WATCH: Four Boston Celtics role players making a big impact on both ends

NBC News
New Jersey declares drought warning and urges residents to reduce water use
New Jersey’s governor has issued a drought warning and said water restrictions could come if conditions worsen. The dry spell is plaguing much of the Northeast.
USA TODAY
RFK Jr. criticizes Trump's fast-food consumption, calls his diet 'poison'
RFK Jr. supports President-elect Donald Trump's policies but not his fast-food diet. On a podcast, the former candidate bashes Trump's menu choices.
AFP
Tulsi Gabbard, anti-war contrarian tasked to lead intel establishment
Tulsi Gabbard has questioned the credibility of US intelligence and denounced successive presidents, including Donald Trump, over military interventions. Now she has been asked to serve by Trump -- and lead US intelligence.
Reuters
Trump taps loyalists with few qualifications for top jobs
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump chose loyalists with little experience for several key cabinet positions on Wednesday, stunning some allies and making clear that he is serious about reshaping - and in some cases testing - America's institutions. Trump's choice of congressman Matt Gaetz, 42, for U.S. attorney general, America's top law enforcement officer, was a surprising pick. The former attorney has never worked in the Justice Department, or as a prosecutor, and was investigated by the Justice Department over sex trafficking allegations.
TODAY
This 2-step hack to reduce the calories in white rice is going viral — and dietitians say it actually works
A popular health hack on social media claims to make white rice healthier by increasing resistant starches. Does it work? Experts explain the benefits of reheated rice.
Associated Press
Special counsel Smith asks court to pause appeal seeking to revive Trump's classified documents case
Special counsel Jack Smith asked a court Wednesday to pause prosecutors' appeal seeking to revive the classified documents case against President-elect Donald Trump in light of the Republican's presidential victory. Smith’s team has been evaluating how to wind down the classified documents and the federal 2020 election interference case in Washington before Trump takes office because of longstanding Justice Department policy that says sitting presidents cannot be prosecuted. The case accusing Trump of hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate had been seen as the most legally clear-cut of the four indictments against Trump, given the breadth of evidence that prosecutors say they had accumulated.
Associated Press
Flurry of contract deals come as railroads, unions see Trump's election looming over talks
The flurry of contract agreements announced early this fall — including two more Wednesday — offer evidence that major railroads and their unions are working to avoid the standoffs that led them to a brink of a national strike two years ago. Both sides are also now keenly aware that President-elect Donald Trump — who has a track record of supporting big businesses — would be the one ultimately appointing the people who would help resolve the contract dispute this time if they can't work something out themselves. Current contracts don't expire until July but the National Carriers Conference Committee group that negotiates on behalf of the railroads said in its statement at the start of the talks on Nov. 1 that it was hoping for an early resolution.
Reuters
No more monkey mania in Thai town after clamp down
Marauding monkeys won't face slingshots anymore in the historic Thai city of Lopburi, where they have been rounded up and sterilised after turning rampant over the past four years. Before COVID-19 shut Lopburi, some of its 58,000 residents casually fed the 3,000 long-tailed macaques that lived alongside and even threw an annual fruit banquet for them, drawing tourists to "Monkey City", a three-hour drive north of Bangkok. The macaques, believed to bring good fortune, also inhabit nearby forests and have long been a part of the city's history.
Associated Press
Catholic bishops urged to boldly share church teachings — even unpopular ones
Several U.S. Catholic bishops on Wednesday encouraged the church to boldly share Vatican teachings on a range of hot-button issues, including the condemnation of abortion, euthanasia, surrogacy and gender-affirming surgery. “We have been too apologetic for too long,” said Bishop Robert Barron, a media-savvy cleric who leads the Winona-Rochester diocese in Minnesota. The remarks came during the bishops’ annual fall meeting and a presentation on a Vatican declaration released in April.
Associated Press
Who is Rep. Matt Gaetz, the Florida congressman Donald Trump picked to serve as attorney general?
In picking Rep. Matt Gaetz as his nominee for attorney general, President-elect Donald Trump is looking to install a fierce loyalist who has been seen as divisive even within his own party. Not one of the top names seen as a likely pick for the job, Gaetz's selection was first pushed out on Trump's social media network instead of a more formal announcement from his transition team as with most of his choices. The House Ethics Committee is investigating allegations that Gaetz was part of a scheme that led to the sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl.
USA TODAY
5 takeaways from Donald Trump's surprise pick of Matt Gaetz for attorney general
Matt Gaetz and Donald Trump share an antipathy for a Justice Department they say has been hopelessly politicized.
Reuters
US envoy says Mexico not safe, blames ex-president for failed security
The U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, said on Wednesday that the country is not safe and criticized the previous president for a failed security policy and refusing to accept American assistance. "The reality is that at the moment Mexico is not safe," Salazar said during a press conference at his residence in Mexico City. The ambassador criticized former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador directly, saying security coordination between Mexico and the U.S. had suffered during his term.
Reuters
US prosecutors seek pause in Trump documents appeal
U.S. prosecutors asked a federal appeals court on Wednesday to pause their bid to revive the criminal case accusing President-elect Donald Trump of illegally handling classified documents, citing his election victory. Special Counsel Jack Smith, in a brief court filing, asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit to "hold this appeal in abeyance" to allow prosecutors time to assess the impact of Trump's impending return to the White House on the case.
Politico
Special counsel Jack Smith begins winding down his other Trump case
Smith is widely expected to shutter his operation ahead of Trump’s inauguration.
USA TODAY
Post falsely claims 2024 election had 20 million fewer votes | Fact check
The post's claim of a "stolen" election whiffs by comparing final 2024 results to partial 2020 results.
Associated Press
Pennsylvania Senate contest headed toward a recount, and possibly litigation
The U.S. Senate election in Pennsylvania between Democratic incumbent Sen. Bob Casey and Republican David McCormick is headed for a statewide recount, as counties continued Wednesday to sort through outstanding ballots and the campaigns jousted over which ones should count. The Associated Press called the race for McCormick last week, concluding that not enough ballots remained to be counted in areas Casey was winning for him to take the lead. A noon deadline passed Wednesday for Casey to waive his right to a statewide recount and Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s top election official, Secretary of State Al Schmidt, a Republican, announced that preliminary results had triggered a legally required statewide recount.
Politico
From women in combat to Trump’s border wall, here are the policies Pete Hegseth has spoken out on
Hegseth, Trump's pick for Defense secretary, told a podcast host last week that “we should not have women in combat roles.”
Reuters
Factbox-Trump turns to Congress for Cabinet picks, whittling away at slim margins
President-elect Donald Trump has so far picked five Republican members of the U.S. Congress to join his administration, at least temporarily whittling away at the narrow majorities his party will hold in the Senate and House of Representatives. Republicans are on track to hold a majority of at least 52 seats in the 100-seat Senate, with one seat going to a recount, and on Wednesday secured the 218th seat they need for a House majority, with nine races left to be called. Trump's running-mate JD Vance, the junior senator from Ohio, will have to resign his Senate seat sometime before he is sworn in as vice president on Jan. 20.
TODAY
4 healthiest options at Chipotle, according to dietitians
Chipotle offers tons of choices, so it can be tricky to make healthier choices. Dietitians offer their recommendations for the healthiest orders.
Reuters
FBI raids Polymarket CEO's home, seizing phone, electronics
NEW YORK (Reuters) -Federal law enforcement agents raided the downtown New York home of Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan on Wednesday, seizing his phone and electronics, the company confirmed. The early-morning raid of Coplan's SoHo apartment followed last week's presidential election, in which bettors on Polymarket, an offshore, crypto-fueled election gambling website, had for weeks put Donald Trump's odds drastically higher than those of Vice President Kamala Harris, in sharp divergence from opinion polls. Coplan, Polymarket's 26-year-old founder, was roused from his bed at 6 a.m. by FBI agents demanding he give them his electronic devices, the New York Post first reported.

WATCH: Four Boston Celtics role players making a big impact on both ends

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New Jersey declares drought warning and urges residents to reduce water use

RFK Jr. criticizes Trump's fast-food consumption, calls his diet 'poison'

Tulsi Gabbard, anti-war contrarian tasked to lead intel establishment

Trump taps loyalists with few qualifications for top jobs

This 2-step hack to reduce the calories in white rice is going viral — and dietitians say it actually works

Special counsel Smith asks court to pause appeal seeking to revive Trump's classified documents case

Flurry of contract deals come as railroads, unions see Trump's election looming over talks

No more monkey mania in Thai town after clamp down

Catholic bishops urged to boldly share church teachings — even unpopular ones

Who is Rep. Matt Gaetz, the Florida congressman Donald Trump picked to serve as attorney general?

5 takeaways from Donald Trump's surprise pick of Matt Gaetz for attorney general

US envoy says Mexico not safe, blames ex-president for failed security

US prosecutors seek pause in Trump documents appeal

Special counsel Jack Smith begins winding down his other Trump case

Post falsely claims 2024 election had 20 million fewer votes | Fact check

Pennsylvania Senate contest headed toward a recount, and possibly litigation

From women in combat to Trump’s border wall, here are the policies Pete Hegseth has spoken out on

Factbox-Trump turns to Congress for Cabinet picks, whittling away at slim margins

4 healthiest options at Chipotle, according to dietitians

FBI raids Polymarket CEO's home, seizing phone, electronics