December 6, 2024

NATION

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have reached six months aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as of December 5, 2024, with their mission now extended until February 2025. Originally slated for a brief eight-day mission, their stay was prolonged due to technical issues with Boeing's Starliner capsule, including thruster failures and helium leaks, which rendered the spacecraft unsafe for their return journey.

WORLD

Cuba’s energy grid has collapsed, leaving millions without power, the latest in a series of failures on an island struggling from creaking infrastructure, natural disasters and economic turmoil. The state-run utility company, the Cuban Electric Union, said workers were attempting to get the grid back online but local officials warned residents the difficult process of restoring power to aging Soviet-era power stations could take days.

BUSINESS

HEALTH

After sharp criticism from anesthesiologists, an insurance company is halting its plan to limit the amount of time it would cover anesthesia used in surgeries and procedures. Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield said on Thursday it would no longer move forward with the policy change.

ENTERTAINMENT

Variety reported that White Lotus is set to return in February 2025, according to what Warner Bros. Discovery exec shared at a tech and media conference. So far, an exact premiere date has not been announced. See article for Season 3 details.

TRAVEL

Travelers can look forward to buying tickets for Southwest Airlines’ new premium seats beginning sometime late next year, CEO Bob Jordan said Thursday. "Selling the new products [is] back half of 2025, and operating the new products [in] the first half of 2026, all of that is on track.”

FOOD

When Pop-Tarts announced it would resurrect a fan-favorite flavor for the Pop-Tarts Bowl—a college football bowl game in Orlando on Dec. 28—we thought we’d have to wait until game day to find out which one it was. But Pop-Tarts has given us an early holiday treat and revealed which toaster pastry is making a comeback.

NOSTALGIA

The Beverly Hillbillies ran from 1962 to 1971, starring Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, Max Baer Jr., and Buddy Ebsen, who was originally cast as the Tin Man for 1939’s The Wizard of Oz. The nine-season show centered around the Clampett family, who get into sudden wealth after their patriarch finds oil on their land.

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