Iraqi Polls Open In First Elections Since Victory Over Isis

LOS ANGELES — Hannah Kobayashi, the missing Hawaii woman whose disappearance prompted a massive search and a missing persons investigation in Los Angeles, has been found safe, police said Wednesday. Kobayashi vanished last month in Los Angeles. She missed her connecting flight and planned to explore the city the next day, but subsequent text messages to her family—and an inability to then reach her—alarmed them so much that they later reported her missing. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Other details about her disappearance, as well as where and how she was found, were not immediately available Wednesday, but police previously said she was “voluntarily missing” and had gone on her own will across the border into Mexico. “We are happy to learn that Hannah has been found safe,” the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement.

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday that he’s picking Kari Lake as director of Voice of America, installing a staunch loyalist who ran unsuccessfully for Arizona governor and a Senate seat to head the congressionally funded broadcaster that provides independent news reporting around the world. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Lake, an immigration hard-liner, was a television news anchor in Phoenix for nearly three decades until she left in 2021 after making a series of controversial statements on social media, including sharing COVID-19 misinformation during the pandemic. Telegenic, engaging and adept at communicating, Lake launched her political career a short time later, quickly building a loyal following and national profile as she sparred with journalists and echoed Trump in her sharp criticism of what she called the “fake news.” In a statement, Trump said Lake would be ultimately be appointed by and work closely with the head of the U.

TIME Athlete of the Year Caitlin Clark shared her excitement for the future of the WNBA—and women’s sports as a whole—during a conversation with NBC sports producer and broadcaster Maria Taylor at the “A Year in TIME” event in New York on Dec. 11. Coinciding with the release of TIME’s Person of the Year issue, the event also included a performance from TIME’s Icon of the Year, Elton John and a conversation with TIME’s CEO of the Year, Lisa Su. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] From finishing up her final year in college at the University of Iowa (where she set multiple NCAA Division 1 records), to completing her first season with the Indiana Fever as WNBA Rookie of the Year, Clark admitted that it has been a whirlwind of a year for her, especially at just age 22. Though she admitted it’s “hard to wrap my head around” the spotlight at times, Clark shared that she takes the responsibility of being a performer and role model for young people very seriously, and she believes this kind of attention is going to become more normal for women’s sports players more broadly. “It’s special to see those young girls and those young boys that bring signs or are with their mom or dad … That’s a memory that they’re going to share forever,” Clark said.

TIME Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs had a wide-ranging conversation with the leader named TIME’s 2024 CEO of the Year, Lisa Su, chair and CEO of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) on Dec. 11 over dinner in New York City. Coinciding with the rollout of TIME’s Person of the Year issue, the “Year in TIME” event also featured a conversation with TIME’s 2024 “Athlete of the Year,” WNBA star Caitlin Clark, and a performance by the 2024 Icon of the Year, the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) award-winning musician Elton John. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Semiconductors, or chips, power computers, phones, cars, internet services, and artificial intelligence programs.

Six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach Bill Belichick has agreed to a five-year deal to become the next coach at North Carolina. The school announced the hiring Wednesday night, roughly a week after the 72-year-old Belichick’s name surfaced as an unlikely candidate to replace the program’s winningest all-time coach in Mack Brown. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The deal requires approval by UNC trustees, though that board hadn’t announced a new meeting as of Wednesday night.

By ROB MAADDI and AARON BEARD Bill Belichick had seemingly been waiting for the right opportunity to return to an NFL sideline. Instead, the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach is headed to the college ranks to take over at North Carolina. The school announced it had reached a five-year deal with Belichick on Wednesday night, roughly a week after Belichick’s name surfaced as an unlikely candidate to replace the program’s winningest coach in Mack Brown.