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While I usually have a set list of people I do my holiday shopping for, a few extras always find their way onto my list, including people I don’t know well — a colleague, a family friend’s kid, my significant other’s cousin — the list can go on and on. I approach my gift ideas in two ways: I ask the closest person I know for a few hints at their interests and hobbies, or I generally think about the best gifts for her or him . If you’re in a similar situation, you can peruse my list of the best gifts for someone you don’t know. These items exclude gag gifts (if you don’t know the person well, it may be hard to gauge their sense of humor) and including giftable tech , self-care , travel and more. These should meet a variety of needs and lifesty...

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz vowed to protect his state from President-elect Donald Trump’s “hateful agenda” while delivering remarks in Eagan, Minnesota, on Friday afternoon. “The other side spent a lot of time campaigning and talking about and promising that they would leave things up to the states. Well, I’m willing to take them at their word for that,” said Walz, who was Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate on the Democratic ticket and whose second term as governor ends in 2027. “The moment they try and bring a hateful agenda in this state, I’m going to stand ready to stand up and fight,” said the 60-year-old governor as supporters applauded. “As long as I’m governor of Minnesota, we will protect a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions,” said Walz, part of a ref...

An 84-year-old man was arrested this week in connection with the slaying of a female hitchhiker 50 years ago in Wisconsin. Mary K. Schlais, 25, was found dead Feb. 15, 1974, at an intersection in Spring Brook, Wisconsin, the Dunn County Sheriff’s Office said. The Minneapolis, woman was killed while hitchhiking to an art show in Chicago, Sheriff Kevin Bygd said Friday. “This was a very bright lady who had a very bright future ahead of her,” he said. “Her life was taken away.” Although investigators worked the case for decades, chasing tips and collecting evidence, “no viable suspects were identified,” according to the sheriff’s office. But through forensic genetic genealogy, Bygd said investigators tracked down Jon Miller, 84, at his apartment in Owatonna, Minnesota. M...

The total bill for ad spending in the 2024 election hit almost $11 billion, a new record and a substantial increase from the $9 billion spent in 2020. That's according to AdImpact, a firm that tracks political ad spending. The total is in line with the firm's 2023 projection that 2024 would see more ad spending than ever before. The largest share of the spending, unsurprisingly, came from the presidential race, where Democrats outspent Republicans despite losing the campaign. Vice President Kamala Harris' political operation spent more than $880 million since the start of 2023 (including spending when President Joe Biden was at the top of the ticket, as well as joint fundraising committees aligned with the campaign and the Democratic National Committee). President-elect Don...

As President-elect Donald Trump doubles down on his mass deportation plan, some Republicans are trying to assuage fears amid growing questions of who will be forced out of the country. In an exclusive interview with NBC News on Wednesday, Trump said, “It’s not a question of a price tag, we have no choice ... When people have killed and murdered, when drug lords have destroyed countries, and now they’re going to go back to those countries because they’re not staying here.” But in prior interviews and on the campaign trail, Trump and others have not targeted the deportations to just those who have committed violent crimes. In an April interview with Time magazine, he said his mass deportations would "start with the criminals that are coming in" and added he may deploy the ...

When patients who have appointments at the Planned Parenthood in Carbondale, Illinois, are late, staff members often know where to find them — at the crisis pregnancy center right next door. “We have stories all of the time of patients who are misled. They actually think they’re at a Planned Parenthood Health Center and then, not until after they’re on the table getting an ultrasound, they realize it’s not,” said Christina Villarreal, chief external affairs officer for Planned Parenthood of Illinois. At the Planned Parenthood in Flossmoor, Illinois, the potential confusion is built into the clinic’s scheduling. “This happens so often that they have a standing policy that if someone comes in late because they were taken next door to the crisis pregnancy center that they will...

Elwood Edwards, an announcer and local TV staffer who became internationally famous as the voice of AOL’s “You’ve got mail! ” prompt to millions at the dawn of the internet era, has died, AOL announced . He was 74. He died Tuesday at his home in New Bern, North Carolina. His daughter Sallie Edwards said the cause of death was complications from a stroke, the New York Times reported . Back in 1989, Quantum Computer Services — which would rename itself AOL — hired Edwards to record a series of alerts for the online service, including “You’ve got mail!,” “Welcome,” “Files done” and “Goodbye.” He earned $200 for the gig. “Edwards’s voice made AOL feel a little friendlier, a little more welcoming at a time when the internet was a big, new world for most people,” AO...

Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk , an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the campaign trail, the White House and Capitol Hill. In today’s edition, chief political analyst Chuck Todd explains why the results of the 2022 midterm elections were a mirage for the Democrats . Plus, "Meet the Press" moderator Kristen Welker has more from her interview with Donald Trump. And politics reporter Adam Edelman looks at how Democratic governors in blue states are already starting to push back against the coming GOP administration. Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday here. Democrats’ midterm mirage By Chuck Todd The biggest difference between the...

More than 1,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender candidates ran for elected office this year, vying for seats in Congress, state legislatures and various local races across nearly every state. While a number of these races have yet to be called, hundreds of queer candidates have already emerged victorious as of Friday, including many who made history. At least 1,017 out LGBTQ candidates ran for election this year, a 1.1% increase compared with 2020, according to the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund , a political organization that tracks and supports LGBTQ candidates for elected office. Of the total number of LGBTQ candidates, 668 made it to the general election. Over 90% of the total number of candidates were Democrats, and they ran in every state except Nebraska, seeing wins in ...

A Spanish research vessel that investigates marine ecosystems has been abruptly diverted from its usual task to take on a new job: Helping in the increasingly desperate search for the missing from Spain’s floods . The 24 crew members aboard the Ramón Margalef were preparing Friday to use its sensors and submersible robot to map an offshore area of 36 square kilometers — the equivalent of more than 5,000 soccer fields — to see if they can locate vehicles that last week’s catastrophic floods swept into the Mediterranean Sea. The hope is that a map of sunken vehicles could lead to the recovery of bodies . Nearly 100 people have been officially declared missing, and authorities admit that is likely more people are unaccounted for, in addition to more than 200 declare...