in the morning, a second strike hit the Bourj al-Barajneh area of the southern suburbs, an AFP journalist reported.
Reuters
Germany's Scholz faces calls in his party to abandon re-election bid
Olaf Scholz, Germany's least popular chancellor on record, is facing growing calls within his Social Democrats (SPD) to step aside and let his Defence Minister Boris Pistorius instead lead the centre-left party into next year's federal election. Germany is set to hold a snap election on Feb. 23 after Scholz's ideologically diverse three-way coalition of SPD, Greens and neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP) collapsed last week following months of infighting. Scholz, 66, has said he wants to run for a second term and SPD leaders this week individually backed his bid, counting on his experience paying off - despite the party languishing in third place behind the opposition conservatives and far-right AfD on around 16%, down 10 points since the 2021 election.
Reuters
US finalizes $6.6 billion chips award for TSMC ahead of Trump return
The U.S. Commerce Department said Friday it has finalized a $6.6 billion government subsidy for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co's U.S. unit for semiconductor production in Phoenix, Arizona. It comes just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump, who criticized the program, takes office. In April, TSMC agreed to expand its planned investment by $25 billion to $65 billion and to add a third Arizona fab by 2030.
USA TODAY
Costly care: How a federal rule would protect consumers credit from unpaid medical debt
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants to eliminate all medical debt from credit reports. Will President-elect Trump allow it?

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