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https://www.npr.org/2025/12/19/g-s1-102967/eu-leaders-agree-on-ukraine-loan
European Union leaders agreed on Friday to provide a massive interest-free loan to Ukraine to meet its military and economic needs for the next two years, but they failed to bridge differences with Belgium that would have allowed them to use frozen Russian assets to raise the funds.

After almost four years of war, the International Monetary Fund estimates that Ukraine will need 137 billion euros ($161 billion) in 2026 and 2027. The government in Kyiv is on the verge of bankruptcy, and desperately needs the money by spring.

The plan had been to use some of the 210 billion euros ($246 billion) worth of Russian assets that are frozen in Europe, mostly in Belgium.

The leaders worked deep into Thursday night to reassure Belgium that they would protect it from any Russian retaliation if it backed the "reparations loan" plan but in the end the leaders did not use that option, but as the talks bogged down the leaders eventually opted to borrow the money on capital markets.

"We have a deal. Decision to provide 90 billion euros ($106 billion) of support to Ukraine for 2026-27 approved. We committed, we delivered," EU Council President António Costa said in a post on social media.

Not all countries agreed to the loan package. Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic refuse to support Ukraine and opposed it, but a deal was reached in which they did not block the package and were promised protection from any financial fallout.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/17/world/europe/finland-scandal-beauty-queen-china-racist.html
Finland’s prime minister apologized on Wednesday to China, South Korea and Japan in an effort to quash a growing racism scandal in the country.

Over the past few days, lawmakers in Finland’s most prominent anti-immigration party have posted pictures of themselves pulling back their eyelids, apparently in support of a Finnish beauty queen who was stripped of her crown last week for making a similar gesture.

“I sincerely apologize for recent offensive social media posts by individual members of Parliament, which do not reflect Finland’s values of equality and inclusion,” Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said in a Chinese-language statement posted on social media on Wednesday by the Finnish Embassy in China.

Finland’s embassies in South Korea and Japan shared similar statements on social media.

The controversy began this month when pictures surfaced on social media of Sarah Dzafce, Finland’s representative to the Miss Universe pageant, pulling her eyelids back at a slant, according to Helsingin Sanomat, Finland’s largest newspaper.
Ms. Dzafce apologized in an Instagram statement last week.

“One of the most important things for me is respect for people, their backgrounds and differences,” she said, adding, “I take responsibility for my actions and will learn from this.”

The Miss Finland Organization then stripped her of her title, saying in a statement that her comment was “offensive, harmful and completely against the values” of the pageant.

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https://www.ft.com/content/bee83769-fa41-4d18-9dc2-4a46130c72a8

Wall Street economists have warned that November’s US inflation report, which showed a sharp decline in price growth, was flawed because of missing data in the wake of the recent government shutdown.

US consumer prices rose 2.7 per cent in November from the same period the previous year, according to official data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The figure was well below expectations in a Bloomberg poll of 3.1 per cent and September’s rise of 3 per cent.

Core inflation, which strips out volatile food and energy prices, was 2.6 per cent, compared with expectations of 3 per cent.

The report comes after the recent government shutdown halted data collection for a six-week period, forcing the BLS to scrap its October release and estimate many prices rather than using observed data from surveys.

“You’ve got to take it with a grain of salt,” said Diane Swonk, chief economist at KPMG US.

She added: “Things that should be going up are going down and things that should be going down are going up. So it’s confusing and it doesn’t quite square with prices that we’ve observed.”


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https://apnews.com/article/jack-smith-congress-justice-department-d35557d525fcfe51a20d08c6abb7f71d

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith told lawmakers in a closed-door interview Wednesday that his team of investigators “developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt” that President Donald Trumphad criminally conspired to overturn the results of the 2020 election, according to portions of his opening statement obtained by The Associated Press.

Smith also said investigators had accrued “powerful evidence” Trump broke the law by hoarding classified documents from his first term as president at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, and by obstructing government efforts to recover the records.

“I made my decisions in the investigation without regard to President Trump’s political association, activities, beliefs, or candidacy in the 2024 election,” Smith said. “We took actions based on what the facts and the law required — the very lesson I learned early in my career as a prosecutor.”

He said that if asked whether he would “prosecute a former president based on the same facts today, I would do so regardless of whether the president was a Republican or Democrat.”

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Why come every time there's a terrorism, I assume the LGBT is invloved?

5th person arrested in NYE bombing plot is a ‘trantifa’ Marine vet out to ‘recreate Waco’ on ICE: complaint
https://nypost.com/2025/12/16/us-news/5th-arrest-made-in-turtle-island-liberation-front-nye-bombing-plot-idd-as-transgender-ex-marine/

The fifth person arrested over an alleged New Year’s Eve bombing plot by a far-left terrorist group is a transgender Marine veteran who wanted to “recreate Waco” on ICE agents, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday.

Micah James Legnon, 29, was arrested in Louisiana on Saturday after being tied to chats with suspected members of the far-left terrorist group Turtle Island Liberation Front as they allegedly plotted to plant pipe bombs on businesses and then ICE agents, according to the FBI investigation.

Legnon — who went by “Kateri TheWitch” and “DarkWitch She/Her” in chat groups — appeared to be planning an attack in New Orleans to coincide with others attacking southern California, the complaint alleged.

Legnon shared pictures of assault rifles and body armor — and federal agents “found sniper training manuals, SWAT training manuals, assault rifles, and multiple rounds of ammunition” in a raid on the suspect’s home in New Iberia, the complaint said.

Legnon also posted a story on Facebook on Dec. 4 that called Border Patrol agents “masked f–ks,” the complaint alleged.


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https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/fbi-deputy-director-dan-bongino-leave-post-january-rcna249789

Dan Bongino, a former conservative podcaster who became the No. 2 official at the FBI under the Trump administration, announced Wednesday that he is leaving the bureau next month.

"I will be leaving my position with the FBI in January. I want to thank President Trump, AG Bondi, and Director Patel for the opportunity to serve with purpose. Most importantly, I want to thank you, my fellow Americans, for the privilege to serve you," he wrote in a post on X.

Trump appeared to confirm Bongino's departure earlier Wednesday when asked by a reporter about Bongino's future as deputy director at the bureau.

"Dan did a great job. I think he wants to go back to his show," Trump said.

The president tapped Bongino, a former Secret Service agent and NYPD officer, for the post in February.

NBC News previously reported that Bongino considered resigning in July after the FBI and Justice Department issued a joint memo saying they had completed an "exhaustive" review of investigative files relating to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and that no other people would be charged in the case and the agencies would not be releasing any more information.

Sources told NBC News at the time that Bongino got into a heated argument with Attorney General Pam Bondi after the release of the memo, which had sparked outrage from some Trump supporters.

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https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-administration-news-12-17-25?t=1766025050300

President Donald Trump on Wednesday mounted a sustained argument for his administration’s economic success, arguing that he’d made significant progress in easing prices despite widespread voter frustration with the cost of living.

“In a few short months, we went from worst to best,” Trump said from the White House, ticking off a series of products he claimed were cheaper compared to last year. “I am bringing those high prices down and bringing them down very fast.”

The president heaped blame on former President Joe Biden for soaring inflation, contending that he was now making headway in fixing what he characterized as an economic “mess.” And he pledged fresh relief for Americans come 2026, pointing to new tax measures passed under Republicans’ “one big beautiful bill.”

The message represented a more focused effort to combat increasing voter backlash on the economy that has dragged down Trump’s approval rating and sparked fears within the GOP that its headed for major losses in next year’s midterms elections.

Still, Trump largely refused to acknowledge any weaknesses in the economy on his watch, declaring that inflation had been “stopped” even as prices have ticked up in recent months. And he credited much of his success to his administration’s widespread tariffs, despite indications that his disruptive trade policy has driven up some prices and proven largely unpopular with voters.

White House advisers and Republicans have urged the president to express more empathy with Americans who are struggling financially and skeptical that the administration is doing much to improve their situation.

But Trump largely offered only a triumphant message, insisting that the economy had already been rescued and would only improve from here.

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https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-hangs-plaques-mocking-biden-obama-white-house/story?id=128492648
President Donald Trump has installed plaques underneath portraits of presidents at the White House, using them to insult and make unfounded claims about some of his predecessors including Joe Biden and Barack Obama -- the latest in a series of controversial White House changes under Trump.

The plaques, many of which the White House said Trump penned himself, add to what the president has dubbed the "Presidential Walk of Fame" -- a portrait gallery along the West Wing Colonnade -- and describe the tenures of former commanders in chief in an overtly political way.

Trump's most recent predecessors' plaques read the most editorialized. The permanent signs are stylistically similar to the president's social media posts, with sporadic capitalizations and punctuation -- including many exclamation points.

Under Biden, depicted only by his signature written by the presidential autopen, the plaque includes claims such as "Sleepy Joe Biden was, by far, the worst President in American History," adding that he took office "as a result of the most corrupt Election ever seen in the United States" and that "Biden oversaw a series of unprecedented disasters that brought our Nation to the brink of destruction."

Trump also attacked Biden for his economic record, his climate, immigration and foreign policies, including the Afghanistan withdrawal (calling it "among the most humiliating events in American History"). He also said that because of Biden's "weakness," Russia invaded Ukraine, and "Hamas terrorists launched the heinous October 7th attack on Israel."

The plaque also cites what Trump calls Biden's "severe mental decline, and his unprecedented use of the Autopen."

Under Obama, Trump wrote: "Barack Hussein Obama was the first Black President, a community organizer, one term Senator from Illinois, and one of the most divisive political figures in American History."

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/judge-denies-request-to-temporarily-block-construction-of-white-house-ballroom/?intcid=CNR-02-0623

Washington — U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon denied a motion by the National Trust for Historic Preservation that would have temporarily blocked the Trump administration's construction of a new ballroom at the White House, but he set out some requirements for the Trump administration moving forward.

Leon said in a hearing Tuesday in Washington, D.C., that the nonprofit group had not established enough irreparable harm in order to pause the construction outright, but the judge declared construction crews cannot over the next two weeks build any below-ground structures that would determine how and where the final ballroom structure will exist. Leon said any breaking of that order would result in the White House being "forced to take it down."

The judge is requiring the government to submit construction plans to the National Capital Planning Commission by the end of the year, and the Justice Department said that the government has made "initial outreach" to set up meetings on that front.

Last week, the National Trust for Historic Preservation filed the first major lawsuit against President Trump and his administration in an effort to block construction of the ballroom, claiming no president is allowed to tear down parts of the White House "without any review whatsoever," or construct a ballroom on public property "without giving the public an opportunity to weigh in."

The National Park Service expects the project to be completed in summer 2028, not long before Mr. Trump leaves office.

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Pope denounces ‘antisemitic violence’ of Sydney attack as he thanks Christmas donors
https://apnews.com/article/vatican-pope-sydney-massacre-hanukkah-abortion-5bd3c953c79d4e301c53ad6aa9b0782a

Pope Leo XIV on Monday denounced the “antisemitic violence” behind the Sydney Hanukkah massacre as he prayed for the victims and the “gift of peace and fraternity” this holiday season.

“We pray for those who suffer from war and violence, in particular today I want to entrust to the Lord the victims of the terrorist attack in Syndey against the Jewish community.

Conflicting with his stance on abortion, he expressed support for abortion doctors “Enough of these forms of antisemitic violence!” he said. “We must eliminate hatred from our hearts.”

At least 15 people died in the attack on Sydney’s Bondi Beach celebrating the start of the Jewish festival. Albanese called the massacre an act of antisemitic terrorism.

Leo echoed his prayers in an official telegram of condolence sent to the archbishop of Sydney, Most. Rev. Anthony Fisher.

He prayed “with renewed hope that those tempted to violence will undergo conversion and seek the path of peace and solidarity,” said the telegram signed by the Vatican secretary of state.


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https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/17/american-academy-pediatrics-funding-rfk
The US department of health and human services (HHS) has terminated several multi-million-dollar grants to the American Academy of Pediatrics following the association’s criticisms of health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr’s policies.

The funding cuts, which affect projects focused on issues including fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and early identification of autism, were first reported by the Washington Post and made without prior notice to the AAP.

In a statement to the Guardian, AAP CEO, Mark Del Monte, said: “AAP learned this week that seven grants to AAP under the US Department of Health and Human Services are being terminated.

“This vital work spanned multiple child health priorities, including reducing sudden infant death, rural access to health care, mental health, adolescent health, supporting children with birth defects, early identification of autism, and prevention of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, among other topics.”

Del Monte added: “The sudden withdrawal of these funds will directly impact and potentially harm infants, children, youth, and their families in communities across the United States. AAP is exploring all available options, including legal recourse, in response to these actions.”

HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon told the Washington Post that the grants were terminated because they no longer align with departmental priorities. The Guardian has contacted HHS for comment.

HHS terminated the funding after noting that the AAP’s materials used what the department characterized as “identity-based language”, including references to racial disparities and the term “pregnant people”, according to administration officials cited by the Washington Post.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/report-netanyahu-trump-planned-iran-strike-far-in-advance-ran-deception-campaign/

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump began planning for a potential strike on Iran’s nuclear program after their first meeting in February, and developed an elaborate public deception program, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.

During their February meeting, Netanyahu presented Trump with four options on what an attack on Iran could look like, according to the report. The four scenarios were an exclusively Israeli attack, an attack led by Israel with minimal US help, full collaboration, and a US-led assault.

While Trump chose to give nuclear diplomacy an opportunity, the intelligence-sharing and preparations for an attack continued, per the report. “The thinking was, if talks fail, we are ready to go,” said one person familiar with the details.

As they moved closer to a strike, the two leaders sought to lull Iran into complacency.

Both countries also leaked signs that there were tensions between the two allies: “All the reports that were written about Bibi not being on the same page with Witkoff or Trump were not true,” said someone familiar with the details. “But it was good that this was the general perception; it helped to move on with the planning without many people noticing it.”

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https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/unprecedented-errors-are-eroding-credibility-trumps-justice-department-2025-12-17/
WASHINGTON, Dec 17 - As President Donald Trump's crime crackdown got underway in Washington, D.C., in August, federal agents and police spotted a man named Torez Riley tugging at his backpack inside a Trader Joe's store, searched it and recovered two firearms.
But federal prosecutors were forced to dismiss the charges after video surveillance revealed the search lacked probable cause and was unlawful.

In a subsequent legal opinion, a federal magistrate judge said the errors were part of a broader pattern of unprecedented prosecutorial missteps, resulting in a 21% dismissal rate of the D.C. U.S. Attorney's office's criminal complaints over eight weeks, compared to a mere 0.5% dismissal rate over the prior 10 years.
"It appears prosecutors charged and detained Riley before properly investigating the circumstances of his arrest," wrote the magistrate judge, Zia Faruqui.
In years past, it was relatively rare for a federal court to question the Justice Department's competency or good faith. But such questions are becoming more common, thanks to a growing pattern of legal missteps that have dogged the department since January, according to a Reuters review and legal experts.
The Justice Department declined to comment on any pending cases but a department spokesperson said:
"This Department of Justice is winning in court on behalf of the Trump Administration and the American People with 24 successful rulings at the Supreme Court emergency docket so far and multiple prominent indictments of transnational terrorists, violent criminals, and even politicians who have allegedly engaged in corruption."
A spokesman for the D.C. U.S. Attorney's office, Tim Lauer, said: “This office enforces the law as written and brings cases where the facts warrant action. While judges and juries decide outcomes, this office’s role is to hold offenders accountable.”

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https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/trump-orders-blockade-sanctioned-oil-tankers-leaving-entering-venezuela-2025-12-16/
WASHINGTON, Dec 16 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered a "blockade" of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, a move set to sharply escalate tensions between Washington and Caracas as he targets Venezuela's main source of income.
It is unclear how the Trump administration will impose the blockade against the sanctioned vessels, and whether he will turn to the Coast Guard to interdict vessels like he did last week. The administration has moved thousands of troops and nearly a dozen warships - including an aircraft carrier - to the region in recent months.

"For the theft of our Assets, and many other reasons, including Terrorism, Drug Smuggling, and Human Trafficking, the Venezuelan Regime has been designated a FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Therefore, today, I am ordering A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela."
U.S. crude futures climbed over 1% to $55.96 a barrel in Asian trading after Trump's announcement. Oil prices settled at $55.27 a barrel on Tuesday, the lowest close since February 2021.

Oil market participants said prices were rising in anticipation of a potential reduction in Venezuelan exports, although they were still waiting to see how Trump’s blockade would be enforced and whether it would extend to include non-sanctioned vessels.
"We don’t know how much or how quickly Trump will enforce this," said Rory Johnston, founder of oil markets-focused newsletter Commodity Context.

There has been an effective embargo in place after the U.S. seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela last week, with loaded vessels carrying millions of barrels of oil staying in Venezuelan waters rather than risk seizure.

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The US economy added 64,000 jobs in November as the unemployment rate crept up to 4.6%, according to Labor Department data published Tuesday.

The unemployment rate is now at its highest level since September 2021.

The November jobs report, originally scheduled to be published Dec. 5 before the 43-day government shutdown delayed multiple economic data releases, comes as Americans stress over rising layoffs and a frozen job market that can feel impossible to break into. Tuesday’s report suggested those conditions persisted toward the end of the year.

Economists surveyed by Bloomberg had expected a gain of 50,000 jobs. The healthcare sector, which has fueled job growth this year, added 46,000 positions for the month.

"The US economy is in a hiring recession," Heather Long, chief economist at the Navy Federal Credit Union, wrote in a post on X.

"Almost no jobs have been added since April," Long added. "Wage gains are slowing. 710,000 more people are unemployed now versus November 2024."

The last official reading of the labor market, published in November, was pushed back by several weeks and had only offered data for September, showing an unexpected uptick in jobs after the economy actually lost jobs in August and June, marking the first negative employment months since 2020.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/unemployment-rate-hit-4-year-high-in-november-even-as-economy-added-jobs-133749371.html