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Suspect dead after shooting at Northern California school; 2 students hurt, sheriff’s office says

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2 students shot, suspect dead in Butte County school shooting


2 students shot, suspect dead in Butte County school shooting

02:22

PALERMO – Authorities say a suspect is dead and two students are hurt after a shooting at a school in the Northern California community of Palermo on Wednesday.

The Butte County Sheriff’s Office says the incident happened around 1 p.m. at the Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists.

One person was found by deputies with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, with the sheriff’s office confirming that the suspected shooter had died. Two students were also found shot; their conditions were not known at this time, the sheriff’s office says, but both have been taken to local hospitals. 

The suspect has not been identified at this time. It’s also unclear if the shooting was random, the sheriff’s office says, but it doesn’t appear that the suspect had a connection to the campus.  

palermo-school-shooting.jpg
Scene of the shooting investigation. 

Parents are being told to meet their children at the Oroville Church of the Nazarene at 2238 Monte Vista Avenue. 

Due to the investigation, California Highway Patrol is diverting northbound traffic on Highway 70 at E. Gridley Road west to Highway 99. Southbound Highway 70 is also closed at Power House Hill Road, with traffic being diverted to Lone Tree Road. 

The school serves about 35 students from kindergarten to eighth grade. 

Palermo is a town about 25 miles north of Marysville and 65 miles north of Sacramento.



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Can silver outpace gold in 2025? Here’s what experts think

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Stack of gold coins by piggy bank
Both gold and silver could be smart investments this year, but one could outperform the other, experts say.

Liam Norris/Getty Images


Gold has long been considered a hedge against inflation and a good investment to diversify into during times of economic uncertainty. That’s why it comes as no surprise that the price of gold hit record highs over the last year. As the price increased, investors flocked to buy gold bars and coins or open gold IRAs, with many first-time gold investors getting in on the action. 

It wasn’t just the price of gold that went up, either. Silver prices also rose, with silver IRAs becoming a common alternative to the best gold IRA companies

With rising demand for both precious metals, many investors have been left wondering whether gold or silver is better for their portfolio. To help you decide, we’ve checked in with some experts who have some insight into whether silver may outpace gold in 2025. 

Learn more about how gold investing could benefit your portfolio.

Yes, silver may outpace gold in 2025

With the price of gold topping $2,600 per ounce as of December 1, 2024, compared to around $30 per ounce for silver, gold’s cost per ounce will continue to far exceed silver’s. However, there’s ample reason to believe silver will see a greater percentage increase in value than gold in the upcoming year. 

“I believe silver will outpace and outperform gold in 2025,” says Daniel Boston, founder of Preserve Gold. 

Gold reached a new high of nearly $2,000 per ounce in 2011 in response to the 2008 financial crisis, Boston says. With its current price of around $2,700 per ounce, you’d be buying at the top of the market if you bought gold now. However, while gold and silver tend to move in tandem, silver’s all-time high — also in 2011 — was just under $50 an ounce. Today, the price of silver is hovering around $30, so there’s much more potential for growth. 

“If you buy gold around $2,700 per ounce today, you are buying gold at the absolute top of the market. Buying anything at the top of the market just never sits right with me,” Boston says. “For silver to return to its 2011 high, for the simple fact that gold is already there, could mean nearly doubling your investment dollar from current levels. You may have a lot more upside in silver with a lot less downside risk, so that’s where I believe investors should be focused right now.”

Jose Gomez, a partner at Summit Metals, also believes silver’s percentage gains are likely to exceed gold’s in 2025. 

“My estimate is a rise of 25-30% from today’s approximately $30-dollar spot price,” Gomez says. “Silver can reach $38 to outpace gold by 10%. Gold has an upside to hit $2900 in 2025 from today’s $2,650 price.” 

Gomez believes silver is likely to outperform because “the gold price has been locked in by institutional investors since early this year, bitcoin is taking a market share of gold retail investors, and gold is quite expensive for the average retail investor.” 

According to Gomez, while global demand for gold will likely outpace supply and result in continued growth, there’s also likely to be a sharp increase in demand for silver. 

“There’s an increased rise in industrial demand from solar energy investments, new EV battery solutions, and military conflicts that require silver as a basis for fast-performing electronics,” Gomez says. “Silver is a better conductor of electricity than copper which makes it the choice of metal for high-end electronics.”

Wheaton Precious Metals CEO Randy Smallwood also points to the rise in industrial demand as a reason silver will outperform this year — but indicated there are other factors in play as well. 

“Central banks have set new records in terms of gold purchases, which has helped fuel the price of gold,” Smallwood says. “In October, Russia announced it will begin to accumulate silver in addition to other precious metals. It will be interesting to see if other nations follow suit, potentially driving the demand for silver even higher.”

“Analysts have pointed to a notable increase in China’s apparent demand for silver, up by more than 20% year over year,” Smallwood says, which isn’t entirely explained by rising industrial demand. “We’re also seeing a resurgence of interest from retail investors, many of whom are buying silver for the first time in years. If this trend continues, and global ETF demand for silver picks up in the new year, we could see a positive shift in the market.” 

With ample evidence that silver could overperform, silver investors may have an unprecedented opportunity. 

“With the current gold-to-silver ratio hovering just under 90, it’s important to note that outside of the exceptional circumstances of the 1990-91 Gulf War and the 2020 COVID-related shutdowns, there have been very few instances where silver has been priced this attractively,” Smallwood says.

Take steps to add gold to your investment portfolio today.

No, silver won’t outpace gold in 2025

While this is good news for silver enthusiasts, it’s also important to note that uniform consensus is lacking regarding which precious metal has the most potential this year.

“I think it is very unlikely that silver will outperform gold in 2025,” says Michael Martin, vice president of market strategy at TradingBlock. “In inflationary environments, investors typically flock to gold first. Additionally, with Bitcoin drawing attention away from traditional inflation hedges, silver is even further sidelined.”

Martin points to the preference for gold among central banks due to its stability, which could further drive demand in today’s debt-ridden global economy. 

“During times of uncertainty like today, with wars and geopolitical tensions affecting the world, gold has historically been the first choice for investors. Considering the persistent inflation and geopolitical issues, I see little reason to believe silver will outshine gold,” Martin says.

Luciano Duque, chief investment officer at C3 Bullion, also says that while silver does have a greater potential upside in the long run, he doesn’t believe it will outpace gold in the coming year. 

“Gold needs to consolidate its upward trajectory, and the silver price will probably follow along at the same rate or closer,” Duque says. “Now, the change will happen after, let’s say, a full 2025 of steady gold price increase. Then, I do foresee a silver price increasing its upward trajectory faster than gold, aiming for that traditional gold-to-silver price ratio of 15:1. So, in short, my thinking is that in 2025, gold will continue to rise, with silver following along. In 2026, I foresee gold rising at the same speed but silver outpacing that speed.”

The bottom line

The good news is, while it’s unclear if gold or silver will shine this year, it’s likely the price of both will continue to rise. Mark Charnet, founder and CEO of American Prosperity Group, recommends investors gain exposure to both by investing in “a mutual fund that specializes in precious metals which would include mining company shares of both metals and a whole lot more.”

For those who wish to avoid the fees these funds can come with, though, direct investments in gold, silver, or both will likely produce gains in 2025, and both precious metals may deserve a place in your diversified portfolio. 



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Impeachment vote on South Korean president set for Saturday after martial law chaos

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Impeachment vote on South Korean president set for Saturday after martial law chaos – CBS News


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Opposition lawmakers in South Korea are set to vote on impeaching President Yoon Suk Yeol Saturday after Yeol’s martial law declaration that threw the country into chaos earlier this week. CBS News foreign correspondent Ramy Inocencio has more.

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False claims about hidden Plan B “pill” in pregnancy tests resurface online. Here’s what to know.

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False claims about a Plan B morning-after pill being hidden in over-the-counter pregnancy tests are resurfacing on social media. The posts allege that if you split open the contents of a pregnancy test, you will find an emergency contraceptive pill “hidden” inside. 

However, the claims are false. 

The so-called pill is actually a desiccant tablet, similar to the tablets found in vitamin bottles, that are meant to absorb moisture and sustain the shelf life of the tests. The claims have long been debunked by medical professionals, as well as by the manufacturers of many at-home pregnancy tests. Clearblue, a company that sells pregnancy tests, even has a statement on its website saying the small desiccant tablet “should not be eaten.”

Pregnancy test
CBS News Confirmed identified several social media posts spreading false claims about a Plan B morning-after pill being hidden in over-the-counter pregnancy tests.

Hendrik Schmidt/picture alliance via Getty Images


Viral false claims about Plan B in pregnancy tests

CBS News Confirmed identified several social media posts spreading the false claims.

An Oct. 6 post on TikTok has more than 11.1 million views and has been shared nearly 50,000 times. In the video, content creator Ryan Telfer falsely claims that people are finding Plan B pills inside pregnancy tests and can be seen splitting open two pregnancy tests to reveal a tablet. 

“Guys, I don’t know if this is a major life hack, or if maybe you’re not actually supposed to take these. I don’t know about you, but this could be saving a lot of lives,” he says in the video.

Doctors and other social media users are also posting online in an attempt to debunk the claims.

In an Oct. 19 TikTok post, Dr. Joe Whittington clarifies that “no over-the-counter pregnancy test has a Plan B pill inside.” His post was in direct response to the viral October post from Telfer.

Similarly, an Oct. 25 Instagram post from Nicholas Russo, a ninth grade health education teacher in New Jersey, currently has 450K views as he explains to his students what this “pill” really is and why people should not ingest them.

The claims are not new. Similar social media posts first started spreading in 2019, leading Clearblue to post a statement on its website. 

“We became aware of videos circulating on social media [in 2019] but do not know what led to these and the associated claims being originated,” a spokesperson for the company told CBS.

Many of these videos are still up online and easily accessible on social media platforms.

Posts popped up again in 2022 after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, reversing the constitutional right to abortion. They resurfaced again this year in the lead up to the presidential election, as many people started stockpiling emergency contraception in fear of what a Trump win could mean for reproductive rights.  

Clearblue says they’ve had a very low level of consumer contact about this topic but say they continue to monitor the claims as part of their post-market surveillance process. 

Misconceptions about the morning-after pill 

Even if a Plan B pill were to be included with tests, it wouldn’t stop a pregnancy. Plan B is an emergency contraceptive, commonly known as the morning-after pill, designed to be taken in the immediate aftermath of a sexual encounter to prevent a pregnancy. The pill does this by delaying the release of an egg from the ovary so that it is not there to meet the sperm, similar to birth control pills, according to the Food and Drug Administration. It is not designed to work if someone is already pregnant. 

Pregnancy tests work by identifying pregnancy hormones in urine. Mayo Clinic says it’s best to test the first day after a missed period, usually around three weeks after unprotected sex. This would be far too late for Plan B to make any difference, as Plan B is most effective immediately after unprotected sex, or at least within 72 hours. 

Women Stockpile Abortion Pills Ahead Of Start Of Second Trump Administration
A box of Plan B emergency contraception pills. The “pill” inside pregnancy tests is actually a desiccant tablet meant to absorb moisture and sustain the shelf life of the tests.

(Photo illustration by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)


Furthermore, the desiccant tablets used in pregnancy tests, as well as other common household goods, are mostly made of silica. While Clearblue told CBS News the desiccant tablets are not toxic, they are not supposed to be eaten. If they are, Clearblue recommends customers drink plenty of water and consult a doctor if they are unwell. 

False claims about pregnancy tests offer a “teachable moment”

Russo, told CBS News Confirmed that while it’s concerning to see the claims in these videos spilling into the classroom, he sees it as a “teachable moment.”

“While it does concern me, I also like to approach them as ‘teachable moments’ for my students. I wanted to make sure that my students knew that not only was it not emergency contraception, but it was also not safe for human consumption,” Russo said.

He also pointed out the difference in price between a pregnancy test and Plan B pills, saying: “Plan B costs about $40 to $50, and the pregnancy test costs about $10. So, logically speaking, that doesn’t make any sense.”

A study by the Guttmacher Institute shows only 20 states require that sex education programs provide information on contraception. CBS News medical contributor Dr. Celine Gounder says this may be one of the reasons people are more prone to believe the misinformation they may see online.  

“People are prone to believing mis- and disinformation when they have information voids,” Gounder told CBS News Confirmed. “Americans receive very little formal education about sexual health and have big gaps in their knowledge. People are also more likely to believe mis- and disinformation about controversial topics and culture war, wedge issues.”

Russo said this has led him “to emphasize the importance of doing your own research without simply believing what you see on the internet or hear from a peer.”





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