1A

Years ago, if you opened your kitchen drawer, you'd probably find a stack of takeout menus.

There's a good chance one of those menus would've been for a Chinese restaurant.

Despite the decline of these doorstep stuffers, Chinese food remains a popular dinnertime choice in the U.S. and around the world.

According to a 2023 Pew Research study, Chinese restaurants were found in every U.S. state and in 70 percent of all U.S. counties.

We discuss how Chinese food become so popular outside of China, and why the cuisine is so beloved and misunderstood.

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It's the holiday season which means bright lights and parties. It can also mean an unusually high credit card bill.

From gift giving, to travel, to that item you just had to buy for yourself, end-of-year spending is up. Black Friday shoppers spent a record $9.8 billion dollars online this year. Shoppers spent a record $12.4 billion on Cyber Monday.

But not everyone is putting cash upfront. Buy Now/Pay Later usage hit an all-time high in November, with an increase of over 42 percent from last year, according to Adobe Analytics. And half of Americans expect to take on debt to pay for the holidays, according to the personal finance company Achieve.

We discuss the best way to deal with the rush of holiday expenditures.

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Retail experts have long said that U.S. malls are dying out. But a recent market analysis paints a different picture.

According to a report from Coresight Research published in June, foot-traffic in top-tier malls was up 12 percent in 2022 compared to before the pandemic. Last year, these same malls had more than 95 percent occupancy rates.

Younger shoppers are in part driving this resurgence. Approximately 73 percent of Gen-Z shoppers said they visited a mall in the past month.

We discuss why malls are making a comeback and how they're keeping up with online shopping.

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For Irish comedian Dara Ó Briain life right now is just grand.

He's been involved in the comedy world since the late 90's.

His long list of TV shows and stand-up tours includes the BBC's "Mock the Week," which was on air for 17 years. But Ó Briain has been known to talk about a range of topics from science and history to the Irish experience.

His "So...Where Were We" tour, comes to the U.S. early next year. In this latest show, he talks about searching for his birth mother and more.

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Special counsel Jack Smith went to the Supreme Court on Monday asking the justices to quickly rule on whether or not former President Donald Trump can be prosecuted for his alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

The Biden administration has signaled it may be willing to cave to House GOP demands on immigration restrictions. In return, the White House is hoping to secure funding for Ukraine's fight against the Russian invasion.

Meanwhile in Dubai, this year's UN climate conference COP28 came to a close with the participating nations agreeing on a historic first calling for a global transition away from fossil fuels.

The United States has once again vetoed a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza at the UN Security Council.

We cover all this and more during the News Roundup.

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Egg freezing, or oocyte preservation, was once considered an experimental procedure. But since the American Society for Reproductive Medicine dropped that designation in 2012, more people than ever are putting their hopes of parenthood on ice.

There was a 400 percent increase in the number of people freezing their eggs between 2012 and 2020 according to the Society of Assisted Reproductive Technology.

Employers like Starbucks and Walmart are offering fertility benefits to attract and retain workers. And fertility industry startups are also capitalizing on demand for services that either help delay parenthood or make parenthood a possibility.

We discuss the physical, emotional, and financial realities of egg freezing and its accessibility.

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More than a third of Americans rent instead of own their home, according to the 2022 Census. That number is likely to increase. More than half of Gen Z say renting is a better option than buying a house, and a report from the Wall Street Journal found that more high-income earners are choosing to rent over making the big purchase.

As more Americans rent, they face some unique challenges: absent landlords, bait-and-switch apartments, and figuring out whether hanging that heavy mirror on the wall is worth the headache later.

Mercury Stardust is a professional home maintenance technician and is known widely as the Trans Handy Ma'am on social media. On TikTok, she helps her 2.5 million followers through all the DIY tasks of rental repairs and to make apartments feel more like homes.

If you're not on TikTok, you're in luck. Mercury is out with the new book, "Safe and Sound: A Renter-Friendly Guide to Home Repair."

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Hacking and cyber attacks aren't just about flashing pop-ups and phishing emails anymore.

Groups of online criminals have become bolder and more sophisticated these last few years. Attacks happen on a much larger scale these days, targeting small towns, hospitals, and even K-12 schools. The hacking groups use complicated malware to get in and lock up those systems.

Ransomware groups like Lockbit have made several attacks and threats this year. And cyber has proven an increasingly crucial aspect of the war in Ukraine.

We discuss the latest on the cyber attacks of 2023 and what we might expect in 2024.

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Drive-thrus are a quintessentially American phenomenon. The first was in the U.S. and they spread quickly nationwide in the mid-20th century due to the rise of car culture and the highway system.

Now, estimates suggest there are around 200,000 drive-thrus across the country. They grew in popularity during the pandemic.

Drive-thrus have a history of innovation. Fast food companies are experimenting with new technology at their fast food windows, like AI chatbots or elevator food delivery systems that cut out human-to-human interaction.

Drive-thrus also offer more than just fast food. Drive-thru funeral homes, banks, and convenience stores save people the step of getting out of their cars.

We discuss the history and future of America's drive-thrus.

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House Speaker Mike Johnson is playing hardball with the Senate. He told Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer this week that he can't pass any funding for Ukraine's fight against the Russian invasions through the House unless it was paired with immigration reforms.

Meanwhile, leaked audio of Israeli hostages previously held by Hamas details their anger with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Audio of a meeting between them and the prime minister reveals their disapproval of the government's conduct while handling their situation.

A former U.S. diplomat was charged this week with espionage. Ex-ambassador Victor Manuel Rocha is accused of spying for Cuba.

And Former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson was heckled as he attempted to apologize for the deaths of British citizens during the pandemic.

We cover the biggest headlines during the News Roundup.

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