Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams isn’t prepared to take full responsibility for the enduring frustrations of the fans.
During the Bears’ 6-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night, fans at Soldier Field broke out into boos and "Sell that team" chants. The low-scoring loss marked the team’s 10th straight loss.
When asked about the fans' reaction after the game, Williams pointed out to reporters that their frustrations go beyond his time in Chicago.
"It’s my first year. Their frustrations go way longer back than I’ve been here," Williams, who was the first overall pick in last year’s draft, said.
"My job is to go out there and win games. We don’t focus on the outside noise. The fans, they’re gonna cheer and maybe boo sometimes, and you can’t react to that. It’s not something that we react to."
The Bears' offense struggled in their latest loss.
Williams was 16 for 28 with 122 yards, and the Bears finished with just 179 total offensive yards. For that, the rookie quarterback did take ownership.
"I didn’t play well enough. I didn’t help put the team in a good position to win – a better position to win, and it’s what it is."
The Bears will close out the season on the road against the Green Bay Packers next week.
Ukrainian soldiers fire artillery shells in the Donetsk region in December.
Anadolu/Anadolu via Getty Images
Ukraine is facing critical manpower challenges on the battlefield.
An analyst recently back from Ukraine said Russia is trying to exploit this challenge by using small assault waves.
"It's death by a thousand cuts. It's very stressful to units who are undermanned," she said.
Ukraine is facing increasingly serious manpower challenges all along the front lines, and Russia is relying on a brutal, albeit costly, tactic to stress Kyiv's defenses.
Dara Massicot, a senior fellow in the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Russia and Eurasia Program, recently returned from a research trip to Ukraine, where she met with different units that are all facing manpower shortages and other struggles.
"What the units are experiencing from the Russians is a significant amount of strain from Russian tactics," Massicot recounted from her trip on a podcast this month with the Center for Strategic and International Studies earlier.
She said that the Russians "are attacking [the Ukrainians] in very small groups all the time, day and night. It's death by a thousand cuts. It's very stressful to units who are undermanned."
Russia's small assault wave attacks, sometimes called human wave attacks or meat assaults, have been a problem for Ukraine throughout the conflict, but they have especially been a challenge for Kyiv as it faces critical manpower shortages.
Ukrainian soldiers rest during training in the Zaporizhzhia region in November.
Andriy Andriyenko/Ukraine's 65th Mechanised Brigade via AP
To address this problem, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has lowered the mobilization age from 27 to 25, but the Biden administration has pushed Kyiv to lower it even more to expand the number of civilians who can fight. So far, Kyiv has been unwilling to do that.
Ukraine is not isolated in grappling with manpower challenges. Russia faces its own mobilization issues. They are much less urgent than Kyiv's, but Moscow is taking serious casualties on the battlefield, raising questions about troop sustainment and replacement down the road.
These human wave tactics come at a tremendously high cost. Conflict analysts at the Institute for the Study of War, a US think tank, said earlier this month that Russia's commitment to maintaining its theater-wide initiative in Ukraine is putting strains on its domestic labor pool.
The "constrained labor pool is likely unable to sustain this increased casualty rate in the medium-term," they wrote in a war update.
Russia experienced its highest number of casualties in any month of the war in November, averaging more than 1,500 soldiers killed and wounded every day, Britain's defense ministry said in an intelligence update earlier this month, citing Ukrainian military figures.
This made November the most costly month of the conflict for the Russian military, with nearly 46,000 total casualties, Britain's defense ministry said. It also marked the fifth straight month that Moscow saw an increase in its monthly losses. ISW said that the West needs to be boosting support to increase Russian losses, which are not sustainable.
Russian soldiers fight against Ukrainian forces in Russia's Kursk region in November.
Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP
"The high rate of casualties is likely reflective of the higher tempo of Russian operations and offensives," the British defense ministry said of the losses, adding that Moscow will likely continue to see over 1,000 soldiers killed and wounded every day as its forces push along the front lines.
Russia employs Soviet-style tactics in which any gained ground justifies the losses, no matter how heavy. It sends wave after wave of soldiers, offering undermanned and undersupplied Ukrainian units little rest or respite. Such tactics have been seen in Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Pokrovsk, among other places.
The Russian leadership has signaled it is willing to suffer these losses in a grinding, attritional campaign that is just not to Ukraine's advantage, given that it is the smaller combatant with fewer resources to throw into this fight.
Massicot said that even though Russia is suffering its highest casualty rates of the Ukraine war right now, Moscow is still applying overwhelming pressure on the Ukrainian forces trying to hold the line against continuous Russian attacks, and these attacks are taking ground.
"The casualties are not causing a cessation of this tactic or these waves of attacks," she said.
Russia is trying to advance against Ukrainian defensive positions in several different directions of the front. One important area of focus is the city of Pokrovsk, a key logistics and rail hub that Moscow is closing in on.
Russia is also trying to push Ukrainian forces out of its own Kursk region, which Kyiv invaded in a stunning move in early August. Thousands of North Korean soldiers have been deployed to this area in recent weeks to help Moscow with its efforts, putting more stress on Ukrainian troops struggling to hold territory.
US and Ukrainian officials have confirmed that North Korean soldiers have engaged in combat alongside Russian forces in Kursk. They have also suffered losses in battle, in part because they don't have any recent experience with this kind of war.
Some use backsplashes to add color to their kitchen.
YinYang/Getty Images
Courtney Wollersheim, interior designer at FLOOR360, said she expects to see backsplashes in colors like deep green or terracotta as more homeowners look for new ways to complement neutral walls and cabinets.
A colorful backsplash may seem risky, but a skilled tile installer can change it if your tastes change over time.
One designer said mixtures of modern and antique decor will stay trendy.
Vintage plates and platters can be used as decor.
Kseniya Ovchinnikova/Getty Images
Wollersheim said she's also seeing more homeowners eager to personalize their kitchens by combining different decor styles for a custom look.
One example is mixing modern finishes with antique finds, such as treasures from flea markets or inherited items.
"Mixing old and new adds character and warmth while providing an opportunity for creative self-expression," she said.
Secondary kitchens could soar in popularity.
Some hide their extra clutter and appliances in a secondary kitchen space.
frazaz/Getty Images
Sarah Pickard, founder of Pickard Design Studio, predicts more people will get rid of open kitchens and divide their space to create a secondary area, like a butler's pantry, that "can be used for prep or a place to store dirty dishes."
She told us this trend is returning as some millennials seek designs similar to the homes they grew up in and entertain guests in groups.
"It is more affordable to host and eat at home, and people want their spaces and kitchen to be received as luxurious and clean," Pickard said.
More nature-inspired looks could find their way into the kitchen.
We may see more indoor plants and herb gardens in kitchens next year.
Kseniya Ovchinnikova/Getty Images
Deana Duffek, CEO and principal designer of Pure Design House, said a continued interest in sustainability and biophilic looks will help nature-inspired designs rise in popularity throughout 2025.
"Kitchens now incorporate natural materials, like wood and stone, earthy colors, like sage and terracotta, and greenery, like indoor herb gardens," Duffek told BI.
She said we can also "expect to see more eco-friendly designs using reclaimed materials."
We may see more sophisticated lighting technology in kitchens.
Lighting can change the way a space feels.
FOTOGRAFIA INC./Getty Images
Joyce Huston, lead interior designer at Decorilla, thinks we'll see kitchen lighting evolve in 2025.
She said that instead of basic under-cabinet strip lights, we might see more intricate options that allow people to control the color, temperature, intensity, and mood of a space through lighting.
Some will carefully curate the metallic finishes in their kitchen, especially when it comes to appliances.
Metallic finishes are here to stay in the new year.
Gladiathor/Getty Images
Huston said she's also seeing more appliance manufacturers offer hardware in a variety of finishes, like brass or gold.
After all, the right pop of metal can be a small way to add depth, warmth, and sophistication to a design without overdoing it.
On the other hand, cool-toned cabinets are fading out in favor of warmer colors.
Cool-toned cabinets may be left behind in favor of warmer ones.
Ed Reeve/View Pictures/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Sleek and modern designs introduced cool, neutral colors into kitchens over the last few years, but Wollersheim told BI that these shades have had their moment.
"Cool-color cabinets like white, gray, or black are moving aside for warm wood cabinets like oak or maple," she said.
All-white kitchens are no longer a first choice for many homeowners.
Too much white can make a kitchen feel sterile.
John Keeble/Getty Images
Although previously a staple in modern kitchens, all-white cabinets, counters, and kitchen walls are no longer as hot as they used to be, Duffek told BI.
"The dominance of stark, all-white kitchens with clean lines and minimalistic finishes is waning," she said. "Expect a surge in colorful, layered kitchens that blend bold hues with natural materials, reflecting a more dynamic and inviting aesthetic."
One designer said open shelving is quickly becoming unpopular.
Open shelving can look messy if it's not maintained.
Aleksandra Knezevic/Getty Images
Open shelving has been popular in kitchens for years, and many use it to showcase everyday dishes or collectibles.
But, Duffek said, this trend is fading out for a few reasons.
"While stylish, open shelving requires constant upkeep to remain presentable — and many homeowners prefer practical storage solutions that hide clutter," Duffek said.
A woman says she lost thousands to a scammer pretending to be Keanu Reeves.
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
A California woman lost thousands to a scammer posing as Keanu Reeves.
Romance scams are common online, with older Americans facing the largest financial losses.
Americans lost about $650 million to romance scams in 2023.
A California woman is out tens of thousands of dollars after sending the money to a scammer she thought was actor Keanu Reeves.
Katherine Goodson, 67, said she sent thousands of dollars to the scammers through bitcoin, gift card transactions, and wire transfers over two years, according to KNSD, a local NBC affiliate. She said she is now living out of her car and had "29 miles of gas left."
"That's the lowest I've ever been," she told the outlet.
According to the FBI's Internet Crime Report, Americans lost more than $650 million to romance scams in 2023 alone. Americans over 60 reported the most losses to scammers of any age group, totaling $3.4 billion.
Melanie McGovern, the public relations director at the Better Business Bureau, told Business Insider that imposter scams are on the company's "12 scams of the holidays" list because there "are just so many." Scammers will impersonate almost anyone, from an online romantic interest to a health insurance company.
"They'll take any company name and scoop it," McGovern said.
Kate Kleinert, a 69-year-old widow, previously told BI that she lost $39,000 — most of her life savings — to an online romance scam.
"Losing the money — that was devastating. But losing that love and the thought of that family that we had? That's what crushed me," Kleinart told BI.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, some signs that you could be the target of a romance scam are if the person you are messaging refuses to meet in person, asks for money, or asks you to pay them in an unconventional way, such as a gift card or wire transfer.
If you suspect you may be the victim of a scam, stop talking to the person immediately and consult with someone you trust, the FTC says.
"Here's the bottom line: Never send money or gifts to a sweetheart you haven't met in person," the FTC says.
Goodson told KNSD she is sharing her story to help other Americans from becoming victims of similar scams.
"I don't blame anyone but myself," she told the outlet.
NASA's Parker Solar Probe completed the closest-ever approach to the Sun by a manmade spacecraft, coming within 3.8 million miles of the solar surface.
Why it matters: NASA scientists received a signal back from the probe late Thursday night after several days of silence while it conducted the fly-by. The data collected during the historic approach will now help scientists better understand the Sun.
The undertaking is a remarkable feat of science and engineering, given the extreme heat (up to 1,800F) and radiation the probe endured as it passed through the sun's outer atmosphere.
While 3.8 million miles may not seem like a particularly close encounter, the earth is 93 million miles from the sun.
State of play: The approach took place on Dec. 24 and NASA's missions operations team, based in Laurel, Maryland, received the signal just before midnight on Thursday, per a statement from NASA.
The probe was moving about 430,000 miles per hour.
The aircraft is in good condition and operating normally.
What's next: The probe is expected to send data back on Jan. 1 to the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.
The data will help scientists understand how material in that region gets heated to millions of degrees, trace the origin of solar wind and discover how energetic particles are accelerated to near light speed.
Context: In 2018, Parker became the first spacecraft to enter the Sun's corona, the outermost part of the star's atmosphere that can be seen during a total solar eclipse.
Other close passes helped scientists pinpoint the origins of structures in the solar wind and map the outer boundary of the Sun's atmosphere.
Khloe Kardashian's kids are on the mend.
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According to Deadline, the “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer’s show-stopping NFL Christmas Gameday halftime performance drew more viewers on Netflix than the two games the streamer aired on Wednesday, December 25.
Viewership for Netflix’s coverage of Wednesday’s Christmas Day football peaked with 27 million viewers for Beyoncé’s set, per the outlet, citing live-plus-same-day data from Nielsen, which tracks U.S. television viewership. The performance featured guests including Post Malone, Shaboozey and Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s daughter, Blue Ivy, 12.
Meanwhile, the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Pittsburgh Steelers game, which opened the day, drew 24.1 million viewers. The second game, the Baltimore Ravens vs. the Houston Texans, had 24.3 million viewers. (The Chiefs beat the Steelers 29-10, while the Ravens beat the Texans 31-2.)
During Wednesday’s Chiefs vs. Steelers game, man of the moment Travis Kelce, 35, scored his third touchdown of the NFL season, overtaking Tony Gonzalez’s overall record for the most receiving touchdowns in KC history.
“It’s everything to me. Tony’s been a mentor to me, he’s been there right there for me [with] any questions I’ve ever had,” Kelce said in a postgame interview. “I feel like I’m still trying to fill that guy’s shoes. He’s such an unbelievable competitor and I’ve got so much love for him. It’s an honor to be in conversations with him.”
Kelce’s girlfriend, Taylor Swift, showed her love for the tight end by dropping a “like” on a Chiefs Instagram post celebrating Kelce’s achievement.
For many, however, the highlight of the day was Beyoncé’s first live performance of music from her country album, Cowboy Carter, released in March.
Beyoncé arrived on the stage via horseback, galloping past a garage of vintage cars while wearing a white oversized fur coat with a coordinating cowboy hat and a diamond choker necklace. After renditions of “16 Carriages” and “Black Bird,” the singing icon strutted onto the field for a showstopping performance of “Ya Ya,” changing into a sequined bodysuit. Beyoncé also sang “RIIVERDANCE” with Shaboozey, “LEVII’S Jeans” with Post Malone (sitting in a denim-covered truck), “Jolene” and “Texas Hold ‘Em” featuring 12-year-old daughter Blue Ivy joining the backing dancers.
“It’s only right that we do ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ for the first time in Houston, Texas on Christmas,” Beyoncé quipped in her introduction before concluding, “Merry Christmas, God bless y’all.”
While singing “Black Bird,” Beyoncé was joined by Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy and Reyna Roberts, all of whom were featured on the LP.
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Khloe Kardashian's kids are on the mend.
After the Good American founder and her two kids True Thompson, 6, and Tatum Thompson, 2—who she shares with Tristan Thompson—missed the family’s annual...
For anyone who gleefully sang that they wanted a hippopotamus for Christmas, only a hippopotamus will do, a Virginia zoo has heeded your call.
Five months after the Internet was gifted with Moo...
Scarlet Vas and Tayo Ricci have welcomed their "Christmas miracle."
Three months after OnlyFans influencer Scarlet announced she was expecting her first baby with her husband Tayo, who is also her...
