“Israel’s president has pushed back on Donald Trump’s claim that the two had spoken and that a pardon for Benjamin Netanyahu was ‘on its way.’ Isaac Herzog, 65, disputed what Trump told reporters at Mar-a-Lago while beside Netanyahu, who is accused of fraud, breach of trust, and bribery — charges which he denies. … ‘There has not been a conversation between President Herzog and President Trump since the pardon request was submitted,’ his office said, according to CNN. Rather, Herzog’s office said he had spoken to a Trump aide and gave ‘an explanation’ about ‘the stage of the process in which the request currently stands.’ … In June, the president called for either the cancellation of the trial or a pardon for his ally, ‘who has done so much for the State’ during the Israel-Iran conflict.” (12/29/25)
“California has ended a lawsuit challenging the termination of $4 billion in federal grants for its controversial high-speed rail project, ceding its claim to federal funding that the Trump administration has repeatedly tried to withdraw. … The California High-Speed Rail Authority said in a statement that the agency has decided to cut ties with the Trump administration, which has also threatened other pots of federal funding tied to the planned rail line connecting Los Angeles to the Bay Area. ‘This action reflects the state’s assessment that the federal government is not a reliable, constructive, or trustworthy partner in advancing high-speed rail in California,’ the statement said.” (12/29/25)
“Ratings agency Moody’s has downgraded Budapest’s credit rating to Ba1 from Baa3 and placed it on review for a further reduction, citing its weak liquidity and a financial dispute with Viktor Orban’s national government. The downgrade comes at a delicate time for Budapest, which is run by the liberal mayor Gergely Karacsony, as nationalist Prime Minister Orban will likely face parliamentary elections in April. The centre-right opposition Tisza party is leading most polls. … ‘Ongoing legal disputes over the tax amount, which exceeds the funding received from the central government, add system instability and jeopardize the budgeting process and cash balances,’ Moody’s said, adding the ratings also reflected the partial freezing of European Union funds to Hungary.” (12/30/25)
“Beyoncé is a billionaire following the success of her Cowboy Carter tour, Forbes declared Monday. The Grammy Award-winning star is only the fifth musician to make Forbes'[s] billionaires list, after Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Bruce Springsteen and her husband, Jay-Z. … The Cowboy Carter tour was the highest-grossing of 2025, making $400 million in ticket sales and a further $50 million in merchandise sold at the shows.” (12/29/25)
“Saudi Arabia bombed Yemen’s port city of Mukalla on Tuesday over what it described as a shipment of weapons for a separatist force there that arrived from the United Arab Emirates. The UAE did not immediately acknowledge the strike. The attack signals a new escalation in tensions between the kingdom and the separatist forces of the Southern Transitional Council, which is backed by the Emirates. It also further strains ties between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, which had been backing competing sides in Yemen’s decade-long war against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels [sic] amid a moment of unease across the wider Red Sea region.” (12/30/25)
“A Georgia judge on Monday ordered a temporary pause to a December execution that was already put on hold, saying questions about the state’s clemency process must be addressed before Stacey Humphreys’ death sentence could be carried out. Humphreys, 52, was facing scheduled execution Dec. 17, but the procedure was paused just days before he was to have received a lethal injection. … Humphreys’ lawyers contend that two members of Georgia’s parole board have conflicts of interest that would taint their participation in a clemency hearing. Humphreys’ lawyers earlier this month filed a petition asking a judge to order the two members of the parole board to recuse themselves from considering his clemency petition.” (12/29/25)
“Bitcoin has dropped sharply over the last few weeks of 2025, losing 30% since hitting an all-time high in October (even as U.S. Treasury secretary Scott Bessent reveals a price game-changer). The bitcoin price has found a floor at just under $90,000 per bitcoin, failing to climb in last couple of weeks along with gold, silver, copper and other commodities that have made huge gains—potentially paving the way for a huge bitcoin price boom in 2026. Now, after a $3 trillion stock market warning suddenly flashed red, the bitcoin price and crypto market is braced for a ‘crazy week’ after the silver price dropped 10% in just over an hour.” (12/29/25)
“Iran’s largest protests in three years erupted Monday after the country’s currency plummeted to a record low against the U.S. dollar, and the head of the Central Bank resigned. State TV reported the resignation of Mohammad Reza Farzin, while traders and shopkeepers rallied in Saadi Street in downtown Tehran as well as in the Shush neighborhood near Tehran’s main Grand Bazaar. Merchants at the market played a crucial role in the 1979 Islamic Revolution that ousted the monarchy and brought Islamists to power. The official IRNA news agency confirmed the protests.” (12/29/25)
“President Volodymyr Zelensky has denied allegations by Russia that Ukraine launched a drone attack on one of President Vladimir Putin’s residences, and accused Moscow of trying to derail peace talks. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed Kyiv had launched an attack overnight using 91 long-range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on Putin’s state residence in Russia’s northwestern Novgorod region. Russia said it would now review its position in peace negotiations. It is not yet clear where Putin was at the time of the alleged attack. Zelensky dismissed the claim as ‘typical Russian lies,’ intended to give the Kremlin an excuse to continue attacks on Ukraine. He said that Russia had previously targeted government buildings in Kyiv.” (12/29/25)
“President Trump said in a radio interview that the United States had knocked out ‘a big facility’ last week as part of his administration’s campaign against Venezuela, an apparent reference to an American attack on a drug trafficking site. American officials said that Mr. Trump was referring to a drug facility in Venezuela and that it was eliminated, but provided no details. Military officials said they had no information to share, and the Central Intelligence Agency declined to comment. The White House declined to comment. … If Mr. Trump’s suggestion that the United States had struck a site in the region proves accurate, it would be the first known attack on land since he began his military campaign against Venezuela.” (12/28/25)
