“The first US missiles that struck the boats in the Caribbean in early September 2025 were described by Washington as a ‘counter-narcotics operation,’ a sterile phrase meant to dull the violence of incinerating human beings in an instant. Then came the second strike, this time on survivors already struggling to stay afloat. Once the details emerged, however, the official story began to fall apart. Local fishermen contradicted US claims. Relatives of those killed have said the men were not cartel operatives at all, but fishermen, divers, and small-scale couriers. … Maritime workers noted what everyone in the region already knows: the route near Venezuela’s waters is not a fentanyl corridor into the United States.” (12/10/25)
“The billion-dollar pandemic-era social service billing fraud perpetuated mainly by Somali immigrants in Minneapolis is shocking in its scale. That Minnesota public officials would have turned a blind eye to one of the largest state welfare scandals in American history, for fear of being viewed as racist, should surprise no one. For years, the state has wrongly convinced itself that its Black residents suffer from a deeply racist past. Progressives made a key error, confusing the situation of new immigrants who happen to be Black Africans with those who are the descendants of American slaves. But they were sure they had to correct the past with dramatic policy changes. This under-appreciated story began with what seemed to be an alarming 2019 investigation by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that labeled Minnesota ‘one of the most racially inequitable states’ — a conclusion based on a poverty rate four times higher for Blacks than Whites.” (12/10/25)
“South Carolina’s stalled nuclear power project could finally finish construction as a private company has offered to pay $2.7 billion to the state-owned utility and a small share of the power if they can reach an agreement to get the two reactors up and running. The half-built reactors ended up so far behind schedule that the project was abandoned in 2017. However, the potential deal is a long way from complete. There will be up to two years of negotiations between utility Santee Cooper and Brookfield Asset Management on the thousands and thousands of details. The deal would also let Brookfield keep at least 75% of the power generated by the new plant that they could mostly sell to whom they want, such as energy-gobbling data centers. The exact amount of the rest that Santee Cooper receives would be determined on how much the private company has to spend to get the reactors running.” (12/09/25)
“The Golden Globe nominations came out on Monday, and two films dominated: One Battle After Another with nine nominations and Sinners with seven. On the television side, The White Lotus led with six nominations. These productions have something in common: They are all products of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), which has also dominated the box office this year. A record seven straight Warner Bros. releases debuted with more than $40 million in receipts in their opening week this year, the most consistent run of success in movie history. This all begs the question: Why did a critical darling and commercial juggernaut publicly auction itself off, and why is it now caught in a bidding war between Netflix, with which Warner Bros. agreed to a merger last week, and Paramount, which made a hostile takeover bid on Monday?” (12/10/25)
“Australia’s landmark new social media age law is set to go into effect, barring anyone under 16 from holding an account as the government moves to enforce one of the world’s strictest online safety measures. The Australian government’s Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act, passed in November 2024, will start being enforced on Wednesday. ‘From December 10, if you’re under 16, you’re no longer allowed to have a social media account,’ said Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in a video statement that was played in classrooms ahead of the social media restrictions, according to 9 News Australia. ‘You’ll know better than anyone what it’s like growing up with algorithms, endless feeds and the pressure that can come with that.’ The platforms that will be banned for youth in Australia are Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, Twitch, X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube.” (12/10/25)
“Less than a year into his second term, President Donald Trump is already hobbling toward lame duck status. His approval rating has plummeted to 36 percent, according to Gallup’s latest survey, including just a 25 percent thumbs-up among independents. He’s squandered his gains with Latino voters, with nearly 80 percent now telling Pew that his policies are more harmful than helpful. Democrats, meanwhile, are enjoying an uptick in their electoral fortunes. Democratic gubernatorial candidates Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill cruised to victory in Virginia and New Jersey, while generic Congressional ballots have begun to show commanding leads for Democrats hopeful of capturing the House. But don’t mistake Trump’s unpopularity with newfound affection for Democrats, warns strategist Simon Bazelon, a Research Fellow at the Democratically aligned organization Welcome. Democrats have increasingly shifted leftward in recent years, Bazelon argues, and are perceived as too liberal and out of touch.” (12/10/25)
“President Donald Trump’s administration has drastically slashed resources for enforcing tax laws, and the result has been a massive plunge in tax-related prosecutions. A Tuesday report from Reuters found that federal tax prosecutions in 2025 fell to ‘their lowest level in decades this year,’ falling by 27% over the last year. The report noted that the Trump administration has made ‘deep cuts to the Internal Revenue Service’s criminal investigative unit,’ and has also reassigned some agents who worked in the unit to focus more on immigration cases. The Trump administration has even assigned more than 20 IRS agents in the agency’s DC office to conduct patrols alongside city police officers as part of the president’s purported plan to reduce crime in the capital city, Reuters reported.” [editor’s note: They say it like it’s a bad thing! – TLK] (12/10/25)
“Two four-story buildings collapsed overnight in the Moroccan city of Fez, killing 22 people in the second fatal collapse there this year, authorities said on Wednesday. MAP, Morocco’s state news agency, reported the two residential buildings housed eight families. Sixteen people were injured in the collapse and taken to the hospital. Authorities said the neighborhood had been evacuated and search and rescue efforts were ongoing. It was unclear what caused the collapse or how many people were unaccounted for on Wednesday morning, but authorities said an investigation had been opened. MAP reported that the structures were built in 2006 during a self-construction initiative called ‘City Without Slums.’ Fez is Morocco’s third-largest city and one of the hosts of this month’s Africa Cup of Nations and the 2030 FIFA World Cup. It is best known for its walled city packed with medieval souks and tanneries.” (12/10/25)
“As newly ordained rabbi Louisa Solomon crunched the numbers on her new Jewish education project, she encountered a good problem: Too many people wanted to attend. ‘People just started coming up to me right and left, in the streets, at the capital, on the Manhattan Bridge, and saying, ‘Will you start an anti-Zionist shul? There’s nowhere else to go, for me!” she remembers. People told her stories of being kicked out of their synagogues or their family table for their opposition to the war and the political project of Zionism. If they were going to stay Jewish, they needed somewhere to do it. And they needed someone to show them how.” (12/09/25)
“Over the weekend, tens of thousands of Brazilian women participated in rallies calling for stronger action to tackle violence against women, which remains intolerably high. A few weeks earlier, several thousand South African women participated in ‘lie-downs’ across the country to call attention to the same issue. ‘Just as women many years ago protested … for the changes that we are privileged to experience today,’ said a South African participant in her 20s, ‘we also need to be the generation that steps up.’ Coinciding with the global ’16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence’ campaign, these events underscore how much remains to be done to uphold the safety and dignity of women and girls the world over. As well as laws and enforcement, the process requires confronting deep-rooted traditions and cultural notions that constrain the full participation and vigorous contributions of half the world’s population.” (12/08/25)
