Cough, sniffle, ache<\/p>\n
Don’t forget your vitamin C<\/a>: Flu is surging across the country amid a\u00a0busy holiday travel time.<\/p>\n The state of New York is among those most heavily hit. For the week ending Dec. 20, the state reported its highest number of positive flu cases ever recorded in a single week, according to\u00a0the New York State Department of Health. That represented an increase of 38% over the previous week, the department said.<\/p>\n The increase in seasonal flu activity across the United States is similar to several past seasons,\u00a0the CDC says. But it comes along with\u00a0a new flu strain. Health officials have been concerned the current flu vaccine may be a mismatch to the new variant, but they are confident it has protection against serious illness.<\/p>\n Also potentially contributing to an increase in flu: a decline in Americans getting flu shots<\/a>.<\/p>\n More news to know now<\/p>\n Trump says “thorny’ issues remain after peace talks with Zelenskyy. A trip to President\u00a0Donald Trump’s Florida resort by Ukrainian leader\u00a0Volodymyr Zelenskyy failed to cement a peace plan<\/a> for his\u00a0war-torn nation. Among the toughest issues is the question of territorial concessions.<\/p>\n Investors know about the AI bubble. They’re buying AI stock anyway. Despite the bubble talk,\u00a0AI stocks have continued their\u00a0ascent<\/a>\u00a0even though many believe the\u00a0stocks are historically overpriced.\u00a0Nvidia was up about 36% through Dec. 23. Alphabet was up about 66%.<\/p>\n Can border control use Face ID to unlock my phone? Technically, yes<\/a>, since biometrics are less secure. “Agents can hold your phone up to your face to unlock it without your consent,” according to the ACLU’s\u00a0website.<\/p>\n Take a look<\/p>\n Flowing through the slalom Mikaela Shiffrin competes at the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Women’s Slalom on Dec. 28, 2025 in Semmering, Austria.<\/p>\n American skier Mikaela Shiffrin\u00a0extended her win streak<\/a> in epic fashion. Shiffrin, 30, erased a 0.54-second deficit, her largest in more than a decade, to win the slalom in Semmering, Austria, on Sunday. She is now five-for-five in slalom races this season, and has won six in a row going back to last season.<\/p>\n Something to talk about<\/p>\n They turned a fantasy card game into real community<\/p>\n Magic: The Gathering offers players an escape from reality,\u00a0where they cast spells and summon creatures rather than worrying about their 9-to-5s. But entering the fantasy world\u00a0often\u00a0comes at a cost: Decks can run players\u00a0hundreds or even thousands of dollars,\u00a0depending on card rarity. But proxies, or unofficial stand-in cards to represent\u00a0cards not in a player’s collection, and the 2019 launch of MTG Arena,\u00a0a free-to-play online version of the game, have opened the door to these Black players<\/a>.<\/p>\n Before you go<\/p>\n Have feedback on the Daily Briefing?\u00a0Shoot\u00a0Nicole an email at\u00a0NFallert@usatoday.com.<\/p>\n This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Flu, winter weather, travel, New Years, Ukraine, AI bubble, immigration, NFL playoffs: Daily Briefing<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Mikaela](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/cc3559ee6250dc9101d57f0772571ae2.webp\"\/)
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