- True to form, Donald Trump [1] has selected another controversial pick to fill his cabinet. On Thursday morning, Trump nominated Andrew Puzder [2] as head of the Department of Labor. Puzder is a contentious choice given that he is the CEO of CKE Restaurants Inc., which operates Carl's Jr. and Hardee's. Unsurprisingly, Puzder is also an outspoken critic of raising the minimum wage to $15.
- Congratulations are in order for Sir Mick Jagger. The 73-year-old Rolling Stones frontman just welcomed his eighth child [3] into the world. His 29-year-old girlfriend, American ballerina Melanie Hamrick, gave birth to a baby boy on Thursday.
- Turns out, the internet skeptics were right. All three of Jill Stein's long-shot recount efforts [4] were basically blocked as of Thursday morning. The recount in Wisconsin is 70 percent done, and Trump has maintained his lead there. Meanwhile, the recount in Michigan was stopped after three days because Stein did not qualify as an "aggrieved" candidate. Stein's recount request in Pennsylvania hinges on a federal court ruling on Friday.
- Tectonic plates are shifty today. After a 6.5 earthquake struck about 100 miles off the coast of Northern California [5] this morning, another more powerful quake struck the Solomon Islands [6]. The 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the island nation in the South Pacific immediately triggered a tsunami warning. No immediate damage was reported for either earthquake.
- The moment you've been waiting for is here. Pantone announced its color of the year for 2017: Greenery [7]. Pantone described the color as a "yellow-green shade," and anyone who can't wait for 2016 to be over will be glad to know it's also "symbolic of new beginnings."