After jurors declared themselves deadlocked, the judge in the trial of Daniel Penny, the man who is accused of choking Jordan Neely to death on a New York City subway last year, dismissed a manslaughter charge on Friday. Jurors will only take into account the lesser accusation of criminally negligent homicide, according to the ruling, which was made at the prosecutors' request. The maximum penalty for it is four years. Prosecutors' request was not disclosed to jurors. Penny entered a not guilty plea. On Monday, the five male and seven female jurors will begin deliberating again. On Friday, they wrote the judge two notes, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, stating that they were unable to reach a unanimous judgment on the primary allegation of second-degree manslaughter. Judge Max...

According to a police officer on Friday, authorities suspect that the person of interest in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a hotel in midtown Manhattan may have fled New York City via a crowded bus terminal. After riding a bike through Central Park, the individual was spotted taking a taxi to 178th Street and Broadway, where he entered the Port Authority Bus Terminal, according to a video canvas, New York Police Department Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told CNN. According to Kenny, investigators have not discovered any footage of the man leaving the terminal, and it is still unknown which bus, if any, he may have boarded. "It's a very busy bus terminal," Kenney informed the broadcaster. "We're still working through it, but we want to make sure we have ...

Although the gunman wanted in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has not made it easy for the NYPD to track him down, experts said Friday that he left behind some confusing indications that might help them apprehend him. Investigators have yet to publicly identify the gunman who ambushed the 50-year-old insurance executive early Wednesday, despite the fact that he fired the fatal shots in a busy area of Manhattan where numerous security cameras are present and that he revealed his face at the hostel where he is thought to have stayed prior to the shooting. Michael Alcazar, a former NYPD detective and current adjunct lecturer at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said that he has benefited from the period of time before the shooter's picture was made public. Alcazar to...

Teachers are one of the groups of people who most certainly deserve to be thanked. It only makes natural that you would want to show your gratitude for all of their hard work by giving them a token as the holidays approach. However, what constitutes an excellent teacher gift? There are several ways to choose a gift for the teacher or teachers in your life. You can get them something unique or a wonderful self-care gift. If you're on a tight budget or are buying for a lot of teachers at once, you might want to choose a present that costs less than $25. Every item on this list was chosen with the goal of either making your teacher happy, lightening their workload, or assisting them in relaxing. Everything is either highly regarded, a staff pick, an NBC Select reader favorite, or from a brand...

UPDATE: The last campaign financial report covering the closing weeks of the presidential contest was added to this story on December 6, 2024. Earlier this month, Donald Trump's presidential campaign was propelled to victory by a small group of megadonors. As he forms his next administration, some of them are now being considered for important roles. Top funders to successful presidential campaigns have always been considered for high-level administration positions, from Cabinet posts directly influencing White House policies to plum ambassador jobs in tropical regions. And now, several important donors seem to be involved as Trump fills up the top levels of his transition and administration. Trump's choice to head the Education Department is Linda McMahon, a former professional wrestling ...

A long time ago, I was employed as a retail employee in a sizable physical Lego store. Many of the numerous consumers that entered were searching for Lego presents to give to their loved ones. Regardless of who entered the store, we were able to locate a Lego kit that would suit their desires as a gift. This is due to Lego's extensive selection, which includes freeform brick sets, Disney Princess playboxes, copies of famous buildings, and much more. I've produced numerous gift guides for NBC Select since my time at the Lego shop ended years ago, and I've used both of those experiences to locate Lego gifts for a wide range of people of all ages. SKIP AHEAD: Top Lego presents for 2024 | Lego accessories for gifts | Why rely on NBC Select? Our top picks Best toddler Lego se...

After jurors declared themselves deadlocked, the judge in the trial of Daniel Penny, the man charged with manslaughter in the chokehold murder of Jordan Neely on a New York City subway last year, dismissed the charge on Friday. Jurors will only take into account the lesser accusation of criminally negligent homicide, according to the ruling, which was made at the prosecutors' request. The maximum penalty for it is four years. Prosecutors' request was not disclosed to jurors. Penny entered a not guilty plea. On Monday, the five male and seven female jurors will begin deliberating again. On Friday, they submitted the judge two notes stating that they were unable to reach a unanimous conclusion on the most serious accusation of manslaughter. Judge Maxwell Wiley gave them instructions to conti...

Authorities announced Friday that the days-long search for a Pennsylvania grandmother who fell down a sinkhole while looking for her cat ended tragically when rescuers discovered her death. According to Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Steve Limani, the remains of 64-year-old Elizabeth Pollard were discovered around 30 feet below the surface at approximately 11:05 a.m. Pollard was last observed in Unity Township, approximately 40 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, at 5 p.m. on Monday. She plunged into a decades-old mining shaft after falling through a sinkhole. According to state police on Wednesday, the search became more of a recovery effort rather than a rescue operation. As the search and rescue's commander of operations, Pleasant Valley Volunteer Fire commander John Bacha stated, "Obviou...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture published a federal order Friday requiring the testing of the nation's milk supply for avian flu. Samples must be gathered and shared with USDA upon request by organizations that handle raw milk, such as dairy processors or bulk milk transporters. The objective is to stop the spread of the avian flu strain H5N1, which is generating outbreaks in poultry and dairy cows, among livestock by promptly identifying which dairy herds are impacted. In 15 states, 718 dairy cattle were impacted as of Thursday. Among other benefits, this will help farmers and farmworkers feel more secure about their animals' safety and self-defense, and it will set us up for swiftly containing and halting the virus's spread across the country, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsacks stated...

Rescuers discovered a Pennsylvania grandmother's body Friday, after a tragic days-long search for her after she fell down a sinkhole while looking for her cat. According to Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Steve Limani, the remains of 64-year-old Elizabeth Pollard were discovered around 30 feet below the surface at approximately 11:05 a.m. The 64-year-old Pollard was last seen in Unity Township, some 40 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, at 5 p.m. on Monday. She was thought to have fallen into a mine shaft that was decades old after falling through a sinkhole. According to state police on Wednesday, the search became more of a recovery effort rather than a rescue operation. According to officials, the family expressed gratitude to searchers for finding their loved one's body. "Like to have ha...