Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and other social media apps, announced Tuesday that it is eliminating its fact-check team. Instead, Meta said it will move toward a "Community Notes" model similar to what has been established on X.

Meta said its goal is to uphold its "fundamental commitment to free expression."

Meta says by using community notes, it will empower users to "decide when posts are potentially misleading and need more context." Meta says it intends to eliminate bias in its fact-checking methods.

"Experts, like everyone else, have their own biases and perspectives. This showed up in the choices some made about what to fact-check and how. Over time we ended up with too much content being fact-checked that people would understand to be legitimate political speech and debate," wrote Joel Kaplan, Facebook's chief global affairs officer. "Our system then attached real consequences in the form of intrusive labels and reduced distribution. A program intended to inform too often became a tool to censor."

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The company added that "too much harmless content" is censored and wrongly places users in "Facebook jail."

The announcement comes a day after Meta announced that it added three people to its board of directors, most notably UFC President Dana White. White has held a close allyship with President-elect Donald Trump, who is set to take office on Jan. 20.

Meta talked about the role of politics in the decision.

"Were getting rid of a number of restrictions on topics like immigration, gender identity and gender that are the subject of frequent political discourse and debate. Its not right that things can be said on TV or the floor of Congress, but not on our platforms. These policy changes may take a few weeks to be fully implemented," Kaplan said.

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Social media outlets have come under criticism for allowing misinformation to fester, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent studies also show that habitual users of social media are more likely to spread false information.

The body of former President Jimmy Carter is headed to Washington for the final time on Tuesday as mourners are expected to pay tribute to him.

Carter died at the age of 100 on Dec. 29, 2024, after spending almost two years in hospice care.

Carter's remains are being moved from Atlanta to Washington after his body laid in repose from Saturday evening through Tuesday morning at the Carter Center. Carter's body will be moved from the Carter Center on Tuesday morning to be flown to Andrews Air Force Base.

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At 1:15 p.m. Tuesday, his family and remains will travel by motorcade to the U.S. Navy Memorial. At 2 p.m., a horse-drawn caisson will lead a procession to the U.S. Capitol where military body bearers will carry the casket into the Capitol Rotunda.

RELATED STORY | Scripps News Special: A full look at Jimmy Carter's life and legacy

Members of Congress are expected to pay tribute to Carter at a ceremony at 3 p.m. on Tuesday.

Members of the public will then be allowed to pay their respects to Carter as his remains will lie in repose at the Capitol from 7 p.m. until midnight on Tuesday and 7 a.m. Wednesday through 7 a.m. Thursday.

A national funeral service will be held for Carter Thursday at 10 a.m. ET. at the Washington National Cathedral. Following the ceremony, Carter's body will be flown back to Georgia, where a private funeral will be held at the Maranatha Baptist Church, where Carter was a Sunday school teacher.

RELATED STORY | How Jimmy Carter became known as the 'Rock & Roll President'

He will then be interned at a private ceremony where he will be buried next to his wife Rosalynn.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced on Tuesday that it has finalized a rule that will remove medical debt from consumer credit reports.

The CFPB said debt reporting agencies will no longer be allowed to include medical debt on consumer reports that are used on credit checks. Debt collectors will also be prohibited from using the credit reporting system as leverage to pressure consumers into paying questionable debts.

The White House touted the announcement by saying medical debt won't be an extra burden on Americans needing credit for home mortgages, car loans and small business loans.

RELATED STORY | Report: More than 100 million adults are paying off medical bills

"Today, we are building on this meaningful work by announcing an unprecedented final rule that will make it so medical debt is no longer included in your credit score," Vice President Kamala Harris said on Tuesday. "This will be lifechanging for millions of families, making it easier for them to be approved for a car loan, a home loan, or a small-business loan. As someone who has spent my entire career fighting to protect consumers and lower medical bills, I know that our historic rule will help more Americans save money, build wealth, and thrive.

Officials estimate that as of 2020, 46 million Americans had medical debt listed on their credit reports. The White House also said that the amount of medical debt a person has is a "poor predictor" of a person's ability to repay a loan.

In April 2023, Experian, TransUnion and Equifax announced that they would remove medical debts lower than $500 from credit reports. With the decision, about 70% of those with medical debt had it removed from their credit reports, the companies said.

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Even after these changes, there remained an estimated 15 million Americans with medical debt showing up on credit reports. Combined, those Americans owed an estimated $49 billion in outstanding medical bills.

The rule does not eliminate the debt itself.

The rule could also be undone by the Trump administration, which has promised to slash government regulations.

Tomiko Itooka, a 116-year-old Japanese woman who became the oldest living person in August 2024, died on Dec. 29, 2024, according to Guinness World Records. Her death was confirmed by Guinness World Records on Saturday.

Itooka was presented with the certificate of being the worlds oldest person in September 2023. According to Guinness World Records, Itooka was born in Osaka on May 23, 1908.

She reportedly attended an all-girls high school and played volleyball. She was age 32 when Japan entered World War II and she managed the office of her husbands textile factory, Guinness said.

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Her family told Guinness that her longevity was attributed to her active lifestyle. She continued to mountain climb into her 100s. She also lived at home with her two daughters until she reached age 110.

The title of the worlds oldest person now belongs to Inah Canabarro Lucas, who is also 116 years old. She was born on June 8, 1908, in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. She was born two weeks after Itooka.

Amid her 10th birthday in 2018, she received an apostolic blessing from Pope Francis. Guinness said that she is among just three people still living born in the 1900s.

Based on data from U-Haul involving 2.5 million moves, South Carolina topped the list of states people relocated to across state lines in 2024, knocking Texas off the top spot. Texas had topped U-Haul's list for three consecutive years prior to 2024.

South Carolina and Texas were followed by North Carolina, Florida and Tennessee. Indiana, which was ranked No. 27 in 2023, jumped to No. 8. Oklahoma jumped 30 spots from No. 41 to No. 11. Colorado had the largest drop, falling from No. 9 in 2023 to No. 40 in 2024.

California topped the list of states with the most net departures, followed by Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. It was the fifth year in a row California had the most net departures in the U.S.

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State-to-state transactions from the past year reaffirm customer tendencies that have been pronounced for some time, stated John J.T. Taylor, U-Haul International president. Migration to the Southeast and Southwest continues as families gauge their cost of living, job opportunities, quality of life and other factors that go into relocating to a new state. Out-migration remains prevalent for a number of markets across the Northeast, Midwest and West Coast and particularly California."

The South dominated the list of top cities with net arrivals. Dallas ranked No. 1, followed by Charlotte, Phoenix, Lakeland and Austin.

Boise, Idaho, was the top-ranked city for net arrivals not in the southern half of the U.S., coming in at No. 17.

We are seeing unprecedented growth in the Dallas metro area, both within the city and also suburbs like McKinney, Plano and Addison, said Sean Fullerton, U-Haul Company of South Central Dallas president. The cost of living is also extremely reasonable throughout the whole metro. Job growth has led to wages and earnings going up, and tax breaks have led to a lot of people moving to the area.

RELATED STORY | 'Exurbs' highlighted in Zillow's most popular housing markets of 2024

The U.S. Census Bureau releases detailed estimates of state-to-state migration every year, but data for 2024 is not expected to come out until the fall.

The bureau's 2023 data showed that Florida gained 638,089 residents while Texas added 611,942 residents from out-of-state in 2023. That is compared to 510,925 who left Florida and 478,570 who departed Texas. Meanwhile, California lost 690,127 people to other states, while gaining 422,075.

Over 93,000 people moved from California to Texas in 2023, compared to nearly 38,000 who moved from Texas to California.

Residents of the Central Plains and Ohio Valley are being urged to prepare for a massive winter storm bringing snow and ice this weekend.

The storm system, which is moving from the Upper Rockies into the Plains on Saturday, is expected to bring heavy snow to Kansas and Missouri before moving east. The heavy snow is expected to continue for portions of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio while other parts of Illinois, Missouri and Kentucky could get hit with a major ice storm.

Winter storm warnings are in place from Kansas in the west to Pennsylvania and West Virginia to the east. Much of Kansas is also under a blizzard warning due to an expected combination of strong winds and accumulating snow.

The worst impacts to driving will be felt along the Interstate 64 and 70 corridors.

The National Weather Service said areas from central Kansas to Ohio, especially along and north of Interstate 70, have a 60-90% chance of at least 8 inches of snow on Sunday. For some areas, this will be the heaviest snow to hit the region in nearly a decade.

Ice storm warnings are in place near the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers in Missouri, Kentucky and Illinois.

Forecasters say that areas along Interstate 70 from eastern Kansas into Indiana should expect major impacts, which include "considerable disruptions to daily life." The National Weather Service said this storm could cause dangerous or impossible driving conditions, widespread closures and disruptions to infrastructure. The agency recommends avoiding travel if possible.

The storm could potentially be the first major winter storm this season for many in the region. Kansas City, which averages about 18 inches of snow per winter, has had 1.1 inches of snow thus far this season.

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Indianapolis averages about 25 inches of snow a year. So far, it has had 1.7 inches.

The same front could also bring severe weather to the Gulf Coast. An enhanced risk of severe weather is expected for some of Louisiana and Mississippi on Sunday.

U.S. News and World Report released its ranking of 38 popular diets on Friday, with the Mediterranean Diet coming in ranked as the No. 1 overall diet for 2024 for another year.

It's the eighth consecutive year the Mediterranean Diet tops the list.

The Mediterranean Diet is followed by the DASH diet and the Flexitarian diet as the top overall diets.

Best Diets updated rating evaluation system reflects the diverse needs and goals of individuals, considering factors beyond weight loss, said Gretel Schueller, managing editor of health at U.S. News. By moving away from a ranked list of diets and nearly doubling our number of evaluated health and lifestyle categories, U.S. News aims to provide consumers with a more personalized experience as they consider their health priorities and eating goals.

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The list had 13 new additions this year: Acid Reflux, AIP, Alkaline, Body Reset, BRAT, Cleveland Clinic, GAPS, Gluten-Free, Gout, Low FODMAP, Low-Residue, Meopause and Whole30 Diets.

The Body Rest Diet, followed by the SlimFast and Atkins Diets were named as the worst overall diets for 2025.

U.S. News and World Report had 21 different categories to help people decide the diet for them. The Mediterranean Diet is considered the easiest diet to follow and the best diet for gut health, inflammation, gut health and mental health.

The WeightWatchers Diet ranked as the No. 1 weight-loss diet. The diet uses a point scale that allows dieters to eat any type of food, but foods higher in calories tend to be higher in points.

"We're really showing the very deep and clear connection between diet and nutrition and, and various health conditions," Schueller said. "There are overarching themes that you'll find across all 21 categories in terms of the top-rated diets, and those are they emphasize whole foods, they like fruit and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, plant-based proteins, and those are some of the elements most of our top-rated diets seem to have in common."

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She said recommendations don't completely eliminate entire food groups, but says the highest-rated diets tend to deemphasize processed and higher-calorie foods.

U.S. News and World Report used a 69-person panel to analyze the 38 diets under consideration.

These are the top 10 overall diets, according to the ranking:

Mediterranean Diet DASH Diet Flexitarian Diet MIND Diet Mayo Clinic Diet TLC Diet Menopause Diet Dr. Weil's Anti-Inflammatory Diet Volumetrics Diet Cleveland Clinic Diet

The full list is available online.

Forecasters say a massive winter storm will sweep across the central U.S. this weekend, bringing snow and freezing rain to millions of residents in the Ohio River Valley.

As of Friday morning, winter storm watches are in place from Kansas through Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio. Over 24 million Americans were under a winter storm watch, the National Weather Service said. Those watches are expected to become warnings within the next day.

The National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center says cold air in place will favor widespread snow that will be heavy from the Central Plains, Mid-Mississippi Valley, and Ohio Valley on Sunday. Government forecasters say snow will move into the Mid-Atlantic Sunday night into Monday.

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The National Weather Service says there is still uncertainty in the models over exactly where the heaviest snow will fall, but some areas near or along Interstate 70 could get up to a foot of snow.

Forecasters say that areas along Interstate 70 from eastern Kansas into Indiana should expect major impacts, which include "considerable disruptions to daily life." The National Weather Service said this storm could cause dangerous or impossible driving conditions, widespread closures and disruptions to infrastructure. The agency recommends avoiding travel if possible.

The storm could potentially be the first major winter storm for many in the region of the winter. Kansas City, which averages about 18 inches of snow per winter, has had 1.1 inches of snow thus far this season.

RELATED STORY | What you need to know about frostbite and its effects on your body

Indianapolis averages about 25 inches of snow a year. So far, it has had 1.7 inches.

Rental car service Turo was used to obtain the vehicles in separate attacks early New Year's Day in Las Vegas and New Orleans, the company confirmed late Wednesday.

Officials have not confirmed any connection between the attacks. The incident in New Orleans involved a Ford F-150 Lightning truck that ran over dozens of people on Bourbon Street, killing 14. Authorities have said the Las Vegas incident involved a Tesla Cybertruck loaded with fireworks and fuel canisters.

Authorities said the driver of the Cybertruck died and seven others were injured from an intentional explosion.

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Turo said it was "devastated" by the incidents.

"Our trust and safety team is actively partnering with law enforcement authorities to share any information that could be helpful in their investigations," the company said in a statement. "We do not believe that either renter had a criminal background that would have identified them as a security threat, and we are not currently aware of any information that indicates the two incidents are related."

What is Turo

Turo is similar to short-term vacation rentals, but instead of homes, Turo rents vehicles. The platform differs from standard rental car companies in that the vehicles rented to drivers are owned by a third party.

People can list their vehicles for rent, and customers can use the app to obtain the vehicle from the owners.

The company operates in the United States, Canada, Australia, France, and the United Kingdom.

Turo began operations in 2021 and as of last year, boasted that nearly 360,000 vehicles have been listed on the platform. The company said its hosts have earned $3.8 billion by using the platform.

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The company said that in 2023, 3.7 million guests booked a vehicle using Turo.

"Turo is dedicated to fostering a trustworthy marketplace. We remain committed to maintaining the highest standards in risk management, thanks to our world-class trust and safety technologies and teams that include experienced former law enforcement professionals," the company said on Wednesday.

In its 2023 year-end financial report, Turo recognized the liability facing the company.

"We may be found to be subject to liability for the activities of hosts and guests, which could harm our reputation, increase our operating costs, and materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition," it said.

Law enforcement in New Orleans said they are hardening their security plans as the venue prepares to host two major football games, with the first coming on Thursday.

Wednesday's Sugar Bowl, which is part of the expanded College Football Playoff, was slated for a Wednesday evening kickoff, but officials postponed the game to Thursday afternoon. The delay came hours after a deadly truck attack on Bourbon Street killed 14 people.

Anne Kirkpatrick, superintendent of New Orleans Police, said additional resources will be used to secure the Superdome as an estimated 70,000 fans will enter the stadium Thursday afternoon. The Superdome will then host the Super Bowl on Feb. 9.

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"We have proven that we can provide safe passage to the Superdome and back," she said. "We've done that time and time again. We're going to just harden our plan. We're going to harden our targets is what we're going to do, but we believe we can absolutely provide a safe and wonderful environment today and for the Super Bowl and all of our activities."

This year's Super Bowl will be the 11th time the game will be held in New Orleans, and the eighth time the game has been at the Superdome. No other venue has hosted more Super Bowl games than the Superdome.

The Sugar Bowl has been held at the Superdome every year since 1975, with the exception of 2006 when Hurricane Katrina damaged the facility.

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Twenty-two years into his professional basketball career, there is no question LeBron James is still playing at a high level. Through 28 games this year, James is averaging 23.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and nine assists per game.

While he is perhaps no longer a clear MVP candidate like he was throughout much of his career, he is still a sure-fire All-Star.

As James turned 40 years old on Monday, questions turned to his future. Numerous NBA All-Stars continued playing into their early 40s, but most players had to settle for limited roles by that age.

Not James. But it's clear that James has no plans to continue his career as an aging former star.

James said the process of playing at a high level has "never been easy." But he said his decision to retire won't be based on his ability to play at a high level.

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"If I really wanted to, I could probably play this game at a high level for about another weird that I might say this but about another five or seven years, if I wanted to, James said. But Im not going to do that.

James was asked whether he would miss the game after leaving, and he said yes, but clarified he would not come back to basketball once retired.

James was widely considered one of the top prospects to ever enter the NBA Draft after his high school graduation in 2003. He was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers, whose home arena was just miles from his hometown of Akron, Ohio.

After a seven-year stint with the Cavs, he had an acrimonious exit to Miami, which included four NBA Finals appearances and two championships. He then returned to Cleveland for four seasons, leading the Cavs to the NBA Finals in all four years, and winning the franchise's first NBA title in 2016.

The 22-year journey was one that James didn't expect at age 18.

RELATED STORY | LeBron and Bronny James make history as NBA's first father-son duo to play together

"I didn't give myself a timetable of how long I would play the game," he said. "I told myself I wanted to maximize the time I had in the league and I wanted to be as great as I could be."

The last year also brought the highlight of him playing alongside his son Bronny James, who made his NBA debut in October. The duo became the first father-son pair to ever play in the same NBA game.

After a sluggish start for the Lakers, Bronny James has seen his production rise in the second-tier G League, scoring in double figures in seven of the last eight games.

One thing nearly all former presidents have in common is a love of sports. For Donald Trump, the game was golf. For Barack Obama, the sport was basketball. President George W. Bush owned Major League Baseballs Texas Rangers.

For Jimmy Carter, the sport was tennis.

At the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park is a clay tennis court. The tennis court was installed during Carters childhood on the family farm.

The farm and his childhood home later became the location for the park in Plains, Georgia.

In his 1975 book Why Not the Best? Carter described how he would play against his father as a teenager.

My father was an excellent tennis player, Carter wrote. I could never beat my father. He had a wicked sliced ball which barely bounded at all on the relatively soft dirt court.

RELATED STORY | Former President Jimmy Carter dies at age 100

Carter was able to upgrade his court when he entered the White House in 1977. The complex had a court installed during President Theodore Roosevelts tenure.

But during his time in the White House, the use of the tennis courts became political fodder.

Staffer James Fallows wrote in The Atlantic that Carter would personally sign off on when the White House tennis court could be used, and by which staffers.

The in-house tennis enthusiasts, of whom I was perhaps the most shameless, dispatched brief notes through his secretary asking to use the court on Tuesday afternoons while he was at a congressional briefing, or a Saturday morning, while he was away, Fallows wrote. I always provided spaces where he could check Yes or No; Carter would make his decision and send the note back, initialed J.

Carter was asked by Bill Moyers about whether he personally signed off on the tennis courts use. Carter told Moyers he delegated the task to a secretary.

Carters love of tennis came home to Plains in 1977 during his first year in the White House. World Team Tennis staged a match in the small Georgia town, which was attended by Carters mother Lillian. The competition was between a team of Soviet Union stars against top Americans playing on the Phoenix Racquets.

Despite Big Lots dissolving amid Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, the company announced late Friday that it has agreed to a sale with Gordon Brothers Retail Partners, LLC that would involve keeping hundreds of stores open, if the deal is approved by a judge.

The company was in the process of launching "going out of business" sales at all of its locations after a possible deal to sell the company to Nexus Capital Management fell through.

Big Lots has already closed hundreds of locations this year. The company still has more than 900 locations. No timetable has been set on when the other locations will close.

RELATED STORY | Big Lots files for bankruptcy, says more stores could close

As part of the new agreement, Gordon Brothers Retail Partners will transfer Big Lots assets, including stores, distribution centers, and intellectual property, to other retailers and companies, Big Lots said. Variety Wholesalers, which also operates the retailer Roses, intends to acquire between 200 and 400 Big Lots stores. Variety Wholesalers also plans to operate the stores under the Big Lots brand moving forward.

Variety Wholesalers will also keep two Big Lots distribution centers open under the agreement.

"The strategic sale to Gordon Brothers and the transfer to Variety Wholesalers is a favorable and significant achievement for Big Lots that reflects the tireless work and collective effort of our team," Bruce Thorn, Big Lots' President, said. "This sale agreement and transfer present the strongest opportunity to preserve jobs, maximize value for the estate and ensure continuity of the Big Lots brand. We are grateful to our associates nationwide for their grit and resilience throughout this process."

A federal bankruptcy court still has to approve the transfer of stores.

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As many companies are cutting back or ending diversity initiatives, Costco's Board of Trustees is pushing back on efforts to end the company's DEI programs.

The Board urged its shareholders to vote against a proposal submitted by the National Center for Public Policy Research that called on Costco to eliminate DEI programs. The group claims that DEI programs are discriminatory and put the company at financial risk.

"It's clear that DEI holds litigation, reputational and financial risks to the Company, and therefore financial risks to shareholders," the National Center for Public Policy Research wrote in its letter of support.

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In response, Costco's Board of Trustees voted unanimously to urge shareholders to decline the proposal. Shareholders will have their say on Jan. 23.

"Our success at Costco Wholesale has been built on service to our critical stakeholders: employees, members, and suppliers," the Board wrote in response to the proposal. "Our efforts around diversity, equity and inclusion follow our code of ethics: For our employees, these efforts are built around inclusion having all of our employees feel valued and respected. Our efforts at diversity, equity and inclusion remind and reinforce with everyone at our Company the importance of creating opportunities for all.

"We believe that these efforts enhance our capacity to attract and retain employees who will help our business succeed. This capacity is critical because we owe our success to our now over 300,000 employees around the globe."

The National Center for Public Policy Search said the Supreme Court decision reached in 2023 in SFFA v. Harvard indicated that companies' DEI programs could potentially be illegal. The Supreme Court ruled that affirmative action policies by colleges violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.

RELATED STORY | Costco memberships grow despite price increase as profits surge

Costco's Board countered that the group was incorrect on its belief that the company's DEI policies violate the law.

"We believe that our diversity, equity and inclusion efforts are legally appropriate, and nothing in the proposal demonstrates otherwise. As part of our obeying the law, all decisions regarding recruiting, hiring, promotion, assignment, training, termination, and other terms and conditions of employment will be made without unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, age, pregnancy disability, work-related injury, covered military or veteran status, political ideology or expression, genetic information, marital status, or other protected status," Costco's Board said in response.

Most Americans say they enjoy getting gift cards, but sometimes they go to waste.

According to a 2023 report by Credit Summit, nearly $21 billion in gift cards go unspent. Thats as 60% of Americans surveyed said they have at least one unused gift card.

The National Retail Federation said it expected Americans to spend $28.6 billion on holiday gift cards this year. The National Retail Federation said shoppers planned to purchase between three to four gift cards and spend an average of $51.18 per card ($170.48 per person).

Many Americans surveyed by Credit Summit reported not immediately using gift cards because they want to save them for something special or until they need something in particular. Only 19% say they use their gift cards immediately.

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Although it might make sense to wait to use a gift card for a special occasion, experts say that might not be a good idea. With inflation at 2.7%, as prices go up, gift cards lose their value.

Additionally, gift card recipients run the risk of a company going out of business, or of the person losing the card. Store closings are of particular concern in recent months as major chains such as Big Lots and Party City have announced plans to close all locations, and other retailers like CVS and Family Dollar have made significant cuts.

There are many ways the value of them can go to zero, Peter Harms, professor of management at the University of Alabama, said in a release. You can lose the card, misplace it, the target business can stop accepting them or go bankrupt. But even if none of those things happen, the current rampant inflation will eat away its value regardless.

Experts say its OK to sell gift cards rather than letting them go to waste.

My advice, if you receive a gift card, is to treat yourself immediately before you lose the card or forget you have it, Dorothy Kelly, personal finance lecturer at University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce, said in a release. If possible, add it to your digital wallet, or your online account with that vendor.

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Those two options will make it more likely that you will actually use the entire balance. For givers, I recommend gift cards from well-known retailers that are ubiquitous and have an easy-to-use app which can accept and track electronic gift card balances.

Although gift cards can lose value, 90% of Americans say they enjoy receiving them. Amazon, restaurant and grocery stores are among the most-liked cards.

The main advantage of gift cards is that they are easy to purchase, Steven Meyers, professor of psychology at Roosevelt University, said in a release. They dont require special insights into what the recipient may want or need. They are easy to store and deliver, and it reduces the likelihood that the person would need to return an item that they do not like.

Rickey Henderson, a Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder who set MLB's career stolen base record, has died just days before his 66th birthday, according to reports.

A source told the Bay Area News Group Henderson died on Friday from pneumonia.

Henderson's career spanned from 1979 all the way through 2003, playing for 10 MLB teams, including four stops in Oakland. Henderson was a 10-time all-star and won World Series titles with the A's in 1989 and 1993.

Henderson was the embodiment of Oakland baseball, having grown up in the city. His No. 24 jersey was retired by the A's soon after his retirement. He ended up playing parts of 14 seasons for his hometown squad.

Henderson had 1,406 career stolen bases making him the only player in MLB history to have over 1,000 swipes. He also ranked No. 1 for runs scored with 2,295, 50 more than Ty Cobb.

"Rickey Henderson used the ultimate combination of power and speed to break numerous major league baseball records during his career," the Baseball Hall of Fame said about Henderson's career. "But what solidified his place in baseball history was his love for the game."

While the winter solstice begins on Saturday, the sun has already started setting later in the evening for most of the Northern Hemisphere for over a week.

For instance, the sunset for Saturday in Los Angeles is at 4:48 p.m., four minutes later than it was on December 10. The amount of time gained each day varies based on a location's latitude.

In January, Bismarck gains 39 minutes of evening sun, while Los Angeles gains a mere 28 minutes.

It turns out that as our sunsets get later and will continue to do so until the end of June, sunrise times will also continue to get later until roughly January 1. So for most Americans, the shortest day of the year is indeed December 21, when the solstice actually occurs.

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The sun will rise today in Los Angeles at 6:55 a.m. By December 31, the sun will come up a full three minutes later at 6:58 a.m. The sun rises on Saturday at 7:16 a.m. in New York, but on December 31, the sun will rise at 7:19 a.m.

Why does this happen?

It is because Earth's orbit around the sun is not perfectly round, and sometimes we find ourselves a little closer to the sun. The Earth is actually 3 million miles closer to the sun in January than in July. This slight change is enough to alter when the sun sets and rises.

Because of Earth's shifting distance from the sun, the time it takes for the sun to reach the same point in the sky gets later each day through the month of December. What is considered high-noon sunlight also becomes later throughout the month.

You can check sunrise and sunset times on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website.

The Food and Drug Administration announced late Friday that it has approved Zepbound to treat obstructive sleep apnea for those who are moderately or severely obese.

The drug is to be used in conjunction with a reduced-calorie diet and physical activity, the FDA said.

Eli Lilly, the maker of Zepbound, stated that the drug was approximately five times more effective than a placebo in reducing breathing disruptions in adults who were not using positive airway pressure therapy. Furthermore, among adults who used positive airway pressure therapy, Zepbound resulted in 29 fewer breathing disruptions per hour in comparison to the 6 disruptions seen with a placebo.

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Eli Lilly also indicated that the drug had a significant effect on weight. Adults on Zepbound combined with positive airway pressure therapy lost an average of 45 pounds, while those on placebo with positive airway pressure therapy lost just 4 pounds. In contrast, adults on Zepbound without positive airway pressure therapy lost an average of 50 pounds, compared to just 6 pounds for those on placebo.

"Today, many cases of OSA go undiagnosed and untreated, leaving millions at risk for serious health consequences," said Patrik Jonsson, executive vice president and president of Lilly Cardiometabolic Health and Lilly USA. "Zepbound is the first medication that significantly improves moderate-to-severe OSA and aids in long-term weight loss in adults with obesity. Nearly half of clinical trial patients saw such improvements that they no longer had symptoms associated with OSA, marking a critical step forward in reducing the burden of this disease and its interconnected health challenges."

The FDA noted that this was the first time it has approved a medication to treat obstructive sleep apnea. According to the National Council on Aging, it is estimated that approximately 33 million Americans use Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machines to treat sleep apnea. Older people, men and people who are overweight are more likely to have sleep apnea.

The organization estimates that 33 million Americans use a CPAP machine to treat sleep apnea.

RELATED STORY | Eli Lilly releases discounted single-dose vials of Zepbound weight-loss drug

Todays approval marks the first drug treatment option for certain patients with obstructive sleep apnea, said Sally Seymour, M.D., director of the division of Pulmonology, Allergy, and Critical Care in the FDAs Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. This is a major step forward for patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

Eli Lilly says that Zepbound uses hormone receptors to help people who are considered obese or overweight lose weight and keep it off.

Like any medication, Zepbound may have side effects. Eli Lilly noted that Zepbound can be related to numerous adverse gastrointestinal reactions.

Party City, a chain of 700 party-goods stores throughout the United States, announced on Saturday it has filed Chapter 11 proceedings in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. The bankruptcy will result in the company closing all of its locations.

The company cited "an immensely challenging environment driven by inflationary pressures on costs and consumer spending, among other factors."

As of Friday afternoon, associates were unaware of plans to close all locations.

"After working tirelessly to find a path forward that would allow us to continue operating, we will unfortunately be winding down our business, including the eventual closure of our stores," Party City said in a letter to investors. "The environment has continued to be extremely challenging for us and many other retailers, particularly given inflationary pressures on costs and consumer spending, and while we worked hard to navigate these headwinds, our very best efforts were ultimately not enough to overcome these challenges."

RELATED STORY | US store closings up 69% in 2024 amid Big Lots, CVS, Family Dollar cuts

Prior to closing all of its locations, Party City is offering sales of up to 50% on its items.

"It has been a true pleasure to be a part of your most special moments over the years. And, in the coming weeks, we hope you stop by to say goodbye and pick up your favorite items, whether youre organizing a big celebration now or planning ahead for milestone moments to come," Party City said in a letter to customers.

The closures come at a time when more retailers in the U.S. are shutting locations.

RELATED STORY | Big Lots files for bankruptcy, says more stores could close

According to data provided to Scripps News by Coresight, there have been 7,308 confirmed or planned store closings in the U.S. so far in 2024, which is up by nearly 3,000 from a year ago. In the meantime, there have been 5,818 store openings since the start of the year.

Family Dollar has closed the largest number of stores in 2024, with 718 confirmed closings. CVS has closed or is in the process of closing 586 locations, while Big Lots is closing 580 locations this year, Coresight reports.

Earlier this week, Big Lots announced it was also going out of business after failing to find a buyer amid bankruptcy proceedings.