The president-electBrooke Rollins, head of the America First Policy Institute, has been appointed agriculture secretary by Donald Trump. According to a statement released by Trump, Brooke will lead the charge to defend American farmers, who are genuinely the foundation of our nation, as our new Secretary of Agriculture. Rollins would oversee a 100,000-person organization with offices in every county in the US if the Senate confirmed him. The agency's duties would include commerce, agricultural research, forestry, home and farm lending, food safety, rural development, farm and nutrition programs, and more. In 2024, its budget was $437.2 billion. Both urban and rural Americans' diets and finances would be impacted by the nominee's plan. Among other things, Department of Agriculture employees...

BAKU — In a hard-won agreement reached at the COP29 meeting in Baku, countries agreed on Sunday to an annual financing target of $300 billion to help poorer countries deal with the repercussions of climate change, with affluent countries leading the payments. The new objective is meant to take the place of the developed countries' prior pledge to give poorer countries $100 billion annually in climate finance by 2020. That objective ends in 2025 and was achieved two years later, in 2022. The United Nations climate director Simon Steill praised the pact as an insurance policy for humanity, but underdeveloped countries denounced it as inadequate. After the agreement was approved, Steill remarked, "It has been a challenging journey, but we have delivered a deal." This agreement will save billi...

According to a Senate aide, a Republican senator has prevented a general who commanded forces in Kabul during the U.S. pullout from Afghanistan from being promoted. Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma took this action in response to President-elect Donald Trump's vows to dismiss senior officers and officials who were in charge of the botched 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan. As previously reported by NBC News, it also occurs as Trump's transition team considers potential court-martial charges against current and former commanders engaged in the pullout. Army Lt. Gen. Christopher Donahue was nominated to lead U.S. Army operations in Europe and be promoted to four-star general. According to the Senate aide, Donahue's nomination was one of over 900 potential nominations that were sent to the Se...

According to a Senate aide, a Republican senator has prevented a general who commanded forces in Kabul during the U.S. pullout from Afghanistan from being promoted. Sen. Markwayne Mullin, a Republican from Oklahoma, took the action after President-elect Donald Trump threatened to fire senior officers and officials who led the chaotic 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan. Trump's transition team is also considering the possibility of court-martial proceedings against current and former officers involved in the withdrawal. Army Lt. Gen. Christopher Donahue was nominated to lead U.S. Army operations in Europe and be promoted to four-star general. According to the Senate aide, Mullin put Donahue's candidacy on hold despite it being one of over 900 recommended nominees that were given to the Senate...

Fans of the onstage musical may note certain alterations in the popular Wicked narrative, which recently made its big screen premiere. The friendship between Elphaba and Glinda, two witches made famous by the Wizard of Oz, is the basis for both the film and musical adaptations of Wicked, which are based on Gregory Maguire's 1995 book. There are two parts to the Wicked movie adaption. The events and songs of Act 1 of the musical are followed in the first film, which debuted in theaters on November 22.November 2025 is when Wicked: Part 2 is anticipated. "I approached making the film adaptation from a very specific perspective," director Jon M. Chu tells TODAY.com. He mentions the 2003 tryout performances of the musical before it debuted at the Gershwin Theatre, saying, "I saw it for the firs...

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Wednesday that Hyundai Motor North America will be recalling over 42,000 vehicles because of a wiring defect that might enable the cars to roll away. According to the government, the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz and Hyundai Tucson cars that are recalled have transmissions that can shift out of park without pressing the brake pedal, raising the possibility of an accident or damage. The recall applies to all 2025 Santa Cruz and Tucson vehicles sold in the United States, including over 35,500 Tucson and 6,900 Santa Cruz models; the NHTSA estimates that the defect affects about 1% of the vehicles. The Tucson is an SUV that sells for more than $28,000, while the Santa Cruz is a hybrid pickup truck and SUV with a starting retail price...

Columbus, Ohio TreVeyon Henderson ran for a touchdown, Will Howard passed for two and scrambled for another, and No. 2 Ohio State trounced No. 5 Indiana, which had never lost, 38–15 on Saturday. All Ohio State (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten, CFP No. 2) needs to do now is defeat Michigan at home on Saturday to earn a rematch with No. 1 Oregon and a trip back to the Big Ten title game for the first time since 2020. In a thrilling comeback victory on October 12, the Ducks defeated Ohio State 32–31. The Ohio State defense, which benched quarterback Kurtis Rourke five times, and special teams errors cost the Hoosiers (10-1, 7-1, No. 5 CFP) their best chance to defeat the Buckeyes for the first time since 1988. The Buckeyes took control after Indiana punter James Evans fumbled a snap late in the first hal...

Bernie Moreno was a political unknown until he declared his intention to run for the Senate in April 2023. He used to work as a car salesman in the Cleveland area, and his only political experience was a failed 2022 campaign for Ohio's other Senate seat. Since then, Moreno has achieved the hitherto unimaginable. Moreno upset Democratic incumbent Senator Sherrod Brown on November 5, in the election that carried Donald Trump back into the White House. Brown was elected to the House in 1992, then won a Senate seat in 2006 and has been the leader of the influential Banking Committee since 2021. It was no coincidence that Moreno went from being an obscure Ohio businessman to being a well-known political figure. As part of a highly focused attempt to elect sympathetic candidates and, perhaps mor...

Lebanon's Beirut At least 20 people were killed by Israeli airstrikes in central Beirut on Saturday, according to sources. The once-rare bombings on the center of Lebanon's capital resumed without warning as diplomats frantically tried to mediate a cease-fire. The strikes, the fourth in central Beirut in less than a week, injured 66 persons, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. The intensification follows U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein's visit to the area to try to reach an agreement to put a stop to months of combat between Israel and Hezbollah that has descended into full-scale conflict. According to Lebanon's Health Ministry, over 3,500 people have died as a result of Israeli attacks. Approximately 1.2 million people, or 25% of Lebanon's population, have been displaced by the conflict. ...