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If you’re looking to spread a little Christmas cheer over the holidays, these white elephant gifts will bring plenty of smiles and laughs. While not the traditional heartfelt gifts of Christmas, a white elephant gift is meant to poke a little fun and create some giggles. These outlandish gifts often playfully tease about a quirky personality trait or hobby — giving you an opportunity to have a little fun for the holidays. So, no matter if you’re shopping for your co-worker, friend, or family, we’ve curated some of the top white elephant gifts you can snag on Amazon. These gag gifts are sure to cause some massive giggles and jabs in all the right places when these. big surprises are opened for Christmas. White Elephant gifts you can get at the last minute on Amazon Here are some of our favorite white elephant gifts to give for Christmas this year and even a few to keep on hand as a hearty joke throughout the year. Cassette Tape AirPods Case Cover Amazon Price: $14 Keep the tunes rolling with this vintage-style AirPods Pro cassette tape case cover that protects and hopefully prevents misplacing those earbuds over the holidays.. LEGO Abstract Wall Art Kit Amazon Price: $50 Create some magic this Christmas by giving an abstract art piece with this LEGO building set . Magic 8 Ball Amazon Price: $14, instead of $15 This blast from the past toy answers those difficult life questions with a nostalgic shake or you can “ask again later.” Golf Pen Desktop Game Amazon Price: $10, instead of $13 We’re not “golfing” around with this gift that will keep that golf pro’s putting game sharp with golf clubs that double as pens, miniature golf balls and a golf course gift box. Retro Record Coasters Amazon Price: $14, instead of $20 This retro gift is perfect for the music fan. They can rock out to their favorite tunes while these throwback record coasters , with vinyl record player holder, prevent a party mishap. Pickle-Flavored Cotton Candy Amazon Price: $10 Yes, there’s such a thing and that pickle-loving freak on your list will savor every bite of this pickle-flavored treat . Snoop Dogg Cookbook Amazon Price: $14, instead of $45 This bestselling cookbook will be a hit with foodies “for shizzle.” Bluetooth Banana Phone Amazon Price: $40, instead of $50 Your friends will think this gift is “bananas” when they take calls and play music on this Bluetooth handset . Plus, this “appealing present” can be bought in a bunch of three . The Fuzzies Stacking Game Amazon Price: $15 This addicting game will keep them busy during the holidays with the limitless ability to stack these fuzzies from head to toe. Cat Microwave Heating Pad Amazon Price: $19 Any cat parent will adore this microwave heating pad in the shape of a cat to help knead out those sore muscles — minus the claws. Grinch Socks Amazon Price: $8 (20% off coupon available) There’s a Grinch in every family and you can surprise yours with these festive socks for Christmas. Food Decision Dice Amazon Price: $15 This is the perfect Christmas present for the person who can’t ever decide what they want to eat. With a quick roll of the dice , this gag gift will prevent arguments and hunger pains. Bicycle Pizza Cutter Amazon Price: $20, instead of $25 This bicycle pizza cutter will cruise its way into the heart of every pizza lover and we “crust” you’ll love giving it as a Christmas gift this year too. Bad Opinions Card Game Amazon Price $25 The ideal card game for a family member who has an opinion about everything. Bob Ross Chia Pet Amazon Price: $25 There’s an artist in all of us, and this Bob Ross Chia Pet will inspire anyone’s creative side this Christmas. Nothing Gift Amazon Price: $14 For the person on your list that has it all and says they don’t want anything for Christmas. This gift is literally — nothing . The Dad Joke 3000 Amazon Price: $20 He’s got a million of them and now he’ll have even more dad jokes on demand with the push of a button. Gracula Garlic Crusher Amazon Price: $19, instead of $23 Gift this kitchen helper to the family cook to ward off vampires all year long, with a simple twist at mealtime. OREO Ultimate Dunking Gift Set Amazon Price: $25, instead of $28 The cookie monster in the family can indulge on their OREO obsession with this dunking kit that includes cookies, a mug, a cookie holder, tongs, and a napkin. Bat Wine & Beer Opener Amazon Price: $15, instead of $35 There’s no “bats” about it, that wine-lover friend will appreciate the thought put into this batty gift. Heating Eye Massager Amazon Price: $53, instead of $100 (5% off coupon available) This not-so-subtle eye massager may look futuristic, but its stress-reliving abilities will comfort the tired eyes of a friend. The Best Gift Guides of 2024 15 coworker gift ideas for your next office holiday party 20 unique gifts for the boyfriend who has everything 20 Harry Potter gifts to buy for the muggle in your life 16 gift ideas for ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ fans 20 travel gifts for the jetsetter in your life Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com . Dawn Magyar can be reached at dmagyar@njadvancemedia.com . Have a tip? Tell us at nj.com/tips .

Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin has a broken left fibula and is expected to miss 4 to 6 weeks

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Boyd scores 22 in Charleston's 79-64 win against Northern KentuckyPep Guardiola admitted Manchester City must scrap to secure the best-case scenario of a Champions League playoff tie in February after seeing their latest defeat, a 2-0 reverse to Juventus , all but scupper their chances of automatic progress to the last 16. City have now won once in 10 games and were well beaten in Turin despite dominating large chunks of the match. Now-familiar failings at both ends returned to haunt them and when a loose Josko Gvardiol clearance set Dusan Vlahovic’s opener in train the die was cast. They are 22nd in the 36-team table with a visit to Paris Saint-Germain and a home match against Club Brugge to conclude their schedule. A fall of three more places would see them eliminated while they are five points behind the top eight. It means a finish between ninth and 24th, securing a second bite of the cherry but requiring two extra games in a packed calendar, will probably have to suffice. “It’s the target,” Guardiola said. “We need one point, three points. Go to Paris to try to do it, and the last game at home.” Guardiola was characteristically defensive of his team’s display. Erling Haaland missed their best chance in the 39th minute and they knocked on the door before Weston McKennie put the match beyond their reach. “We played good: really, really good,” he said. “We missed the last pass, the last action when we arrived, and we conceded chances in some transitions. It happens but I am so proud of these players.” Asked whether he was questioning himself amid a run unprecedented during his tenure, he replied: “Of course I question myself. I’m stable in good moments, bad moments. I try to find a way to do it. I’m incredibly honest, if we play good we play good. Always the game will save us.” After the match Ilkay Gündogan had said City were low on confidence, suggesting a “mental issue” in their loss of rhythm. “In crucial moments, at the moment, we are always doing the wrong things,” Gündogan continued, but his manager’s take was more sanguine. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion “I’m not agreeing with Ilkay,” Guardiola said. “Of course it’s tough. Except one or two games in this period that were not good, the rest we played good.”A pioneering study has introduced a novel approach to enhance the treatment of large sacral chordomas using carbon ion therapy. The study focuses on optimizing dose-averaged linear energy transfer (LETd), a critical parameter in radiotherapy that directly influences treatment efficacy for challenging tumors. The findings, published in Medical Physics , could significantly impact clinical outcomes for patients with these aggressive and resistant cancers. Carbon ion therapy is a highly precise cancer treatment that exploits the unique physical and biological properties of carbon ions. While traditionally successful in treating smaller tumors, its efficacy diminishes with larger targets due to lower LETd distribution, reducing treatment potency. The recent study by MedAustron Ion Therapy Center and Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences (KL Krems) addressed this gap by leveraging advanced treatment planning system (TPS) functionalities. Breakthrough findings "Our research demonstrates that by optimizing LETd distributions, we can significantly enhance the biological effectiveness of carbon ion therapy in large tumors, such as sacral chordomas, without compromising safety or precision," says Prof. Markus Stock, senior author of the study, head of the Division of Medical Physics with an emphasis on Particle Therapy at KL Krems and Head of Medical Physics at MedAustron. The study compared conventional and LETd-optimized treatment plans for large tumors exceeding 250 cm3. It revealed that LETd optimization achieved: By employing cutting-edge LETd optimization techniques integrated into the RayStation TPS, an advanced TPS for radiation therapy, the team in collaboration with Prof. Piero Fossati (Director of the Carbon Ion Therapy Program at MedAustron and Prof. of Radiation Oncology at KL Krems) ensured robust dose coverage while tailoring high-LET zones to resistant tumor regions. Implications for clinical practice This advancement provides a potential lifeline for patients with large, previously difficult-to-treat tumors. "Large chordomas are often associated with inferior clinical outcomes due to their size and proximity to sensitive organs," notes Dr. Mansure Schafasand, first author of the study and colleague of Prof. Stock. "Our optimized planning strategy is an important step towards improving survival rates and quality of life for these patients." This study underscores the importance of LETd as a predictive factor for treatment success. It also aligns with recent research in so-called "LET painting" strategies. Here LET levels are deliberately modulated within the tumor to target resistant tumor regions. The findings of the study by the team of researchers at KL Krems and MedAustron pave the way for broader applications in carbon ion therapy and may inspire further research into adaptive and personalized radiotherapy techniques. It also highlights the importance the KL Krems gives to relevant clinical research that contributes to patients' quality of life. More information: Mansure Schafasand et al, Dose averaged linear energy transfer optimization for large sacral chordomas in carbon ion therapy, Medical Physics (2024). DOI: 10.1002/mp.17102Storing and Pipelining Event Data with Axiom, Helping Companies Win in the Age of AI

This year’s Eagles Christmas album aims to give a holiday gift to each Philadelphia School District student. All 116,000 of them.None

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Caught in the debate

What diversity does — and doesn't — look like in Trump's CabinetNo, Cayden Primeau would never have won that match.

WASHINGTON — The House on Wednesday passed a $895 billion measure that authorizes a 1% increase in defense spending this fiscal year and would give a double-digit pay raise to about half of the enlisted service members in the military. The bill is traditionally strongly bipartisan, but some Democratic lawmakers opposed the inclusion of a ban on transgender medical treatments for children of military members if such treatment could result in sterilization. It passed by a vote of 281-140 and next moves to the Senate, where lawmakers sought a bigger boost in defense spending than the current measure allows. The Pentagon and the surrounding area is seen Jan. 26, 2020, from the air in Washington. Lawmakers are touting the bill's 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted service members and a 4.5% increase for others as key to improving the quality of life for those serving in the U.S. military. Those serving as junior enlisted personnel are in pay grades that generally track with their first enlistment term. Lawmakers said service member pay failed to remain competitive with the private sector, forcing many military families to rely on food banks and government assistance programs to put food on the table. The bill also provides significant new resources for child care and housing. "No service member should have to live in squalid conditions and no military family should have to rely on food stamps to feed their children, but that's exactly what many of our service members are experiencing, especially the junior enlisted," said Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. "This bill goes a long way to fixing that." The bill sets key Pentagon policy that lawmakers will attempt to fund through a follow-up appropriations bill. The overall spending tracks the numbers established in a 2023 agreement that then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., reached with President Joe Biden to increase the nation's borrowing authority and avoid a federal default in exchange for spending restraints. Many senators had wanted to increase defense spending some $25 billion above what was called for in that agreement, but those efforts failed. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., who is expected to serve as the next chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the overall spending level was a "tremendous loss for our national defense," though he agreed with many provisions within the bill. "We need to make a generational investment to deter the Axis of Aggressors. I will not cease work with my congressional colleagues, the Trump administration, and others until we achieve it," Wicker said. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., speaks with reporters Nov. 21 on Capitol Hill in Washington. House Republicans don't want to go above the McCarthy-Biden agreement for defense spending and are looking to go way below it for many non-defense programs. They are also focused on cultural issues. The bill prohibits funding for teaching critical race theory in the military and prohibits TRICARE health plans from covering gender dysphoria treatment for children under 18 if that treatment could result in sterilization. Rep. Adam Smith of Washington state, the ranking Democratic member of the House Armed Services Committee, said minors dealing with gender dysphoria is a "very real problem." He said the treatments available, including puberty blockers and hormone therapy, have proven effective at helping young people dealing with suicidal thoughts, anxiety and depression. "These treatments changed their lives and in many cases saved their lives," Smith said. "And in this bill, we decided we're going to bar service members' children from having access to that." Smith said the number of minors in service member families receiving transgender medical care extends into the thousands. He could have supported a study asking medical experts to determine whether such treatments are too often used, but a ban on health insurance coverage went too far. He said Speaker Mike Johnson's office insisted on the ban and said the provision "taints an otherwise excellent piece of legislation." Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, called the ban a step in the right direction, saying, "I think these questions need to be pulled out of the debate of defense, so we can get back to the business of defending the United States of America without having to deal with social engineering debates." Smith said he agrees with Roy that lawmakers should be focused on the military and not on cultural conflicts, "and yet, here it is in this bill." Branden Marty, a Navy veteran who served for 13 years, said the loss of health coverage for transgender medical treatments could prompt some with valuable experience to leave the military, affecting national security because "we already struggle from a recruiting and retention standpoint." He also said the bill could regularly force service members into difficult choices financially. "It will be tough for a lot of them because of out-of-pocket expenses, especially enlisted members who we know already struggle with food insecurity," said Marty, the father of a transgender teenager. "They don't get paid very much, so they're going to be making a lot of choices on a day-to-day, tactical level." House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., responds to reporters Dec. 6 during his weekly news conference at the Capitol in Washington. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader, said his team did not tell Democrats how to vote on the bill. "There's a lot of positive things in the National Defense Authorization Act that were negotiated in a bipartisan way, and there are some troubling provisions in a few areas as well," Jeffries said. Overall, 81 Democrats voted for the bill and 124 against it. On the Republican side, 200 voted for the bill and 16 against it. "It's disappointing to see 124 of my Democrat colleagues vote against our brave men and women in uniform over policies that have nothing to do with their intended mission," Johnson, R-La., said. The defense policy bill also looks to strengthen deterrence against China. It calls for investing $15.6 billion to build military capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region. The Biden administration requested about $10 billion. On Israel, the bill, among other things, includes an expansion of U.S. joint military exercises with Israel and a prohibition on the Pentagon citing casualty data from Hamas. The defense policy bill is one of the final measures that lawmakers view as a must-pass before making way for a new Congress in January. Rising threats from debt collectors against members of the U.S. armed forces are undermining national security, according to data from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a federal watchdog that protects consumer rights. To manage the impact of financial stress on individual performance, the Defense Department dedicates precious resources to improving financial literacy, so service members know the dangers of notorious no-credit-check loans. “The financial well-being of service members and their families is one of the Department’s top priorities,” said Andrew Cohen, the director of financial readiness in the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon. But debt collectors are gaining ground. Last quarter, debt collection complaints by U.S. military service members increased 24% , and attempts to collect on “debts not owed” surged 40%. Complaints by service members against debt collectors for deceptive practices ballooned from 1,360 in the fourth quarter of 2023 to 1,833 in the first quarter of 2024. “There’s a connection between the financial readiness and the readiness of a service member to perform their duty,” said Jim Rice, Assistant Director, Office of Servicemember Affairs at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Laws exist to protect the mission readiness of U.S. troops from being compromised by threats and intimidation, but debt collectors appear to be violating them at an alarming pace. “If they’re threatening to call your commander or get your security clearance revoked, that’s illegal,” says Deborah Olvera, financial readiness manager at Wounded Warriors Project, and a military spouse who’s been harassed herself by a collection agency that tried to extort money from her for a debt she didn’t owe. But after she requested the name of the original creditor, she never heard from them again. “The financial well-being of service members and their families is one of the Department’s top priorities.” —Andrew Cohen, Director of Financial Readiness at the Pentagon Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, it’s illegal for debt collectors to threaten to contact your boss or have you arrested because it violates your financial privacy. The FDCPA also prohibits debt collectors from making false, deceptive, or misleading representations in connection with the collection of a debt, even for borrowers with bad credit scores. But according to the data, debt collectors are increasingly ignoring those rules. “Debt collection continues to be one of the top consumer complaint categories,” said a spokesperson at the Federal Trade Commission. The commission released a report earlier this year revealing that consumers were scammed $10 billion in 2023, a new benchmark for fraud losses. In his book Debt: The First 5,000 Years, David Graeber argues that debt often creates a relationship that can feel more oppressive than systems of hierarchy, like slavery or caste systems because it starts by presuming equality between the debtor and the creditor. When the debtor falls into arrears, that equality is then destroyed. This sense of betrayal and the subsequent imbalance of power leads to widespread resentment toward lenders. Photo Credit: Olena Yakobchuk / Shutterstock The debt collector reportedly harassing military service members most was Resurgent Capital Services, a subsidiary of collection giant Sherman Financial Group. The company tacks on accrued interest and junk fees and tries to collect on debts purchased for pennies on the dollar from cable companies, hospitals, and credit card companies, among others. Sherman Financial Group is run by billionaire Benjamin Navarro, who has a reported net worth of $1.5 billion, according to Forbes. Sherman Financial also owns subprime lender Credit One Bank and LVNV Funding, which outsource collections to Resurgent Capital. According to CFPB data, the second worst offender is CL Holdings, the parent company of debt-buyer Jefferson Capital Systems. The company has also been named in numerous complaints to the Better Business Bureau for alleged violations of the FDCPA, such as failing to properly validate debts or update credit reports with accurate information. Under the leadership of CEO David Burton, Jefferson Capital Systems is a wholly-owned subsidiary of CompuCredit Corporation, which markets subprime credit cards under the names Aspire, Majestic, and others. The third most referenced debt collector is publicly traded Portfolio Recovery Associates [NASDAQ: PRAA], which was forced to pay $27 million in penalties for making false representations about debts, initiating lawsuits without proper documentation, and other violations. Portfolio Recovery Associates is run by CEO Vikram Atal. Fourth place for alleged worst offender goes to Encore Capital Group [NASDAQ ECPG], which was required to pay $42 million in consumer refunds and a $10 million penalty for violating the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Encore collects under its subsidiary Midland Credit Management Group. These debt collectors all operate under a veritable shell game of company and brand names, almost none of which are disclosed on their websites, sending consumers on a wild goose chase to try and figure out how they’re related to each other. But despite their attempts to hide their tracks behind a smoke screen of subsidiaries, a leopard can’t change its spots, and the CFPB complaint database makes it harder for them to try. Photo Credit: Bumble Dee / Shutterstock Although widely considered a consumer-friendly state, complaints spiked most in California, which saw a 188% increase in complaints filed from the fourth quarter of 2023 to the first quarter of 2024. California is home to 157,367 military personnel, making it the most populous state for active-duty service members. The second-largest increase in debt collection complaints was in Texas, which saw a 66% jump from the fourth quarter of 2023 to the first quarter of 2024. The U.S. Department of Defense reports 111,005 service members stationed in the Lone Star State, which is the third-most populous state for active-duty military. The rising trends do not correlate to the number of military personnel by state. Complaints against debt collectors in Virginia, the second most populous state with 126,145 active duty personnel, decreased by 29% in the same quarter-over-quarter period. And complaints filed quarter-over-quarter in North Carolina, the fifth most populous state with 91,077 military personnel, decreased by 3% in the same period. The third largest percentage increase in debt collection complaints was from service members stationed in Maryland, where alleged harassment reports jumped 112% from the fourth quarter of 2023 to the first quarter of 2024. Maryland ranks number 12 with just 28,059 active duty service members. Fourth place goes to Ohio – the 28th most populous active-duty state – where complaints doubled, followed by Arizona – the 15th most populous military state – where complaints were up 70% in the same quarter-over-quarter period. Photo Credit: PeopleImages.com - Yuri A / Shutterstock In 2007, Congress passed the Military Lending Act to cap the cost of credit to a 36% annual percentage rate, inclusive of junk fees and late charges, for active duty military service members. That rate is still considerably higher than average credit card rates, which range from 8% for borrowers with excellent credit scores to as high as 36% for borrowers with bad credit. But lenders still get hauled into court for violating the MLA. Don Hankey, the billionaire subprime auto lender who funded Donald Trump’s $175 million appeal bond , is among those violators. His company, Westlake Financial, which markets high-interest car loans for bad credit, has been sued twice by the Department of Justice for harassing military service members. In 2017, the DoJ alleged Hankey’s Westlake Financial illegally repossessed at least 70 vehicles owned by military service members. Westlake Financial paid $700,000 to settle the charges. In 2022, Westlake Financial paid $250,000 for allegedly cheating U.S. troops out of interest rates they were legally entitled to. Westlake Financial continues to receive complaints from military service members alleging abusive debt collection practices on its no-credit-check loans. A steady year-over-year increase in the number of complaints filed against Westlake Financial continued from 2020 to 2023. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau data shows a 13% increase in the number of complaints against the company from 2020 to 2021, a 28% increase from 2021 to 2022, and a torrential 119% surge from 2022 to 2023. The numbers suggest systemic complaint-handling processes and inadequate customer service resources. Photo Credit: Cynthia Shirk / Shutterstock On May 16, 2024, a deceptively named predatory lending industry front group dubbed the Community Financial Services Association of America (CFSA) lost a legal attempt to defund the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. In an effort to deprive Americans of essential consumer protections, the lobby group argued that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s funding structure was unconstitutional. But the Supreme Court denied its claim. In a 7-2 ruling, the Court held that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s funding structure is indeed constitutional. That means the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau cannot be defunded, but it does not mean the agency cannot be defanged. The New York Times suggested that Hankey’s incentive to finance Trump’s $175 million bond could have been a reciprocity pledge to neuter the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau if Trump wins the upcoming U.S. presidential election. If Trump wins a second term, he could replace Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director Rohit Chopra, an American consumer advocate, with a predatory lending advocate. In 2020, the Trump Administration secured a Supreme Court ruling that made it easier for the president to fire the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The ruling struck down previous restrictions on when a president can fire the bureau’s director. Like other federal agencies, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has also been confronted for overstepping its bounds, pushing too far, and acting unfairly against entities it regulates. Photo Credit: Lux Blue / Shutterstock Seasonality and rising interest rates do not explain the increase in debt collection complaints from service members. The surge in complaints is not tied to predictable seasonal fluctuations or changes in interest rates. The increase in debt collection complaints by service members may point to underlying systemic issues, such as aggressive and predatory debt collection practices that exploit the unique financial vulnerabilities of service members, who face frequent relocations and deployments. Debt Complaints by Service Members The 24% spike in debt collection complaints exhibits no correlation to fluctuations in interest rates. 30-Year Fixed Mortgage Rates Pandemic stimulus checks were also not a factor. COVID-19 relief benefit checks went through three major rounds during the pandemic. The final round of Economic Impact Payments went out in March 2021 . To better understand the rising trend of debt collection complaints, we calculated the increase in the total number of complaints and the percentage increase quarter-over-quarter. For example, New Jersey has the second largest percentage increase in complaints quarter-over-quarter, but the total number of complaints increased by just 16. The data for this study was sourced from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) complaint database. The dataset specifically targeted complaints filed by U.S. military service members, identified using the tag “Servicemember” within Q4 2023 and Q1 2024. Readers can find the detailed research methodology underlying this news story in the accompanying section here . For complete results, see U.S. Troops Face Mounting Threats from Predatory Debt Collectors on BadCredit.org . Homelessness reached record levels in 2023, as rents and home prices continued to rise in most of the U.S. One group was particularly impacted: people who have served in the U.S. military. "This time last year, we knew the nation was facing a deadly public health crisis," Jeff Olivet, executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, said in a statement about the 2023 numbers. He said the latest homelessness estimates from the Department of Housing and Urban Development "confirms the depth of the crisis." At least 35,000 veterans were experiencing homelessness in 2023, according to HUD. While that's about half of what it was in 2009—when the organization began collecting data—things have plateaued in recent years despite active efforts to get that number to zero. Although they make up just 6.6% of the total homeless population, veterans are more likely to be at risk of homelessness than Americans overall. Of every 10,000 Americans, 20 were experiencing homelessness. Of veterans living in the United States, that number jumps to 22, HUD data shows. Complicated by bureaucracy, family dynamics, and prejudice, the path from serving in the military to homelessness is a long one. According to a 2022 study by Yale School of Medicine researchers, homelessness typically occurs within four years of leaving the military, as veterans must contend with the harsh reality of finding a job in a world where employers struggle to see how skills on the battlefield transfer to a corporate environment. These days, veterans also deal with historically high rent and home prices, which causes many to rely on family generosity while figuring out a game plan. Stacker examined academic studies, analyzed government data, and spoke with members of the Biden administration, experts, and former members of the armed forces to see the struggles members of the military face when leaving the armed forces. The Department of Veterans Affairs offers transition assistance to the roughly 250,000 service members who leave each year. However, those programs can be burdensome and complex to navigate, especially for those who don't have a plan for post-military life. Only a small portion of veterans have jobs lined up when they leave, according to 2019 Pew Research. Many also choose to live with relatives until they get on their feet, which can be longer than anticipated. Some former service members are unsure what kind of career they'd like to pursue and may have to get further education or training, Carl Castro, director of the Military and Veteran Programs at the Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work at the University of Southern California, told Stacker. "It takes years for that kind of transition," Castro said. Many have trouble finding a job after leaving the service, even if they are qualified. Some employers carry misconceptions about those who have served. A 2020 analysis from the journal Human Resource Management Review found that some veterans face hiring discrimination due to negative stereotypes that lead hiring managers to write them off as a poor culture fit. Underemployment, or working low-wage jobs below their skill level, is also an issue. While the unemployment rate for veterans was 3% in March 2024, a study released by Penn State at the end of 2023 found three years after leaving the service, 61% of veterans said they were underemployed because of perceived skill mismatches . This phenomenon can have long-term economic effects, and eventually, that frustration can boil over, strain relationships, and potentially lead to housing instability. Working, especially a low-wage job, is not protection against homelessness. A 2021 study from the University of Chicago found half of people living in homeless shelters and 2 in 5 unsheltered people were employed, full or part-time. High rents make it difficult to save up, even when applying for a VA loan—a mortgage backed by the Department of Veterans Affairs that typically has more favorable terms. While the VA does not require a downpayment, some lenders, who ultimately provide the loan, do. They're not entirely risk-free either, and veterans can still lose their homes if they are unable to keep up with their mortgages. In November 2023, the VA put a six-month pause on foreclosures when an NPR investigation found thousands of veterans were in danger of losing their homes after a COVID forbearance program ended. Biden officials pointed to high rents and the end of COVID-era housing restrictions like eviction moratoriums to explain the spike in Americans experiencing homelessness. In the last year, homelessness rose 12%—to more than 650,000 people—the highest level since data began being collected in 2007. Overall, more than half of people experiencing homelessness in 2023 live in states with high living costs. Most were in California, followed by New York and Florida. Western states, including Montana and Utah, experienced massive population growth during the pandemic, becoming hubs for remote workers who drove home prices and rents even further. For veterans, housing costs certainly play a role, but those who leave the military also face systemic barriers. "It's worrying there are people that continue to fall through the cracks," said Jeanette Yih Harvie, a research associate at Syracuse University's D'Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families. Just under a quarter of adults experiencing homelessness have a severe mental illness , according to 2022 HUD survey data. They are also likely to have chronic illnesses but are unable to maintain preventative care, which only exacerbates these problems. Veterans facing homelessness are more likely to have experienced trauma , either before or after joining the military, according to Yale researchers who analyzed the 2019-2020 National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study. Childhood trauma was among the most significant commonalities among vets who become homeless. Substance use disorder is also widespread and can indicate an undiagnosed mental illness . Racial and ethnic disparities are at play, too. A 2023 study in the Journal of Psychiatric Research showed that Hispanic and Black veterans were more likely to screen positive for PTSD, and Hispanic veterans were more likely to report having suicidal ideation. Overall, access to mental health care has improved in the last decade or so. In December 2023, the VA announced it would open nine additional counseling centers. However, the stigma of getting help remains, especially after years of being conditioned to be self-reliant and pull oneself up by their bootstraps. That help, in the form of public policy, is slowly working to catch up to the need. In 2023, the Biden administration invested millions into research programs and studies on suicide prevention by the VA office in addition to a proposed $16 billion to improve quality and lower-cost mental health care services for veterans. And, in February of this year, HUD and the VA announced they would give up to $14 million in vouchers to public housing agencies for veterans experiencing homelessness. The program would also offer case management and other services. Still, with a culture that pushes people to keep going, it can be challenging for servicemembers to take advantage of these opportunities, Harvie said. "When you've been doing that for the last 15 or 20 years, it's difficult to stop and say, 'I'm the person that needs help.'" Story editing by Kelly Glass. Copy editing by Kristen Wegrzyn. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox!

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TURIN, Italy (AP) — Weston McKennie waved an imaginary wand and American compatriot Tim Weah joined in with him in the celebration. The pair had just linked up with Weah assisting McKennie for Juventus' second goal in a 2-0 win over Manchester City — marking the first time in Champions League history that two players from the United States combined for a goal. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Get updates and player profiles ahead of Friday's high school games, plus a recap Saturday with stories, photos, video Frequency: Seasonal Twice a week

Donald Trump has tapped Keith Kellogg, a retired lieutenant general who presented him with a plan to end the war in Ukraine, to serve as a special envoy for the conflict, the president-elect wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday. Kellogg, who was the chief of staff for the White House National Security Council during Trump's 2017-2021 term and national security adviser to then-Vice President Mike Pence, will likely play a central role in attempting to resolve the conflict in his new position. While there is currently no special envoy for the war in Ukraine, Trump had privately expressed interest in creating the position. Quickly winding down the Ukraine war was one of Trump's central campaign promises, though he has avoided discussing how he would do so. "Keith has led a distinguished Military and Business career, including serving in highly sensitive National Security roles in my first Administration," Trump said on social media. Kellogg's plan for ending the war, which began when Russia invaded Ukrainian sovereign territory, involves freezing the battle lines at their prevailing locations and forcing both Kyiv and Moscow to the negotiating table, Reuters reported in June. Richard Grenell, Trump's former acting director of national intelligence, was also in the running for the job, Reuters reported on Friday. During a Bloomberg roundtable in July, Grenell had advocated for the creation of "autonomous zones" as a means of settling the conflict. Kellogg drafted his plan for Ukraine alongside Fred Fleitz, who also served as a chief of staff to the National Security Council under Trump. Under their proposed strategy, the U.S. would tell Ukraine that it would only get more American weapons if it enters peace talks. The U.S. would at the same time warn Moscow that any refusal to negotiate would result in increased U.S. support for Ukraine. NATO membership for Ukraine would be taken off the table for the immediate future. That plan would be unlikely to please Kyiv, given that it would in practice give Russia uncontested control of parts of eastern Ukraine, at least for a significant period of time. Additionally, some Republicans, particularly in the House of Representatives, would likely be reluctant to agree to more aid to Ukraine.