Health care company Ascension lost sensitive data for nearly 5.6 million individuals in a cyberattack that was attributed to a notorious ransomware gang, according to documents filed with the attorney general of Maine.

Ascension owns 140 hospitals and scores of assisted living facilities. In May, the organization was hit with an attack that caused mass disruptions as staff was forced to move to manual processes that caused errors, delayed or lost lab results, and diversions of ambulances to other hospitals. Ascension managed to restore most services by mid-June. At the time, the company said the attackers had stolen protected health information and personally identifiable information for an undisclosed number of people.

Investigation concluded

A filing Ascension made earlier in December revealed that nearly 5.6 million people were affected by the breach. Data stolen depended on the particular person but included individuals' names and medical information (e.g., medical record numbers, dates of service, types of lab tests, or procedure codes), payment information (e.g., credit card information or bank account numbers), insurance information (e.g., Medicaid/Medicare ID, policy number, or insurance claim), government
identification (e.g., Social Security numbers, tax identification numbers, driver’s license numbers, or passport numbers), and other personal information (such as date of birth or address).

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Director Denis Villeneuve's stunning two-part film adaptation of Frank Herbert's Dune has received many well-deserved accolades—with Dune: Part 2 being crowned Ars Technica's top movie of 2024. The films also spawned a lavish HBO spinoff TV series, Dune: Prophecy, just renewed for a second season right before a momentous season finale.

(Some spoilers below for S1 of Dune: Prophecy, but no major plot reveals.)

Dune: Prophecy is a prequel series inspired by the novel Sisterhood of Dune, written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, exploring the origins of the Bene Gesserit. It's set 10,000 years before the ascension of Paul Atreides and follows two Harkonnen sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind, establishing the fabled sect that will become the Bene Gesserit in the process.

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‘No, he’s not taking the presidency,’ Donald Trump exclaimed Sunday night. ‘That’s not happening.’

American consumers are not feeling the holiday cheer: concerns about what's ahead for the economy shot up as tariffs loom, according to a barometer of consumer confidence released on Monday.

Why it matters: The post-election bump in consumer confidence in November now looks like a blip, at least by one measure.

• Long-running economic pessimism lives on despite solid economic conditions — a sign the next administration might see consumer moods at odds with economic indicators.

What they're saying: "Compared to last month, consumers in December were substantially less optimistic about future business conditions and incomes," says Dana Peterson, chief economist at the Conference Board, the group that has measured consumer confidence for decades.

By the numbers: The Conference Board's consumer confidence index fell by 8.1 points this month, reversing the prior two months' gains and remaining at the somewhat depressed level that has prevailed in the past two years.

• December's drop was overwhelmingly a result of more pessimism about income, business and labor market prospects in the months ahead.
• A sub-index that measures consumer expectations fell almost 13 points last month alone, "just above the threshold of 80 that usually signals a recession ahead," the Conference Board said in a release.

The intrigue: It's more likely now than ever before that politics will skew measures of confidence. That is why Republicans' economic outlook surged after the election and Democrats' view soured, with little change in the actual economic backdrop.

• The Conference Board does not report consumer confidence by political party. But the group said consumers mentioned politics more often this month as the key factor affecting how they view the economy.
• Mentions of tariffs, the centerpiece of Trump's agenda, continued to rise. Roughly 45% of consumers expected tariffs to raise the cost of living, while 21% said it would create more jobs.

Between the lines: Worries about the inflationary fallout from potential tariffs has not translated into diminished buying plans for cars, the group said — among the items that could be most impacted by Trump's tariff plans.

• Plus, the average inflation expectation in the year ahead in the survey was steady at 5%, the lowest since March 2020.
• Inflation remains somewhat elevated, with little progress in recent months toward dropping further — the reason why the Federal Reserve does not expect to reduce interest rates in 2025 nearly as much as it did earlier this year.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is suing Walmart and payroll service provider Branch Messenger for alleged illegal payment practices for gig workers.

The bureau says Walmart was opening direct deposit accounts using Spark delivery drivers’ social security numbers without their consent. The accounts also can come with intense fees that, according to the complaint, would add either 2 percent or $2.99 per transaction, whichever is higher. It also says Walmart repeatedly promised to provide drivers with same-day payments through the platform starting in July 2021 but never delivered on that.

The Bureau alleges that for approximately two years starting around June 2021, defendants engaged in unfair, abusive, and deceptive practices in violation of the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010, including by requiring Spark Drivers to receive their compensation in Branch Accounts, opening Branch Accounts for Spark Drivers without their informed consent or, in many instances, on an unauthorized basis, and making deceptive statements about Branch to Spark Drivers.

“Walmart made false promises, illegally opened accounts, and took advantage of more than a million delivery drivers,” said CFPB Director Rohit Chopra in a statement. “Companies cannot force workers into getting paid through accounts that drain their earnings with junk fees.” The agency sued both companies in the US District Court for the District of Minnesota.

Spark delivery workers have been complaining about Walmart’s Branch Messenger account requirements for years, which forced workers to use these accounts with no option to direct deposit to a preferred credit union or local bank. Walmart allegedly told workers they’d be terminated if they didn’t accept the Branch accounts.

President Biden is increasing the United States' emissions reduction goal for the next decade, but the green energy push could be hindered by the incoming administration under President-elect Trump.

In 2021, Biden set a climate target for the U.S. to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 50-52% from 2005 levels by 2030.

However, under the Paris climate agreement, which the U.S. is currently enrolled in, each country is required to submit their contribution to reducing global emissions every five years under the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).

In his final contribution to the global climate change agreement under the NDC, Biden on Thursday set a new goal to reduce even more emissions within the next decade – but Trump has suggested initiating a potential withdrawal from the global climate treaty.

SIX HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES THAT HAVE TAKEN HEAT FROM BIDEN'S CRACKDOWN ON REGULATIONS

Biden's new target, which was formally submitted to the United Nations Climate Change secretariat, seeks to reduce emissions 61-66% by 2035.

A POTENTIAL SECOND WITHDRAWAL FROM PARIS CLIMATE TREATY UNDER TRUMP COULD LOOK DIFFERENT THAN FIRST US EXIT

During his campaign, Trump told Politico that he would be in favor of withdrawing from the treaty when he assumes office, which could impact the new climate goal.

The Paris climate agreement was established at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in 2015 as a legally binding treaty among nearly 195 parties committed to international cooperation on climate change. 

The U.S. first entered into the agreement under former President Barack Obama in 2016, but was withdrawn under Trump in 2020.

If Trump chooses to withdraw from the agreement a second time, it could occur at a faster pace than the first.

Trump also has the option to submit the treaty to the Senate for advice and consent, which would require a two-thirds vote for the U.S. to rejoin the climate agreement – creating a potential hurdle for future administrations seeking to reenter the accord.

• Russia's railway industry is in the midst of a big downturn, according to one Russian research firm.
• Investment in Russia's railways is being slashed by nearly a third next year, TASS reported.
• It complicates Russia's trade with China, which has relied partly on rail transport.

One of Russia's key trading channels with China is facing serious snags. That's a result of burdens stemming from Russia's war-driven economy, which have fueled a big slowdown in the nation's rail industry — a vital means of trade between Moscow and Beijing.

Russia's rail industry is in its worst slowdown since the Great Financial Crisis, with the downtrend "still going strong," according to an analysis from the Russian research firm MMI Research. Freight volume transported by Russian Railways, Russia's state-owned rail system, slumped 5% in the first 11 months of 2024 compared with the same period last year, according to MMI data cited by Bloomberg.

The slowdown is driven in part by Russia's need to ship war-related materials, which have worsened supply bottlenecks and slowed the trade of key commodities, like coal and aluminum, the outlet reported.

Investment in Russia's railroads is also being slashed, partly due to high interest rates in the nation, according to a report from the state-owned news agency TASS. Russian Railways said it would earmark just 890 billion rubles, or $8.5 billion, for its investment program next year, a 30% cut from investment in 2024, TASS reported.

The firm is mulling whether it should cut investment by another third through the end of the decade, the Russian outlet Kommersant reported. Russian Railways did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

The changes spell bad news for Russia's trade with China, which has leaned on railway transport amid Western sanctions. Russia poured billions into its railways earlier this year partly to accommodate its increased trade with China.

The changes also speak to the growing costs of Russia's war against Ukraine, which have produced myriad economic problems for Moscow.

Russia's central bank raised interest rates to a record 21% earlier this year in an effort to lower sky-high inflation. The bank kept interest rates level in their policy decision last week, due to concerns about "excessive cooling" in Russia's wartime economy, according to the nation's top central banker.

Today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break is headlined by a surprise Best Buy 48-hour flash sale with deals still shipping by tomorrow, including a $350 price drop on Samsung’s 256GB unlocked Galaxy S24 Ultra. We also spotted a whopping $460 off Microsoft’s Surface Pro 11 Snapdragon Copilot+ PC keyboard bundle, the ASUS ROG Ally X gaming handheld back at Black Friday pricing, a new Amazon low on the wonderful Sony XM5 Wireless ANC Headphones, and we have our exclusive discount on the new Arc Pulse bumper cases for the Pixel 9 lineup. All of that and more awaits below. 

According to a report out of Korea, Samsung is cutting down significantly on its plans for 2025 Galaxy foldables as it reflects on the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6, which ultimately failed to meet expectations.