5 things to know for Dec. 24: Matt Gaetz report, Donald Trump, Lottery winner, Hawaii volcano, Bill Clinton

By CNN Newsource

Published December 24, 2024 4:17 AM

By Andrew Torgan and Tricia Escobedo, CNN

(CNN) — Last-minute errands tend to pop up on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, whether it’s buying a quick present or picking up one last ingredient. Check out what’s open and closed today and tomorrow.

Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.

1. Matt Gaetz

The House Ethics Committee found evidence that former Rep. Matt Gaetz paid tens of thousands of dollars to women for sex or drugs on at least 20 occasions, including paying a 17-year-old girl for sex in 2017, according to the panel’s bombshell report on the Florida Republican released Monday. The committee concluded in its document that Gaetz violated Florida state laws, including the state’s statutory rape law, as the GOP-led panel chose to take the rare step of releasing a report about a former member who resigned from Congress. “The Committee determined there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress,” panel investigators wrote. Gaetz was President-elect Donald Trump’s first pick to be attorney general but dropped out amid opposition from GOP senators and after CNN reported key details of this same ethics report.

2. Donald Trump

President-elect Donald Trump appears intent on making America “bigger” again. In the past week, he’s taunted Canadian officials by suggesting the US could absorb its northern neighbor and make it the 51st state. He threatened to take over the Panama Canal, the US-made waterway controlled for a quarter century by its Central American namesake. And on Sunday, he resurfaced his first-term desire to obtain Greenland, a Danish territory he has long hoped to acquire for “purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World.” Trump’s transition team declined to clarify whether these latest statements reflect genuine ambitions or other motivations, instead pointing CNN back to his recent comments and social media posts.

3. Lottery winner

The winner of a $1.13 billion Mega Millions jackpot has finally come forward to claim their staggering windfall nearly nine months since the ticket was drawn, according to the New Jersey Lottery. Officials say the jaw-dropping prize is the fifth-highest in the game’s nearly three-decade history. The winning ticket was drawn on March 26 at a ShopRite supermarket in the coastal township of Neptune, according to the Lottery. The next Mega Millions drawing is tonight, with a jackpot estimated at $970 million. That’s quite a Christmas bonus!

4. Hawaii volcano

Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano — one of the world’s most active volcanoes — erupted on Monday after a three-month hiatus, spewing bright orange lava as high as 300 feet, according to the United States Geological Survey. Kilauea began erupting at roughly 2:20 a.m. local time and continued throughout the day, bringing packed crowds to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, which is open to the public 24 hours a day. The USGS has also posted a livestream of the spectacle. Authorities assured the public that nearby communities would not be in danger as the eruption is contained within the park, but warned that “emission rates of the volcanic gases were very high” and spreading downwind from the crater, affecting air quality, according to the USGS.

5. Bill Clinton

Former President Bill Clinton was admitted Monday afternoon to a Washington, DC, hospital, where he is undergoing testing and observation after developing a fever, his spokesman told CNN. Clinton, 78, was at his home in Washington when he was taken to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. He was expected to remain at least overnight in the hospital, an aide said, describing the former president as “awake and alert.” Since leaving the White House nearly a quarter-century ago, the 42nd president has endured several health scares. He had quadruple bypass heart surgery in 2004 and experienced a partially collapsed lung the following year. He had another heart procedure in 2010, when two stents were inserted into a coronary artery.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

Lower-priced diabetes drug gains approval
The FDA has approved a generic version of the daily injectable GLP-1 medicine liraglutide — sold under the brand name Victoza — for people with type 2 diabetes, opening the door for lower-priced options to reach the market and help address a shortage.

Why couples in Japan treat Christmas like a second Valentine’s Day
Find out why many couples in Japan go on a special date on Christmas Eve, checking out festive decorations, dining at fancy restaurants and even staying at luxury hotels.

Burt, the huge croc in ‘Crocodile Dundee,’ dies
The 16-foot saltwater crocodile that rose to fame with a cameo in the movie “Crocodile Dundee” passed away. He was at least 90 years old.

The Container Store files for bankruptcy
The 46-year-old company is the latest well-known retailer to fall victim to customers cutting back on discretionary spending.

Baby mammoth found in Russian crater is the world’s ‘best’ preserved
Russian scientists have unveiled the carcass of a female juvenile mammoth, nicknamed Yana, whose incredibly well-preserved remains were found in Siberia after more than 50,000 years.

QUIZ TIME

A cargo ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in which city, causing it to collapse?

A. Baltimore
B. Philadelphia
C. Pittsburgh
D. Boston

Take CNN’s 2024 Year in Review quiz see if you’re correct!

TODAY’S QUOTE

“To see [polio] go away, there’s so many stories about the vaccine, how many lives it saved … It makes it so absurd, the idea that they would consider reversing course on vaccines now.”

— Oscar-winning director Francis Ford Coppola, recalling vivid memories of his experience surviving polio as a child in a recent interview.

TODAY’S WEATHER

Check your local forecast here>>>

AND FINALLY …

Inside St. Peter’s tomb
CNN Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb got rare access to the tomb of St. Peter, who is laid to rest inside the world’s biggest church that honors the Catholic Church’s first pope.

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