End Times Headline News December 2 2025

TSA Will Charge Travelers Without Real ID. Trump gave Maduro a deadline. Witkoff Headed to Moscow. The UK just did the UNTHINKABLE. How Recent Events Fulfill Ancient Predictions

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TSA Implements Fee for Travelers Without Real ID

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has announced plans to charge U.S. air travelers who do not possess a Real ID, passport, or other form of approved identification a $45 fee beginning on February 1, 2026.

While travelers who lack a Real ID or passport can still fly, they will be required to use the agency’s Confirm.ID system for identity verification, the cost of which will be covered by the fee. According to TSA Chief of Staff Adam Stahl, the fee is intended as a mechanism to ensure that air travelers, and not U.S. taxpayers at large, provide the funding for Confirm.ID verification. After paying the $45 fee and undergoing verification, a passenger’s identity will be confirmed for a period of 10 days.

Scott Bessent: Treasury Department to Investigate Allegations of Minnesota Taxpayer Funds Being ‘Diverted’ to Al-Shabaab

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that the Treasury Department was investigating reports that Minnesota taxpayer funds “may have been diverted to the terrorist organization” Al-Shabaab.

In a post on X, Bessent said the agency was “investigating allegations that under the feckless mismanagement” of former President Joe Biden’s administration and Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), taxpayer money in the state was ending up in the hands of terrorists. Bessent also praised President Donald Trump for his leadership, and said the agency was “acting fast to ensure” that American citizens’ taxes were not going to “funding acts of global terror.”

GOP leadership questions if Walz is ‘criminally complicit’ in Minnesota fraud

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) and the Republican National Committee accused Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) of deliberately allowing widespread fraud in a state-administered government assistance program to feed school children.

Seventy-eight people, the majority of whom are Somali asylum-seekers, were indicted on charges of defrauding the Feeding Our Future program of $250 million under Walz’s watch. Fraud from other social services raised the estimated amount stolen to over $1 billion. “Minnesota taxpayers have been robbed of more than a billion dollars and counting under the failed leadership of Tim Walz,” Emmer told the Washington Examiner in an exclusive statement. “He and his administration sat idly by while fraudsters lined their pockets and allegedly bankrolled terrorists abroad by abusing a system of Walz’s own creation. The sheer magnitude of the fraud begs the question: Was Walz disastrously incompetent or criminally complicit?”

JUST IN: Schumer Claims Three of His New York Offices Received “MAGA” Bomb Threats (VIDEO)

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Monday claimed three of his offices received “MAGA” bomb threats.

Democrat Schumer made sure to play victim after more than a year of nonstop left-wing violence. Two West Virginia National Guard Members were shot in an ambush-style shooting by one of Joe Biden’s illegal alien Afghanis last week. One service member, Sarah Beckstrom, died last week. Andrew Wolfe is fighting for his life. Schumer Smollett is now claiming he’s dodging MAGA bomb threats. Schumer said he was informed that his offices received the threats from emails with the subject line ‘MAGA’ from an email address claiming the ‘2020 election was rigged.’

Democrats open inquiry into Patel’s use of FBI jet

House Democrats opened an investigation Monday into FBI Director Kash Patel’s use of a government jet, accusing him of repeatedly taking the aircraft on personal trips during the government shutdown and demanding that he reimburse taxpayers and turn over detailed travel records.

In a letter to Patel, House Judiciary Committee ranking Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-IL) said flight records and internal accounts show Patel frequently used the FBI’s Gulfstream G550 for nonofficial excursions. Their allegations also rely on social media posts and other news articles referenced in the letter. The lawmakers say Patel used the FBI jet on Oct. 25 to fly to Pennsylvania for what they described as an overnight date, attending his girlfriend’s performance at a wrestling event at Penn State University before flying with her to Nashville the next day. They also pointed to a report from the Wall Street Journal that Patel traveled to Boondoggle Ranch, a luxury Texas hunting resort, on the same weekend.

“President Trump is Threatening to Kill Me!” – Dem Senator Mark Kelly Goes on Insane Rant During Presser on ‘Pentagon Intimidation’ (VIDEO)

Democrat Senator Mark Kelly claimed Trump threatened to kill him during a press conference on ‘Pentagon intimidation’ on Monday.

Mark Kelly is one of the ‘Seditious Six’ Democrat lawmakers who urged members of the military to defy Trump’s orders. Last month, without offering any specifics, Senators Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ), along with Democrat Reps. Maggie Goodlander (NH), Jason Crow (CO), Chris Deluzio (PA), and Chrissy Houlahan (PA) repeatedly stated, “You can refuse illegal orders,” or “You must refuse illegal orders,” in a viral video.

Oklahoma’s Red-State Illusion Shattered: How ‘Conservative’ Leaders Imported Thousands of Unvetted Afghan Migrants

Oklahoma is one of the reddest states in America, a Republican governor, a Republican legislature, and GOP control from top to bottom.

And yet this is what your so-called conservative leadership brought into your state: Thousands of unvetted, Sharia-adherent Afghan refugees, flown in under Biden’s 2021 mass-importation program, then welcomed, housed, and “integrated” (read: Islamized) using your tax dollars. This didn’t happen by accident. It happened because Republican officials partnered with the refugee-resettlement industry, Catholic Charities, CARE Oklahoma, and even groups aligned with CAIR, the organization with a long record of extremist associations, to flood Oklahoma with people who do not share American values and have no record of assimilation.

Florida’s Red-State Illusion Shattered: Inside the Billion-Dollar Afghan Pipeline and CAIR’s Quiet Takeover

If America loses its red states, it loses its last firewall.

For years, Florida was held up as the stronghold, the line that could not be broken.
Instead, it quietly became ground zero for one of the largest and most expensive Afghan resettlement operations in U.S. history, carried out with the active cooperation of both political parties. And the consequences are only now coming into view. THE AFGHAN PIPELINE: THE FACTS THEY DIDN’T TELL YOU. Since 2021, nearly 200,000 Afghans have entered the United States through emergency, parole-based programs with expedited, abbreviated vetting — the same pipeline federal watchdogs repeatedly warned was vulnerable to identity fraud, criminal infiltration, and terrorism-linked entrants.

America’s Poison Melting Pot And The Luxury Of Tolerance

Modern western culture is an absolute anomaly in the history of human civilization. If one studies the principles and doctrines of nearly every other society and empire around the world, you will not find one that allows mass immigration of foreigners with contrary ideologies.

You will not find one that allows foreigners to migrate without strict assimilation and loyalty. From the Arab states, to China, South Korea, and Japan (until recently), to India and beyond, every culture maintains a sense of cultural supremacy. There is an absolute expectation that newcomers will adapt to political policies, belief systems, social norms, etc. Most of the world for thousands of years has operated in this way. Only the modern west deviates and only the west is chastised as “xenophobic” for establishing barriers to foreign influence.

Trump Gave Maduro A Last Friday Deadline To Step Down As Venezuelan President

Maduro initially agreed but with conditions that were promptly rejected by the White House...

Update(2103ET): According to Reuters on Monday night, Maduro told Trump he was prepared to leave Venezuela in last week’s recently revealed phone call, but Trump rejected nearly all of his additional conditions - including a demand that Vice President Delcy Rodríguez lead a transitional government before new elections. Reuters further reports that Trump gave Maduro a deadline of last Friday to depart the country, after which the American leader announced on Saturday that Venezuelan airspace was “closed.”

11 US warships and 15,000 troops now in Caribbean as Venezuela tensions escalate

More than 10 US warships, including the country’s largest carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, are bearing down on the Caribbean amid escalating tensions between President Trump and Venezuela.

A Marine Expeditionary Unit capable of an amphibious land invasion has also been deployed as part of efforts to stem the flow of drugs into the US from the socialist country. “The military’s job is to defend the homeland,” Secretary of the Navy John Phelan told Fox News on Saturday night. “That’s exactly what we’re doing, and we’re using our best assets to defend the homeland.

US Plans To Keep Troops In Caribbean Through 2028, Planning Docs Show

The Intercept reveals contents of new defense contracts...

Department of War documents suggest the US military is planning to keep large numbers of troops in the Caribbean Sea for the next three years, The Intercept reported on Monday, in a further sign that a war on Venezuela is imminent. Defense Department contracting documents reviewed by The Intercept show the military has earmarked major increases in food supplies for almost all of its branches, including the US Coast Guard, Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. The documents show the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) has been contracted to supply large amounts of baked goods, including wrapped honey buns, vanilla cupcakes, sweet rolls, hamburger rolls, and flour tortillas, to US troops in the “Puerto Rico Zone” from November of this year to November 2028.

WW3 WATCH: NATO Senior Officer Vows Aggressive Measures Against Russia, Says ‘Preemptive Strikes’ Could Be a Defensive Action

Warmongering just escalated considerably.

The North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO) has just provided us with an unwelcome flash-back to the darkest days of the cold war. According to one of its most senior military leaders, the alliance is considering ‘more aggressive measures against Russia’. The measure is said to be against their ‘escalating hybrid war against the West’. The Telegraph: “Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, the head of the alliance’s military committee, said: “Being more aggressive or being proactive instead of reactive is something that we are thinking about.” A ‘preemptive strike’ could be considered a ‘defensive action’, he told the Financial Times, but said it was ‘further away from our normal way of thinking and behaviour’.”

Trump’s Top Negotiator Witkoff Headed to Moscow to Meet Putin Tomorrow for Peace Talks

Witkoff goes to Moscow – again.

All of us following closely the peace processes in Ukraine, in the middle East and beyond, have had our eyes on Steve Witkoff for quite a while. The real-estate mogul has been central to the Israel-Hamas agreement, and has also spearheaded the multiple attempts from the Donald J. Trump team to bring peace to Europe, and stop the bloodiest war since WW2. A measure of how efficient Witkoff is can be gauged by the relentless attacks he suffers from the Globalist MSM: he is called inexperienced, inefficient and smeared as ‘pro-Putin’, a mere puppet in the hands of the ‘enemy of the west’.

Trump on brink as Europe plans ‘nuclear option’ if US sells out Ukraine

Trump has fuelled fears among European politicians that the White House is preparing to sacrifice the continent’s security in exchange for US economic gain.

European states are considering adopting the “nuclear option” of sinking the US economy, if Donald Trump sells out Ukraine and endangers security on the continent. Talks between US and Ukrainian officials continued on Sunday in Miami, as both sides attempt to thrash out a peace deal. The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s Russia envoy Steve Witkoff attended the meeting, along with the US President’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. Following the “fragile” talks, the US President told reporters on board Air Force One that there was “a good chance we can make a deal”. However, European leaders remain suspicious that Trump is rushing towards a geopolitical deal with Vladimir Putin, while paying little heed to the security concerns of NATO allies.

Russia has pushed Ukrainian forces from key frontline towns – MOD to Putin

The Russian president has visited command posts on the line of contact, according to the Kremlin

The Russian army has taken control of several key frontline cities, including Krasnoarmeysk in Russia’s Donbass (Pokrovsk, in Ukrainian) and Volchansk in Kharkov Region, the chief of Russia’s General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, has told President Vladimir Putin. According to presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Putin was briefed on the situation during a visit to a command post on November 30. Putin was also informed that the operation to liberate Gulyaypole in Zaporozhye region has begun, with street fighting already underway. The president “gave new directives to provide the troops with everything necessary for combat operations during the coming winter,” Peskov added.

Corrupt Ukrainian officials could have bagged over $100 billion in Western aid – former PM

The figure represents nearly a third of all foreign assistance given to the country, Nikolay Azarov has claimed

Over $100 billion in Western aid could have ended up in the pockets of corrupt Ukrainian officials, the country’s former prime minister, Nikolay Azarov, has claimed. According to Azarov, the US and the EU have “pumped” a total of $360 billion into Ukraine. “Corruption… in Ukraine amounts to between 15% and 30% [worth of foreign aid being stolen],” Azarov said in a post on Telegram on Monday. “The figure is closer to 30%” in Ukraine, he added. The former prime minister estimated that between $54 billion and $108 billion could have been lost to corruption.

Exclusive: Public Opinion in Romania’s Capital Turns Toward Călin Georgescu

For years, liberal-dominated Bucharest has been treated as the unquestioned playground of technocrats, NGOs, and globalist-approved political figures. But something has shifted dramatically in the final months of 2025.

A new political current—rooted in sovereignty, national dignity, and a rejection of the Western-imposed status quo—is sweeping through the capital, led by Călin Georgescu, the man who won the first round of Romania’s 2024 presidential election only to be abruptly barred from advancing to the second round by the nation’s anti-democratic, globalist elite on the basis of unsubstantiated claims of ‘Russian interference.’

Netherlands: Father and Sons Accused in Brutal ‘Honor Killing’ of Teenager

Two brothers in the Netherlands are on trial for the alleged honor killing of their Syrian teenage sister, whom her family accused of living a Western lifestyle.

The two men are suspected of being involved in the murder of their sister, Ryan Al Najjar, who was drowned, the NL Times reported Thursday. Twenty-three-year-old Mohamed and 25-year-old Muhanad are suspected of being involved in the murder along with their father, Khaled, who has been named the main suspect in the case. However, he allegedly fled to Syria after the killing, according to i24 News. The father will reportedly be tried in absentia.

German Christmas Market Deploys ANTI-TANK BARRIERS Amid Islamic Terror Fears

Media lauds the move as ‘creative’

German Christmas markets are resorting to recycled anti-tank barriers from old military barracks to shield against vehicle attacks, a cost-cutting move amid soaring security expenses and a tragic symbol of a nation besieged by violent extremists.

The move is spotlighted in a Remix News’ report, detailing how the town of Külsheim, a 5,000-resident town, has repurposed four 1.4-meter-wide concrete anti-tank barriers, each weighing tons, and painted the massive blocks red and white for festive flair, in a shift from merry stalls to a militarized zone. City head Simone Hickl-Seitz explained, “They know exactly that all cities need this. But the coffers are empty,” noting bollards now cost ten times the old €800 price due to demand.

What On Earth Is This?

Monstrosity.

Deported migrant RETURNS to Britain illegally and rapes woman three times

Audrius Zukauskas pleaded guilty to three charges of rape and assault occasioning actual bodily harm after he forced himself into his victim’s home.

UK: Man jailed over extreme right-wing music

A man has been jailed for possessing and distributing extreme right-wing music and material.

Norbert Gyurcsik, from Kestrel Road, Hereford, was arrested in May last year over albums in which lyrics breached terrorism legislation and intended to incite racial hatred. He pleaded guilty in October to one count of distributing and two of possessing such material. At Worcester Crown Court on Thursday, the 48-year-old was sentenced to 40 months in prison for each offence, with the terms to to be served concurrently. A warrant carried out at Gyurcsik’s home address found more than 2,000 records in his possession which he was buying and selling across the UK and Europe.

British Man Arrested in UK Over Florida Vacation Gun Photo

A country once famed for its stiff upper lip now trembles at the sight of a gun on a foreign porch.

Let’s say you’re British and you go on vacation to Florida. You eat too many ribs, you get sunburned and, because it’s Florida, you end up holding a shotgun on someone’s porch like you’re auditioning for Duck Dynasty. You think, Hey, this will make a great update for LinkedIn. You post it. You think nothing of it. And then, back home in the drizzle and gloom of Yorkshire, the police arrive at your front door and throw you in a cell. This is not fiction. This is the new normal in Britain, where posting a photo with a legally borrowed gun on a different continent can land you in jail. Not because you did anything, but because someone, somewhere, felt something.

The UK’s New AI Drones Army Will Watch EVERYTHING You Do

The UK continues it’s very fast decent into an surveillance state devoid of free speech and privacy. Two crazy stories that have just emerged from Britain over the past 24 hours. We discuss with Jim Ferguson how the UK is spiraling into a surveillance state.

French Intelligence Warns of Rising Islamist Threat to Christians

France’s domestic intelligence service has warned of a growing threat to Christian communities, according to a confidential report obtained by Le Figaro that links recent attacks in Europe to decades of jihadist propaganda.

The warning comes in the wake of the September 10th attack in Lyon on Ashur Sarnaya, an Iraqi Christian man in a wheelchair, which investigators say reflects a persistent jihadist obsession with targeting Christians. According to France’s General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI), Islamist organizations have consistently targeted Christians, portraying them as “infidels” or “idolaters.” This rhetoric, the report says, is rooted in long-standing propaganda that casts Christians as “crusaders” and folds together references to the Crusades, European colonization, and recent Western military operations.

2025 Report: Global Arms Industry Profits Skyrocket While Europe Collapses Under Mass Migration, Crime, and Energy Chaos

While Europe’s globalist establishment insists that citizens should accept managed decline—shrinking economies, spiraling crime, and demographic oblivion—their friends in the global arms industry, helping to fuel bloody wars in Eastern Europe and the Middle East—are enjoying record profits.

As ordinary Europeans struggle with inflation and insecurity, the world’s biggest weapons manufacturers posted a record-shattering $679 billion in revenue in 2024—a number made possible only because globalists keep fueling never-ending conflicts from Ukraine to the Middle East. A new Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) report has revealed what many have long suspected: the war industry thrives while the West’s working and middle classes are left to decay.

Trump ‘very satisfied’ with new Syrian leadership

The country has been under Islamist control since the overthrow of Bashar Assad’s government last year

US President Donald Trump has said that he is “very satisfied” with Syria’s new government since it took over. A coalition led by jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a regional offshoot of Al-Qaeda, captured Damascus and displaced long-time president Bashar Assad late last year. ”The United States is very satisfied with the results displayed” since the takeover, Trump said on Truth Social on Monday.

Report: US officials warned Netanyahu over strikes in Syria

According to Axios, US officials warned Netanyahu that repeated strikes in Syria risk destabilization and blocking peace efforts: “If it continues, he will self-destruct”.

The Trump administration is voicing concern that Israel’s repeated strikes inside Syria risk destabilizing the country and undermining hopes for an Israel-Syria security agreement, two senior US officials told Barak Ravid of Axios on Monday. “We are trying to tell Bibi he has to stop this because if it continues, he will self-destruct,” one official said, referring to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Supporting Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s efforts to stabilize Syria and encouraging him to engage in a peace process with Israel are central to the Trump administration’s Middle East strategy.

Report: Egypt training police force to be stationed in Gaza

The new police force includes 5,000 police officers who will undergo training in Egypt, and 5,000 police officers who worked under the Hamas government.

Egypt is training Palestinian policemen, to integrate them into the security force that will be responsible for managing Gaza after the end of the war, a senior Palestinian source told Agence France-Presse. According to the report, in March of this year, more than 500 Palestinian police officers and operatives underwent physical, professional and theoretical training in Egypt, and hundreds of others have been assigned to similar training since September.

US warns: Israeli operation in Lebanon imminent

US Ambassador Tom Barrack has delivered a clear warning to the government in Beirut: any Israeli operation will continue until the terror organization is fully disarmed.

According to a report by the Saudi channel Al-Hadath, the U.S. envoy to Turkey, Tom Barrack, sent an explicit message to the Iraqi government warning of an “imminent Israeli operation in Lebanon,” stressing that the operation would persist “until the organization is stripped of its weapons.” Barrack emphasized that Iraq must remain “outside any possible escalation in the region” and therefore the Iraqi government must take steps to avoid becoming involved.

President Herzog on Netanyahu’s pardon request: “I will consider the good of the country”

President Isaac Herzog addressed Prime Minister Netanyahu’s pardon request on Monday, saying he will consider “only the good of the state and Israeli society — the State of Israel and its well-being are my sole considerations.”

He added that violent or aggressive public discourse will not influence his decision. Herzog noted that the request “shakes many people across different sectors of society and sparks debate,” but stressed that it will be handled “in the most proper and precise manner.”

Israel’s Iron Beam laser system to enter operational service within weeks

Israel’s Iron Beam high-power laser interception system will enter initial operational service with the Israel Defense Forces by 30 December, officials announced on Monday.

Brigadier General Daniel Gold, head of the Defense Ministry’s Research and Development Directorate, confirmed the handover date at the International Defense Tech Summit in Tel Aviv. “With development complete and a comprehensive testing program that has validated the system’s capabilities, we are prepared to deliver initial operational capability to the IDF on 30 December 2025,” Gold said. “The Iron Beam laser system is expected to fundamentally change the rules of engagement on the battlefield.”

Senior lawmaker confirms Trump sent message to Iran via Saudi crown prince

Asenior member of the Iranian parliament said on Monday that US President Donald Trump had sent a message to Tehran via Saudi Crown Prince listing three conditions for any resumption of talks.

His remarks appeared to confirm reporting on the message by Iran International on Friday citing sources familiar with the matter. “The United States and Trump through Bin Salman have set three conditions for continuing negotiations and reaching an agreement with Iran, none of which are logical,” Mojtaba Zolnouri (Zonnouri) said in an interview with state media. The United States has long insisted that Iran must completely halt its uranium enrichment program, stop supporting its armed allies in the Middle East and accept restrictions on its ballistic missile program.

A narrowed path: IAEA standoff edges Iran closer to conflict

The UN nuclear watchdog’s latest rebuke shows that Iran’s turn to nuclear ambiguity is deepening concerns and may accelerate an escalation that all sides insist they want to avoid.

The IAEA Board of Governors’ late-November resolution delivered one of the clearest signals yet that global patience with Iran’s nuclear posture has reached its limit. Passed by a wide majority, the measure criticized Tehran’s “lack of serious cooperation,” echoing Director General Rafael Grossi’s warning that inspectors still lack access to critical facilities damaged in the June 2025 Iran–Israel conflict. Equally significant was the political alignment behind the vote. European governments that once urged restraint joined the United States in backing public censure, arguing that Iran’s growing stockpile of 60% enriched uranium and continued restrictions on inspectors have rendered partial transparency untenable.

Ontario quietly advances plan for centralized genomic database

A sweeping new government initiative is quietly moving through Ontario’s procurement system, and few Ontarians are aware of it or its implications.

Spain deploys Army over African swine fever outbreak

Spain on Monday deployed more than 100 troops to help contain an outbreak of African swine fever outside Barcelona that has sparked fears for the country’s powerful pork export industry.

They are joining 300 Catalan regional officials deployed in the Collserola Natural Park, where two dead boars that tested positive for the disease were found last week, Spain’s first such cases since 1994. The 117 officers from the army’s emergencies unit would carry out “work with drones, disinfection, prospection, search and removal of animals”, the Catalan regional government’s agriculture minister Oscar Ordeig told a news conference.

Gas Prices Hit Two-Year Low, Fall Below $3 Per Gallon

U.S. gas prices paid by American drivers have fallen to their lowest levels since May 2021, according to data from GasBuddy.

The average cost of gasoline is now $2.95 per gallon, reflecting an 8.5-cent drop over the past week and a 5.4-cent decrease compared to last year. AAA reports a slightly higher national average of $3 per gallon as of December 1, representing a seven-cent decline from the previous week. GasBuddy noted that prices have decreased in all 50 states, attributing the drop to strong refinery output, lower crude oil prices, and softer seasonal demand. “This is an exceptionally rare and broad-based retreat,” they stated.

FedEx joins list of billion-dollar companies laying off workers with hundreds on the chopping block

America’s hottest corporate trend is layoffs.

FedEx, America’s second-largest shipping and logistics company, is shutting down a logistics operation in Coppell, Texas, and laying off nearly 900 workers, according to a WARN notice filed with the Texas Workforce Commission. It’s the latest example of a legacy company to announce a mass layoff in the past month. Several companies are delivering pink slips while embracing automation as AI reshapes the job market. The FedEx facility, located in an industrial pocket north of Dallas, employs 856 people.

China’s central bank vows crackdown on virtual currency, flags stablecoin concerns

BEIJING, Nov 29 (Reuters) - China’s central bank reaffirmed its tough stance on virtual currencies on Saturday, warning of a resurgence in speculation and vowing to crack down on illegal activities involving stablecoins.

The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) said at a coordinating meeting on virtual currency regulation on Friday that crypto speculation has recently increased due to various factors, presenting new challenges for risk control, according to a statement released by the central bank.

Silver hit record highs in 2025 — here’s why the ‘Devil’s metal’ could have further to run

Silver, often nicknamed the ‘Devil’s metal’ because of its volatility, has reached record highs this year and still has further to run despite a supply crunch, according to experts.

The metal’s growth value has been running alongside gold’s, which has seen its own rally with the price surging past $4,000 an ounce this year. Silver prices reached a historic peak of $57.16 per troy ounce in late November, marking a 90% increase year-on-year. They’ve since pared back gains somewhat, but are now growing again, despite low supply levels. “Some people were having to transport silver by plane rather than on cargo ships to meet delivery demand,” Paul Syms, head of EMEA ETF Fixed Income and commodity product management at Invesco, told CNBC.

EU Push to Make Message Scanning Permanent Despite Evidence of Failure and Privacy Risks

A policy designed to test its own limits now pretends those limits don’t exist.

The European Union has a habit of turning its worst temporary ideas into permanent fixtures. This time it is “Chat Control 1.0,” the 2021 law that lets tech companies scan everyone’s private messages in the name of child protection. It was supposed to be a stopgap measure, a temporary derogation of privacy rights until proper evidence came in. Now, if you’ve been following our previous reporting, you’ll know the Council wants to make it permanent, even though the Commission’s own 2025 evaluation report admits it has no evidence the thing actually works. We obtained a copy of the report for you here.

More Than 20 Million Americans’ Work Can Be Replaced with Today’s AI, MIT Study Says

“The new American Dream: your company hits all-time highs the same quarter it axes your team.”

In the midst of a soggy job market, there’s been a lengthy debate over whether contemporary AI is actually replacing workers — or just providing bosses with an excuse to lay off certain employees and offload their responsibilities onto the ones who remain. The answer isn’t clear, but a new study out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is sure to add fuel to the fire. Analyzing 151 million American workers, the researchers calculated that today’s AI systems are already mature enough to automate the tasks of more than 20 million American workers, or 11.7 percent of the entire labor force, if they were fully deployed across the country.

Church nativity scene features zip-tied baby Jesus, and Roman soldiers as ICE Agents

Lake Street Church of Evanston is a “progressive Christian theology that embraces people from all different religious denominations and religious traditions.”

Led by Rev. Dr. Michael Woolf, they are affiliated with the American Baptist Churches in the USA, and proudly “cherishes its non-creedal tradition” and their bizarre church covenant. For their Nativity scene this year, they depicted baby Jesus zip-tied in his cradle, while Roman soldiers/ ICE agents look on. The church explains that “this installation reimagines the nativity as a scene of forced family separation, drawing direct parallels between the Holy Family’s refugee experience and contemporary immigration detention practices.”

Portland, Oregon snubs ‘Christmas’ from tree lighting while waving Palestinian flag

Portland, Oregon, is under fire for again hosting its annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony and nixing any mention of the Christian holiday, while leaders of the event instead waved a Palestinian flag and led the crowd in chants.

“Free, free, free Palestine,” a woman holding a Palestinian flag on stage of the lighting event said while leading the crowd in a chant Friday evening, before also singing the “Strong Woman Song” while joined by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, which is a confederation of three native tribes in Oregon. The event was decked out in Christmas lights, a traditionally decorated tree and a visit from Santa Claus, but did not promote any mention of Christmas, with organizers instead advertising the festive occasion as “Portland’s 41st Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony,” according to social media accounts for Pioneer Courthouse Square, where the tree is displayed.

Researchers warn that giving a child a smartphone before age 12 could pose health risks

What is the “right” age to get your child a smartphone? It’s a question that vexes many parents — torn between their pleading tweens and researchers who warn about the potential harms of constant connectivity. But new study findings strengthen the case for holding off.

The study, published in the journal Pediatrics on Monday, found that children who had a smartphone by age 12 were at higher risk of depression, obesity and insufficient sleep than those who did not yet have one. Researchers had analyzed data from more than 10,500 children who participated in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study — the largest long-term look at children’s brain development in the United States to date.

Emergency declared in Sri Lanka after Cyclone Ditwah leaves at least 355 dead and 366 missing

At least 355 people have been confirmed dead, and 366 remain missing after Tropical Cyclone Ditwah swept across Sri Lanka, unleashing days of intense rainfall that produced some of the worst flooding and landslides the country has experienced in years.

Seventy-one deaths and 53 missing were reported in Badulla District; 66 deaths and 105 missing in Kandy District; 20 deaths and 10 missing in Matale District; 19 deaths and 37 missing in Kurunegala District; 8 deaths in Ampara District; 6 deaths and 4 missing in Nuwara Eliya District; and 144 deaths and 161 missing in unspecified locations. Sri Lanka has declared a State of Emergency and deployed over 25 000 personnel for relief efforts.

How Recent Events Fulfill Ancient Predictions

Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI and creator of ChatGPT, has quietly invested millions in Preventive, a startup developing human gene editing technology for embryos.

But there’s a problem: editing human embryos is ill in the United States, the UK, and most developed nations. So they’re looking elsewhere. In this documentary, we investigate the $30 million designer baby company backed by Sam Altman and Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong. We trace the history of eugenics from 1920s America to Nzi Germany to modern Silicon Valley. And we examine what the Bible says about genetic manipulation, the corruption in the days of Noah, and why Jesus warned that these days would return. This is not science fiction. Human gene editing is happening now. The only question is whether you’ll recognize it for what it is.