Test Scores Up, Butwith 'cult' Methods?

They say the best things in life are free, so perhaps the second best things cost just a little bit more. In this gift guide, we’ve curated a collection of fun, funky, useful, and thoughtful gifts—all under $55—that prove you don’t need a big budget to make a lasting impression.

This article is part of The D. C. Brief, TIME’s politics newsletter. Sign up here to get stories like this sent to your inbox. Inside Donald Trump’s hermetically sealed bubble of supporters, it’s become something of a given that the former and future President can simply bypass Congress and magically fill his Cabinet with the loyalists of his choosing.

NEW YORK — New York City on Monday issued its first drought warning in 22 years and paused major repairs to its main water aqueduct out of concern for the lack of rainfall. Dry conditions across the Northeast have been blamed for hundreds of brush fires. They had already prompted New York City and state officials to implement water-conservation protocols when Mayor Eric Adams upgraded the drought warning and temporarily halted the $2 billion Delaware Aqueduct project, which was intended to repair leaks in the 80-year-old tunnel. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Last week, a park on the northern tip of Manhattan caught fire, sending smoke billowing across the city — less than a week after a brush fire in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. The city may elevate the warning to an emergency if dry conditions persist, Adams said.

In the town of Utqiaġvik, Alaska, the winters can be particularly brutal. The average temperature of the northernmost town in the U. S. in December rests below zero, and the city undergoes the unique experience of polar night—which for them is a period of more than 60 days of darkness when the residents live without daylight.

A 40-year-old Denver man was struck and killed while crossing an Aurora street late Friday night, police officials said Monday. Related Articles Crime and Public Safety | 2 dead, 1 injured in early morning shooting at Aurora park Crime and Public Safety | Jury finds Denver police officer guilty of harassment for striking handcuffed teenager Crime and Public Safety | Jury trial starts for Denver police officer accused of repeatedly striking handcuffed teen Crime and Public Safety | Jury acquits former Aurora officer of assault in on-duty police shooting, is hung on second count Crime and Public Safety | Colorado on track to see deadliest year for police shootings since 2020, data shows Aurora Police Department officers responded to the hit-and-run crash near South Sable Boulevard and East 2nd Avenue at around 10:45 p.m., the agency said in a news release. The man died at the scene.

Actor and showrunner Natasha Rothwell shares stories about memorable first experiences. Rothwell’s series on Hulu, How to Die Alone, is a first for her too, as both creator and star. How to Die Alone casts Rothwell as Melissa, a self-conscious, self-sabotaging airport worker who has a brush with death during a lonely 35th birthday spent eating takeout and assembling IKEA-like furniture.