Sports stadium boom, Christmas in Bethlehem, and baby jellyfish.

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Big Stories

Sports stadiums — the new playgrounds for adults

Stadiums are transforming into multifaceted entertainment, commerce, and gambling hubs, with a goal of generating serious revenue outside sports events.

• Driving the news: The Washington Capitals and Wizards are the latest teams with big plans to relocate. The pair are eyeing a plot of land that will house both sports complexes, restaurants, a performing arts center, and shopping that will cost $2 billion to build.

• More movement: The New York Mets have proposed a transformative plan around Citi Field, including a Hard Rock Hotel and sportsbook. The Atlanta Braves already moved to Truist Park and The Battery, a $400 million suburban complex. And the Oakland A's are relocating to Las Vegas, joining a sports and entertainment hub that includes the NHL's Golden Knights and the NFL's Raiders.

• The future isn’t always golden: While the entertainment-focused approach succeeds for some teams, such as the Braves, it doesn't guarantee success everywhere. The NBA's Pistons' move to Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit didn’t spark a similar renaissance, and economic research has cast doubt on the benefits of taxpayer-funded subsidies for new stadiums. Still, as athlete salaries rise to record levels, team owners must explore diverse revenue streams both on and off the field to keep the lights on.

Christmas celebrations canceled in Bethlehem as war rages in Gaza

This year, the usual Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem, known as the "capital of Christmas," were cancelled because of the ongoing war in Gaza and violence in the West Bank.

• Abnormal holiday: The city's atmosphere was subdued, with no marching bands, concerts or cheering crowds. Manger Square lacked its usual Christmas lights and towering tree. Instead, rubble was added to the nativity scenes and the traditional festive mood turned somber as Palestinian Christians mourned the thousands of lives lost in Gaza during the war.

• Solidarity and spiritual similarities: The heads of major churches in the Holy Land called on Christians to "stand strong" with those suffering in Gaza and the West Bank, urging them to forgo festive activities. Palestinian Christians find the biblical story of Jesus' birth particularly sharp this year, drawing parallels between Mary's experience and the challenges faced by pregnant women in Gaza.

• Big picture: The Palestinian Christian population in Gaza and the West Bank has dwindled over the years, even before the war broke out. But their presence remains strong throughout region. Now, the occupied West Bank is dealing with mass casualties, arrests, unemployment, and a collapsed tourism industry as a result of the conflict. Palestinians, including Christians, are saying that lasting peace requires an end to Israel's occupation and equality for all in the region.

The secret life of gift cards

Billions of dollars in gift cards are unspent each year, here’s some tips to get the most out of your Christmas stocking stuffers.

• Gift cards are popular holiday presents, with Americans expected to spend nearly $30 billion on them this season. Restaurant gift cards are the most common, making up a third of the sales. However, many gift cards end up unused or forgotten after the holidays.

• Things to Know: Despite their popularity, a significant number of gift cards go unspent. A survey found that 47% of adults have at least one unused gift card, totaling $23 billion. Federal law prevents them from expiring for five years, and some states have even longer periods. However, it's wise to use them ASAP to avoid inactivity fees, loss of value due to inflation or the risk of a store closing.

• What to Do with Unused Cards: If you don't want a gift card, you can sell it on resale sites like CardCash or Raise, though you won't get the full value. Additionally, unclaimed property programs in all 50 states run a website called MissingMoney.com which helps consumers locate and claim funds from unused gift cards. The site returns around $3 billion annually.

Little Stories

U.S. News

• The FBI and Denver police are looking into threats against the Colorado Supreme Court justices who recently decided that former President Trump cannot be included on the state's ballots for the 2024 presidential election. (More)

• Christmas travel was better this year for most, but Southwest Airlines experienced disruptions again. Only 157 U.S. flights were canceled, and 2,111 were delayed as of Monday afternoon, according to FlightAware. (More)

• Two paramedics were convicted of criminally negligent homicide in the case of Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man who was restrained by police and injected with ketamine in Aurora, Colorado, in August 2019. (More)

World

• Shipping giant Maersk said it would allow its carriers to resume travel in the Red Sea after the U.S. announced a multinational naval operation to protect shipping from attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen. (More)

• Imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been located in a prison colony in Siberia after going missing for three weeks. He is currently serving 19 years on extremism charges stemming from his criticism of President Putin and the Kremlin leadership. (More)

• Pope Francis criticized the weapons industry on Monday, calling its "tools of destruction" contributors to wars. His Christmas Day appeal for peace worldwide put emphasis on the need for harmony between Israel and the Palestine. (More)

Business & Economy

• U.S. stock markets closed mixed on Friday (S&P +0.17%, Nasdaq +0.19%, Dow -0.05%). (More)

• The El Niño weather pattern is causing disruptions in the production of items like orange juice, cocoa (used in chocolate), coffee, and sugar, which will most likely make them more expensive in 2024. (More)

• The original Mickey and Minnie Mouse characters from "Steamboat Willie" by Walt Disney will be in the public domain starting January 1st. After this date, any creator can legally use the characters in new works, as long as they stick to the "Steamboat Willie" versions and not the changes made over the past century. (More)

Sports & Entertainment

• The Kansas City Chiefs lost 20-14 to the Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas and failed to clinch the AFC West title. (More)

• "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" had a lackluster performance at the Christmas box office, opening slightly below expectations with $27.7 million over the weekend and a disappointing $40 million for the four-day holiday frame. The film — and its $205 million budget — adds to Warner Bros. and DC's series of underperforming movies this year, including "The Flash," "Shazam! Fury of the Gods," and "Blue Beetle." (More)

• Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence went down on Sunday with an apparent shoulder injury in a 30-12 loss to the Tampa Bay Bucs. (More)

Science, Health, & Tech

• Researchers at Texas A&M University have developed a promising solution to combat antibiotic resistance. The team created a new family of polymers capable of killing bacteria without causing resistance by disrupting the bacteria membrane. (More)

• On Christmas, Americans send and receive more text messages than any other day. Last year, AT&T and T-Mobile reported Christmas as their busiest day, with group messages and media messages being especially popular. (More)

• Last week, a woman delivered fraternal twin baby girls who developed in two separate wombs. The pregnancy is believed to be a 1 in a million occurrence. (More)

Extra Credit

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