Three Americans detained in China have been released in a prisoner swap, the White House announced Wednesday. The release is the result of “years of work,” a person familiar with the situation told Politico, and resolves a situation that has burdened U.S.-China relations for years. “We are pleased to announce the release of Mark Swidan, Kai Li, and John Leung from detention in the People’s Republic of China,” a U.S. National Security Council spokesperson told CNN. “Soon they will return and be reunited with their families for the first time in many years.” Mark Swidan was detained in 2012 on drug-related charges and sentenced to death in 2019. Kai Li and John Leung were both arrested on espionage charges. Li was detained in 2016 and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Leung was arrested in 2021 and sentenced to life in 2023. Their release is seen as a victory for Joe Biden in the final months of his presidency. There are now no more American prisoners in China, and the U.S. has downgraded its travel advisory level to Level 2: Exercise increased caution for mainland China. The White House declined to share the identity of the exchanged Chinese prisoners.

Newscaster Dan Rather is mourning the death of his wife, Jean Rather, the artist to whom he was married for 67 years. According to a statement from a family friend, the 89-year-old died from cancer in the couple’s Austin home, having been “on hospice care for some time.” The Rathers met while working at a Houston radio station, though she would go on to pursue a career in visual art, creating paintings and collages that “were shown in galleries and private collections across the United States,” according to her obituary. She also served as the vice chair of the New York City Art Commission and held board positions at several nonprofits. “Jean lived a full life as an incredible wife, mother, friend, and artist—and a true Texan," the statement says, noting that “today is the saddest of days for Dan and the extended Rather family.”

Cats and dogs have been a constant in our lives for centuries—the foods we feed them have not. There was no kibble or cans to serve our ancient pets; their initial diets were raw and unprocessed. That style of pet food can feel cumbersome to prepare and inconvenient to purchase today. But, balancing nutrition with availability is possible.

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Investigators are looking into whether a Chinese ship that dragged its anchor for over 100 miles, severing critical data undersea data cables, did so on purpose and at the behest of Kremlin saboteurs. The 225-meter-long Yi Peng 3 bulk carrier was loaded with Russian fertilizer and, in recent months, dramatically altered its usual routes to take in ports in Vladimir Putin’s country, the Wall Street Journal reported. The hulking vessel departed the Russian Baltic port of Ust-Luga on November 15 and, last week, ripped two data cables in the Baltic Sea in Swedish waters. The country, which joined NATO after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, opened a probe but a Kremlin spokesperson blasted the suggestion of Russian involvement as “absurd, unsubstantiated accusations”. NATO ships belonging to Denmark, Germany and Sweden now flank the vessel. “The fundamental change in the ship’s operating region to Russian ports after years operating solely in Chinese waters should be a key area of investigation,” Benjamin L. Schmitt, senior fellow at the University of Pennsylvania’s Kleinman Center for Energy Policy, said.

Three men travelling in a taxi allegedly fell to their death when Google Maps led them down a bridge that had been broken in half by recent floods, according to reports in India. The tragic incident took place in the state of Uttar Pradesh Saturday in the middle of the night. The men were travelling between the towns of Dataganj and Faridpur, a driving journey of just 24 miles, when Google Maps reportedly guided the driver down a road over the Ramganga River, a tributary of the Ganges. The car hurtled off the bridge and the occupants were left without help overnight, until nearby villagers noticed the wrecked vehicle the next day. A local official told the Times of India that an investigation has been ordered. “Action will be taken against the guilty officials,” he said. The Ramganga washed part of the bridge away after recent flooding, reports added.

Between your phone and computer, there is so much sensitive personal data that would be painful to either lose or have fall into the wrong hands. For three decades, Stellar’s award-winning software has helped millions of people recover critical data, repair corrupted files, and ensure secure data erasure. Daily Beast readers can get three of Stellar’s most popular pieces of software at an impressive markdown—50% off—for Black Friday. Stellar only brings this deal out one time a year, there is no room to hesitate.

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If his X account is anything to go by, Elon Musk agrees that his powerful new buddy Donald Trump has been upgraded to bestie status. The SpaceX boss retweeted a post saying they are “basically best friends”, after his own mom, Maye Musk, fawned over the pair’s relationship on Varney & Co Tuesday. She said of her son, 53, and President-elect Trump, 78: “Of course, I’ve seen them together, but very shortly. I live in New York, and they’re in Mar-a-Lago or [a] SpaceX launch, and they just seem to be having fun. A lot of fun.” She smiled throughout the interview and added: “And it’s nice for both of them to have fun, and [Elon] really respects him a lot and is really happy that there’s a future for America now.” However, as we previously reported, Trump might be getting sick of Musk hanging around.

Former Bachelor contestant Joey Graziadei and choreographer Jenna Johnson won Dancing with the Stars during the show’s Season 33 finale Tuesday. The 29-year-old reality show heartthrob and his 30-year-old dancing partner, fan favorites throughout the season, performed a tennis-inspired freestyle set to District 78’s “Canned Heat”—a nod to his job as a tennis instructor before pivoting to reality heartthrob. They followed that with their “redemption dance”—when judges assign them a style they struggled with earlier in the season—a cha-cha to Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling.” The latter earned them a perfect score. “We’re gonna get a little drunk, to be honest,” Graziadei told The Wrap of how he and Johnson planned to celebrate. Johnson’s husband, three-time DWTS winner Valentin Chmerkovskiy, was celebrated online for rabbit hopping with excitement after the announcement. Graziadei’s win caps a stunning few years for members of Bachelor Nation, who have recently been crowned winners of the competition show. Hannah Brown won in 2019, and Season 11 star Kaitlyn Bristowe won in 2020..

It all makes sense now why Samuel L. Jackson looked so visibly annoyed last year when he didn’t end up winning his first Tony Award. “We’ve been in the business long enough to know that folks will go, ‘Well, it’s just an honor to be nominated.’ No, it ain’t. It’s an honor to win!” Jackson, 75, joked with actor Michael Potts in an AP interview. Most people forget the nominees, he continued. “They only remember the winner,” Potts laughed and agreed. Jackson then likened awards shows like the Oscars to a contest the nominees didn’t actually sign up for. “I didn’t go in there [on set] so I could flex. ‘Well wait a minute, let me do my scene here! Hold up! Make sure you remember who I was,’” he added. Jackson was nominated just once for an Academy Award in 1995 for Best Supporting Actor for starring alongside Bruce Willis and John Travolta in Pulp Fiction. But he was excited to receive an Honorary Oscar in 2022, telling Vulture the award “didn’t feel honorary”—it just felt like getting an Oscar. “I can possibly name four other instances where I could have won or should have won or should have been nominated, but I’m fine with it. It’s mine. I got it. My name’s on it,” he said. The Unbreakable star has appeared in hundreds of roles, from Quentin Tarantino flicks to Marvel blockbusters and animated films. He went viral for looking stony-faced after he lost the Tony for The Piano Lesson, which he and Denzel Washington brought to the big screen this year.

Cops in Arizona have arrested a man who made wild Facebook videos in which he said he was going to kill Donald Trump. In a spooky coincidence, as Trump took to an arena in Glendale, Arizona, in August, Manuel Tamayo-Torres recorded his journey to the site with an AR 15-style rifle. Trump spoke about how Thomas Crooks opened fire on him with an AR 15-style rifle during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania just a month earlier. “[Y]ou’re gonna die,” Tamayo-Torres allegedly said in a video he posted on Thursday. “[Y]our son’s gonna die. Your whole family is going to die... I’m going to put a hole in your face.” Tamayo-Torres issued an array of bizarre and unfounded claims about Trump, including that the 78-year-old kidnapped and sex-trafficked his children, according to the charging documents. He was charged with one count of making threats against a president or president’s successor.

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Black Friday sales kicked off early this year, folks! As an avid J.Crew fan, I can honestly say that the brand’s discount-laden factory store (the brand’s online outlet) is a great way to get high-quality wardrobe staples without the big price tag. J.Crew Factory always offers discounts up to 40 percent off J.Crew, but for a limited time, you can unlock even more savings from already discounted items. Right now, J.Crew Factory is offering 50-70 percent off sitewide (seriously, everything!).

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Now’s the time to invest in evergreen staples like jeans and office-friendly blazers while they’re half off, or grab a few outwear essentials to round out your cold-weather lineup. The sale also includes tons of denim for just $50, pure cotton crewneck T-shirts for $20, and even new arrivals like holiday party-ready frocks and giftable cashmere items. And the sale is not just for women; the gents’ and kids’ sections are equally full of additional savings.

In the hours after the Israeli government and Hezbollah reached a ceasefire agreement—brokered by the United States and France—displaced people are returning to their homes in Southern Lebanon. As the BBC reports, however, many of those homes have been destroyed or substantially damaged in 14 months of conflict: Days before reaching the agreement, for example, Israel bombed a densely populated, residential part of Beirut, killing at least 20 people, injuring 66 more, and demolishing an apartment block in the process. Strikes on both sides continued up until the ceasefire went into effect. Despite Israel’s warning that it is too soon for residents to return, Al Jazeera reports that “tens of thousands” of people streamed back into the country on Wednesday, with the agreement only a few hours old. Under the terms of the ceasefire, both sides will withdraw weapons and troops from the area around their shared border over 60 days. The U.S. and France will monitor progress. President Joe Biden said the governments intend the truce to be “permanent cessation of hostilities.”

A man who had been missing since 1999 has been found after his sister recognized him in a news article seeking the public’s help identifying him. The USA Today article published May 9 said the nonverbal man was a patient a Los Angeles County hospital. On Friday, the man’s sister called authorities, saying she saw a resemblance. After receiving the call from his sister, police eventually found the man at a different LA-area hospital and fingerprinted him to confirm that he was the one reported missing. Capt. Mike Carney of the Lassen County Sheriff’s Office told ABC News that the man’s sister “was very appreciative that we took the time just to follow up on it. He added: “She was over the moon and anxious to call other family members to let them know. It’s going to make their Thanksgiving that much better.” The man’s name is being withheld. His disappearance 25 years ago was voluntary, according to the sheriff’s office.