Monday, December 29, 2025

The Bibby and Donny Bromance in Mar-a-Lago


The Greek Courier

A documented purveyor of falsehoods and an autocrat facing corruption charges and accusations of war crimes, found some common ground today in Florida as they navigated their respective political and legal challenges. Iran, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and Bibby's legal battles were on the menu.

The Democratic Party Avoids a Reckoning


Opinion
Dec. 28, 2025

To the Editor:

Re “D.N.C. Scraps Its Report Into What Went Wrong in 2024,” (news article, Dec. 18):
The Democratic National Committee chairman, Ken Martin, believes that it would be counterproductive and a “distraction” to release its audit of what went wrong in 2024 as the party looks forward to the midterm elections

Hubble’s new 3I/ATLAS data show twin jets as rare interstellar comet fades


by Marcin Frąckiewicz
29 December 2025
NEW YORK, December 29, 2025
  • Hubble logged a fresh 3I/ATLAS observation on Dec. 27, with more visits scheduled in early January. 
  • The comet is fading as it heads out of the solar system, after a December pass by Earth, NASA officials said.
  • A Harvard astrophysicist analyzing newly posted Hubble data said the object shows a double-jet structure, including a sun-facing “anti-tail.”

China is using American AI against the U.S. Here’s how to stop it.



Dec 29, 2025
Opinion by Jack Crovitz
Jack Crovitz is a deployment strategist at Palantir Technologies and executive editor of the Republic, the Palantir Foundation’s journal on technology and national security.

An agent of the Chinese domestic security state recently asked an artificial intelligence model to plan a sophisticated surveillance system targeting the minority Uyghur population. This system would compile police records, real-time transportation data and other information to help the Chinese government track and control Uyghurs. The agent called it a “Warning Model for High-Risk Uyghur Individuals.”

In Complaining About Gag Order, DHS Likely Violates Gag Order

Kilmar Abrego Garcia arrives at a courthouse flanked by media.

POLITICSDecember
 28, 2025
Tricia McLaughlin boosted a post that called Kilmar Abrego Garcia a terrorist to justify his illegal deportation.

Alex Nguyen
Contributing Writer Bio

The Department of Homeland Security’s complaint about being under a gag order on Saturday in its case against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man who the Trump administration illegally deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador earlier this year, likely violated the court order.

Gallup: Americans End Year in Gloomy Mood

 

Story Highlights
  • 24% approval rating for congressional Democrats, 29% for Republicans
  • Satisfaction with direction of the country is 24%
  • 47% say current economic conditions are “poor,” 31% “fair”

WASHINGTON, D.C. — After enduring the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history amid persistent affordability concerns, Americans are closing out the year with a bleak view of the country, its leaders and the economy.

The U.S. offers Ukraine a 15-year security guarantee for now, Zelenskyy says


December 29, 2025
By The Associated Press
KYIV, Ukraine — The United States is offering Ukraine security guarantees for a period of 15 years as part of a proposed peace plan, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday, though he said he would prefer an American commitment of up to 50 years to deter Russia from further attempts to seize its neighbor's land by force.

Nuno F. G. Loureiro’s untimely murder raises critical questions about potential motives behind it

The Greek Courier

Nuno F. G. Loureiro, the director of the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center, was a leading figure in fusion research. His work focused on essential challenges in making fusion energy viable, such as plasma behavior and magnetic confinement.

Fusion energy presents the potential for a cleaner, more abundant energy source that could reduce reliance on fossil fuels and alter global power dynamics. Despite substantial public support and funding, progress in fusion technology has been slow, often described as "just around the corner" yet consistently pushed back.

Loureiro’s untimely death raises critical questions about potential motives behind it. While investigators have not established a motive, several perspectives can be considered: 

Sunday, December 28, 2025

China holds military drills around Taiwan as warning to 'separatist forces'

By Koh Ewe
BBC NEWS
China is holding military drills around Taiwan simulating the seizure and blockade of the island's key areas, as a warning against "separatist forces". The army, navy, air force and rocket force have been dispatched for the drills which include live-fire exercises, the Chinese military said.

A 'jobless boom' is shaping up to be the story of the 2026 economy


By Noah Sheidlower, Juliana Kaplan, and Ayet Sheffey 
Dec 25, 2025
  • The US economy looks strong, but job growth remains slow — creating a "jobless boom."
  • AI investment and consumer spending drove GDP gains, even as layoffs and hiring freezes persist.
  • Unemployment is at the highest rate since 2021 as job seekers face a tough market and dwindling sentiment. 
The US economy continues to surprise on the upside — except when it comes to jobs.

Trump: "We have almost agreed on security guarantees" - A referendum will decide the future of Donbas, says Zelensky

The Greek Courier

29.12.25

After their meeting in Mar-a-Lago, Trump and Zelensky held a brief press conference to discuss the details of their talks. They both expressed satisfaction with the meeting, describing it as constructive and highlighting significant progress made toward security guarantees for Ukraine. Trump noted that approximately 95% of the issues had been discussed, while Zelensky indicated nearly 100% agreement on security guarantees.

The New Space Race: A Power Game Benefiting Russia and Iran

The Greek Courier

As tensions once again flare in the Middle East following the devastation in Gaza and Hezbollah's losses in Lebanon, Iran's recent satellite launches reveal a perilous collaboration with Russia that could further destabilize the region. With Benjamin Netanyahu set to meet Donald Trump, Iran's actions represent a bold defiance against efforts by Israel and the U.S. to shift the balance of power in the area. It remains to be seen whether the American administration, perceived as lenient toward Moscow, can effectively address the emerging space power race as the battleground transitions from Earth to outer space.

Trump hosts Zelensky in Florida and holds call with Putin and EU leaders in latest push for Ukraine peace deal

CNN - A conversation among Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, US President Donald Trump, and leaders of European Union states regarding the fate of Ukraine is now over, the Ukrainian presidency said today. Zelensky and Trump spoke to the EU leaders in a phone call as the two presidents met in Florida to discuss the latest peace proposal for Ukraine.

Saturday, December 27, 2025

How Did the C.I.A. Lose a Nuclear Device?

A plutonium-packed generator disappeared on one of the world’s highest mountains in a hush-hush mission the U.S. still won’t talk about.

By Jeffrey Gettleman, Hari Kumar, Agnes Chang and Pablo Robles
Photographs and videos by Atul Loke
Dec. 13, 2025

The mission demanded the utmost secrecy.
A team of American climbers, handpicked by the C.I.A. for their mountaineering skills — and their willingness to keep their mouths shut — were fighting their way up one of the highest mountains in the Himalayas.

Severe drought linked to the decline of the hobbits 61,000 years ago

 

by the University of Wollongong
Edited by Robert Egan

An international team of scientists, including the University of Wollongong (UOW), has found compelling evidence that a changing climate played a role in the extinction of the early human species Homo floresiensis, also known as "hobbits." Their research, published in Communications Earth & Environment, reveals the hobbits abandoned Liang Bua—a cave they had occupied for around 140,000 years—during a drought that lasted for thousands of years.

Η Ευρώπη προσπάθησε να κλείσει την πόρτα στη ρωσική ενέργεια. Δεν υπολόγισε την Τουρκία


Από τον Matthew Dalton
27 Δεκεμβρίου 2025

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Αρκετές φορές τον μήνα, δεξαμενόπλοια ξεφορτώνουν δεκάδες χιλιάδες βαρέλια προϊόντων πετρελαίου σε έναν τουρκικό τερματικό σταθμό αποθήκευσης στο λιμάνι της Μερσίνης. Η συντριπτική πλειοψηφία των πλοίων προέρχεται απευθείας από τη Ρωσία. Και αρκετές φορές τον μήνα, δεξαμενόπλοια φεύγουν από αυτή την εγκατάσταση μεταφέροντας παρόμοιες ποσότητες με προορισμό την Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση. Το μοτίβο αυτό έχει αναδυθεί υπό τις δυτικές κυρώσεις που σχεδιάστηκαν για να στραγγαλίσουν την προμήθεια πετροδολαρίων που τροφοδοτούν τον πόλεμο της Ρωσίας στην Ουκρανία.

Europe tried to slam the door on Russian energy. It didn’t account for Turkey

Story by Matthew Dalton
December 27, 2025
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Several times a month, tankers unload tens of thousands of barrels of oil products at a Turkish storage terminal in the port of Mersin. The vast majority of the ships come directly from Russia. And several times a month, tankers leave that facility carrying similar quantities bound for the European Union. The pattern has emerged under Western sanctions that were designed to choke off the supply of petrodollars that power Russia’s war in Ukraine. 

Cyclones, floods and wildfires among 2025’s costliest climate-related disasters

Extreme weather
Christian Aid annual report’s top 10 disasters amounted to more than $120bn in insured losses
By Fiona Harvey, Environment editor
Sat 27 Dec 2025 

Cyclones and floods in south-east Asia this autumn killed more than 1,750 people and caused more than $25bn (£19bn) in damage, while the death toll from California wildfires topped 400 people, with $60bn in damage, according to research on the costliest climate-related disasters of the year.