Tower of Power has never hit a sour note in the last 55 years, and they didn't break that tradition on the best Christmas record of 2024. 1. Tower of Power, ”It’s Christmas” — Tower of Power Records It’s easier to find a gourmet Christmas dinner at your local 7-11 convenience store than to discover a new solid silver Christmas album to quench your tinsel-thirsty ears this year. Compounding this Christmas conundrum is your format choice. Some are available on CD, album, cassette and streaming platforms but almost none are available on all of your favorite formats. All ten of my top choices are available on CD which will play on your DVD player if you don’t have a CD player anymore. I jumped on Tower of Power’s “It’s Christmas” like a dog on a bone when it was released this August. After all, I’ve been a fan of this Oakland band since the early '70s when as a member of St. Elmo’s Fire, we did light shows for many of their San Diego performances. They were superb musicians and they rocked the crowd with their horn-driven funk soul sound that hit the boogie-bouncing audience with all the force of a fully loaded freight train barreling down a steep mountain pass. Like a kid shaking my presents on Christmas Eve, I must admit that I was a tad disappointed on my first listening of what I had expected to be a funk-driven Christmas stocking full of dance floor delights. While this freight train certainly wasn’t hauling coal, it wasn’t boogieing into the snug station of my soul either. It was not until November when the other sonic sounds of the season were released that I truly understood just how satisfying Tower of Power’s “It’s Christmas” really is. Performed, recorded and mixed precisely, “It’s Christmas” has repeat play power and a year-after-year perpetuation that many of this year’s Yuletide offerings can’t match. Celebrating their 55th anniversary, Tower of Power blends Rhythm and Blues, Funk, Soul and Jazz with traditional holiday classics and two originals on “It’s Christmas.” Known for creating the “Oakland Stroke,” it was a stroke of genius to stoke their lasting legacy and longevity with this stellar holiday hallmark recording. CeCe Winans performs at the 56th annual Academy of Country Music Awards on Saturday, April 17, 2021, at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tenn. The awards show airs on April 18 with both live and prerecorded segments. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) 2. CeCe Winans, ”Joyful Joyful-A Christmas Album” — Pure Springs Gospel 15-time Gospel Grammy Awards winner CeCe Winans summons the season like a siren angel from the top of your Christmas tree. Like beautiful bells ringing out on Christmas day, her revenant resonant voice will be chiming in your ears long after your first listen to “Joyful Joyful-A Christmas Album.” You would not expect anything less than this excelsior exhortation of excellence from the best-selling and most-awarded female gospel singer of all time. 3. Jimmy Fallon, ”Holiday Seasoning” — Republic Records Television’s prince of perfect pop music parodies, Jimmy Fallon sings strings of pop tune giggling garland jingling ding dong themes with this year’s best comedy Christmas album. Guest stars include Ariana Grande, Megan Thee Stallion, Dolly Parton, Justin Timberlake, Will Ferrel, The Roots, Meghan Trainor, Jonas Brothers and Weird Al Yankovic on a New Year’s Eve lollapalooza polka poke-it-all-out rocker. 4. Ben Folds, ”Sleigher” — New-West Records Ben Folds glides this seasonal sleigh straight to your holiday sweet spot with his piano-driven instrumental and vocal memories of Christmas past, present and future. Folds unfolds his original and reimagined Christmas classics with a poignant, humorous and jazzy but never cheesy look at Christmas cheer. The album will probably surprise some Folds fans but certainly not disappoint them and there’s no doubt “Sleigher” will convert some new listeners to the fold. 5. Brett Eldridge, "Merry Christmas (Welcome To The Family)" — Warm And Crazy Records Brett Eldridge is a Country singer-songwriter but this is not your traditional Country Christmas album. As the title promises, this is Eldridge’s sonic Christmas card to family, friends, fans and neighbors. Wrapped in a pretty-paper-present voice and style, this album will warm the hearts beyond the reach of Country music fans. Eldridge’s “Merry Christmas (Welcome To The Family} is the real deal feel-good Christmas album of the year. 6. Robert Glasper, ”In December” — Loma Vista Recordings Five-time Grammy-winning pianist, composer and producer Robert Glasper reimagines Christmas classics in a non-traditional variety of R&B, Soul and jazz moods with his first holiday record. Glasper says that the album has less to do with Christmas carols and more to do with how songs make you feel good during the holidays. He is right. Vince Gill, left, and Amy Grant perform at Christmas at the Ryman at Ryman Auditorium, on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2019, in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo by Al Wagner/Invision/AP) 7. Little Big Town, ”The Christmas Record” — Capitol Records Nashville It’s taken over a quarter of a century for this multi-platinum-selling Little Big Town country band to record their first Christmas record. It was well worth the wait as Little Big Town is now at the top of its career. Wrapped in the four-part harmony that this Alabamy Grammy-winning country quartet is known for, they tied this one up with a big pretty Christmas bow on their opening track “Glow.” Little Big Town made the right decision to take their own sweet time to make this album. Their “The Christmas Record” is a memorable holiday album with great harmony and a variety of arrangements. 8. Jennifer Hudson, ”The Gift of Love” — JHVD Productions-Interscope Records EGOT winner Jennifer Hudson fires an opening salvo with Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” on the opening track and never leaves that lofty perch on her first holiday album of Soul, Gospel, hip-hop with just a hint of world music. Hudson combines classic holiday covers and new original holiday music with a show-stopping full-throated accuracy. 9. Amy Grant & Vince Gill, ”When I Think of Christmas” — MCA Nashville Remastered Christmas compilation of Amy Grant’s favorite songs from her five previous Christmas albums with two new tracks featuring a duet with the country couple. “Til The Season Comes Round Again” is new and the first ever Christmas duet recorded by both Amy and Vince. The title track is a new solo song by Amy. 10. Toby Keith, ”Christmas to Christmas” This is the re-release of the late Toby Keith’s 1995 third album and his first holiday offering with the bonus addition of Roger Miller’s “Old Toy Trains.” “Christmas to Christmas” is a warm, serious and sometimes humorous fitting farewell to the beloved country artist who passed away this past February.( ) stock slid in Friday trading after a report that Advance Magazine Publishers plans to borrow against its large Reddit stake. The slide is taking a bite out of a big recent run for the social media stock. reported late Thursday that Advance — which owns the major magazine publisher Conde Nast — planned to establish a credit facility using as much as $1.2 billion of its stake in Reddit. That includes selling 7.8 million shares priced between $145.38 to $148.54, Bloomberg reported, compared to Reddit's closing price on Thursday of 158.02. Citing unnamed sources, Bloomberg added that Advance "is buying derivatives on the shares, which will allow it to maintain its ownership stake while enabling it to create the credit facility." On the stock market today, Reddit stock is down more than 7% at 146.55 in afternoon trades. Shares surged 16% Thursday and are still ahead nearly 18% this week. Reddit Stock Up 191% Since IPO Reddit stock has soared since its initial public offering in March. Shares turned red-hot after the company posted a surprise profit with its in late October. Reddit stock is up 25% in November and gained 81% in October. Advance, through Conde Nast, acquired Reddit in 2006 for $10 million before spinning the startup back out five years later. It remains one of the company's largest shareholders. Bloomberg's report added that the details of Advance's plan have not yet been finalized and could change. Separately, China tech giant ( ) that it sold roughly $400 million in Reddit stock this month. The sales cut Tencent's stake in Reddit by about 28% to around 7.75 million shares, according to Dow Jones Newswires. Tencent venture funding round for Reddit in 2019 that valued the company at $3 billion. Reddit from a cup-with-handle base buy point of 69.11 on Oct. 4. The stock then gapped up a massive 42% on Oct. 30, after the company's third quarter earnings report. Reddit's IBD Composite Rating is 95 out of a best-possible 99, according to . The score combines five separate proprietary ratings into one rating. The best growth stocks have a Composite Rating of 90 or better. Reddit stock is also on the premier list, as well as IBD's and lists.

ALTOONA, Pa. — The suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO struggled with deputies and shouted Tuesday while arriving for a court appearance in Pennsylvania, a day after he was arrested at a McDonald’s and charged with murder. Luigi Nicholas Mangione emerged from a patrol car, spun toward reporters and shouted something partly unintelligible referring to an “insult to the intelligence of the American people” while deputies pushed him inside. Prosecutors began to take steps to bring Mangione back to New York to face a murder charge while new details emerged about his life and how he was captured. The 26-year-old Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland real estate family was charged with murder hours after he was arrested in the Manhattan killing of Brian Thompson, who led the United States’ largest medical insurance company. At the brief hearing, defense lawyer Thomas Dickey informed the court that Mangione would not waive extradition to New York but instead wants a hearing on the issue. He has 14 days to challenge detention. Mangione likely was motivated by his anger with what he called “parasitic” health insurance companies and a disdain for corporate greed, a law enforcement bulletin obtained by The Associated Press said. He wrote that the U.S. has the most expensive health care system in the world and that profits of major corporations continue to increase while “our life expectancy” does not, according to the bulletin, based on a review of his hand-written notes and social media posts. Mangione called “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski a “political revolutionary” and may have found inspiration from the man who carried out a series of bombings while railing against modern society and technology, according to the bulletin. Mangione remained jailed in Pennsylvania, where he was initially charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police. Manhattan prosecutors obtained an arrest warrant, a step that could help expedite his extradition from Pennsylvania. Mangione was arrested Monday in Altoona, Pennsylvania — about 230 miles west of New York City — after a McDonald’s customer recognized him and notified an employee, authorities said. Thompson, 50, was killed Wednesday as he walked alone to a Manhattan hotel for an investor conference. Police saw the shooting as a targeted attack. Get local news delivered to your inbox!

Costco to stop selling books at most US locations starting next yearForeign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly is not escalating a war of words with Mexico, after the Mexican president criticized Canada’s culture and its framing of border issues. “I fundamentally believe that many conversations, when it comes to diplomacy, are always better when they remain private,” Joly said Monday during a teleconference from Brussels. The rift between the two trading partners started with U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s declaration that he plans to impose 25 per cent tariffs on all goods from both countries unless they stop the flow of migrants and illegal drugs into the U.S. Several federal and provincial officials in Canada responded by saying the issues at the Canadian border are vastly different from the Mexican border. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, for example, has voiced concerns that the level of Chinese investment in Mexico goes against the economic-security goals of Ottawa and Washington. Some premiers have called on Canada to negotiate a trade deal with Washington independent from Mexico, ahead of the 2026 review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement, which replaced NAFTA during Trump’s last tenure in the White House. In a Monday press conference, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Mexico “must be respected, especially by its trading partners.” She also noted that Canada has “a very serious problem with fentanyl consumption,” more than Mexico, and possibly as a result of some drug-decriminalization measures. “We are not going to fall for a provocation of which country is better,” she said, chalking some criticism from Canada up to political pandering. “Mexico should not be used as part of (Canadian) electoral campaigns,” she said. Yet Sheinbaum also said Canada “could only wish they had the cultural riches Mexico has,” saying her country has civilizations dating back thousands of years. Asked to respond, Joly said she is reaching out to Mexican officials after speaking with the U.S., including about the “very important trade agreement” that includes all three countries. “I know there has been many conversations in Canada about how we can work together and how we can, at the same time, protect our interests,” she said. “We have a positive relationship with Mexico, and we need to work with the country; that’s definitely my goal.” Christopher Sands, director of the Canada Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, said tensions between both countries played out in the NAFTA renegotiation, when there was limited communication between Ottawa and Mexico City. “The Canada-Mexico relationship has always been the weakest part of the triangle of North America,” he said. “There was a lot of feeling during the (CUSMA) negotiations that Mexico was willing to go it alone, and that Canada particularly toward the end was on the outside looking in, and had to fight its way back to the table.” He said Washington would rather have a trade pact with all three countries so it can limit the time and attention it needs on continental issues. “The U.S. is probably the most trilateral of all three countries,” he said, with a caveat. “I think Donald Trump looks at this going into 2026 and says, ‘Great, divide and conquer.’” Sands added that Sheinbaum and her predecessor have implemented nationalist policies that have been at odds with Washington. “The Mexican government has been moving in a direction which is antithetical to the North American project (through) nationalizing parts of the economy, by reversing energy reforms, by doing deals with the cartels. (They are) sometimes working co-operatively with the Americans in the borders, and sometimes not.” Sheinbaum indicated a week ago that she would be writing a letter to Trudeau. That has not been made public, although she did release a letter she had sent to Trump.