The number of people on food stamps in the U.S. exceeds the total population of Argentina (43,024,374). And that's nothing new: As of November, 14.5 percent of the U.S. population was benefiting from the Supplemental Assistance Program (SNAP), or food stamps. 

According to the Department of Agriculture, and reported by CNSNews, the number of food stamp recipients has exceeded 46 million every month since Sept. 2011. There were 46,271,508 Americans on food stamps in Nov. 2014, a decrease of 206,170 participants from the previous month.

According to CNSNews, "Households on food stamps got an average benefit of $259.95 during the month, and total benefits for the month cost taxpayers $5,900,887,430." Teresa Mull

A Dubai high-rise hotel went up in flames Thursday evening, just ahead of a planned firework show at the nearby Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building. It was unclear what caused the fire to break out at the 63-story Address Hotel.

"I don't think there's any way they can control this," fire analyst John Lentini told CBSN on the phone while watching the footage. He added, "It could very well be as impressive as 9/11, in terms of what happens to the building." Jeva Lange

Democratic presidential candidate Martin O'Malley's name will not appear Ohio's primary ballot, the Ohio's secretary of state's office said Thursday. Though the former Maryland governor submitted 1,175 signatures to Ohio's Board of Elections before the Dec. 16 deadline, the board only accepted 772 of those signatures. To qualify for the state's primary on March 15, a candidate needs 1,000 signatures.

"While this news is disappointing, we are exploring all of our options, and Gov. O'Malley will campaign vigorously in Ohio," spokeswoman Haley Morris told the Associated Press. O'Malley is already confirmed to appear on the ballot in 18 other states. His Democratic rivals Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders will both appear on Ohio's primary ballot. Becca Stanek

Two of Ben Carson's top aides have resigned from the campaign amid tensions with another adviser, Talking Points Memo reports. Communications director Doug Watts and campaign manager Barry Bennett have left allegedly due to a tussle with conservative radio personality Armstrong Williams, an aide who does not have an official role in the campaign.

Williams has been an "ongoing problem since day one," an unnamed source told NBC. The same source said that Carson's floundering in the polls and struggles fundraising are "all self-inflicted wounds created by Armstrong Williams."

"Barry Bennett and I have resigned from the Carson campaign effective immediately," Watts told NBC News in a statement. "We respect the candidate and we have enjoyed helping him go from far back in the field to top tier status...We wish him and his campaign the best of luck."

The Washington Post's Robert Costa reported that the Carson campaign is in turmoil over the loss of the top advisers.

While Carson once posed a threat in the polls to front-runner Donald Trump, his numbers have seen a dip in recent weeks, bottoming out at 11 percent in the most recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. Jeva Lange

It was Martin's lucky day: Hiring an UberX on Christmas Eve, the Londoner became the one billionth traveler to use Uber since the company gave its first ride in 2010. To celebrate, Uber gave Martin a year's worth of free rides and his driver, Ara, has been awarded a vacation to anywhere Uber serves, NBC News reports. Additionally, Uber made a donation to a charity in Martin's neighborhood.

2015 was a major year for Uber, which faced bans in Brazil, France, and the unionization of its drivers in Seattle. The company also expanded globally, such as by adding a fleet of boats in Istanbul. Jeva Lange

The man behind the words of Donald Trump's 2000 book The America We Deserve says he can't support Trump for president. In an interview Wednesday on Fox News radio's Alan Colmes Show, writer Dave Shiflett said that he thought Trump had displayed "no class" on the campaign trail, particularly when he railed on Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) military record. "I'll tell you what really bugs me about him, where it really ripped it with me and Trump was the stuff he said about McCain," Shiflett said. "McCain suffered severely, and I had a son who did two tours in Middle East during the last war and we had kids from here who went over there and some of them got hurt. They ain't gonna be the same."

Aside from calling out Trump's remarks, Shiflett also questioned the Republican presidential candidate's reliability. "I used to think it was my first work of fiction," Shiflett said of the book he ghostwrote for Trump back in 2000. "Who knows where he stands on anything."

Listen to Shiflett's full interview below. Becca Stanek

President Obama is reportedly planning to announce executive action on guns as soon as next week, Reuters reported Thursday. Obama's policy would expand background checks to all gun sales and impose licensing requirements for small-scale sellers. Stricter rules for how to report lost or stolen guns would also be enacted. The executive action will allow the president to bypass the Republican-controlled Congress, where he has been unable to find sufficient support for new gun control legislation in the wake of recent mass shootings.

While the announcement could happen soon, the plans are not yet complete, meaning the announcement could very well be pushed back. Becca Stanek

Authorities have arrested a Rochester man who was allegedly planning to commit an armed attack at a bar on New Year's Eve on behalf of ISIS, NBC News reports. Emanuel Lutchman, 25, attempted to "provide material support" to ISIS by "[killing] innocent civilians on New Year's Eve in the name of the terrorist organization," Assistant Attorney General John Carlin said in a statement. He added, "Thankfully, law enforcement was able to intervene and thwart Lutchman's deadly plans."

As celebrations sweep across the globe, many major cities remain on high alert for terrorist attacks, with extra precautions being taken in Turkey and Belgium; other planned terrorist attacks have been thwarted abroad. However, U.S. authorities maintain that there is no credible terror threat to New York City or the tri-state region. Jeva Lange