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Ellen DJ/dancer Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss dead at 40, Vote for Puerto Rico statehood or independence goes to House, Biden reactivates free COVID tests by mail program, Elon Musk no longer world’s richest person, and more news.
Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss, the dancer turned DJ for The Ellen DeGeneres Show, died on December 13 from an apparent suicide at the age of 40, according to multiple reports, Vulture reported. Boss had left home without his car, which she usually did not do, according to his wife, Allison Holker. He was found in a Los Angeles hotel room where he allegedly died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, TMZ first reported. Boss is survived by wife Holker, 34, and their three children, Weslie, 14, Maddox, 6, and Zaia, 3, Page Six reported.
A bill will go to the House of Representatives for a vote on Thursday, moving Puerto Rico one step closer to a referendum on whether the island should become a U.S. state, an independent country, or sovereignty with free association with the United States, Yahoo reported. Puerto Rico has a population of roughly 3.3 million people and became a U.S. territory in 1898. Currently, the island nation has very high rates of poverty.
As COVID cases are surging, the Biden administration has reactivated a program that will provide free rapid COVID tests by mail this winter.
“We know that the virus will circulate more quickly and easily as folks gather indoors for the winter holiday season,” an official told NPR, speaking on condition of anonymity. The White House suspended the program in September because Congress denied a request for more funding for the program.
Tests are also available at community testing sites, food banks and schools, and through Medicare, and those covered by private insurance plans can get fully reimbursed for a test per month.
Elon Musk saw his fortune tumble to $167 billion this year, having lost $107 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, and as a result, someone else has taken the crown as the world’s richest person. The world’s newest richest person is also the first European to top Bloomberg’s list. The title goes to Bernard Arnault, the chairman of French luxury goods giant LVMH (LVMHF), who has a controlling stake in the company and a net worth of $171 billion, CNN reported. However, Arnault has also seen his fortune decline this year by some $7 billion.
