Michael Miske was accused of kidnapping a 72-year-old accountant who owed a debt, releasing a toxic chemical into a rival’s nightclubs, and killing his late son’s best friend

When the first online casino launched in 1994, many were amazed by the innovation that took a traditionally in-person activity and brought it online. Since then, this breakthrough has inspired similar changes across industries like shopping and food delivery. As […]

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Perry, who also produced records for Rod Stewart and Ringo Starr, died at a Los Angeles hospital

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.

Go deeper: U.S. bald eagle population has quadrupled since 2009

• 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 year who 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.