JFK's granddaughter reveals terminal cancer diagnosis admin - Latest News - November 24, 2025 admin 13 views 5 secs 0 Comments JFK’s granddaughter reveals terminal cancer diagnosis Source link PREVIOUS Nov. 23, 2025, 5:45 AM ESTBy Evan BushThree Category 5 storms, one of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded, zero U.S. landfalls and a mystifying lull at the usual peak of activity: Together, these and other factors made for a “screwball” hurricane season this year.That’s how atmospheric scientist Phil Klotzbach put it, anyway.“It was just a strange year,” said Klotzbach, who studies hurricanes at Colorado State University. “Kind of a hard year to characterize.”Hurricane season comes to its official close on Nov. 30. In some ways, 2025 fits what researchers expect to see more often as the climate warms: Hurricanes continued forming late into the season and several intensified at extreme rates to produce some of the most intense storms in history.But in other ways, it was simply odd. Fewer hurricanes formed than experts predicted, but almost all of them became major storms. And the continental U.S. was spared a landfall for the first time in a decade. The surprises were a reminder of hurricane season’s unpredictability — particularly in a warming world — even as forecasting gets more accurate.Fewer hurricanes, higher intensityForecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in May predicted an above-average season with six to 10 hurricanes. Of those, at least three were expected to be major storms, meaning Category 3 or above, with sustained winds at or above 111 mph.Klotzbach came up with the same forecast independently, and other hurricane-tracking groups were in the same ballpark.In the end, fewer hurricanes formed, but of the five that did — Erin, Gabrielle, Humberto, Imelda and Melissa — four were considered major.Hurricane Imelda over Bermuda on Oct. 1.NOAA“That’s the highest ratio there’s been in the past 50 years,” said Brian McNoldy, a hurricane researcher at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science.What’s more, three of those major storms were Category 5, the highest level of intensity.Forecasters’ predictions of an above-average season still proved accurate despite the lower number of storms because of a metric called accumulated cyclone energy — essentially a calculation of the overall intensity and duration of all tropical storms in a season.Klotzbach predicted the accumulated energy would be 125% of the 30-year average. The season ended up at 108%, which, given the low number of hurricanes, means each packed a punch.“It was a quality season, not a quantity season,” he said.Nine of the past 10 Atlantic hurricane seasons have been above normal, according to Klotzbach, who attributes the trend to high ocean temperatures and La Niña, a seasonal circulation pattern that tends to weaken the high-altitude winds that discourage hurricane formation.McNoldy, who closely tracks Atlantic water temperatures, said 2025 was “anomalously warm.”“Whatever storms were out there definitely had a lot of fuel to tap into,” McNoldy said. Ocean heat drives evaporation, causing warm, moist air to rise from the surface to create convection; hurricanes require ocean temperatures of at least 79 degrees Fahrenheit to form. NEXT Nov. 24, 2025, 12:01 AM ESTBy Jarrod BarryAs the holiday shopping season starts to kick into high gear, Americans are balancing Black Friday deals with lingering concerns about their own finances.Consumers are looking to shell out less this holiday season, new data from Deloitte shows. Surveyed shoppers said they plan to spend 4% less than last year between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, citing higher costs of living and more fear of the economy.It’s a reversal. Previous Deloitte surveys dating back to 2021 had shown shoppers planned to spend more than previous years during the post-Thanksgiving weekend.The pullback is expected to hit both ends of the income spectrum. Consumers making less than $50,000 a year are expected to spend 12% less than last year, according to the business services firm. Shoppers making more than $200,000 a year say they’ll cut their spending by 18%.“While we expect shoppers to plan to pull back on spending, we also anticipate strong participation throughout the holiday week,” Natalie Martini, Deloitte’s vice chair and U.S. retail and consumer products leader, said in a press release.The firm surveyed 1,200 consumers across the United States between Oct. 15 and Oct. 23.Shoppers are hitting the malls and retail websites at a precarious time, with Americans feeling increasingly fearful about both the broader economy and their personal finances. Consumer confidence hit one of the lowest levels on record in November, according to the University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment survey that was released Friday. It’s just slightly above the June 2022 low, when inflation was soaring.Voters cited affordability as a top concern during November’s elections, fueling Democratic wins in Virginia, New Jersey and New York City. President Donald Trump has tried to address rising food costs by eliminating many of the tariffs he imposed this year on food imports, including beef and coffee from Brazil.The University of Michigan report found that consumers were particularly worried about their jobs and personal finances: 69% of respondents said they expect unemployment to increase over the next year, twice the percentage from a year ago.“After the federal shutdown ended, sentiment lifted slightly from its mid-month reading,” wrote Joanne Hsu, the director of consumer surveys at the school. “However, consumers remain frustrated about the persistence of high prices and weakening incomes.”The rate of inflation, which slowed earlier this year, has been climbing since April, according to federal data, reaching an annual rate of 3% in September. That’s stinging Americans’ wallets, and many aren’t expecting relief anytime soon. Respondents in the University of Michigan consumer sentiment survey expect inflation to hit 4.5% by next year.Retail earnings reports over the past few weeks point to some troubling consumer trends. Walmart posted strong results last week as the discount retailer benefited from shoppers looking to save money on core items like groceries and other staples. The company said higher-income families are shopping more at the store in search of bargains, while lower-income families are under greater financial strain.“As pocketbooks have been stretched, you’re seeing more consumer dollars go to necessities versus discretionary items,” said John David Rainey, Walmart’s chief financial officer, during the company’s earnings call.Discount fashion retailers like Gap and TJX Cos., which owns the chains T.J. Maxx and Marshalls, also reported strong quarterly earnings, another sign that shoppers are trading down and seeking out cheaper options. Target and Bath & Body Works, which are seen as stores that encourage splurging, struggled during the previous quarter.With their bank accounts already stretched, consumers are increasingly turning to financing in order to afford their purchases. A report last month from PayPal found that half of shoppers plan to use buy now, pay later services for their holiday shopping. These services, which include apps like Klarna, Afterpay and Affirm, allow customers to make a purchase and then pay it off in installments, typically with 0% interest.These apps are especially popular with younger shoppers. According to the Deloitte study, 39% of Gen Zers and millennials will use buy now, pay later apps for Black Friday spending. Many shoppers use these services to spread out their spending over a longer period of time, but some worry that it entices people to spend more than they can afford and can pull them into debt they didn’t expect.Jarrod BarryJarrod Barry is an intern with the NBC News Business Unit.