Morning headlines: Here's what happens to billions of dollars in gift cards that go unspent each year

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Here's a preview of today's top stories: 

• Israeli forces expand ground offensive in Gaza
• Russian opposition leader Navalny resurfaces
• Biden orders strikes on an Iranian-aligned group
• The right to protest in Britain
• RFK Jr. in Arizona

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The secret life of gift cards: Here's what happens to the billions that go unspent each year

Americans are expected to spend nearly $30 billion on gift cards this holiday season, according to the National Retail Federation. Restaurant gift cards are the most popular, making up one-third of those sales.

Most of those gift cards will be redeemed. Paytronix, which tracks restaurant gift card sales, says around 70% of gift cards are used within six months.

But many cards — tens of billions of dollars’ worth — wind up forgotten or otherwise unused. That’s when the life of a gift card gets more complicated, with expiration dates or inactivity fees that can vary by state.

Here’s what to know about the gift cards you’re giving — or getting:

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MORE TOP STORIES

Israeli forces bombard central Gaza

Israeli forces bombarded Palestinian refugee camps in central Gaza on Tuesday, residents said, in apparent preparation to expand their ground offensive into a third section of the besieged territory.

The opening of a potential new battle zone points to the long and destructive road still ahead as Israel vows to crush Hamas after its Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel.

Read more:

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In Arizona, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. draws Biden and Trump voters united by distrust

Lined up outside a Phoenix wedding hall tucked between a freeway, a railroad track and a U-Haul rental center, the hundreds of people who turned out Wednesday to hear Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speak shared little in common ideologically. What united them was a deep-seated distrust — of the media, of corporations and especially of the government — and a belief that Kennedy is the only person in politics willing to tell them the truth.

“I like that he talks to us like adults,” said Gilbert Limon, a 48-year-old pharmacist from Phoenix. “He tells you the majority of what you need to know. Whereas I feel like (other politicians) just give you bits and pieces to try to fit their agenda. I've had enough of that.”

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Biden orders strikes on an Iranian-aligned group after 3 US troops injured in drone attack in Iraq

President Joe Biden has ordered retaliatory airstrikes against Iranian-backed militia groups after three United States servicemembers were injured in a drone attack in northern Iraq. 

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The imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny resurfaces

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Tuesday released a sardonic statement about his transfer to a Arctic prison colony nicknamed the “Polar Wolf,” his first appearance since associates lost contact with him three weeks ago.

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The right to protest is under threat in Britain, undermining a pillar of democracy

For holding a sign outside a courthouse reminding jurors of their right to acquit defendants, a retiree faces up to two years in prison. For hanging a banner reading Just Stop Oil off a bridge, an engineer got a three-year sentence. Just for walking slowly down the street, scores of people have been arrested.

They are among hundreds of environmental activists arrested for peaceful demonstrations in the U.K., where tough new laws restrict the right to protest.

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MORNING LISTEN

Get a recap of some of the top stories of 2023 through this special edition of our Hot off the Wire daily news podcast.

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