Trump University settles lawsuits for $25 million; A $1 trillion Texas oil find, and more news

Trump University settled a series of lawsuits for $25 million, eliminating a pesky distraction as president-elect Trump prepares to take office. The now-defunct real estate program became a campaign issue not only because of the suits by and on behalf of disgruntled students but because Trump suggested the judge in one of the cases might have been biased against him because of his Mexican heritage.

=> Miss the last update? Catch up here

The US Geological Survey has certified the largest oil field ever discovered in the United States: Crude worth $1 trillion. The deposit, in West Texas, contains an estimated 20 billion barrels of oil, 16 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 1.6 billion barrels of natural gas liquids, IBT reports.

=> Like this? Share with #DailyRundown

Zika is no longer an international emergency, but does remain "a significant enduring public health challenge," says the World Health Organization. In effect, nothing has changed except the threat level: There is still no vaccine and WHO is still telling pregnant woman to stay away places with local transmission (it has spread to 60 countries and territories).

Stephen Hawking gives us about 1,000 years before we'll need to find a new place to live. The noted theoretical physicist, who has previously warned that AI will destroy us, told an Oxford University audience that while the odds of anything catastrophic happening to Earth at any given time is small, "it adds up over time, and becomes a near certainty in the next 1,000 or 10,000 years.” Fortunately, Hawking isn't such a buzz kill in his Big Bang Theory cameos. (Photo: Jemal Countess/Getty Images)

JK Rowling's next movie franchise, a prequel to the blockbuster Harry Potter series, is off to a fantastic start. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is "heading for a magical opening weekend in the $75 million range," Variety estimates. The film, which cost $180 million to make, is the first in what Warner Bros. hopes will be a five-picture arc. (Photo: Mike Marsland/WireImage)

Cover Art: Donald Trump announces Trump University, May 23, 2005 in New York. (Photo by Thomas Robinson/Getty Images)