Do you need some organization to your cooking? Check out David Rancken’s App Of The Day. It’s called Pestle. You can get Pestle in the app stores below.
YouTuber helps Tyler PD arrest man for solicitation of minors
TYLER– The Tyler Police Department arrested a 27-year-old man for online solicitation of a minor on Tuesday after a call from a YouTuber.
According to court documents, Tyler PD officers responded to a call about a suspicious person near the Residence Inn on Heritage Drive in Tyler at around 5:45 p.m. on Tuesday.
Our news partner, KETK, reports that the caller was later identified as the owner of a YouTube channel used to catch sexual predators called “Predator Poacher.” The owner told Tyler PD officers about a man that the channel had reportedly been in contact with since June 11, 2023.
Officers were shown messages that were reportedly between someone posing as 11 and 13-year-old girls and 27-year-old Jordan Lee Burk. According to the arrest affidavit, Burk had sexual conversations with someone posing as an 11-year-old named “Emily” and a 13-year-old named “Maddi” about dating and pregnancy.
On Tuesday, Tyler PD officers contacted Burk at his workplace, BioLife Plasma, to discuss the alleged messages. After Burk was read his Miranda right and questioned, he allegedly admitted to contacting the 11-year-old. According to Smith County records, Burk was arrested on two charges of online solicitation of a minor and sexual conduct, and booked into the Smith County Jail before being released on Wednesday.
Price of bitcoin falls more than 10%
(NEW YORK) -- The price of bitcoin has tumbled about 12% from a record high reached earlier this week.
After topping $108,000 for the first time on Tuesday, the world’s largest cryptocurrency dropped to a price below $93,000 in early trading on Friday. Bitcoin soon recovered some of those losses, settling around $95,000 at 9:30 a.m. ET.
The selloff rippled through the wider cryptocurrency market. Ether, the second-largest cryptocurrency, ticked down about 1%. Lesser-known dogecoin fell 4% and crypto-trading exchange Coinbase fell nearly 2%.
The slide for bitcoin has largely come after the Federal Reserve announced late Wednesday that it expects fewer interest rate cuts next year.
Lower interest rates typically stimulate economic activity, drive up corporate profits and lift the value of forward-looking assets like stocks and cryptocurrencies. In theory, a longer-than-expected period of high interest rates could diminish those returns.
The Fed’s forecast sent stocks falling within minutes and helped push bitcoin to its lowest level in weeks.
The recent slide for bitcoin erases some of the gains enjoyed since the election of former President Donald Trump, who is widely viewed as friendly toward cryptocurrency. Still, the price has climbed about 36% since Election Day.
Bitcoin had climbed to a new high earlier this week after Trump reaffirmed support for a U.S. bitcoin strategic reserve.
A U.S. bitcoin strategic reserve would amount to a substantial government holding of bitcoin similar to the country’s stockpile of oil or gold. Bitcoin bulls expect such a potentially large acquisition of bitcoin to drive up demand and hike the price.
Supporters of a bitcoin strategic reserve also say the asset would help diversify the nation’s financial holdings, protecting it from the possible decline in value of other assets, such as the U.S. dollar.
Since the price of bitcoin is highly volatile, a large purchase of the asset could end up threatening the nation’s financial stability rather than safeguarding it, some critics say.
The major stock indexes rebounded on Thursday, recovering some of the losses they took after the Fed’s unwelcome forecast.
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Weekend Watchlist: What’s new on streaming
Ready, set, binge! Here's a look at some of the new movies and TV shows streaming this weekend:
Apple TV+
The Secret Lives of Animals: Watch the documentary series that shows off never-before-seen animal behaviors.
Max
Fast Friends: Whitney Cummings hosts a trivia game show to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Friends.
Peacock
Laid: A woman’s former lovers start dying in mysterious ways in the new romantic comedy series.
Netflix
Virgin River: In need of a comfort watch? Say “I do” to season 6 of the TV series.
The Six Triple Eight: Kerry Washington is an Army captain leading a team of female soldiers in the new film.
Disney+
What If ...?: Stream the third and final season of the animated Marvel series What If ...?
That’s all for this week’s Weekend Watchlist – happy streaming!
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Pope Francis appoints new Bishop of Tyler
TYLER– The Diocese of Tyler has announced that Pope Francis appointed Bishop Gregory Kelly, the current Auxiliary Bishop of Dallas, as the new Bishop of Tyler on Friday. According to our news partner KETK, Kelly will be the fifth Bishop to ever be appointed to lead the Tyler Diocese since it was founded in 1986 by Pope St. John Paul II. Kelly’s appointment comes after Bishop Joseph Strickland was removed as Bishop of Tyler in November of 2023, following a months-long investigation by the Vatican.
Kelly was born in Le Mars, Iowa on Feb. 15 1956. He received his Bachelor’s of Arts in philosophy from the University of Dallas in 1978 while he was in the Holy Trinity Seminary in Irving, according to the Diocese of Dallas.Later in 1982, he received his master’s degree in divinity from the University of Dallas and he was ordained as a priest in that same year. He was made Auxiliary Bishop for Dallas in 2016 and has served as a Vicar General and moderator for the Curia.
The Diocese of Tyler will have an announcement press conference at 10 a.m. on Friday in the St. Paul meeting room at the Diocesan Chancery, located at 1015 E. Southeast Loop 323.
Chicago’s O’Hare airport issues ground stop amid snow, as storm moves east
(CHICAGO) -- Chicago's O'Hare International Airport issued a ground stop on Friday, pausing departures amid snowy and icy conditions as airports around the country grappled with inclement weather.
The stop came as the clipper system that brought heavy snow and airport delays to the Upper Midwest on Thursday is moving on Friday morning through the Illinois city.
As of 11:30 p.m. ET on Friday, 9,376 flights were delayed nationwide. The day ended with 523 cancellations.
Southwest Airlines lead the cancellations with 113 flights, or 2% of its scheduled flights. Ground stops and delays are expected to continue at airports in impacted areas throughout the night.
The most impacted airports were San Diego International with 157 cancellations and Boston Logan International with 154 cancellations.
Up to 10 inches of snow fell in the Upper Midwest on Thursday. Ten states are now on snow alert, stretching from Wisconsin down through the mountains of North Carolina.
A band of moderate snow with low visibility is moving into Chicago just in time for their morning commute.
A dusting to 1 inch is possible, just enough to make the roads very slick and dangerous in the city.
Also this morning, snow is moving through Michigan and Ohio and on its way to the Northeast.
This afternoon and evening the rain and snow will move into the I-95 corridor making roads slick.
Rain and snow will continue for the I-95 corridor into early Saturday morning.
Most areas will see only a dusting, the same as Chicago, but this could be enough to make roads dangerously slick, as temps fall to near freezing.
Locally about 3 to 6 inches of snow are possible in the mountains of West Virginia and into western NY, and northern New England.
Locally more than a foot possible in the highest elevations.
Christmas Eve rain or snow in the Northeast?
Another storm system is expected for Christmas Eve in the Northeast, with rain and snow possible.
Rain and snow could fall along the I-95 corridor on Tuesday, Christmas Eve.
With this storm, the highest chance for accumulating snow will be in upstate NY and in New England. It is too early to say how much snow is possible.
An arctic plunge will move into the Northeast this weekend, as temperatures fall into the teens and single digits Saturday night into Sunday.
Wind chills could be below zero for inland areas and in the single digits even for coastal major cities.
Looking ahead, warmer weather is forecast after Christmas for the Northeast and most of eastern U.S.
ABC News' Ayesha Ali contributed to this report.
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Woman paralyzed by fallen tree finds hope with newly FDA-cleared device
(NEW YORK) -- Nearly 12 years ago, Jessie Owen's life changed forever.
"My family was going over a mountain pass and a tree fell on our car. In that moment, my parents passed away, my siblings were severely injured, and I became quadriplegic," Owen said. "I lost my independence. I lost my job. I lost my apartment. I lost my autonomy and the life that I dreamed for myself."
Like Owen, more than 300,000 people live with spinal cord injuries in the United States, with an estimated 18,000 new cases each year, data shows.
Motor vehicle accidents account for the majority of spinal cord injuries and are closely followed by falls, acts of violence and sports activities, according to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center.
For years, options for recovery have been limited, but a newly FDA-cleared external spinal stimulator, ARC-EX Therapy, which received clearance on Dec. 19, may offer hope for people like Owen.
"ARC-EX is simply electrodes attached to skin on the back of the neck," explained Chet Moritz, M.D., a professor of rehabilitation medicine at the University of Washington. "It allows us to pass current through the skin to activate the sensory nerves as they enter the spinal cord. Now, those sensory nerves make direct connections to the motor nerves which help people to move."
Owen, who participated in the Up-LIFT study, a clinical trial focusing on the health benefits of ARC-EX Therapy, saw a life-changing impact.
"I was wildly surprised and pleased to see that it was making meaningful change in my life. I can now paint with my hands. I can open a jar of peanut butter. I can tie my shoes. It [used to] take me 30 minutes to get dressed. Now it takes 12. [I used to require] 20 caregiving hours a week and I was able to move down to about eight."
The Up-LIFT study produced promising results.
Of the 60 patients with cervical spinal cord injuries studied, 72% saw improvements in hand strength and function. Participants also reported fewer muscle spasms, better sleep, less pain, and improved independence during daily activities.
"The success of [this] study of people with spinal cord injuries is phenomenal," noted Moritz. "There are essentially no current therapies for chronic spinal cord injury, and so having the majority of patients respond in both strength and function measures [is] just an outstanding result."
With FDA approval, ARC-EX Therapy is expected to become more accessible.
"Patients can work with their local rehabilitation clinics to see a therapist and work with them in the clinic at first to tune the device," Moritz said. Results may appear quickly -- some participants noticed changes within just a few sessions, he added.
While the device is currently cleared for improving hand strength, function and sensation, Moritz noted other benefits: "Some people will have modest improvements in their bladder function, heart rate, or blood pressure control."
Leah Croll, M.D., vascular neurologist at Maimonides Health and assistant professor of neurology at SUNY Downstate, shared the excitement over the device.
"The idea that ARC-EX Therapy may accelerate or augment neurologic recovery is really exciting. Any improvement in neurologic function is meaningful and has far-reaching impact in the daily lives of these patients and their families," she said.
The road to recovery after a spinal cord injury is grueling, Croll said.
"After emergency and ICU care is completed, the mainstay of treatment is working closely with physical therapists, occupational therapists and other rehabilitation professionals to support neurologic recovery," said Croll. "Patients may also need medications and certain procedures, depending on their unique symptoms."
For Owen and others, ARC-EX Therapy represents a renewed sense of hope and an exciting change in the way these patients can be treated.
"[With ARC-EX Therapy], I continued to gain function back, and I found I was able to pour more into other people," Owen said. "The first indicator of success that I noticed was my own happiness. It works, and it gives us hope and passion."
Natalie S. Rosen, M.D., is a physician in the Hematology & Oncology Department at New York-Presbyterian Columbia and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.
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In brief: ‘You’ fifth, final season to hit Netflix in 2025 and more
Hello there, You. Season 5 of the series starring Penn Badgley as Joe Goldberg will arrive on Netflix in 2025, the streamer confirmed on Thursday. It was renewed for its fifth and final season back in March 2023. Along with Badgley, season 5 will star Charlotte Ritchie, Madeline Brewer, Anna Camp and Griffin Matthews, with Baby Reindeer breakout star Nava Mau guesting as Detective Marquez ...
It seems there are even more lies to tell. The Hulu series Tell Me Lies has been renewed for a third season. The renewal of the popular show, which stars Grace Van Patten and Jackson White, comes a little over two months after the season 2 finale was released. Much like the first season, the sophomore one ended on a cliff-hanger twist. The show's creator, Meaghan Oppenheimer, has also just signed an overall deal with 20th Television, which is part of Disney Television Studios ...
There's even more Sonic headed our way. Paramount is going forward with a fourth Sonic the Hedgehog movie, Variety reports. The news comes just as Sonic the Hedgehog 3 goes into previews at movie theaters, ahead of its weekend release. Jeff Fowler has directed all three Sonic live-action films, with Ben Schwartz lending his voice to the titular hedgehog and Jim Carrey starring as the evil Dr. Robotnik ...
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Taking advantage of an obscure rule, Chargers’ Dicker makes NFL’s first fair-catch kick in 48 years
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Of all the rules in football, Jim Harbaugh considers the obscure fair-catch kick to be his favorite.
The Los Angeles Chargers coach had the opportunity to try one Thursday night for only the second time in his career.
This time, his kicker got three points from one of the most unusual plays in the sport.
Cameron Dicker made the first successful fair-catch kick in the NFL since 1976, connecting from 57 yards right before halftime against the Denver Broncos.
“I’ve been trying to get one of those every game. Cam Dicker stepped up and made it. It was huge and got the momentum back,” Harbaugh said.
Those points began the Chargers’ comeback as they rallied for a 34-27 victory, finishing the game on a 24-6 run.
For football obsessives like Harbaugh who relish oddities and unprecedented feats, Dicker’s kick was delightful.
The seldom-used rule allows a team that has just made a fair catch to try a free kick for three points. The kick is attempted from the line of scrimmage, and the defenders all must stand 10 yards away.
The play hardly ever happens because teams almost never find themselves in circumstances to make such a kick feasible. Only five NFL teams had previously tried the kick in the 21st century, and nobody had successfully executed it since Ray Wersching did it for the San Diego Chargers 48 years ago.
“It’s cool. I didn’t know that was the case,” Dicker said about accomplishing the rare milestone. “It was fun to go out there. It was fun to be in that scenario. With the penalty, I thought it would happen.”
The Chargers seized the opportunity created when Denver’s Tremon Smith committed fair-catch interference on what would have been the final play of the first half when Los Angeles’ Derius Davis attempted to field a punt at the Chargers 38.
Smith said he was “well aware” of the fair-catch kick rule when the Chargers subsequently lined up for it.
“I’ve been playing a long time,” Smith added. “It’s just a dumb penalty. … The returner did a good job of selling it. He knows he’s running into me, even though he wasn’t going to catch the ball. But like I said, dumb penalty.”
The flag moved the ball to the Denver 47 for an untimed down, and Harbaugh took a timeout before electing to try the fair-catch kick.
With J.K. Scott holding the ball, Dicker comfortably booted it through the uprights.
Dicker said special teams coach Ryan Ficken goes over the play often during the season, and that they practice it sometimes on Fridays. Harbaugh also credited Ficken, who brought it up again during the meetings leading up to this game.
“Looking over at (Denver’s) sideline, it was funny. They were confused what was going on. We talk about it every week, so it was normal for us,” Dicker said.
Plenty of the Broncos said they actually knew what was happening, and they were disappointed to be on the wrong side of history.
“It’s something we talk about in our special teams group, and it’s one of those situations you go through in training camp,” Denver receiver Marvin Mims said. “So we all knew what was going to happen, and they executed to perfection.”
Dicker’s 57-yarder also was the longest fair-catch kick in NFL history, besting Paul Hornung’s 52-yarder for Green Bay in 1964.
The most recent fair-catch kick in the NFL was attempted in 2019, when Carolina’s Joey Slye missed from 60 yards in a game played in London.
Harbaugh also attempted it with the San Francisco 49ers in 2013, but Phil Dawson missed from 71 yards right before halftime.
“I wanted it so bad that I tried it,” Harbaugh said when looking back. “I was really happy, too, because Coach Ficken went over it this week. We took a timeout and got things dialed in. It was going to be on their side of the 50. It was our chance.”
The play is extremely rare because most fair catches occur well outside of normal field goal range. The Broncos’ punt would have stranded the Chargers beyond Dicker’s considerable range, but Smith’s penalty created a rare opportunity — and Dicker didn’t miss.
“I was definitely confused,” Chargers edge rusher Joey Bosa said. “I was ready to get in the locker room, but I’m happy we had a shot. I was just joking that you can play for 20 years and still have no idea what’s going on on the field. So it was a good moment. It was an important swing in momentum.”
Wersching, who kicked for the Chargers and 49ers during 15 NFL seasons, made a 45-yard fair-catch kick at the halftime gun for San Diego against Buffalo on Nov. 21, 1976.
“It doesn’t happen much,” Denver coach Sean Payton said. “We practice it all the time. In that situation, the penalty put them in field goal position, so it’s disappointing.”
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AP sports writer Joe Reedy contributed to this report.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL
Columbus football overwhelms Malakoff to win 3A Division I state title
Columbus football set the tone by scoring three first quarter touchdowns and rolled to a 48-14 win against Malakoff to capture the Class 3A Division I state championship on Thursday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
It’s the first state championship for the Cardinals, who conclude the season with a 15-1 record.
“We played really well as a team and against a good program,” Columbus coach Matt Schobel said. “What these kids have been through and how they were there for each other. I’m very proud of them. To see them reach their personal goals and team’s goal is incredible.”
Grayson Rigdon got the scoring going by capping a five-play, 72-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run for the game’s first points.
Jerrion Hall answered for Malakoff with a 4-yard rushing score to tie the game early, but that would be the only points for the Tigers until 2 minutes left in the fourth quarter.
The Cardinals (15-1) went on to pull away in the first half behind back-to-back touchdowns by Rogdon (2-yard carry) and a 32-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Adam Schobel to Braylon Fisher.
Adam Schobel was named the game’s offensive MVP for his performance and John Schobel was named the games’s defensive MVP after recording 10 tackles and three sacks.
Columbus went on to score 47 unanswered points behind Schobel, who completed 15 of 21 passes for 261 yards and three total touchdowns. Rigdon led Columbus on the ground with 18 carries for 119 yards and four touchdowns.
Elijah Usher led the Cardinals through the air with five catches for 106 yards.
Quaterback Mike Jones led the Tigers with 17 carries for 85 yards and completed eight catches for 33 yards. Jason Tennyson and Hall each added rushing touchdowns for Malakoff.
Thursday marked the first loss for the Tigers, who concluded the 2024 season 15-1.
“It was a tough matchup for our guys,” Malakoff coach Jamie Driskell said. “Our motto was to empty the tank and I think we emptied the tank. We had that first good drive and then they changed some stuff up. They went to a different coverage and got us on our heels. Tough matchup, but I couldn’t be any more prouder of our kids.”
Kilgore will play in first state championship since 2013 on Friday night
KILGORE, Texas (KETK) — The road to becoming a champion is long and winding, and some of the hardest moments of that journey, happen when no one is watching.
The Kilgore Bulldogs have made those sacrifices, and find themselves just one win away from hoisting championship gold.
Kilgore rolls past La Vernia 38-13 to punch its ticket to the 4A-D1 state title game
“The reason we’re in this fight is because of the work that they put in there, their dedication and discipline to prepare the right way week in and week, week out as allowed our team one to be ready to go on Friday night, and also to improve every week,” said head coach Clint Fuller. “That’s the reason that we’re we’re playing for a state championship.”
Four years ago, Lindale punched their ticket to state, and last year it was Chapel Hill.
Kilgore becomes the latest member of the District of Doom to play for a state championship, a fact they not only take pride in but also say played a major role in preparing them for this moment.
“It definitely means a lot, I mean I feel like we probably have the toughest district in 4A D1 just seeing all the teams from our district making it to the Regional Championship or State but it definitely means a lot,” said cornerback Jayden Sanders.
“We go through some of the hardest games in 4A in district play, so, once we get to the playoffs, I feel like it prepares us better for what we’re going to see,” said quarterback Kayson Brooks.
It’s been 20 years since the Dogs have been the best in the state, and this is a Kilgore team, and community, hungry to be number one.
“For us to be able to go and represent our community and the people that love us every day is really special and our kids understand that and they appreciate that,” said Fuller.
The work to get to Arlington is now over, but Kilgore isn’t satisfied, as they hope to return home Friday night, with championship gold.
The Kilgore Bulldogs will take on the undefeated Celina Bobcats for the 4A-D1 state championship.
Kickoff will be at 3, Friday afternoon, from AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Teamsters say ‘momentum continues’ as Christmastime strike against Amazon enters 2nd day
(NEW YORK) -- As the Teamsters' cross-country Christmastime strike against Amazon entered its second day on Friday, the union said that "momentum continues to mount" as workers seek "fair treatment" from the online retailer.
"The Amazon Teamsters movement grows bigger and stronger every day and will not be stopped," the International Brotherhood of Teamsters said in a statement posted on social media late Thursday.
Workers affiliated with the Teamsters began striking at Amazon facilities across the country early Thursday. The union said thousands of workers were walking off their jobs at facilities in New York City, Atlanta, Southern California, San Francisco and Illinois, but did not provide specific numbers.
Teamsters President Sean M. O’Brien is expected to join a picket line in California's City of Industry on Friday, the union said.
Amazon said the strike was not expected to impact operations and claimed the strikes were being attended by outside organizers. Kelly Nantel, director of Global Corporate Issues and Media Relations at Amazon, said the company had not seen an impact on deliveries.
"Thankfully, the vast majority of our employees and the drivers who deliver on our behalf came to work today to do what they do every day," Nantel said on Thursday. "They're doing a great job of working for their customers and their communities and as a result of their hard work."
The strike, which the Teamsters referred to as the largest strike in history, arrived during the busiest shopping season of the year, less than a week before Christmas.
In addition, the Teamsters said local unions were also picketing "hundreds" of Amazon Fulfillment Centers nationwide.
Overall, nearly 9,000 Amazon workers, across 20 bargaining units, have affiliated with the powerful Teamsters union, according to the union. The striking workers represent less than 1% of the company's 1.5 million employees worldwide, including 800,000 in the United States.
The National Labor Relations Board officially certified the union representing workers, but Amazon has appealed that ruling. The union said Amazon ignored a Sunday deadline for contract negotiations to begin.
"If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon's insatiable greed," O'Brien said in a statement Thursday announcing the strike. "We gave Amazon a clear deadline to come to the table and do right by our members. They ignored it."
In a statement to ABC News, an Amazon spokesperson said the Teamsters illegally coerced workers to join the union. The company in a statement described the people walking the picket lines as "almost entirely outsiders—not Amazon employees or partners."
"The truth is that [the Teamsters] were unable to get enough support from our employees and partners and have brought in outsiders to come and harass and intimidate our team, which is inappropriate and dangerous," Amazon said. "We appreciate all our team’s great work to serve their customers and communities, and are continuing to focus on getting customers their holiday orders.”
Amazon's market cap is $2.35 trillion. Shares of the retailer ticked up $2.77 on Thursday, climbing about 1.26%. The stock was down about 2 in premarket trading on Friday.
ABC News' Taylor Dunn and Soo Youn contributed to this report.
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1 dead in ‘brutal’ Russian missile attack on Kyiv, US ambassador says
(LONDON) -- A Russian missile strike killed one person and wounded nine others early on Friday morning, Ukrainian officials said, an attack that U.S. Ambassador Bridget A. Brink described as "brutal."
"Early this morning Russia launched a ballistic missile attack against the capital, killing a civilian and resulting in debris and fires around the city," Brink said in a statement on social media.
Brink added that the United States and its partners were "surging security assistance and energy support" to the country "in response to these brutal attacks."
First responders were battling fires in the streets, and several high-rise buildings were damaged. Debris had fallen in at least four districts in the city, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on the Telegram messaging app.
More than 600 buildings, including more than a dozen medical sites, were without heat after the strike damaged a heating main in the city's southwestern Holosiivskyi District, he said. Seventeen schools and 13 kindergartens also were without heat early Friday.
Russia last month launched several aerial assaults that targeted energy infrastructure throughout Ukraine.
"Ukraine needs more air defense systems," Ukraine's Defense Ministry said on Friday. "Russian terror must be stopped."
Nine people were injured, including four who were hospitalized, in the strike on Kyiv, the mayor said, revising the number of injured from the previous seven.
ABC News' Helena Skinner contributed to this report.
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Biden to announce $4.28 billion in student loan relief for 55,000 borrowers
(WASHINGTON) -- President Joe Biden's administration will announce on Friday another $4.28 billion dollars in student loan relief for nearly 55,000 public service workers.
The announcement will bring the total loan forgiveness by the Biden administration to "approximately $180 billion for nearly 5 million Americans," according to a fact sheet from the Department of Education.
The forgiveness will be delivered to individuals enrolled in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program (PSLF), which allows for debt forgiveness for people in jobs like firefighting, nursing and teaching after 10 years of continuous payment.
The Biden administration has made fixes to this program that had failed to deliver student loan relief to many due to poor implementations and errors in the program, officials said.
"The public servants approved for debt cancellation today include teachers, nurses, service members, law enforcement officials, and other public service workers who have dedicated their lives to giving back to their communities and who are finally earning the relief they are entitled to under the law," Biden said in a statement.
Of the nearly 5 million borrowers who have had more than $180 billion in debt relieved by the administration, more than 1 million were through the PSLF. The relief for those PSLF borrowers totals about $78 billion, the administration said.
"From Day One of my Administration, I promised to make sure that higher education is a ticket to the middle class, not a barrier to opportunity," Biden said in the statement.
He added, "Because of our actions, millions of people across the country now have the breathing room to start businesses, save for retirement, and pursue life plans they had to put on hold because of the burden of student loan debt."
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Starbucks workers union announces pre-Christmas strike in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle
(LOS ANGELES) -- The workers union representing Starbucks baristas across the country announced members in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle will go on strike in the days leading up to Christmas.
Workers United, which has unionized more than 525 U.S. Starbucks locations, said in a press release Thursday that unfair labor practices and stalled negotiations with the company are the catalyst behind the holiday season strike.
The union says five days of escalating strikes will begin Friday and continue until Dec. 24 in "three of the company's priority markets" during what it called the company's busiest days of the year.
During the strike period, the walkouts "are expected to spread each day and ultimately reach hundreds of stores from coast to coast by Christmas Eve" unless the company honors a February commitment made with the union.
In February 2024, Workers United and Starbucks announced they would work on a "foundational framework" to reach a collective bargaining agreement for stores, something the union says has not come to fruition.
In a statement on Thursday following the strike announcement Starbucks said Workers United delegates "prematurely ended" its bargaining session with the coffee giant this week.
Starbucks added that the company is "focused on enhancing" employee experiences by offering an average wage of $18 per hour and benefits including health care, free college tuition, paid family leave and company stock grants.
"We are ready to continue negotiations to reach agreements," Starbucks said, adding, "We need the union to return to the table."
Workers United, however, said despite "repeatedly pledging publicly" that it intends to reach contracts by the end of the year, Starbucks has not yet presented workers with a "serious economic proposal."
"Nobody wants to strike. It's a last resort, but Starbucks has broken its promise to thousands of baristas and left us with no choice," Fatemeh Alhadjaboodi, a five-year Starbucks barista and bargaining delegate, said in the release.
"In a year when Starbucks invested so many millions in top executive talent, it has failed to present the baristas who make its company run with a viable economic proposal. This is just the beginning. We will do whatever it takes to get the company to honor the commitment it made to us in February," Alhadjaboodi added.
"The holiday season should be magical at Starbucks, but for too many of us, there's a darker side to the peppermint mochas and gingerbread lattes," Arloa Fluhr, a bargaining delegate who has worked off and on at Starbucks for 18 years said in the release.
"I'm a mom of three, including my daughter who is diabetic. I know what it's like to panic because my hours were slashed and I won't be able to pay my bills and could lose access to healthcare, including my daughter's insulin. That's why we're steadfast in our demands for Starbucks to invest in baristas like me," Fluhr added.
ABC News' Zunaira Zaki contributed to this report.
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