NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Dionne Warwick, BeBe Winans, Darlene Love and a large choir helped rejoice the lifetime of gospel icon Cissy Houston throughout a music-filled memorial Thursday within the Duchess of Gospel’s hometown of Newark.

The ceremony at New Hope Baptist Church — the place Houston was a congregant and choir chief for many years — was embellished with framed photographs of Houston and her coffin was positioned in entrance of the pulpit. The church additionally held daughter Whitney Houston’s funeral greater than a decade in the past.

“She gave a lot. She gave me the proper to be me,” mentioned Warwick, 83, the 91-year-old Houston’s niece. “Cissy, I’m going to overlook you.”

Houston, a two-time Grammy-winning soul and gospel artist who sang with Aretha Franklin and Elvis Presley, died Oct. 7. In her honor, her oldest son, Gary, sang “Freedom” and Love sang “It Is Effectively with My Soul.”

A portrait emerged from the audio system of a girl of nice religion and deep love but in addition one who suffered fools poorly. “Nobody else might lower you in Jesus’ title,” Winans joked because the mourners roared. “You didn’t must say phrases. She might lower you along with her eyes.”

He additionally instructed a narrative of her compassion: When Whitney Houston died, Winans obtained a name from Cissy. “I’m simply calling to verify on you,” she instructed him. ”At that second, her power grew to become my power.”

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka learn a proclamation created in her honor and Gov. Phil Murphy referred to as Houston a “musical legend” who “embodied the very soul of New Jersey.”

“Whereas every one in all us are born with a voice, solely a choose few of us are endowed with a voice that’s highly effective sufficient to succeed in into the hearts of thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands of listeners all over the world, a voice that’s highly effective sufficient to appease the ache of heartbreak or to hold the euphoria of falling in love,” the governor mentioned.

A church performer from an early age, Houston was a part of a household gospel act earlier than breaking by means of in common music within the Nineteen Sixties as a member of the outstanding backing group The Candy Inspirations with Doris Troy and her niece Dee Dee Warwick. The group sang backup for a wide range of soul singers together with Otis Redding, Lou Rawls and The Drifters. Additionally they sang backup for Dionne Warwick.

Houston’s many credit included Franklin’s “Suppose” and ”(You Make Me Really feel Like) A Pure Lady,” Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Lady” and Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man.” The Candy Inspirations additionally sang on stage with Presley.

The Candy Inspirations had their very own prime 20 single with the soul-rock “Candy Inspiration,” made within the Memphis studio the place Franklin and Springfield amongst others recorded hits and launched 4 albums simply within the late ’60s.

Houston grew to become an in-demand session singer and recorded greater than 600 songs in a number of genres all through her profession. Her vocals will be heard on tracks alongside a variety of artists together with Chaka Khan, Donny Hathaway, Jimi Hendrix, Luther Vandross, Beyoncé, Paul Simon, Roberta Flack and Whitney Houston.

Israel has confirmed the demise of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, an Israeli official with information of the matter tells NPR.

The Israeli authorities believes he was the mastermind behind Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, assault on Israel.

Israel presumes Sinwar had been hiding in tunnels, with some analysts speculating he surrounded himself with Israeli hostages to guard him from assassination makes an attempt.

The army stated there have been no indicators of Israeli hostages within the space of the constructing the place the three militants have been killed and that troops have been working within the space with “warning.”

The army stated earlier three militants have been and that Israel’s Shin Guess home intelligence company was wanting into whether or not one in all them was Sinwar — Israel’s No. 1 most wished man in Gaza.

An official aware of the matter talking anonymously to reveal extra particulars stated the militants have been killed Wednesday in an Israeli firefight in southern Gaza. The official stated a physique is being checked for a match with Sinwar’s DNA.

Sinwar was the chief of Hamas in Gaza when the Palestinian militant group led a shock assault on Israel simply over a 12 months in the past, killing some 1,200 folks and taking round 250 hostages, in response to Israeli officers. About 100 hostages are nonetheless being held in Gaza, round a 3rd of whom are believed to be useless.

He was appointed the chief of all the group after Israel killed his predecessor, Ismail Haniyeh, in an explosion in Tehran in July. The Israeli army additionally stated it had killed the pinnacle of Hamas’ army wing, Mohammed Deif, in an airstrike in July. The Israeli army had earlier killed Hamas’ deputy political chief Salah Arouri in a bombing in Beirut in January.

Following the Oct. 7, 2023, assault, Israel’s army marketing campaign in Gaza has killed greater than 42,400 Palestinians and injured greater than 99,000, in response to Gaza’s Well being Ministry.

Born on Oct. 29, 1962, in response to Hamas, Sinwar helped discovered the group’s inside safety equipment within the late Nineteen Eighties. He earned a nickname amongst Palestinians: the “butcher of Khan Younis,” the place he grew up within the southern Gaza Strip.

Sinwar was seen as a hard-liner inside Hamas, much less prone to attain a ceasefire take care of Israel than different extra pragmatic leaders. He was believed to have been directing operations from the group’s intensive tunnel community beneath the Gaza Strip, speaking with the skin world by the use of handwritten notes delivered by couriers to keep away from Israeli air strikes which have killed tens of 1000’s of Palestinians within the besieged coastal enclave.

Yayha Sinwar has been a central determine in Hamas for many years, and essentially the most pivotal individual behind the Oct. 7, 2023, assault on Israel and the bloody battle in Gaza that has adopted within the 12 months since then.

A brief wiry man with shut cropped hair that’s now white, Sinwar was identified for his obsessive ranges of secrecy and safety precautions, and was labeled a psychopath by Israeli politicians and safety officers.

Sinwar’s demise in an Israeli assault in Gaza fulfilled a promise made by Israeli leaders made final 12 months, together with Protection Minister Yoav Gallant, who swore they’d assassinate him in retribution for the wave of killings and hostage-taking that horrified Israel a 12 months in the past.

Sinwar was broadly believed to be answerable for the choice to take captives again to the Palestinian territory, in a transfer that has irrevocably modified the course of Israeli-Palestinian historical past.

He had spent greater than twenty years inside Israeli prisons, earlier than successful his freedom 12 years in the past in a hostage ransom deal of the sort he hoped to dealer throughout the present battle.

Final 12 months’s Oct. 7 assault received Hamas help amongst many Palestinians, lots of whom regard it as resisting a long time of Israeli subjugation.

Prior to now 12 months, most Palestinians and Israelis imagined Sinwar had been staying largely underground in some a part of the in depth tunnel community that has bedeviled the Israeli army because it has operated inside Gaza.

However his position throughout repeated rounds of on-again, off-again cease-fire talks between Hamas and Israel — brokered by the US, Egypt and Qatar — supplied him with important affect, as he continued attempting to outmaneuver Israel, and survive.

Born on Oct. 29, 1962, in line with Hamas, Sinwar helped discovered the group’s inner safety equipment within the late Nineteen Eighties. He earned a nickname amongst Palestinians: the butcher of Khan Younis, the place he grew up in southern Gaza. His position in Hamas for years was to assist root out suspected Palestinian informants for Israel.

He was imprisoned in Israel on 4 life sentences in 1988, accused of taking part in a job in killing Israeli troopers and 4 suspected Palestinian collaborators with Israel.

“He [has] so many secrets and techniques,” says his former jail mate, Esmat Mansour, who now serves as a commentator of present affairs in Arabic-language media.

Mansour remembers that Sinwar had assembled a small crew of confidants who would smuggle cellphones into jail, interrogate new prisoners about how they’d been caught getting ready an assault towards Israel, and catch Palestinian inmates serving as informants for Israel.

“So many spies,” Mansour mentioned throughout a dialog with NPR within the Palestinian metropolis of Ramallah.

In 2006, Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was captured by Hamas and held hostage in Gaza for 5 years. The person who guarded the captive soldier was none aside from Sinwar’s personal brother, Mohammed.

In 2011, Hamas freed the captive soldier in alternate for greater than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. Sinwar’s brother made certain Sinwar was amongst them.

“All of the prisoners [looked] at him as a person who can resolve about their life,” Mansour says.

His VIP standing in jail, and return to Gaza with the launched prisoners, helped Sinwar rise the ranks to guide the Gaza department of the group, which is designated as a terrorist group by a number of nations together with the US.

However over time, he very hardly ever appeared in public, assembly with teams of international journalists solely twice, round intervals of battle with Israel.

“Your presence for us is a giant accomplishment and asset for our folks and our trigger,” he informed visiting reporters at a 2018 press convention in Gaza Metropolis that lasted two hours.

On the time, Hamas was holding two Israeli residents and the our bodies of two killed Israeli troopers. When NPR requested Sinwar in regards to the captives, he mentioned it was a confidential file he wasn’t ready to speak about.

Hamas had been encouraging violent protests alongside the Israeli border fence of the blockaded Gaza Strip throughout this era. He mentioned it was a technique he discovered from his starvation strikes in Israeli jail, the place he mentioned Palestinian prisoners had protested higher situations from their Israeli jailers.

The technique appeared to work.

Hamas and Israel, which don’t communicate instantly to one another, reached an oblique association generally known as “quiet for quiet.” Hamas agreed to chill hostilities and Israel agreed to ease Gaza’s excessive unemployment charge, granting coveted Israeli work permits to 1000’s of laborers from the territory.

A 2021 Hamas-Israel struggle had torpedoed that unofficial settlement. Sinwar gave one other press convention to international media after the 2021 spherical of combating, denying that Hamas had routed worldwide humanitarian assist to its clandestine effort to construct underground tunnels for Hamas fighters.

Israel’s permits for employees from Gaza resumed, and surged to increased numbers, whereas combating between Gaza and Israel ceased. The variety of work permits Israel granted Gaza laborers, earlier than the present struggle, surpassed 8,000.

Eyal Hulata, who served as Israel’s nationwide safety adviser final 12 months, thought this technique purchased Israel some quiet on the Gaza border.

“I do not know. I assumed we had an understanding what Sinwar’s considering was, and this was so fallacious,” Hulata informed NPR in a latest briefing with journalists.

When Hamas fighters stormed the border, killed about 1,200 folks and took again to Gaza a minimum of 240 captives, in line with Israeli officers, Israeli society alongside the nation’s political and army elite had been largely confounded, and deeply shocked.

In response, Israel’s army marketing campaign in Gaza has killed greater than 42,400 Palestinians and injured greater than 99,000, in line with Gaza’s Well being Ministry.

Sinwar was the Gaza Strip’s chief of Hamas on the time of final 12 months’s Oct. 7 assault. In August this 12 months, he took over as the highest political chief of the Hamas group after the assassination of its political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Iran, presumably by Israel.

On the time, Sinwar was one in every of Hamas’ few remaining senior officers after the assassinations of Haniyeh, deputy political chief Salah Arouri in January and prime army commander Mohammed Deif in July. Israel confirmed the killing of Deif and is presumed to have carried out the opposite assassinations.

David Meidan, the Israeli negotiator who, together with different officers, had accepted Sinwar’s launch from jail in 2011 throughout an alternate that noticed Palestinian prisoners launched in return for a single Israeli captive soldier, says Sinwar’s technique with the Oct. 7, 2023, assault was related.

“To start with, to seize most hostages, and to make use of them as a software to launch his pals,” Meidan says.

Sinwar had been unable to safe that launch of his fellow jail mates with whom he spent years behind bars in Israel. However final 12 months, Israel did free a number of Palestinian girls and minors jailed over the prior few years, in alternate for Hamas releasing among the Israeli hostages taken to Gaza final October.

Throughout that point in late November 2023, either side agreed to a brief cease-fire within the struggle. For each 10 hostages Hamas launched per day, Israel prolonged the cease-fire one other day and launched 30 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

Many Israelis apprehensive {that a} pause in combating would assist Hamas fighters regroup, and depart extra time for worldwide stress to mount towards Israel resuming its army assault. However Israel renewed fight in Gaza, following a dispute over the form of hostages Hamas provided to launch and renewed Gaza rocket hearth onto Israel.

Meidan mentioned the pause in combating had helped Sinwar purchase time — which might be key to his survival. After the final Israel-Hamas struggle in 2021, Sinwar had dared Israel to assassinate him, and walked brazenly within the streets of Gaza.

That was not an method he subsequently repeated, however he has nonetheless been killed.

Editor’s word: That is an up to date model of a profile of Yahya Sinwar printed on Dec. 3, 2023.

“Shrinking” has been renewed for Season 3 at Apple TV+.

Co-created by Jason Segel, Invoice Lawrence and Brett Goldstein, the present follows “grieving therapist Jimmy (Segel), who begins to interrupt the foundations and inform his shoppers precisely what he thinks. Ignoring his coaching and ethics, he finds himself making large, tumultuous modifications to individuals’s lives … together with his personal,” per the official description.

Along with Segel, “Shrinking” stars Harrison Ford (as Paul) in considered one of his first tv roles, Christa Miller (Liz), Jessica Williams (Gaby), Luke Tennie (Sean), Michael Urie (Brian), Lukita Maxwell (Alice) and Ted McGinley (Derek). Goldstein additionally makes a visitor star look within the second season.

The information of the renewal was introduced Thursday at New York Comedian Con, the place creators Segel and Goldstein, together with members of the “Shrinking” forged, appeared for a particular dialogue round Season 2. The primary two episodes of the most recent season at the moment are streaming on Apple TV+, and new episodes premiere each Wednesday.

“I’m so fortunate to work on ‘Shrinking’ with actors, writers and a crew so proficient that all of them elevate the fabric,” mentioned Lawrence in an announcement. “I’m even luckier that they’re individuals I’d wish to spend time with anyway. Enormous due to to Apple TV+ and Warner Bros. for the wonderful partnership and help. So grateful we get to maintain making this present. Onward!” 

Matt Cherniss, head of programming for Apple TV+, added: “It has been great to observe audiences all over the world fall within the love with the memorable characters and wealthy world that Invoice, Brett and Jason have created in ‘Shrinking.’ We’re extremely excited for viewers to see the place life takes Jimmy, Paul, Liz, Gabby, Alice, Sean, Brian and Derek, subsequent as they proceed on their transferring, heartwarming and really humorous journey in Season 3.”

“Shrinking” is produced for Apple TV+ by Warner Bros. Tv, the place Lawrence and Goldstein are below general offers, and Lawrence’s Doozer Productions. Lawrence, Segel, Goldstein, Neil Goldman, James Ponsoldt, Jeff Ingold, Liza Katzer, Randall Winston, Annie Mebane, Rachna Fruchbom and Brian Gallivan all function govt producers on Season 2. Ashley Nicole Black and Invoice Posley will function govt producers on the third season.

“Shrinking” marks the third partnership for Apple, Lawrence and Warner Bros. Tv, alongside “Ted Lasso” and “Unhealthy Monkey.” The present additionally marks the second collaboration for Apple TV+ and Segel, following his starring position within the 2022 Apple Unique Movie “The Sky Is In all places.”

MIAMI (AP) — Demetrius “Large Meech” Flenory, who co-founded the infamous drug trafficking group Black Mafia Household, will serve the rest of his jail sentence in a residential reentry program in Miami, in response to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Flenory, 56, was initially sentenced to 30 years in jail following his 2008 conviction for drug trafficking and cash laundering. He was not too long ago transferred to the residential program in Miami.

Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson introduced the story of Flenory and his brother Terry Flenory to Starz in an eight episode collection “BMF” in 2021. The collection delved into the Eighties backstory of the brothers as they emerged from inner-city Detroit to develop into rich drug kingpins embraced by hip-hop tradition.

Demetrius Flenory was arrested in 2005. His sentence ends on Jan. 27, 2026, in response to the federal jail web site. Till then, he will probably be monitored by the residential reentry heart in Miami, which is chargeable for offering federal offenders with community-based companies to help with their reentry wants.

Terry Flenory, 54, is serving out his sentence on related expenses at a residential reentry heart in Detroit. He has an launch date of Aug. 17, 2025, in response to the the federal jail web site.

Demetrius Flenory’s lawyer, Brittany Ok. Barnett, didn’t instantly reply to an e-mail looking for remark about his switch to Miami.

Shrinking has booked extra classes at Apple.

The remedy comedy starring Jason Segel has been renewed for a 3rd season on the streamer. The information comes on the heels of Tuesday’s season two launch.

Created by Segel with Invoice Lawrence and Brett Goldstein — the latter, who joined the solid in a key visitor function for the second season — the solid additionally consists of Harrison Ford in one among his first tv roles.

The renewal information was introduced Thursday at New York Comedian Con when Segel and Goldstein — together with castmembers Christa Miller, Jessica Williams, Luke Tennie, Michael Urie, Lukita Maxwell and Ted McGinley — took the Foremost Stage for a dialogue round season two, which is now streaming its first two episodes.

“I’m so fortunate to work on Shrinking with actors, writers and a crew so proficient that all of them elevate the fabric,” stated co-creator and government producer Lawrence in an announcement. “I’m even luckier that they’re individuals I’d need to spend time with anyway. Big because of to Apple TV+ and Warner Bros. for the wonderful partnership and assist. So grateful we get to maintain making this present. Onward!”

Matt Cherniss, head of programming for Apple TV+, added: “It has been fantastic to look at audiences around the globe fall within the love with the memorable characters and wealthy world that Invoice, Brett and Jason have created. We’re extremely excited for viewers to see the place life takes Jimmy, Paul, Liz, Gabby, Alice, Sean, Brian and Derek, subsequent as they proceed on their shifting, heartwarming and really humorous journey in season three.”

Shrinking follows grieving therapist Jimmy (Segel) who begins to interrupt the principles and inform his shoppers precisely what he thinks. Ignoring his coaching and ethics, he finds himself making large, tumultuous modifications to individuals’s lives, together with his personal. The primary season ended on a serious cliffhanger.

Lawrence and his co-creators have stated they pitched Shrinking to Apple with a three-season plan, however in a season two premiere chat with The Hollywood Reporter, Lawrence stated that maybe they wouldn’t cease at three.

“I used to be speaking to my nice companions at Apple,” he stated in a narrative printed this week. “In the event that they need to preserve doing Shrinking, I might completely preserve doing it. I simply suppose that the story of Jason Segel’s character, Jimmy’s spouse dying and coping with that and getting via that, in case you’re after six years, nonetheless going, ‘I’m nonetheless unhappy about that factor that occurred 5 years in the past,’ I’m like, ‘All proper, you gotta inform a brand new story.’”

Lawrence additionally just lately wrapped the primary season of his Dangerous Monkey comedy with Apple, marking his third challenge with the streamer following the Emmy-winning Ted Lasso, which stays up within the air on a season 4. “I’m going to politely say I’m in for regardless of the captain of the ship needs me to be in for,” Lawrence added about Jason Sudeikis being the one who will finally reveal if and when they may do extra Ted Lasso. “There might be a plan put into motion quickly, however thus far the plan isn’t in motion,” Goldstein, who additionally stars on Ted Lasso, just lately echoed to THR.

Segel, in the meantime, beforehand starred in Apple film The Sky is In all places.

Shrinking is produced for Apple TV+ by Warner Bros. Tv, the place Lawrence and Goldstein are underneath general offers and Lawrence’s Doozer Productions. Lawrence, Segel, Goldstein, Neil Goldman, James Ponsoldt, Jeff Ingold, Liza Katzer, Randall Winston, Annie Mebane, Rachna Fruchbom and Brian Gallivan, Ashley Nicole Black and Invoice Posley are government producers.

New episodes of Shrinking drop Wednesdays on Apple TV+ till the finale on Dec. 25. Learn THR’s full season two chat with Lawrence.

Some Social Safety recipients could get a shock in November: an additional test.

Don’t fret about that should you get Social Safety, there’s nothing uncommon in regards to the state of affairs. When you control the Social Safety Administration’s fee schedule chances are you’ll have already got a deal with on it.

By a quirk of the calendar, these Social Safety beneficiaries who additionally get Supplemental Safety Revenue (SSI) will get three checks within the month of November: two SSI funds along with their month-to-month Social Safety test, government-issued retirement earnings for these 62 and older.

Nevertheless, SSI recipients is not going to get a test within the following month, December. SSI recipients confronted the identical state of affairs in August once they bought two checks and no SSI test in September.

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Why are SSI recipients getting two checks in November?

The quirk within the calendar occurs in November as a result of Supplemental Safety Revenue (SSI) advantages – further funds past Social Safety for these with little or no earnings and really restricted assets – come out on the primary enterprise day of every month.

SSI recipients will get their November fee on Nov. 1, however since Dec. 1 falls on a Sunday this yr, SSI funds for December can be distributed on Friday, Nov. 29, in response to the SSA calendar.

The 2025 calendar is on-line, too, and there can be related calendar quirks within the coming yr. For example, SSI recipients will get their January 2025 fee on Dec. 31, 2024. Then they may get their February 2025 fee on Jan. 31, 2025, and their March 2025 fee on Feb., 28, 2025.

Which means SSI beneficiaries will get no fee within the month of March. In Might 2025, they may also get two funds however none in June.

What’s SSI?

SSI gives funds to individuals with restricted earnings assets who’re 65 or older, blind, or those that have a qualifying incapacity – together with youngsters with a qualifying incapacity – the SSA web site says. For adults, SSI is usually for these who don’t earn greater than $1,971 from work every month.

When you suppose you might be eligible for SSI, a brand new, streamlined course of for Individuals to use for SSI advantages is scheduled to be rolled out later this yr.

November Social Safety fee schedule

The Social Safety Administration’s yearly distribution schedules can be found on-line so you should use the calendar for budgeting functions.

Common Social Safety retirement advantages can be despatched out on the SSA’s regular schedule:

◾ Wednesday, Nov. 13: Start dates between the first and tenth of the month.

◾ Wednesday, Nov. 20: Start dates between the eleventh and the twentieth of the month.

◾ Wednesday, Nov. 27: Start dates between the twenty first and the thirty first of the month.

Contributing: Susan Tompor and Mary Walrath-Holdridge.

Comply with Mike Snider on X and Threads: @mikesnider & mikegsnider.

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DETROIT (AP) — Hyundai is telling the homeowners of almost 1,600 Nexo hydrogen gasoline cell autos within the U.S. and Canada to park them open air and away from buildings as a result of danger of gasoline leaks and potential fires.

The Korean automaker is recalling the hydrogen-powered SUVs from the 2019 by means of 2024 mannequin years.

Hyundai says in paperwork posted Thursday by U.S. security regulators {that a} stress aid system can break and trigger a hydrogen leak. That would trigger a fireplace even whereas the SUVs are parked.

The corporate says the SUVs can nonetheless be pushed however must be parked outdoors till repairs are made.

Hyundai says it has no reviews of fires or accidents within the U.S. or Canada. Messages had been left Thursday asking if there have been fires in different nations.

House owners will probably be notified by letter beginning Dec. 10. Sellers will change the stress launch units.

The automaker stated in a press release that it’s doing the recall “to make sure the security of its clients.”