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The central city of Hama, which has been the scene of numerous atrocities for antigovernment troops, was within six kilometers of Syrian rebel forces on Wednesday. Syria's fourth-largest city may be an even bigger boost than the unexpected seizure of Aleppo, the nation's most populated city, last week. This is the biggest offensive in the civil war in years, and it has the potential to drastically change the tide of the fight. Since 2011, the map of Syria has been changed numerous times, although Hama has never been under opposition control. According to the Associated Press, the city was less than 10 miles from insurgents and fighters supported by Turkey who resisted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime. Senior rebel commander Lt. Col. Hassan Abdul-Ghani refuted government assertions...

According to a person familiar with the matter, UnitedHealthcare's CEO was shot and killed outside the Hilton hotel in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday morning, CNBC reported. According to CNBC and a New York City Police Department spokesperson, the suspect shot 50-year-old Brian Thompson in the knee and chest at approximately 6:46 a.m. while he was outside the hotel on Sixth Avenue. The New York Post was the first to report on the shooting. At Mount Sinai West, Thompson was declared deceased. Although he did not hear any gunshots, a food cart seller close to the location informed NBC News that he did see two helicopters and several police cars nearby. According to authorities, no one has been arrested as of Wednesday morning. The parent firm, UnitedHealth Group, unexpectedly stopped its ann...

With 19 million people under winter alert and thousands already struggling with several feet of snow and accidents on dangerous roads, a clipper system is expected to cover the Midwest, Great Lakes, and Northeast with snow on Wednesday. The system will provide brief snowfalls that may manifest as snow squalls, which are particularly hazardous for road travel because of limited visibility and whiteout conditions. According to the National Weather Service, a clipper storm, often called an Alberta clipper, is a system that moves out of Central Canada and brings snow and cold air to the United States. New York City may also see some light snowfall on Thursday morning along the I-95 corridor. There won't be any buildup in the five boroughs. Lake effect snow will return Thursday, particularly do...

The mother of Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary nominee of President-elect Donald Trump, argued on her son's behalf Wednesday as his future nomination seemed to be in doubt in the Senate due to accusations of sexual assault and alcohol consumption. During an interview on Fox News' "Fox and Friends," Penelope Hegseth discussed an email she sent to her son in 2018 accusing him of mistreating women for years. The New York Times revealed the details of the email last week. "I rushed when I wrote that. I had strong feelings when I wrote that. As a mom, I wrote that," she told the network, adding that Pete Hegseth was "going through a really tough divorce" at the time. She went on, "I wrote that out of love," "And about two hours later, I retracted it with an apology, but nobody's seen that." ...

Washington As it considers whether states can limit gender transition care for kids, the conservative-majority Supreme Court delves into the culture war debate surrounding transgender rights on Wednesday. Throughout the just-concluded election, President-elect Donald Trump and his supporters consistently promoted an anti-transgender rights message. When he enters office in January, he has promised to reimpose limits on transgender individuals serving in the military and limit access to gender-affirming healthcare, among other things. Democrats have pushed for more protections for transgender individuals, including the Biden administration in the current court case. The Biden administration, transgender youth, and their families have challenged a newly passed Tennessee legislation before ...

In a head-to-head clinical trial, people who took Eli Lilly's weight loss medication Zepbound lost more weight than those on Novo Nordisk's Wegovy, the company said in a news release on Wednesday. Lilly funded the study, which compares the two competing weight loss medications in the first randomized, controlled clinical trial. Prior research has demonstrated that Zipbound is more effective than Wegovy for weight loss; however, because previous studies relied on retrospective analysis, they were not regarded as accurate comparisons. The results of Lilly's experiment showed that after 72 weeks, patients who received weekly injections of Zepbound lost an average of 20.2% of their body weight, or 50.3 pounds, while those who received Wegovy dropped an average of 13.7%, or 33.1 pounds. Accordi...

The annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center in New York City seems to make the holiday season more authentic. The lighting event and associated television special, Christmas in Rockefeller Center, will be hosted by Kelly Clarkson, the musician and host of a chat show that was recorded at the venue. More than 20 years have passed since Clarkson's first performance at the ceremony, and last year she celebrated the milestone by hosting. She remarked on her show last month, "I was all of a sudden in a Charlie Brown movie, and it was magical," making reference to her hosting role from the previous year. Last year, after hosting her show in Universal Studios in Universal City, California, Clarkson relocated to New York City. She expressed her excitement about hosting the tr...

Because it's Spotify Wrappedseason, social media users may once more examine and discuss their listening preferences with their pals. When the platform's customized end-of-year user streaming data became live on Wednesday, social media users shared their top 2024 listens in droves. Spotify introduced a tool this year called "music evolution" that lets users analyze how their tastes have changed over time. It will provide users with individualized, specialized music profiles to characterize their taste during certain stages, much like Spotify Sdaylist. Additionally, users may observe which musicians have the longest listening streaks. A personal AI-generated podcast that provides consumers with summaries of their listening preferences was also introduced by Spotify. The podcast was produce...

There is a greater chance of frozen and burst pipes, which could result in damage worth thousands of dollars, as temperatures drop throughout the Carolinas. Particularly at risk are pipes in unheated areas such as garages, attics, basements, and even cabinets along external walls. This winter, learn how to avoid and deal with frozen pipes. Preventing Frozen Pipes Insulate Pipes: Pipe insulation costs as little as 50 cents per foot and can help avoid expensive repairs. Keep Garage Doors Closed: Especially if water lines run through the garage. Open Cabinet Doors: Allow warm air to circulate around pipes under sinks, but remove any harmful chemicals if you have children. Let Faucets Drip: Running water, even a trickle, can prevent freezing. Maintain Indoor Temperature: Keep your thermostat ...

The stakes for Sunday's Week 13 game between Tampa Bay and Carolina were fairly low based just on the standings. The records of both teams were losing. However, few games this season have provided a greater perspective on one of the most important NFL questions: How patient should a team be with its young quarterback? This made the game much more interesting than it initially seemed. Less than two seasons into his career, Bryce Young has already gone from being selected first overall in the draft to being benched after just eighteen games. Sunday's fourth quarter saw the Panthers take a 23–20 lead with seconds remaining, and Young used his legs and arm to lead the team on what looked to be a game-winning drive. After that, Baker Mayfield, the quarterback for Tampa Bay, began his own heroic...