“The US says its military has carried out a ‘massive strike’ against the Islamic State group (IS) in Syria, in response to a deadly attack on American forces in the country. The US Central Command (Centcom) said fighter jets, attack helicopters and artillery ‘struck more than 70 targets at multiple locations across central Syria’ Aircraft from Jordan were also involved. It said the operation ’employed more than 100 precision munitions’ targeting known IS infrastructure and weapons sites.” [editor’s note: If American forces weren’t in the country, where they have no business being, they wouldn’t be getting attacked there, would they? – TLK] (12/20/25)
“Ukraine has struck a Russian ‘shadow fleet’ oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea with aerial drones for the first time, an official said on Friday, reflecting the growing intensity of Kyiv’s attacks on Russian oil shipping. The vessel — the Qendil — was empty when it was struck by drones in neutral waters more than 2,000 km (1,250 miles) from Ukraine, sustaining critical damage, the official at the SBU security service said in a written statement. … Ukraine has been attacking Russian oil refineries throughout 2024 and 2025, but has visibly widened its campaign in recent weeks, striking oil rigs in the Caspian Sea and claiming credit for sea-drone attacks on three tankers in the Black Sea.” (12/19/25)
“The Trump administration failed Friday to meet a statutory deadline to release all government records tied to Jeffrey Epstein. The Department of Justice faces an 11:59 p.m. Friday deadline to make the disclosures required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the statute President Donald Trump signed into law on Nov. 19. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the Department of Justice has begun publishing Epstein-related materials under the Epstein Files Transparency Act but will continue producing additional records on a rolling basis as internal review proceeds and victim protections are applied.” (12/19/25)
“President Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to speed up the rescheduling of marijuana from Schedule I to the less severe Schedule III, with the stated goal of expanding cannabis research. The executive order will direct the attorney general to expedite the completion of the rescheduling process. The Biden administration had begun the rescheduling process but left the matter unfinished by the time Trump assumed office. In August, Trump signaled he was open to finishing where Biden left off. … The executive order will have no impact on criminal penalties or the recreational use of marijuana.” (12/18/25)
“European Union leaders have struck a deal to give Ukraine a €90bn (£79bn; $105bn) loan after failing to agree on using frozen Russian assets …. This EU loan is about two-thirds of the €135bn that Kyiv is thought to need to stay afloat over the next two years.” (12/19/25)
“Venezuela’s navy has escorted commercial oil tankers to Asia in direct defiance of a U.S. military blockade targeting the country’s oil industry. Three ships carrying urea, petroleum coke and other oil-based products sailed on Tuesday and Wednesday and were accompanied by naval escorts ordered by President Nicolas Maduro, according to the New York Times. A U.S. official said that Washington was aware of the escorts and was considering various courses of actions. The vessels were not on a list of sanctioned tankers maintained by the Treasury and threatened with attack, according to a review by the publication.” (12/18/25)
“Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan was found guilty of a felony count of obstructing federal agents seeking to make an immigration [abduction] outside her courtroom, a precedent-setting case that has been closely watched nationally and drawn passionate protests. A jury of seven men and five women deliberated more than six hours before delivering a split verdict. They found the judge not guilty on a lesser misdemeanor charge of concealing a wanted person. … The case has become a bellwether in the clash between the judiciary and the Trump administration as it executes a sweeping immigration crackdown nationwide.” (12/18/25)
“TikTok has signed a deal to divest its U.S. entity to a joint venture controlled by American investors, per an internal memo seen by Axios. A deal would end a yearslong saga to force TikTok’s Chinese parent ByteDance to sell the company’s U.S. operation to domestic owners to alleviate [fake] national security concerns. … Oracle, Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based MGX will collectively own 45% of the U.S. entity, which will be called ‘TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC.’ Nearly one-third of the company will be held by affiliates of existing ByteDance investors, and nearly 20% will be retained by ByteDance.” [editor’s note: MGX used Trump’s “World Liberty Financial” stablecoin for a $2 billion deal; Oracle’s Larry Ellison is also a Trump crony – TLK] (12/18/25)
“India’s parliament passed a bill that will open up its nuclear industry to private firms and unlock investment opportunities worth $214 billion, after tight regulations stifled the sector for decades. The bill comes at a time of renewed global interest in nuclear as a steady source of clean energy, and as part of India’s plan to expand its atomic fleet to to support economic growth and help decarbonize its coal-dependent economy. The proposed law abolishes the decades-old state monopoly in atomic power generation and makes sweeping changes to the country’s liability provisions that had spooked investors.” (12/18/25)
“American rapper Wiz Khalifa was sentenced by a court in Romania on Thursday to nine months in jail for drug possession, more than a year after he took part in a music festival in the Eastern European country. Khalifa was stopped by Romanian police in July 2024 after allegedly smoking cannabis on stage at the Beach, Please! Festival in Costinesti, a coastal resort in Constanta County. Prosecutors said the rapper, whose real name is Cameron Jibril Thomaz, was found in possession of more than 18 grams of cannabis, and that he consumed some on stage. … It isn’t clear whether Romanian authorities will seek to file an extradition request, since Khalifa is a U.S. citizen and doesn’t reside in Romania.” (12/18/25)
