234 x 2 As 2025 approaches, investors are being urged to position themselves strategically in response to three major megatrends that are expected to dominate the global financial landscape. According to deVere Group, one of the world’s largest independent financial advisory and asset management firms, these trends—rising geopolitical conflict, surging energy demand, and the transformative rise of artificial intelligence (AI)—are set to reshape markets and create significant investment opportunities. Geopolitical tensions are escalating in various regions, with Europe still reeling from ongoing conflicts, the Middle East facing renewed unrest, and East Asia grappling with heightened territorial disputes. The Institute for Economics & Peace reports that the global conflict index is at its highest point since World War II, with over 50 active armed conflicts worldwide. These tensions are driving defense budgets to unprecedented levels, particularly in the United States, which is expected to exceed $1 trillion in defense spending by 2025. In response to the rising threats, investments are flowing into military technologies, missile defense systems, and cybersecurity. Nigel Green, CEO of deVere Group, highlights that the growing demand for digital defense solutions will provide long-term opportunities for investors, especially as AI-driven threats continue to emerge. Another key megatrend is the surging demand for energy, driven by economic growth, the electrification of transport, and the rapid expansion of AI technologies. A notable shift in the energy sector is the resurgence of nuclear energy, which is being reintroduced to the global energy mix. Legacy nuclear plants are being refurbished and upgraded, offering substantial investment opportunities, especially as new projects face regulatory hurdles. Green explains that the energy transition is at a critical juncture, with nuclear energy becoming an essential part of the solution. Companies with established nuclear infrastructure are expected to experience significant growth, while offshore oil and gas exploration also sees a revival, signaling strong long-term profitability in the energy sector. Artificial intelligence continues to revolutionize industries across the globe. In the past year, the adoption of AI technologies has accelerated, with businesses across sectors racing to implement AI to drive efficiency and unlock new sources of revenue. Major investments are pouring into AI infrastructure, particularly in data centers and cloud technologies. Green stresses that AI is not just a technological trend but the cornerstone of future economic growth. Companies that are building the infrastructure to support AI’s rapid expansion will be the key drivers of market gains in the years to come. Despite concerns about overvaluation, AI’s transformative potential is still in its early stages, and investors who capitalize on this growth now are poised to benefit in the long term. In this complex environment, strategic positioning is more crucial than ever. As global markets are shaped by geopolitical risks, energy challenges, and AI-driven innovation, Nigel Green advises investors to align their portfolios with these megatrends. By doing so, they are likely to outperform those who react to short-term market shifts. According to Green, 2025 will be a year of complexity and opportunity, and proactive investors who identify and align with these forces will be well-positioned to succeed. “At deVere, we are focused on helping our clients stay ahead of the curve by identifying the forces that will truly shape the future. The megatrends of conflict, energy, and AI will define 2025. Now is the time to act,” Green concludes.Jimmy Carter, the 39th US president, has died at 100None

Nation’s 5-Star Vehicle Safety Ratings Program Gets An Upgrade

Alabama and Mississippi tumbled out of the top 10 of Sunday and Miami and SMU moved in following a chaotic weekend in the SEC and across college football in general. Oregon is No. 1 for the sixth straight week and Ohio State, Texas and Penn State held their places behind the Ducks, who are the last unbeaten team. The shuffling begins at No. 5, where Notre Dame returned for the first time since Week 2 after No. 6 Georgia moved up two spots, No. 7 Tennessee and No. 8 Miami each got a three-rung promotion and No. 9 SMU jumped four places for its first top-10 ranking since 1985. SMU has clinched a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game and . Indiana dropped from No. 5 to No. 10 following its first loss, a The Buckeyes would play Oregon in the Big Ten championship game if they beat Michigan this Saturday for the first time in four years. The Southeastern Conference's hopes for landing four spots in the College Football Playoff took a hit with two of their teams losing as double-digit favorites. Texas, Georgia and Tennessee are the only SEC teams with fewer than three losses after and Alabama and Mississippi each dropped six spots in the AP poll, the Crimson Tide to No. 13 and the Rebels to No. 15. Texas A&M was the third SEC team to lose, The Aggies tumbled five places to No. 20 but would play Georgia in the SEC championship game if they knock off Texas this week. Losses by BYU and Colorado created a four-way tie for first in the Big 12. No. 14 Arizona State, picked to finish last in the conference, and is the highest-ranked Big 12 team. No. 17 Iowa State earned a five-rung promotion with its BYU is No. 19 and Colorado, which , is No. 23. If the four teams each finish 7-2 in conference play, it's Iowa State vs. Arizona State in the Big 12 championship game. No. 11 Boise State is first among the four ranked Group of Five teams. The Broncos got a one-spot bump despite Tulane is No. 18, UNLV is No. 21 and Army is No. 25. Oregon, which was idle, was the consensus No. 1 team for the fourth straight week. The Ducks will be unbeaten in the regular season for the first time since 2010 if they beat Washington at home Saturday. Boise State's ranking is its highest since it was No. 8 in the final poll of the 2011 season. Arizona State's ranking is its highest since it was No. 12 in the final poll of the 2014 season. Indiana-Ohio State was the final top-five matchup of the regular season. The five were the most in a regular season since 1996. There also were five in 1936 and 1943. No. 24 Missouri, a , returned to the Top 25 after a one-week absence. Washington State's four-week run in the rankings ended with its second straight loss, SEC — 8 (Nos. 3, 6, 7, 13, 15, 16, 20, 24). Big Ten — 5 (Nos. 1, 2, 4, 10, 22). Big 12 — 4 (Nos. 14, 17, 19, 23). ACC — 3 (Nos. 8, 9, 12). AAC — 2 (Nos. 18, 25). Mountain West — 2 (Nos. 11, 21). Independent — 1 (No. 5). —No. 16 South Carolina at No. 12 Clemson: It's a Top 25 matchup for the first time since 2013. Clemson's 16-7 victory in Columbia last year was the fourth of five straight wins to end the Tigers' season. —No. 3 Texas at No. 20 Texas A&M: Stakes are high for the first meeting of longtime rivals since both were in the Big 12 in 2011. Winner goes to the SEC title game. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up . AP college football: and

The NBA coaching carousel has started spinning a little earlier than usual in 2024. On Friday, ESPN's Shams Charania first reported that the Kings were moving on from head coach Mike Brown less than 24 hours after the Kings' 114-113 home loss to the Detroit Pistons . Sacramento has had a tough start to the season as they're in the middle of a 5-game losing streak and sit at 13-16 overall, including a 6-12 record at home. But Brown is coming off two straight winning season including a Coach of the Year performance (his second) in the 2022-23 season, his first with the Kings. That year also marked the end of a 16-season NBA Playoffs drought. Here's everything you need to know about the Kings' decision to fire Brown. Why did the Kings fire Brown? Although it's early in the season, the Kings' disastrous start to the 2024-25 season left ownership searching for answers, especially of late. Sacramento started out the season consistently staying above -.500 until mid-November. The Kings fell to 9-12 on Dec. 1, and lost six out of their last 10 games. Currently, Sacramento is 13-18 and 12th in the Western Conference. According to various reports, Sacramento's home record may be a big reason. Say what you want about Vivek, he just ate 30 plus million to try and right the ship. Mike Brown may in fact be the unnecessary scapegoat, but you don’t lose games like that at home with these expectations and survive. You knew it was coming, and you pretty much knew if they... Sacramento lost 114-113 to the Pistons the night before Brown was fired. As Detriot trailed by three, Jaden Ivey hit a three-pointer and was fouled by Kings guard De'Aaron Fox. Ivey hit the free throw to give Detroit the win, capping off a 19-point rally in the second half. After the game, Brown appeared to call out Fox postgame, albeit not by name: Mike Brown got himself fired after he threw De'Aaron Fox under the bus after the loss last night. pic.twitter.com/FJOZPko6DL On Friday, this video of Brown and Fox made the rounds on social media and had many speculating this was the two saying goodbye, which was apparently taken shortly before Brown's firing: This moment between Kings head coach Mike Brown and De'Aaron Fox at today's practice will certainly be dissected and analyzed. pic.twitter.com/x6dYwZ1zf8 The Kings opened the season with +3500 odds to win the NBA Championship. But with stars like Fox, DeMar DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis, the Kings seemingly had a shot to at least make it to the playoffs. Brown led the Kings to the first-round of the playoffs for the first time since 2006 in the 2022-23 season. Sacramento surprisingly went up 2-0 in the series against Golden State , but ultimately lost in seven games. Sacramento is no stranger to cycling through coaches. Since Rick Adelman was the head coach from 1998-2006, there have been zero Kings coaches who have lasted longer than three seasons. Sacramento has hired 10 coaches since 2006. Mike Brown contract The timing of Brown's firing is particularly interesting, given that the head coach signed a multiyear extension with the Kings in June. Brown's contract extension paid him $8.5 million annually through the 2026-27 season, making it a 3-year, $25.5 million deal that can be worth up to $30 million if incentives are hit. Brown's original 4-year contract with the Kings was slated to expire after the 2024-25 season. It sounds like the Kings fired Brown on Friday after he led the team through a full practice, and as it was set to board a plane to Los Angeles. The Sacramento Kings just fired Mike Brown right before the team boarded a flight to LA. He just ran a full practice and spent 15 minutes talking to the media. Just bad man. Bad bad bad. Brown even went through media availability shortly before his firing: Again, just minutes ago we spoke with Mike Brown for 15 minutes. Part of what he talked about was handling the pressure as the head coach of an underperforming team. Here was his answer minutes before being fired: pic.twitter.com/LvcZmUmeIN Per Charania, current Kings assistant Doug Christie and former Sacramento guard will serve as the interim head coach for the rest of the season. This is a breaking news story that will be updated.The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) will lead the creation of the cluster, which was announced by UK Research and Innovation as one of seven new projects to kickstart economic growth and address regional needs. The projects, which range from digital healthcare and rehabilitation technology to offshore wind energy, are expected to bring benefits to regional and local economies and communities, including new jobs, skills development, private investment, and the growth of start-ups. The projects are supported by a £22 million investment from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. UK science minister Lord Vallance said: "We are backing universities across the UK to home in on local strengths in research to support thousands of local jobs, boost skills, and bring new technologies to market. "This investment will allow innovators up and down the country to continue or expand their pioneering work to improve lives and kickstart growth in our economy with new opportunities." The nuclear robotics and artificial intelligence (RAI) cluster will link Cumbria and Oxfordshire to accelerate the decommissioning of the UK's legacy nuclear fission facilities and keep people out of hazardous environments. Led by UKAEA, the cluster will connect academia with the supply chain, creating commercial opportunities from cross-sector engagement and spin-out company formation. The cluster will enable regional growth, create and retain jobs, and help to establish the UK as the international lead in nuclear innovation, a $1 trillion industry. Dr Kirsty Hewitson, director of RAICo at UKAEA, said: "As part of our mission to bring fusion energy to the grid, UKAEA hosts the UK’s largest nuclear robotics and artificial intelligence group, with the ability to design, build, and operate robotics for extreme industrial environments. "This new robotics and AI cluster provides an opportunity for UKAEA to leverage our expertise, in collaboration with other consortium partners, wider academia, and industry, to develop innovative robotics and AI solutions for nuclear fission and fusion energy decommissioning and adjacent sectors." The nuclear RAI cluster aims to help create 200 business opportunities, establish 10 spin-out companies, generate 200 new jobs, engage 5,000 people in cluster-driven events, deliver 25 licensing deals, and generate £22.5 million in leveraged funding. This impact is expected to continue beyond the four-year duration of the award. UKAEA will lead the establishment of the new RAI cluster, supported by consortium partners, the universities of Cumbria, , and Manchester. Through this programme, the University of Cumbria will develop further research capabilities and establish themselves as the regional RAI technology lead in Cumbria.

Christmas cactuses, a popular festive house plant, not only add beauty to homes but are also long-living plants that can thrive for decades with the right care. Gardener Tracey Besemer from Rural Sprout has found an ideal solution for maintaining their health and encouraging vibrant blooms – it's all about using the correct fertiliser. She shared her accidental discovery: "After years of trying different fertilisers formulated for houseplants, mostly choosing what happened to be in stock at the garden centre each time I ran out, I stumbled across a great fertilising solution for my Christmas cactus quite by accident." The best choice turns out to be Schultz African Violet liquid plant food, traditionally used for African Violets, but beneficial for other houseplants. To fertilise your Christmas cactus, simply mix a few drops with a litre of water and apply it directly to the plant. Get the latest news straight to your phone by joining us on WhatsApp Tracey advises: "I had the most prolific blooms on my cactus that I've ever had - that's what happened. From that point on, it became my go-to fertiliser for blooming houseplants." Regular feeding every two to four weeks during the growing season – alternating with watering sessions – helps to avoid salt build-up in the soil, reports the Express . When considering fertiliser for Christmas cactuses , a blend containing equal measures of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium is commonly recommended, as these are crucial nutrients for plant survival. For Christmas cactuses in particular, a fertiliser with higher phosphorus is beneficial because it's the key nutrient needed for flower production and maintaining robust plants. Tracey explained: "It's such an important nutrient for so many different processes: cell division and growth (which increase during the blooming phase), sturdy root growth, energy storage and transfer, and even respiration – all of these plant processes require phosphorus. ”. Optimal fertilisation time for Christmas cactuses is critical to avoid damaging newly formed buds by overfeeding. Fertilise only during their active growth phase, typically around February or March, and not before the cactus enters its six to eight-week dormancy period prior to budding. Following these guidelines should result in larger, more abundant blooms each festive season for years ahead.NEW YORK — The commencement of the holiday season often means the lengthening of to-do lists. There are lights to hang, cards to mail , cookies to bake and, of course, gifts to buy . Gift exchanges, whether they’re among friends, family or co-workers, can be a fun way to get in the holiday spirit. But can also be another stressor during a busy time of year. Secret Santa exchanges — where participants are assigned a gift recipient and tasked with finding them a perfect present within a price limit — sometimes mean that those in friend groups are paired with “frenemies,” someone inevitably draws themselves, or colleagues who are virtually strangers are matched up. Those possible pitfalls inspired Peter Imburg to create Elfster , a free online Secret Santa organizer, after he saw the time and effort it took to coordinate the logistics of a gift exchange with his family over 20 years ago. More top-down organization, he says, helps things run more smoothly. Say goodbye to picking names from a hat Elfster, for instance, creates pairings, asks for wish lists, offers gift suggestions at different price points and sends reminders, among other features meant to make the organizational hurdles of a gift exchange less daunting. “The organizer is like the hero. They make it all happen," Imburg said, adding that his site aims "to make it a lot easier for the organizer to do that with a minimal amount of effort.” Reliable gift ideas Cameron Rogers, a New Jersey-based social media content creator and podcast host on wellness and motherhood, understands the stress that gift exchanges can bring up. “Having to give generic gifts to people I’m not necessarily close with is extremely difficult,” Rogers said. “I can pick a good gift for my husband or my kids or my mom, but for people who I don’t know the ins and outs of their lives, I think it’s hard to pick something that you know they’re actually going to enjoy.” She recently shared a guide to Secret Santa gifts under $50 on her social media channels, emphasizing how challenging it can be to find something within a set price range that will be well-received. Gifts with a specific purpose — kitchen gadgets, home items or winter gear — and gifts that have a personalized aspect like a monogram are good go-to options for anyone feeling lost after receiving their Secret Santa assignment, she said. Imburg said the “gift gurus” at Elfster also have suggestions, especially for recipients who aren’t offering any clues as to what they’d like. In a similar vein as Rogers, the Elfster team offered ideas for some practical gifts, like water bottles, blankets and massage guns. Other no-nonsense home and kitchen items, like food storage containers, charging stations and more are featured on the site’s “Top Trending Gift Ideas for 2024” list. Gift cards, although they are not particularly glamorous, are an essentially foolproof option, Rogers said, and they won’t leave your recipient wondering where they’ll find room on their shelf for another mug or book. “I don’t want to give someone something solely to check a box,” Rogers said. “I want them to enjoy it, instead of being like, ‘What do I do with this now?’” Embrace Secret Santa as a stress reliever, instead Some gift-givers find that Secret Santa (and its many counterparts like White Elephant and Yankee Swap) actually cuts down on stress and spending, as it's often done in place of giving individual presents to each member of a group. Nicole Troiano of Cranston, Rhode Island, finds them to be a fun way to handle holidays with large groups — even if co-workers may need to ask around to get specifics on their assigned person. “It’s fun to do it that way and think about something that would be good for that person,” she said. “And then, when they open it, they’re like, ‘Oh my God!’” By the weekend after Thanksgiving, Troiano had already purchased and wrapped her gift for the exchange she’s taking part in this year. After her swap, a lucky participant will be the new owner of a cutting board, two bottles of wine wearing bottle-size ugly sweaters, and gourmet chocolates.

Schroer WAPAKONETA — A Wapakoneta man was sentenced to five years of probation with 180 days in jail Friday in the Auglaize County Common Pleas Court after pleading guilty in October to a third-degree felony charge of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. Timothy Schroer’s sentence included a requirement that he can’t have any contact with any male under 18 years old or any males still in high school if not underage; he can’t have any contact with the victim ever, no matter how old he becomes; he can’t be on the premises where any minors are known to be; and he can’t have any internet-connected devices or use any social media apps. Schroer, 47, will also be considered a tier-two sex offender and must update his information with law enforcement every 180 days for the next 25 years. During a previous hearing, it was revealed Schroer met the victim on a website called Sniffies, which is a “location-based social networking app for gay, bi, and curious guys looking to meet like-minded partners to explore their sexuality. The modern-day cruising platform empowers users to express themselves openly across a fully interactive map which shows nearby users as well as popular local meetup destinations,” according to Sniffies’ LinkedIn page. The victim was 15 years old, but he told Schroer he was 16 because Schroer would be more willing to meet up with him, according to Assistant Prosecutor Benjamin Elder at the previous hearing. The teen said each of them performed anal sex when he met up with Schroer on April 15, but Schroer said he didn’t perform anal sex on the boy. Reach Charlotte Caldwell at 567-242-0451.

AP Top 25: Alabama, Mississippi out of top 10 and Miami, SMU are in; Oregon remains unanimous No. 1 Alabama and Mississippi tumbled out of the top 10 of The Associated Press college football poll and Miami and SMU moved in following a chaotic weekend in the SEC. Oregon is No. 1 for the sixth straight week and Ohio State, Texas and Penn State held their places behind the Ducks. The shuffling begins at No. 5, where Notre Dame returned for the first time since Week 2 after beating Army for its ninth straight win. No. 6 Georgia and No. 7 Tennessee each moved up two spots. Miami, SMU and Indiana round out the top 10. Jannik Sinner leads Italy past the Netherlands for its second consecutive Davis Cup title MALAGA, Spain (AP) — Jannik Sinner clinched Italy's second consecutive Davis Cup title and capped his breakthrough season at the top of tennis by beating Tallon Griekspoor 7-6 (2), 6-2 for a 2-0 win over the Netherlands in the final of the team competition in Malaga, Spain. Matteo Berrettini won Sunday's opening singles match 6-4, 6-2 against Botic van de Zandschulp. The Italians are the first country to win the Davis Cup twice in a row since the Czech Republic in 2012 and 2013. The No. 1-ranked Sinner stretched his unbeaten streak in singles to 14 matches and 26 sets. Netherlands reached the Davis Cup final for the first time. Chuck Woolery, smooth-talking game show host of 'Love Connection' and 'Scrabble,' dies at 83 NEW YORK (AP) — Chuck Woolery, the affable, smooth-talking game show host of “Wheel of Fortune,” “Love Connection” and “Scrabble” who later became a right-wing podcaster, skewering liberals and accusing the government of lying about COVID-19, has died. He was 83. Mark Young, Woolery’s podcast co-host and friend, said in an email early Sunday that Woolery died at his home in Texas with his wife, Kristen, present. Woolery, with his matinee idol looks, coiffed hair and ease with witty banter, was inducted into the American TV Game Show Hall of Fame in 2007 and earned a daytime Emmy nomination in 1978. He teamed up with Young for the podcast “Blunt Force Truth” and became a full supporter Donald Trump. St. Louis Blues fire Drew Bannister and hire Jim Montgomery as coach The St. Louis Blues have fired coach Drew Bannister and hired Jim Montgomery as his replacement. The 2022 Jack Adams Award winner, Montgomery joins the Blues five days after he was fired by the Boston Bruins. Bannister had been on the job in St. Louis for less than a year since succeeding Stanley Cup-winning coach Craig Berube and getting the interim tag removed after last season. The Blues have lost 13 of their first 22 games. Montgomery spent two seasons as an assistant on Berube's staff in St. Louis between coaching Dallas and Boston. The team signed Montgomery to a five-year contract. Rico Carty, who won the 1970 NL batting title with the Atlanta Braves, dies at 85 Rico Carty, who won the 1970 NL batting title when he hit a major league-best .366 for the Atlanta Braves, has died. He was 85. Major League Baseball, the players’ association and the Braves have paid tribute to Carty on social media. A family friend told Listín Diario — a newspaper in Carty’s native Dominican Republic — that he died Saturday night in an Atlanta hospital. Carty made his big league debut with the Braves in September 1963. He batted .330 with 22 homers and 88 RBIs in his first full season in 1964, finishing second to Dick Allen in voting for NL Rookie of the Year. The Braves moved from Milwaukee to Atlanta after the 1965 season, and Carty got the franchise’s first hit in its new home on April 12, 1966, against Pittsburgh. Dartmouth sorority, two members of fraternity face charges after student who attended party drowned HANOVER, N.H. (AP) — A sorority at Dartmouth College and two members of a fraternity faces charges related to the death of a student who drowned after attending an off-campus party. The Hanover, New Hampshire police department, where Dartmouth is located, said Friday that Alpha Phi was charged with one count of facilitating an underage alcohol house. Two members of the Beta Alpha Omega face a charge of providing alcohol to a person under 21. Won Jang, 20, of Middletown, Delaware, had attended an off-campus party in July hosted by Alpha Phi sorority. Police said the alcohol was provided by Beta Alpha Omega. Tens of thousands of Spaniards protest housing crunch and high rents in Barcelona BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Tens of thousands of Spaniards are marching in downtown Barcelona to protest the skyrocketing cost of renting an apartment in the popular tourist destination. Protesters cut off traffic on main avenues in the city center, holding up homemade signs in Spanish reading “Fewer apartments for investing and more homes for living." The lack of affordable housing has become one of the leading concerns for the southern European Union country, mirroring the housing crunch across many parts of the world, including the United States. The average rent for Spain has doubled in the last decade. In cities like Barcelona, rental prices have also been driven up by short-term renters including tourists. Verstappen captures 4th F1 championship after Mercedes sweep of Las Vegas Grand Prix LAS VEGAS (AP) — Max Verstappen cruised to a fourth consecutive Formula 1 championship Saturday night by finishing fifth in the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Verstappen needed only to finish ahead of Lando Norris of McLaren to give Red Bull a fourth straight driver championship. The Dutchman started fifth but was already up to second by the 10th lap around the street circuit that includes the famed Las Vegas Strip. Norris, who had to score at least three points more than Verstappen to extend the championship fight, finished sixth. The race was won by George Russell who was followed by Lewis Hamilton in the first 1-2 sweep for the Mercedes drivers since 2022. 'Wicked' and 'Gladiator' make gravity-defying theater debuts NEW YORK (AP) — “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” have debuted in theaters with a combined $270 million in ticket sales. Their worldwide performance breathed fresh life into global box office results that have struggled lately. Together the films turned the moviegoing weekend into one of the busiest of the year. Jon M. Chu’s lavish big-budget musical “Wicked,” starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, debuted with $114 million domestically and $164.2 million globally. Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II” is a sequel to his 2000 best picture-winning original and launched with $55.5 million in ticket sales. “Moana 2” is being released Wednesday, so it looks like Hollywood might be looking at historic sales over the Thanksgiving holiday. Jason Kelce's wife announces she is pregnant with the couple's fourth child Former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce's wife is announcing she's pregnant with the couple's fourth child. Kylie Kelce posted a photo on Instagram on Friday of the couple's three young daughters reacting to the news. The oldest daughter, Wyatt, appears to be cupping her head in shock. The middle daughter, Ellioette, is smiling. The youngest, Bennett, is in tears. A caption attached to the photo reads: “I feel like we captured a very accurate representation of how each of the girls feel about getting another sister. At least Ellie, mom and dad are on the same page!”

The United States saw an 18.1% increase in homelessness this year, a dramatic rise driven mostly by a lack of affordable housing as well as devastating natural disasters and a surge of migrants in several parts of the country, federal officials said Friday. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said federally required tallies taken across the country in January found more than 770,000 people were counted as homeless — a number that misses some people and does not include those staying with friends or family because they don't have a place of their own. That increase comes on top of a 12% increase in 2023, which HUD blamed on soaring rents and the end of COVID-19 pandemic assistance. The 2023 increase also was driven by people experiencing homelessness for the first time. The numbers overall represent 23 of every 10,000 people in the U.S., with Black people being overrepresented among the homeless population. "No American should face homelessness, and the Biden-Harris Administration is committed to ensuring every family has access to the affordable, safe, and quality housing they deserve," HUD Agency Head Adrianne Todman said in a statement, adding that the focus should remain on "evidence-based efforts to prevent and end homelessness." Among the most concerning trends was a nearly 40% rise in family homelessness — one of the areas that was most affected by the arrival of migrants in big cities. Family homelessness more than doubled in 13 communities impacted by migrants including Denver, Chicago and New York City, according to HUD, while it rose less than 8% in the remaining 373 communities. Almost 150,000 children experienced homelessness on a single night in 2024, reflecting a 33% jump from last year. Disasters also played a part in the rise in the count, especially last year's catastrophic Maui wildfire, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century. More than 5,200 people were in emergency shelters in Hawaii on the night of the count. "Increased homelessness is the tragic, yet predictable, consequence of underinvesting in the resources and protections that help people find and maintain safe, affordable housing," Renee Willis, incoming interim CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, said in a statement. "As advocates, researchers, and people with lived experience have warned, the number of people experiencing homelessness continues to increase as more people struggle to afford sky-high housing costs." Robert Marbut Jr., the former executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness from 2019 to 2021, called the nearly 33% increase in homelessness over the past four years "disgraceful" and said the federal government needs to abandon efforts to prioritize permanent housing. "We need to focus on treatment of substance use and mental illness, and bring back program requirements, like job training," Marbut said in an email. The numbers also come as increasing numbers of communities are taking a hard line against homelessness. Angered by often dangerous and dirty tent camps, communities — especially in Western states — have enforced bans on camping. That follows a 6-3 ruling this summer by the Supreme Court that found outdoor sleeping bans don’t violate the Eighth Amendment. Homeless advocates argued that punishing people who need a place to sleep would criminalize homelessness. There was some positive news in the count, as homelessness among veterans continued to trend downward. Homelessness among veterans dropped 8% to 32,882 in 2024. It was an even larger decrease for unsheltered veterans, declining 11% to 13,851 in 2024. "The reduction in veteran homelessness offers us a clear roadmap for addressing homelessness on a larger scale," Ann Oliva, CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, said in a statement. "With bipartisan support, adequate funding, and smart policy solutions, we can replicate this success and reduce homelessness nationwide. Federal investments are critical in tackling the country's housing affordability crisis and ensuring that every American has access to safe, stable housing." Several large cities had success bringing down their homeless numbers. Dallas, which worked to overhaul its homeless system, saw a 16% drop in its numbers between 2022 to 2024. Los Angeles, which increased housing for the homeless, saw a drop of 5% in unsheltered homelessness since 2023. California, the most populous state in the U.S., continued to have the nation's largest homeless population, followed by New York, Washington, Florida and Massachusetts. The sharp increase in the homeless population over the past two years contrasts with success the U.S. had for more than a decade. Going back to the first 2007 survey, the U.S. made steady progress for about a decade in reducing the homeless population as the government focused particularly on increasing investments to get veterans into housing. The number of homeless people dropped from about 637,000 in 2010 to about 554,000 in 2017. The numbers ticked up to about 580,000 in the 2020 count and held relatively steady over the next two years as Congress responded to the COVID-19 pandemic with emergency rental assistance, stimulus payments, aid to states and local governments and a temporary eviction moratorium.Trump announces picks for IRS, SEC, NASA and a new ‘hostage affairs’ envoy

Oklahoma now requires Bibles in schools. Hear this GOP Senator and pastor react

US homelessness up 18% as affordable housing remains out of reach for many people