Source: Deutsche Welle [German state media]
“Israel has recognized Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, as an ‘independent and sovereign state,’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday. ‘Together with Foreign Minister Sa’ar and the President of the Republic of Somaliland, we signed a joint and mutual declaration,’ Netanyahu posted to X. ‘This declaration is in the spirit of the Abraham Accords, signed at the initiative of President Trump,’ he said. In doing so, Israel became the first country to recognize the breakaway region. … Somalia’s Foreign Ministry denounced Israel’s ‘deliberate attack’ on its sovereignty and warned that recognizing Somaliland as an independent state would ‘undermine regional peace.'” (12/26/25)
https://www.dw.com/en/israel-becomes-first-nation-to-recognize-somaliland/a-75311342
Source: The Daily Economy
by Jason Sorens
“Dealmaking politics have left businesses unsure of the rules, holding back on investments, Tariffs can be priced in. Uncertainty can’t.” (12/26/25)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/regime-uncertainty-a-drag-on-the-american-economy/
Source: The Price of Liberty
by Nathan Barton
“Quick review: the Greek forces had besieged the walled city for a very long time but failed to breach its walls. So they appeared to be abandoning the effort and sailing away. But only after constructing a great wooden horse, some kind of tribute to the gods. When they sailed away, the seemingly victorious defenders of Troy came out and decided that the huge wooden horse was a suitable victory monument and dragged it into the city. Of course, the Greeks had filled the body of the horse with a squad of elite warriors. … Today, various companies, institutions, and government agencies are playing a kind of game very similar to the Trojan Horse scam. A correspondent, Bob Malone, reminded us of this recently. It is called the ‘subscription economy,’ and it is a direct application of that evil Regressive claim that ‘in the future we will own nothing, and be happy about it.’” (12/26/25)
https://thepriceofliberty.org/2025/12/26/beware-beware-more-than-greeks-bearing-gifts/
Source: CBS News
“Patrol deputies with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office were called to an area home at about 4:50 p.m. on Thursday, the agency said on social media. The officers were told that the teenager, 15, had taken her dog out for a walk but had not returned. Her father then used parental controls to track her phone’s location and find it in a ‘secluded, partially wooded area’ about two miles away. The sheriff’s office said the father, who has not been identified, traveled to the site and found his daughter and her dog inside a maroon-colored pickup truck, along with a ‘partially nude’ man. The father helped the teen escape and brought her back home, where they called the sheriff’s office. Investigators determined that the male suspect had threatened the teenager with a knife. … [Giovanni Rosales] Espinoza was taken into custody without incident, the sheriff’s office said.” (12/27/25)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-dad-cell-phone-data-rescue-daughter-knifepoint-police/
Source: Yascha Mounk
“Ivan Krastev on 2026.” (12/27/25)
https://yaschamounk.substack.com/p/ivan-krastev-3
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Cláudia Ascensão Nunes
“In Brussels, we have witnessed a scene that has become increasingly common: protests by European farmers marked by escalating hostility, including burning tires and clashes with police. This discontent is the cumulative reaction to a process that has dragged on for more than 25 years, and is now being pushed toward completion under conditions that are deeply damaging to European farmers. Some invoke the benefits of free markets, and, under normal circumstances, these do indeed offer the best outcomes for both producers and consumers. The problem is that between European farmers and producers from Mercosur—a trade bloc that includes Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay—the market can never be truly free, because farmers in each bloc operate under fundamentally different regulatory conditions.” (12/26/25)
https://fee.org/articles/brussels-bets-the-farm/
Source: Politico
“American forces launched airstrikes against ISIS in Nigeria on Thursday, President Donald Trump announced in a post on Truth Social, the administration’s latest show of lethal force in the international arena since Trump returned to the White House early this year. A Pentagon official told POLITICO the agency worked with the Nigerian government to carry out the strikes. On his social media platform, the president said the strike was a consequence for the militant group’s killing of Christians ‘at levels not seen for many years, and even centuries!'” (12/25/25)
https://archive.is/jX5zN
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Joaquim Couto
“here was a time when debates about determinism and free will belonged to philosophy departments and late-night dorm room conversations. They were enjoyable precisely because they seemed harmless. Whatever the answer, life went on. Courts judged, doctors decided, teachers taught, and politicians were still — at least nominally — held responsible for their actions. That era is over. Artificial intelligence has transformed what once appeared to be an abstract philosophical question into a concrete issue of governance, power, and accountability. Determinism is no longer merely a theory about how the universe works. It is becoming an operating principle for modern institutions. And that changes everything.” (12/25/25)
https://brownstone.org/articles/the-real-war-of-the-century-artificial-intelligence/
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“Christmas and the Welfare State.” (12/24/25)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSzqcyVIQgM
Source: AOL
“Ukraine dealt Russian dictator Vladimir Putin a humiliating Christmas Day blow when it routed Kremlin troops to wrest back control of its key eastern city of Kupyansk, a vital railroad hub, Kviv said. … Putin’s embarrassing setback in Kupyansk came as the two sides exchanged a barrage of military drones over the holiday, with Russia launching more than 130 drones overnight. The Russian attacks caused major power outages in Odesa, Ukraine’s most important port, and inflicted heavy damage in the city and surrounding areas, CNN reported Thursday. … A Ukrainian ‘Storm Shadow’ missile also struck a major Russian oil refinery in the Rostov region, one of the largest oil producers in southern Russia, media outlet France24 said Thursday. The uptick in fighting comes as a peace plan brokered by President Trump remains at a standstill.” (12/25/25)
https://www.aol.com/news/ukraine-delivers-humiliating-christmas-day-204515095.html
