“Ukrainian naval drones hit two oil tankers from Russia’s so-called ‘shadow fleet’ as they travelled through the Black Sea, Ukrainian officials have said. Footage verified by the BBC shows waterborne drones speeding through the waves into the vessels, before detonating into a ball of flame, sending black smoke into the air. The targeted tankers were named by Turkish authorities as the Kairos and Virat, both flagged to the Gambia. Both were hit off the Turkish coast on Friday, with the Virat reportedly struck again on Saturday. No casualties were reported. The attacks appear to be an escalation by Kyiv as it tries to hit Russia’s oil revenues, which are critical for funding its war in Ukraine.” (11/30/25)
“Lawmakers from both U.S. parties said Sunday they support congressional reviews of military strikes ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump against vessels suspected of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, citing a published report that Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order for all crew members to be killed as part of a Sept. 2 attack. The lawmakers said they did not know whether last week’s Washington Post report — which Hegseth called ‘fake news’ — was true, and some Republicans were skeptical, but they said attacking survivors of an initial missile strike poses serious legal concerns. ‘This rises to the level of a war crime if it’s true,’ said Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia.” [editor’s note: It rose to the level of a war crime when the first strike was ordered – TLK] (11/30/25)
“Swiss voters have rejected a tax on ultra wealthy residents and turned down a proposal to extend mandatory military service to women, initial poll results showed Sunday. Nearly 85% of voters rejected military or civic service for females, and 79% voted against a 50% inheritance tax for the most wealthy Swiss.” (11/30/25)
“Despite wider economic uncertainty hovering above this year’s holiday season, shoppers turned out in big numbers for Black Friday — spending billions of dollars both in stores and online. Adobe Analytics, which tracks e-commerce, said U.S. consumers spent a record $11.8 billion online Friday, marking a 9.1% jump from last year. It was a slight increase from the company’s spending estimate of $11.7 billion.” (11/29/25)
“President Donald Trump is issuing a warning to avoid Venezuelan airspace as his administration is ramping up its strikes against drug trafficking organizations. In a Nov. 29 post on social media, the president told ‘all airlines, pilots, drug dealers and human traffickers,” to keep clear of the flying areas ‘above and surrounding’ the South American country as he contemplates land strikes. Tensions are rising in the region as observers suspect the Trump administration may [attempt to] topple Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro …. The U.S. positioned its largest aircraft carrier, two guided missile destroyers, and a special operations ship near Venezuela and around 12,000 troops are stationed in the area.” (11/29/25)
“Benjamin Netanyahu has asked Israel’s president for a pardon for bribery and fraud charges and an end to a five-year corruption trial, arguing that it would be in the ‘public interest.’ … Presidential pardons in Israel have almost never been granted before conviction, with the one notable exception of a 1986 case involving the Shin Bet security service. A pre-emptive pardon of a politician in a corruption case without an admission of guilt would be precedent-setting and highly controversial. The submission on Sunday comes weeks after Donald Trump wrote to Herzog to ask him to pardon Netanyahu, who has been on trial since 2020 on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, involving alleged political favours for wealthy backers in return for gifts or positive media coverage.” (11/30/25)
Thanks to subscribing contributor IH, whose $2.50 monthly donation over the weekend brings our year-end fundraiser total to $1,358.34!
I’d hoped for a bigger weekend. We’re now 2/3 of the way through the fundraiser period, but less than halfway to our goal.
We need to raise another $1,392.16 (after which supporter GL will “match funds” to get us to the final goal of $5,501) by December 31. And the sooner the better — once we hit the goal, I get to stop yammering about money entirely for the rest of the year and mostly until next October.
So please, help us over the hump by supporting the freedom movement’s daily newspaper at:
“U.S. spot bitcoin and Ethereum exchange-traded funds posted their first combined week of net inflows since late October, signaling a potential turnaround following a brutal stretch of institutional outflows. According to SoSoValue data, spot bitcoin ETFs recorded approximately $70.1 million in net inflows for the shortened trading week ending Nov. 28, which included just four trading days due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Spot Ethereum ETFs fared even better, logging roughly $312.6 million in net inflows over the same period. The positive flows mark a sharp departure from recent weeks.” (11/29/25)
“Russian authorities have outlawed Human Rights Watch as an ‘undesirable organisation,’ a label that, under a 2015 law, makes involvement with it a criminal offence. Friday’s designation means the international human rights group must stop all work in Russia, and opens those who cooperate with or support the organisation to prosecution. HRW has repeatedly accused Russia of suppressing dissenters and committing war crimes during its ongoing war against Ukraine. … The decision by the Russian prosecutor general’s office is the latest move in a crackdown on Kremlin critics, journalists and activists, which has intensified since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.” (11/29/25)
“The director of the Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine division told agency staff in a memo that an internal review found that at least 10 children died ‘after and because of receiving’ the Covid vaccine. The 3,000-word memo, obtained by NBC News, was written by Dr. Vinay Prasad, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. In it, Prasad claims that agency staff determined that ‘no fewer than 10’ of 96 child deaths reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, or VAERS, between 2021 and 2024 were ‘related’ to Covid vaccination. He said the true numbers could be higher, accusing the agency of ignoring the safety concerns for years.” (11/29/25)
