ICC sentences Sudanese militia leader to 20 years in prison for Darfur atrocities

Source: CBC News [Canadian state media]

“Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) sentenced a leader of the feared Sudanese Janjaweed militia to 20 years imprisonment Tuesday for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the catastrophic conflict in Darfur more than two decades ago. At a hearing last month, prosecutors sought a life sentence for Ali Muhammad Ali Abd–Al-Rahman who was was convicted in October of 27 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity that included ordering mass executions and bludgeoning two prisoners to death with an ax in 2003-2004.” (12/09/25)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/international-criminal-court-sudanese-leader-9.7008390

SCOTUS rejects free speech case over controversial vanity plate

Source: USA Today

“The Supreme Court won’t get involved in states’ regulation of vanity license plates, rejecting an appeal from a Tennessee woman challenging the rejection of her controversial ’69PWNDU’ personalized plate. The court on Dec. 8 declined to hear an appeal from Leah Gilliam, who argued that states’ rules for what is and isn’t allowed on personalized plates are often unclear and can amount to a ‘dizzying array of censorship.’ She wanted the court to find that she is expressing her own views through a vanity plate, not the government’s, a decision that would have limited states’ ability to control that message.” (12/09/25)

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/12/08/supreme-court-vanity-license-plates-tennessee/87506942007/

Uncle Sam, Shareholder

Source: The Dispatch
by Tad DeHaven

“The first Trump administration ushered in a new era of industrial policy, attempting to reshape the macroeconomic landscape through the use of tariffs. The Biden administration built upon its predecessor’s interventions, championing massive subsidies for the semiconductor and green energy industries. In his second term, Trump has raised the tariff ante and taken an alarming step further by directly inserting the federal government into the corporate boardroom. Over the past six months, the administration has unilaterally engineered a series of deals that give the federal government ownership stakes in a portfolio of private companies. It’s a seismic and disturbing development in federal policymaking — and it’s not done. Congressional Republicans, who would be foaming at the mouth were this occurring under a Democratic administration, have thus far chosen to sit on their hands.” (12/09/25)

https://thedispatch.com/article/trump-administration-equity-stakes-corporation-downsides/

“Democratic Socialism”: Yet Another Remake

Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Julieta Clara

“I’m from Argentina, and when I hear New York’s new mayor speak about ‘democratic socialism’ as a path to ‘social justice,’ I feel like someone who has already watched the entire movie: the prequel, the sequel, the reboot, and even the director’s cut. Different actors, different scripts, different settings — but always the same finale.” (12/09/25)

https://fee.org/articles/democratic-socialism-yet-another-remake/

Why Gun Groups Oppose Transgender Gun Bans

Source: Reason
by Jacob Sullum

“Multiple news outlets reported in September 2025 that the Justice Department was weighing a ban on gun possession by transgender people, on the theory that they are ‘mentally ill’ and therefore ‘unstable.’ That constitutionally dubious proposal provoked objections from gun rights groups that typically align with the Trump administration, including the National Rifle
Association (NRA). … the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit held that ‘nothing in our tradition allows disarmament simply because [someone] belongs to a category of people’ that ‘Congress has categorically deemed dangerous.’ Such a ban would be even more constitutionally questionable if it were imposed by bureaucratic fiat.” (for publication 01/26)

https://reason.com/2025/12/09/gun-groups-oppose-trans-firearm-ban/

Kimmel will remain on ABC through 2027 amid ongoing Trump feud

Source: USA Today

“Jimmy Kimmel isn’t going anywhere, despite his show’s recent suspension and antagonistic interactions as of late with President Donald Trump. The ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ host has signed a one-year extension with ABC, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to USA TODAY on Dec. 8. His late-night show will stay on the network through May 2027.” (12/09/25)

https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2025/12/08/jimmy-kimmel-live-contract-abc-2027/87675943007/