Bitcoin rose above $100,000 for the first time on Thursday. Police are still searching for the suspect in the fatal shooting of the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. Top-seated Kansas was served a loss in men’s college basketball last night.
🙋🏼♀️ I’m Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Beyoncé is the No. 1 greatest pop star of the 21st century.
It’s a good time to be cryptocurrency
Bitcoin breached $100,000 Thursday as the election of Donald Trump spurred expectations that his administration will create a friendly regulatory environment for cryptocurrencies.
Trump is signaling his support for crypto: This week the president-elect announced he’s nominating Paul Atkins, a pro-business former federal regulator who is friendly toward the budding cryptocurrency industry, to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission.
- Who is Atkins? He’s well-known among Republican business circles and the co-chairman of the Digital Chamber’s Token Alliance, which has advocated for Bitcoin and other digital currencies by fighting SEC regulations that target the industry.
- Trump has dabbled in cryptocurrency himself. He released crypto-based digital trading cards – and Trump Media and Technology Group, which operates Truth Social, is reportedly close to acquiring crypto trading firm Bakkt. The Trump family launched its own crypto firm, World Liberty Financial, in September.
- Is now the time to invest in crypto? As the experts say, “It’s a good rule of thumb to invest only what you can afford to lose.”
A killer is on the loose
The New York Police Department is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the shooter involved in the killing of Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. Local officials said it seems the gunman “was lying in wait” for several minutes as other people walked by. Surveillance video shows when Thompson, 50, appeared, the suspect stepped behind him and opened fire from close range, striking him in the back and leg. Police said the gunman’s weapon appeared to jam, but he still managed to continue firing. Police said it was a “brazen, targeted attack.”
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Who holds DOGE accountable?
President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to use a Department of Government Efficiency led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to cut federal spending is raising eyebrows among ethics-law experts who say its leaders won’t be subject to the same laws as Trump’s nominees to the Cabinet and other top jobs. The outside group, or DOGE, would devise plans to rollback federal regulations and reduce agency budgets, according to Musk and Ramaswamy − both of whom are wealthy businessmen who would not take paid government jobs. The pair are meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill Thursday.
Missouri voters chose abortion. But do bans stop right away?
Missouri voters supported an abortion rights constitutional amendment last month. Many thought the fight for reproductive rights was over. But Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey believes the state can still enforce some abortion restrictions. In a rare official opinion from his office, Bailey argued that while any statutes prohibiting abortion prior to fetal viability will no longer be enforceable in their entirety, the state can still enforce laws on the books related to parental consent and cases where women or children “have unlawfully been pressured to abort.” Read the latest from the Springfield News-Leader, part of the USA TODAY Network.
Today’s talkers
How Creighton handed Kansas a loss
Kansas entered Wednesday’s road game against Creighton as the No. 1 team in the nation, and an undefeated one at that. However, the Jayhawks suffered a 76-63 defeat against the Bluejays (6-3). Though there were times Kansas (7-1) made things close, KU never led in its first true road test. Why? One reason is Creighton junior guard Pop Isaacs. His 10-of-15 shooting performance included six 3-pointers and proved impossible for Kansas to defend. Read USA TODAY Sports’ analysis of KU’s loss.
Photo of the day: Lighting the holiday season
The stars — and 50,000 multi-colored Christmas tree lights — have officially kicked off the holiday season by illuminating the Rockefeller Center tree in New York City on Wednesday night.
Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com.
