“A car ploughed into a crowd of people at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg on Friday evening, killing at least two and injuring dozens more in what local officials said they believed was a deliberate attack. The prime minister of the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Reiner Haseloff, said police had detained a man originally from Saudi Arabia in connection with the incident, which he said had claimed two lives and injured at least 60 people, 15 of them severely, according to city authorities. Haseloff said that the suspected perpetrator, believed to be 50, had lived in Germany since 2006 and worked in Magdeburg as a doctor, and appeared to be acting alone.” (12/21/24)
“A Russian missile strike killed one person and wounded nine others early on Friday morning, Ukrainian officials said …. First responders were battling fires in the streets, and several high-rise buildings were damaged. Debris had fallen in at least four districts in the city, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on the Telegram messaging app. More than 600 buildings, including more than a dozen medical sites, were without heat after the strike damaged a heating main in the city’s southwestern Holosiivskyi District, he said.” (12/20/24)
“A Republican spending bill backed by President-elect Donald Trump failed in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday, leaving Congress with no clear plan to avert a fast-approaching government shutdown that could disrupt Christmas travel. By a vote of 174-235, the House rejected the spending package, which was hastily assembled by Republican leaders after Trump and billionaire Elon Musk scuttled a prior bipartisan deal. Despite Trump’s support, 38 Republicans voted against the package along with all but three Democrats. Government funding is due to expire at midnight on Friday. If lawmakers fail to extend that deadline, the U.S. government will begin a partial shutdown that would interrupt funding for everything from border enforcement to national parks and cut off paychecks for more than 2 million federal workers.” (12/19/24)
“Embattled Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will shuffle his Cabinet Friday. The prime minister’s office confirmed late Thursday that Trudeau will participate in the swearing-in ceremony and chair a meeting with his new Cabinet later Friday. Trudeau is facing rising discontent over his leadership, and the abrupt departure of his finance minister on Monday could be something he can’t recover from. A rising number of Liberal lawmakers are calling on Trudeau to resign but new Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Thursday Trudeau has the ‘full support of his Cabinet.'” (12/20/24)
“U.S. immigration authorities in 2024 removed the largest number of people in the country illegally [sic] in a decade, according to a new report. In fiscal year 2024, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) removed 271,484 noncitizens — the highest number since 2014, according to the agency’s year-end report, released Thursday. … The deportation numbers showed a 90% increase from the past two fiscal years, according to ICE data.” [editor’s note: These people seem to be as punctilious as Hitler’s SS was at documenting their own crimes; hopefully they’ll eventually face justice as well – TLK] (12/19/24)
“Craig Wright, the computer scientist ruled to have lied ‘extensively and repeatedly’ about being the inventor of Bitcoin, has been given a one-year prison sentence by a UK judge after being found in contempt of court. The sentence is suspended for two years, meaning that Wright will only face prison if he reoffends during that period. At a hearing Thursday in the UK High Court, Justice James Edward Mellor ruled that Wright — in bringing a $1.15 trillion lawsuit in October against Bitcoin developers and payments firm Square — had violated an earlier court order. The order required that Wright refrain from claiming publicly to be Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin, and taking legal action on that basis, among other things.” (12/19/24)
“The Teamsters are launching strikes against seven Amazon warehouses Thursday, in the union’s biggest provocation yet against the nation’s second-largest private employer, threatening to delay some package delivery during the busy Christmas season. The strikes will take place at sites in New York City, Atlanta, San Francisco, Skokie, Ill., and Southern California. Roughly 9,000 Amazon workers around the country have joined the Teamsters, according to the union, but Amazon has refused to recognize their union and bargain with them. The Teamsters are hoping to force Amazon to the bargaining table to hammer out a union contract with this round of strikes, which they are threatening to expand. ‘If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon’s insatiable greed,’ Teamsters President Sean O’Brien said. … Amazon has said the union illegally coerced its workers to join, a key reason it cites for not recognizing the union’s representation of the workers.” (12/19/24)
“Big Lots is preparing to close all remaining locations, following the closure of hundreds of stores and filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the company announced on Thursday. … In an email to employees, shared with Nexstar and reported by The Hill, president and CEO Bruce Thorn stated that the planned store closures could ‘be reversed if we successfully complete a sale.'” (12/19/24)
“Specialty pharmacies and online companies that have been selling off-brand copies of two blockbuster drugs for obesity and diabetes will need to phase out their versions next year under a federal decision issued Thursday. The Food and Drug Administration said that a nationwide shortage of Eli Lilly’s Zepbound and Mounjaro has been resolved, eliminating the need for copycat versions of the drugs that have become wildly popular with Americans trying to lose weight. The decision is a win for Lilly — which had been pressing the FDA to take the step for months — and is expected to impact how patients access the drugs, including how much they pay. Zepbound is FDA-approved to treat obesity and Mounjaro is approved for diabetes. They use the same active ingredient, tirzepatide. The FDA said Thursday that ‘Lilly’s supply is currently meeting or exceeding demand,’ after two years of shortages.” (12/19/24)
“Russia is poised for another aggressive rate hike on Friday as the central bank continues to find little success in tackling inflation that has recently accelerated well above its forecast. The Bank of Russia is set to raise borrowing costs for the fourth time in a row — and by 200 basis points just like in October, according to six out of 12 economists surveyed by Bloomberg. Two foresee the benchmark climbing by 300 basis points to 24%, while Goldman Sachs International and HSBC Bank Plc suggest rate setters will put monetary tightening on hold at their Dec. 20 meeting. … Russia’s annual inflation accelerated again in November to 8.9% from 8.5% in the previous month, even after the central bank increased the key rate in October to a record-high 21%.” (12/20/24)
