Wednesday, November 27, 2024
It is Wednesday, November 27, 2024. Before I share today’s top stories, I want to inform you that we will not be posting regular news on Thursday or Friday because of the Thanksgiving holiday. Now, here are today’s top stories.
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Israel and Hezbollah cease-fire
President Joe Biden announced that Israel’s government approved a cease-fire agreement with Hezbollah, which operates in Lebanon.
The deal says there has to be a 60-day halt in any fighting and potentially become a permanent cessation of fighting.
The deal calls on Israel to withdraw its forces from Lebanon over the next two months and for Hezbollah to also move its fighters north of a certain river that’s 25 miles from the Israel border.
The New York Times said the cease-fire may have little effect on the war in Gaza because Israel has been determined to completely destroy Hamas and Hamas fighters are continuing to fight back.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/26/world/middleeast/cease-fire-israel-hezbollah-lebanon.html
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Biden wants Medicare and Medicaid to cover obesity medications
The Biden administration made a proposal for Medicare and Medicaid to cover obesity medications.
The New York Times explained that the idea would need the endorsement of Trump administration officials in order to become official.
Medicare is not able to cover weight loss drugs due to current laws, but the Biden administration has a workaround by specifying that the drugs treat obesity and its related conditions.
The drugs include Ozempic, Wegovy or Zepbound, which reduces appetite. We’ll see if the Biden and Trump administrations can agree to havre Medicaid pay.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/26/upshot/obesity-drugs-medicare-medicaid.html
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TikToker accused of stealing from self-checkout at Target
A 22-year-old woman in Florida, who posts often on TikTok and has about 350,000 followers, was arrested by police who said she stole about $500 worth of items from Target by scanning false bar codes that made the items cheaper.
Her name is Marlena Velez and she filmed herself on TikTok on the same day the alleged theft happened. She didn’t post about using fake bar codes, but she filmed herself at the Target and the items she selected.
Police in Cape Coral were called to a Target store for a theft. There, they got a video of Velez allegedly using false bar codes. Police was not able to identify her and posted her image on social media and someone sent in a tip that the woman was a TikToker and provided her information.
Police said the TikTok video she used showed herself wearing the exact same clothes on the same day and picking out the items that were later reported stolen. A police spokesperson said “Everything was documented.”
Velez was arrested and charged with one count of petty theft and was released on $150 bail.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/25/us/tiktok-influencer-shoplifting-target.html
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Drake accuses rival of using bots to increase stats
Musician Drake filed legal action that accused Universal Music Group (UMG), who works with his rival Kendrick Lamar, of using bots and other methods to artificially inflate a song by Kendrick that dissed him.
Kendrick’s song, called “Not Like Us,” has almost 900 million streams since its release in May.
Drake said UMG used these bots to deceive consumers into believing the song was more popular than it was in reality.
UMG said the accusations are absurd and that fans simply choose the music they want to hear.
CNN explained that both rappers, who are former collaborators, released multiple diss tracks during their feud this year.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/25/entertainment/drake-kendrick-lamar-spotify-umg/index.html
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Update on Red Sea yacht disaster
On Monday, a tourist yacht with 44 people on board sank in the Red Sea off the coast of Egypt.
At least four bodies have been recovered. 33 people have been rescued. There are still seven people who are missing. The Egyptian military is doing the search and rescue efforts.
Government officials said a “high sea wave” hit the boat and caused it to capsize in about five minutes.
The yacht had two safety rafts that are capable of carrying 25 people each but it is not known if they were deployed or if people were able to get on them.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cy797nle2jnt
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That is all the top stories for today. Again, we will not be posting regular news on Thursday or Friday. Have a nice holiday and stay with the light.