“Saudi-backed troops on Saturday made advances in Yemen’s resource-rich Hadramawt province, military officials said, as confrontations between forces backed by Riyadh and Abu Dhabi deepened a rift between the two Gulf allies. The Saudis and Emiratis have for years supported rival factions in Yemen’s fractious government. But a recent offensive by the UAE-backed secessionist Southern Transitional Council (STC) to capture Hadramawt angered Riyadh and left the oil-rich regional powers on a collision course. In a statement, the military of the Saudi-aligned government announced that ‘all military and civilian facilities’ in Mukalla, the capital of Hadramawt province, had ‘been secured’ by Riyadh-backed forces.” (01/03/26)
“The Trump administration and California appear to have officially severed ties as the state moves forward with the long-delayed high-speed rail without the help of federal funds. On Dec. 23, the California High-Speed Rail Authority pulled the lawsuit it filed after the Trump administration scrapped $4 billion in funding this summer for the bullet train that would stretch from Los Angeles to San Francisco. The rail authority has now decided to seek funding from a private investor as early as summer 2026. ‘Moving forward without the Trump administration’s involvement allows the Authority to pursue proven global best practices used successfully by modern high-speed rail systems around the world,’ a spokesperson for the rail authority said in a statement.” (01/02/25)
“A U.S. appeals court on Friday ruled that California’s ban on openly carrying firearms in most parts of the state was unconstitutional. A panel of the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided 2-1 with a gun owner in ruling that the state’s prohibition against open carry in counties with more than 200,000 people violated U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. About 95% of the population in California, which has had some of the nation’s strictest gun-control laws, live in counties of that size. U.S. Circuit Judge Lawrence VanDyke, who was appointed by Republican President Donald Trump, said the Democratic-led state’s law could not stand under the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 landmark gun rights ruling.” (01/02/26)
“Saikat Chakrabarti, a candidate who’s hoping to replace Rep. Nancy Pelosi, is pitching a four-day workweek, citing Mark Zuckerberg’s new AI push as a warning sign. ‘We should be talking about four-day workweeks as a result of AI,’ Chakrabarti said in a video posted on New Year’s Eve on X. ‘But instead what we’re seeing is companies squeezing more and more work out of their workers with no extra benefits.’ Chakrabarti, a former tech engineer and now a bastion of progressive politics, is running for the coveted San Francisco House seat, which is open after Pelosi announced her retirement in 2025. Chakrabarti, who has a list of progressive policy reforms reminiscent of his former bosses, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is putting Meta in the hot seat after it was leaked that the company is implementing intense productivity standards for its employees.” (01/03/25)
“A Washington, D.C., federal magistrate judge ruled Friday that a man who allegedly set pipe bombs outside of political party headquarters on Jan. 5, 2021, must stay behind bars before his trial. Brian Cole Jr., 30, faces charges of transporting an explosive device and attempted malicious destruction by means of explosive materials. The charges have a maximum sentence of 30 years. He allegedly placed two bombs in front of the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee headquarters, though the bombs never detonated. He was arrested Dec. 4 and hasn’t entered a plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Jones filed a request on Dec. 30 to keep Cole in jail while he awaits trial. Cole’s attorneys wanted him released into the custody of his grandmother.” (01/02/26)
“Several people were killed during unrest in Iran on Thursday, an Iranian news agency and a rights group reported, as the biggest protests to hit the country for three years over soaring inflation sparked violence in several provinces. The semi-official Fars news agency cited a ‘source with knowledge’ as saying several people were killed in clashes on Thursday morning between police and what it said were armed protesters in Lordegan in western Iran. The rights group, Hengaw, also reported deaths in Lordegan, saying security forces had fired on protesters, killing and wounding several of them.” (01/01/26)
“Ukraine and Russia exchanged drone strikes on each other’s energy grids as the New Year began, according to local officials. Ukrainian drones on Thursday struck an energy storage facility in the Russian city of Almetyevsk, causing a fire that has since been extinguished, Russian media cited the press service of the local governor as saying. Ukraine’s military said on Thursday it had hit Russia’s Ilsky oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region overnight, as well as the Almetevskaya oil preparation facility in Russia’s Tatarstan region. Meanwhile, a Russian drone attack damaged power infrastructure in several Ukrainian regions overnight, Ukraine’s energy ministry said on Thursday.” (01/01/26)
“Zohran Mamdani, the democratic socialist and former New York State Assemblyman whose star quickly rose over the last year, was sworn in as New York City mayor early Thursday. Mamdani was sworn in as the 112th mayor of the country’s largest city during a ceremony at an abandoned subway station near City Hall in Manhattan. The first Muslim to serve as New York City mayor, Mamdani took the oath while putting his hand on two different Qurans. The Qurans previously belonged to Puerto Rican historian Arturo Schomburg and Mamdani’s grandfather, according to The New York Times. … Mamdani shocked the political world after he defeated former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor in June, leaning heavily into the issue of affordability on the campaign trail.” (01/01/26)
This is our final edition of 2025 … putting us a few editions into our 24th year as Rational Review News Digest (before that, Freedom News Daily; before that, starting in 1991, Libernet).
In THEORY, we’ll be back on January 5 (Americans tend to treat the Fridays after holidays that fall on Thursday as holidays themselves), but it’s likely that there will be at least a short New Year’s Day and/or weekend special edition between now and then.
Thanks for another great year, and here’s wishing you a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2026!
Yours in liberty,
Tom Knapp
Publisher
Rational Review News Digest / Freedom News Daily
“A top Russian official on Monday issued personal threats against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after Russia claimed that Ukraine launched a drone attack on one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s official residences. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov alleged that Ukraine launched a drone attack on Putin’s state residence in Novgorod region on the night of Dec. 29. Lavrov offered no evidence to support the assertion, which Zelenskyy was quick to dismiss as a Russian disinformation effort. Dmitry Medvedev — the former Russian president and prime minister now serving on the country’s Security Council — posted to X accusing Zelenskyy of ‘trying to derail the settlement of the conflict,’ referring to the ongoing U.S.-sponsored peace talks. ‘He wants war. Well, now at least he’ll have to stay in hiding for the rest of his worthless life,’ Medvedev wrote.” (12/30/25)
