The bald eagle is now officially the national bird of the U.S. after President Biden signed into law legislation amending a code to formally recognize the previously unofficial American emblem.
Why it matters: "The Bald Eagle has symbolized American ideals since its placement on the Great Seal in 1782," per a statement from Preston Cook, co-chair of the National Bird Initiative for the National Eagle Center after Congress passed earlier this month the bill that was sent to Biden's desk.
"With this legislation, we honor its historic role and solidify its place as our national bird and an emblem of our national identity," added Cook, who spearheaded the legislative effort with Minnesota Reps. Brad Finstad (R) and Angie Craig (D) and Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.).
Zoom out: The bill officially recognizing the bird of prey was among some 50 bills Biden signed into law on Christmas Eve.
The big picture: The bald eagle has unofficially been the national bird since its appearance on the Great Seal, which symbolizes the sovereignty of the U.S. as a nation.
The bird also features on the president's flag, the mace of the House of Representatives, military insignia and "billions of one-dollar bills," per a Department of Veterans Affairs post.
However, it had never been legally designated as the country's national bird until now.
Fun fact: Founding father Benjamin Franklin objected to the bald eagle's appearance in a letter to his daughter describing it as "a bird of bad moral character," per the Franklin Institute.
The Mega Millions jackpot climbed to $1 billion ahead of a Christmas Eve drawing.
If someone wins on Tuesday, they will score the seventh-largest prize in the game's history.
The lump sum cash option is about $448.8 million, according to the Mega Millions website.
One lucky lotto player could wake up to a billion-dollar Christmas morning this year.
The Mega Millions jackpot hit an estimated $1 billion on Tuesday ahead of the Christmas Eve drawing, according to the Mega Millions website.
If someone does score a six-number winning ticket on Tuesday, the jackpot would be the largest prize ever won in December and the seventh-largest in the game's history.
Choosing the lump sum cash option would cut the prize money in half to about $448.8 million, according to the Mega Millions website. Winners can also choose annual payments over time. Mega Millions winnings are subject to state and federal income taxes.
Nobody has won the jackpot since September, when a Texan nabbed $810 million. The pot has continued to climb in the previous 29 drawings.
Several of the largest-ever lotto jackpots have happened in recent years.
A California man won a whopping $2.04 billion Powerball — the largest-ever lotto prize — in 2022. Earlier this year, a different California man claimed a $1.7 billion Powerball prize.
The largest Mega Millions prize, meanwhile, went to a Florida winner last yearwho won a $1.6 billion jackpot.
The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are about one in 302,575,350, according to the Lotto website.
If someone wins on Tuesday, they wouldn't be the first Christmas Eve Mega Millions winner. A $68 million jackpot was won in 2022, but nobody ever claimed the prize, ABC News reported.
It might be cold outside, but soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo is heating up fans’ Instagram feeds for Christmas.
“Merry Christmas, everyone!” Ronaldo, 39, captioned a new post on Tuesday, December 24. The athlete was shirtless in the image, showing off his chiseled physique while standing outside in the snow.
Ronaldo stood on a deck, which was adorned with holiday-themed twinkle lights. It’s unclear exactly where Ronaldo is celebrating the end of the year, but his girlfriend, Georgina Rodriguez, previously shared a glimpse of their family vacation in Laponia, Finland.
Ronaldo’s thirst trap comes one day after he shared a photo of himself riding a snowmobile with one of his kids. Both the soccer star and his child were bundled up with face masks and helmets but threw their thumbs up at the camera.
Ronaldo is a father of five: Cristiano Jr., 14, Alana, 8, twins Eva Maria and Mateo, 7, Bella, 2. Two of Ronaldo’s children — Eva Marie and Mateo — were born via surrogate. Rodriguez, 30, gave birth to Alana and Bella, the younger of whom had a twin brother named Ángel who died after birth.
“It is with our deepest sadness we have to announce that our baby boy has passed away,” the couple wrote via Instagram at the time. “It is the greatest pain that any parents can feel. Only the birth of our baby girl gives us the strength to live this moment with some hope and happiness.”
They added, “We are all devastated at this loss and we kindly ask for privacy at this very difficult time. Our baby boy, you are our angel. We will always love you.”
While Ronaldo is not shy when it comes to sharing his kids via social media, the athlete has spoken candidly about choosing not to identify the mother of his eldest son, Cristiano Jr.
“People speculate I was with this girl or another, or there was a surrogate mother,” he said during a November 2015 interview. “When Cristiano is going to grow up, I am always going to say the truth to him because he deserves it, because he is my son, but I am not going to say because people want me to say.”
Cheers, dear reader! The holiday season is here and Amazon is treating Us to the gift that keeps on giving. Weeks after the ‘Zon offered massive Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, the retailer is back with another savings event. The Amazon winter sale is in full swing and you need to check it out ASAP!
You can save big on everything from beauty tools, air purifiers and big-ticket items like the Google Pixel 8A. If you’re on the hunt for new fashion essentials to add to your wardrobe this winter, you’re in luck. We rounded up bestselling fashion essentials that are secretly on sale.
2. Supporting Star: Speaking of workout, if you’re on the hunt for a top-notch sports bra, this cozy bestseller is a great place to start. Not only does it offer medium support, but it features a fun criss-cross strap detail — was $22, now just $16!
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“Yes, I did get to talk to her, which was an unforgettable experience,” a fan named Carley shared via TikTok on Monday, December 23. “It was a very short interaction, but I’ll never forget it.”
As the Chiefs took on the Houston Texans at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday, December 21, Carley was able to grab the attention of Swift, 35.
“I had a custom jersey on,” she explained. “It was an 87 jersey but instead of Kelce on the nameplate, it said ‘Karma.’ I had it all bedazzled and everything. Once I got her to see that, she did a little jaw drop and said, ‘So cute. I love it!’”
This past weekend was no different when she showed up in a faux fur jacket from Charlotte Simone, a Chanel bucket hat and knee-high Manolo Blahnik black boots.
While Swift attended the game in a suite with her parents, Andrea and Scott, and Kelce’s parents, Donna and Ed, Carley revealed that the singer blended in with all the other Chiefs fans.
“She really is just like a fan when she’s there, which is so cool,” Carley explained in her TikTok video. “There was a bad call, for example, and she was talking about the ref and how he was at previous games. We had this eye roll at each other like, ‘What are these refs thinking’ kind of thing. It was cool to have those human interactions with her as you’d have with any other Chiefs fan.”
For Swifites wondering what it’s really like to sit just rows in front of Swift on game day, Carley revealed the venue’s security checked everyone’s tickets and had a few requests.
“We were asked to not ask for pictures because it would start a swarm,” she said. “Don’t pass anything through the window.”
Ultimately, the guidance didn’t prevent Carley from scoring on game day. In addition to interacting with Swift, the Chiefs fan watched her team beat the Texans. Their next game will be against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday, December 25.
“Overall, it was literally a perfect day,” Carley said. “I will remember it forever.”
PK Kemsley is setting the record straight on his sobriety journey after his estranged wife, Dorit Kemsley, claimed his drinking contributed to their separation.
“I was shocked, disappointed, and upset at what Dorit had to say,” PK, 57, confessed during the Tuesday, December 24, episode of Bravo’s “Hot Mic” podcast. “First of all, I’m really proud and public about my sobriety, and I’m 12 months in two weeks.”
PK noted that he’s had a “very emotional, tough journey” to get sober, so it surprised him that Dorit, 48, took a jab at that part of his life during the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills season 14 premiere, which aired in September.
During the episode, Dorit broke the news to her castmates that she and PK had separated after nine years of marriage. (Dorit, who shares kids Jagger, 10, and Phoenix, 8, with PK, publicly revealed the news in May.)
She also alleged that PK was “pouring alcohol on his” problems within their marriage before they parted ways. “It got very very very toxic,” Dori told Erika Jayne, claiming that PK was a “full-blown alcoholic.”
PK denied the allegations on Tuesday explaining that people “don’t necessarily realize how this disease has got you until you work out that you actually have this disease, and many people unfortunately don’t work it out and don’t get better.”
He noted that as you get older, alcoholism “becomes progressive” and it gets worse, which Dorit couldn’t comprehend since she never struggled with the illness.
“Dorit’s lack of understanding about sobriety is not her fault,” PK said. “She hasn’t invested in it, and it’s not something — she hasn’t worked a program and hasn’t done what I’ve done.”
He revealed, “There is no fully blown alcoholic. You’re either an alcoholic or you’re not.”
Despite not liking what Dorit called him on RHOBH, he confessed his alcoholism did have “an element of responsibility in relation to the breakdown of our marriage.” He further claimed it was “just a component” not the only cause.
“The truth is, if you understand the disease, alcoholism is a symptom. It’s not a cause,” PK continued. “So the reality is you have to get to what the cause was underneath. So it’s just not as simple as to say, ‘He was a fully blown alcoholic. That’s why we’re separated.’”
Dorit and PK’s marriage woes have been highlighted on RHOBH for several seasons, but during the season 13 reunion, which aired in February, she revealed that PK was in fact sober. However, their union broke down in the months that followed.
Paul ‘PK’ Kemsley and Dorit Kemsley.
During the season 14 premiere she said there was “no catastrophic event” that caused the eventual separation.
Dorit later teased what’s to come on the season, exclusively telling Us Weekly in November, “Things don’t stay amicable between PK and I, and it was a big shock to me.” She noted when they filmed, they had “just separated,” so fans will see “that journey” from start to finish.
PK agreed with his estranged wife, explaining on the podcast that he can tell how “unhappy” and “emotionally distraught” she was when watching the episodes back.
That being said, PK confessed he didn’t like how Dorit claimed she “stood by me” during bankruptcies, gambling debts and DUIs.
“The bankruptcy and all the gambling debts were well before I met her,” he told listeners. “I’ve recovered from everything. I haven’t gambled since 2008. I don’t drink. Do you know what I mean? The bankruptcy was 2010, 2009 during the credit crunch. All of that was past history.”
PK added that seeing Dorit talk about the “darkest times in my life” has been “difficult to watch.”
“I’m in full blown recovery. That’s the term: ‘full blown.’ That’s where it should be used,” he quipped. “I’m [in] full blown recovery, so it is tough to watch. It is a period in time and it brings a lot back.”
PK insisted he’s “not angry” but he did “struggle” with the season 14 premiere. “I never thought that us two, who are the tightest couple in the f—ing world, would ever be in a position where I’m watching this woman I love, the mother of my kids talking negatively about me on a TV show. It’s just unusual. It’s an unusual concept.”
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs on Bravo Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET and streams the next day on Peacock.
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The Menendez Brothers will be engaging in some Christmas classics for dinner tomorrow ... in what could be there last December 25 behind bars. As you know ... Erik and Lyle Menendez are locked up in Rihcard J. Donovan Correctional Facility for the…
If your New Year’s resolution for 2025 is to eat a little healthier, a juicer can help you get more fruits and veggies into your day — which is a great start. We’re not alone in loving fresh juice; celebs like Martha Stewart and Gwyneth Paltrow are also devotees (Stewart swears by one daily!). After a season of spirited eggnog, cookies and pies, it’ll be a refreshing and welcome twist to your routine. Luckily, we spotted a juicer deal too good not to share, especially because it’s from one our favorite home brands.
Beautiful by Drew Barrymore has a cult following for its stylish, accessibly priced, small kitchen appliances and home decor. While juicers can be pricey, right now, there’s a deal on a bestselling juicer that is too good to pass up! It is normally priced at $79, but right now, the blue color option is just $38, and the white option is a few bucks more. At this price, you might even want to stash one or two for a future gift!
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Shoppers are sold on this little machine. One happy review says, “I love everything about it! It’s juicers that cost so much more that you have to cut the fruit up first. This makes sure I get all my fruits and vegetables without the struggle! You don’t have to cut the fruit up into small pieces first. This is the best thing that I have purchased from Walmart, I must say because it’s helping me to better my life one day at a time!”
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Whether you want to try Martha Stewart’s daily green juice or experiment with mixed produce, there’s no limit to the combos you can try. Our go-to includes green apples, lemons, carrots and red beets! Juicing may become your superpower. Shop now while this incredible deal is live!
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