End Times Headline News December 20 2025

DOJ Releases Epstein Files. Trump Secures Major Pharma Deals. Trump vs The EU. Putin offers Zelensky a deal. Mass Attacks: We’re On Our Own. Jihad in Canada. Hollywood, Disclosure, and Great Deception

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DOJ Releases Epstein Files, And [REDACTED]

What were you expecting?

The ‘long awaited’ Epstein files were released a few hours ago by the DOJ, as required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act. TL;DR - A solid collection of new pictures and files with massive redactions throughout, and no bombshells yet. Click into Nick Monroe’s thread of interesting shit if you’re curious…The Department of Justice will miss today's deadline to release the 'full' Epstein files to Congress as required under new legislation Trump signed into law last month. Instead, the Justice Department will release "several hundred thousand" documents today, "and then over the next couple weeks, I expect several hundred thousand more," Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told Fox News, citing the need to redact any names or identifying information about witnesses.

Bill Clinton’s Spox Responds to Bombshell Photos of Former President in Hot Tub with Epstein Sex-Trafficking Victim

Bill Clinton’s spokesman responded to the latest Epstein document dump showing Bill Clinton in a hot tub with a mystery woman who is likely a sex-trafficking victim.

The Justice Department on Friday released a new batch of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex-trafficking cases. The trove of documents was released after a federal judge in New York recently ordered the release of Jeffrey Epstein documents related to a 2019 sex trafficking case. Last month, President Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act into law to release all files related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. The documents were released on the DOJ’s website in the “Epstein Library.”

JUST IN: Rep. Elise Stefanik Drops Out of New York Governor Race and Will Not Run for Reelection to Congress – Trump Responds

GOP Congresswoman Elise Stefanik announced her departure from the 2026 New York gubernatorial election on Friday to avoid an “unnecessary and protracted Republican primary,” she said in a statement.

She also said she will not seek reelection to Congress. In addition to avoiding a primary election, Stefanik reasoned that her family is more important than being a politician. “I have thought deeply about this and I know that as a mother, I will feel profound regret if I don’t further focus on my young son’s safety, growth, and happiness – particularly at his tender age,” Stefanik said.

JUST IN: Brown University Shooter Was Dead for Days Before Law Enforcement Found His Body: Autopsy

The Brown University shooter was dead for days before law enforcement found his body, according to the New Hampshire Chief Medical Examiner.

Brown University shooter Claudio Neves-Valente was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside of a storage unit in Salem, New Hampshire, on Thursday evening. Claudio Neves-Valente was a Brown University student and a Portuguese national. Authorities on Thursday evening confirmed Claudio Neves-Valente is also responsible for the murder of MIT professor Nuno Loureiro. Law enforcement descended on Extra Space Storage in Salem and discovered Neves-Valente’s body.

Kristi Noem Suspends Diversity Visa Lottery After Brown U. Shooter Identified as Migrant

Homeland Security Chief Kristi Noem has suspended the long-established “Diversity Visa” lottery program after the revelation that the Brown University shooter was a beneficiary in 2017.

“This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country,” Noem announced late Thursday, adding: In 2017, President Trump fought to end this program, following the devastating NYC truck ramming by an ISIS terrorist, who entered under the DV1 program, and murdered eight people. At President Trump’s direction, I am immediately directing USCIS [U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services] to pause the DV1 program to ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous program.

Feds Estimate Somali-Linked Fraud in Walz’s Minnesota Could Top $9 Billion

Federal prosecutors in Minnesota announced new charges on December 18 tied to a sweeping, largely Somali fraud investigation that officials say has cost taxpayers billions of dollars, describing the misconduct as unprecedented in scale and scope.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson said investigators have identified fraud across 14 government programs since 2018, involving an estimated $18 billion in public funds. “The fraud is not small. It isn’t isolated. The magnitude cannot be overstated. What we see in Minnesota is not a handful of bad actors committing crimes. It’s staggering industrial-scale fraud. It’s swamping Minnesota and calling into question everything we know about our state,” Thompson said.

$7 Million SNAP Fraud Scheme Uncovered, Run by Haitian Immigrant Duo

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced charges against two Haitian immigrants accused of perpetrating an estimated $7 million fraud scheme involving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, also known as food stamps.

According to federal prosecutors in Massachusetts, Antonio Bonheur, a 74-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Haiti, and Saul Alisme, a 21-year-old lawful permanent resident, operated two small bodegas in Boston’s Mattapan neighborhood where the fraud scheme took place. Despite observably low inventory and minimal business transactions, one of the bodegas reportedly redeemed upwards of $500,000 in SNAP benefits in a single month. The figure, prosecutors note, is one that would be expected for a major retail grocery chain and not a small independent convenience store.

LGBTQ Group Leader Charged With Assaulting Foster Child

Christian Fuscarino, the head of New Jersey’s most prominent LGBTQ rights organization, Garden State Equality, has resigned after being charged with child endangerment and simple assault.

The charges stem from an incident on November 9, captured on home security footage, where Fuscarino allegedly pulled a foster child out of bed and struck him multiple times. Court records allege that Fuscarino, 35, also shoved the child into a wall before striking him again. The incident was reported by another person in the home, and the child was subsequently taken to the Monmouth County Child Advocacy Center. The New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency later obtained video evidence and notified authorities. Neptune City police arrested Fuscarino on November 21.

Dan Bongino to Resign As FBI Deputy Director

Bongino announced he will leave the FBI in January.

After less than a year on the job, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino announced his resignation. “I will be leaving my position with the FBI in January,” he said in a Wednesday post on X. “I want to thank President Trump, [Attorney General Pam] Bondi, and [FBI] Director [Kash] Patel for the opportunity to serve with purpose,” he continued. “Most importantly, I want to thank you, my fellow Americans, for the privilege to serve you.” “God bless America, and all those who defend Her.”

Trump’s $1,776 ‘warrior dividend’ for troops coming from congressional housing subsidy

President Donald Trump’s one-time $1,776 payment, named the “warrior dividend,” will come from congressionally allocated funds meant to subsidize military housing for service members.

Roughly 1.45 million active-duty and reserve service members will receive the payment in the coming days, which Trump announced during his prime-time address to the nation Wednesday night. “In honor of our nation’s founding in 1776, we are sending every soldier $1,776,” Trump said. “Nobody deserves it more than our military, and I say congratulations to everybody.”

Trump signs executive order aimed at boosting medical marijuana and restricting access to ‘intoxicating’ products

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday afternoon focused on speeding up the reclassification of marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III and driving new research into the medical uses of hemp-derived THC and CBD products.

Though Trump made his stance on the issue abundantly clear last year, a number of Republicans have pushed back on his push to reschedule marijuana in recent weeks. Ahead of the president’s announcement, a group of 24 Republican lawmakers sent a letter to the president begging him to maintain marijuana’s Schedule I designation. “We write to urge you to oppose rescheduling marijuana, a harmful drug that is worsening our nation’s addiction crisis,” the letter reads. “Reclassifying marijuana as a Schedule III drug will send the wrong message to America’s children, enable drug cartels, and make our roads more dangerous.”

Trump Secures Major Pharma Deals to Slash U.S. Drug Prices

President Donald J. Trump has finalized agreements with nine major U.S. and European pharmaceutical companies to lower their drug prices for American consumers, in line with the prices they charge in other countries.

The agreements with Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Genentech, Gilead Sciences, GSK, Merck, Novartis, and Sanofi were announced by President Trump during an event at the White House on Friday afternoon alongside the executive leadership of the drug companies. “As of today, 14 out of the 17 largest pharmaceutical companies … have now agreed to drastically lower drug prices for … the American people and the American patients,” Trump said at the event, adding: “This represents the greatest victory for patient affordability in the history of American health care, by far, and every single American will benefit.”

Chuck Schumer Refuses To Rule Out Another Government Shutdown

“The toothpaste is already out of the tube”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer declined Tuesday to rule out triggering another government shutdown as Democrats press Republicans to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies. President Donald Trump ended the longest government shutdown in U.S. history on Nov. 12 by signing a spending package that funded the government through the end of January and restored pay to affected federal workers. During an exchange with reporters, Schumer repeatedly declined to give a direct answer when reporters asked whether Democrats would again risk a government shutdown by tying federal funding to their health care demands ahead of the Jan. 30 deadline.

A VOICE FROM BEYOND: Late Epstein Victim Virginia Giuffre’s Memoir Reaches One Million Sales Worldwide as Her Alleged Rapist Was Destroyed, and Her Family Fights for Her Money

One million ways of keeping her memory alive.

From beyond the grave, Jeffrey Epstein Victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre has had her final say. Her memoir ‘Nobody’s Gril’ has reached the impressive milestone of one million copies sold worldwide. The occasion is viewed as a ‘bittersweet moment’, by her family, months after they celebrated her for ‘taking down a prince’. GB News reported: “Mrs. Giuffre’s posthumously-released book, Nobody’s Girl, set out her account of being trafficked by the convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. Within the memoir, further allegations were made against several figures, including Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who suffered huge sanctions following the book’s publication, including the loss of his royal titles.”

Ghislaine Maxwell Asks Court To Overturn Convictions, Citing ‘Newly Discovered Evidence’

Maxwell was convicted on five sex trafficking counts and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Jeffrey Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell on Wednesday asked a federal court to toss out her sex trafficking convictions and resulting 20-year prison sentence, citing “newly discovered evidence.” Maxwell convicted in December 20211 in New York state on five counts of sex trafficking, including conspiracy to traffic minors. She is now roughly 3.5 years into her 20-year sentence, and will be 75-years-old when released assuming she serves her full term with no reduction for parole or other legal changes.

RFK Announces Actions Against Transgender Procedures on Children: ‘This Is Not Medicine; It Is Malpractice’

The Trump administration is taking “six decisive actions” against transgender procedures on children, Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on Thursday.

According to a press release detailing the actions, HHS is aiming to carry out President Donald Trump’s Executive Order “directing HHS to end the practice of sex-rejecting procedures on children that expose young people to irreversible harm.” “The doctors assume a solemn obligation to protect children. Doctors across the country now provide needless and irreversible sex-rejecting procedures that violate their sacred Hippocratic oath, endangering the very lives that they are sworn to safeguard,” Kennedy said during the announcement.

TikTok Signs Deal to Sell U.S. Business to Three American Investors

The Chinese-owned TikTok has signed a deal to sell its U.S. business to three American investors so it can operate in the country free of Chinese influence.

The companies Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX would be the three American investors to purchase the U.S. version of TikTok. An internal memo confirmed by Reuters and the Associated Press (AP) says the deal had been signed. “The new TikTok US joint venture will be 50% held by a consortium of new investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based MGX with 15% each,” the Guardian said of the memo. “Another 30.1% will be held by affiliates of existing ByteDance investors and 19.9% will be retained by ByteDance, according to the memo.”

US & China Are Headed For An AI Collision

China is not abiding by the rules that are supposed to govern the global economy. And it’s using AI, says the Justice Department, to bolster its military, to test weapons of mass destruction, and to heighten surveillance...

President Trump spoke by phone to his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, on Monday, November 24, and later posted on Truth Social, “Our relationship with China is extremely strong!” The warm feelings from Washington came on the heels of the two leaders holding a productive meeting in Korea recently and scheduling several more get-confabs for the year ahead.

U.S. Approves Largest-Ever Military Package for Taiwan — $11 Billion in Precision Weapons

The Trump administration has approved one of its largest-ever arms packages for Taiwan, with total sales valued at up to $11 billion.

The move is intended to strengthen Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against China, but it is almost certain to provoke anger in Beijing. The package covers a wide range of weapons and systems, including missiles, drones, artillery, and advanced battlefield software. The most significant item is the HIMARS rocket system, which has played a major role in Ukraine’s defense against Russia. Taiwan will also receive self-propelled howitzers and a new digital command network that allows military units to share real-time information during operations.

China Says Region Closer To War Due To US Record Taiwan Arms Package

...and risks turning Taiwan into a powder keg.

China on Friday heaped more condemnation on Washington’s approving a record-setting $11.1 billion weapons package for Taiwan this week, warning that the deal risks turning the island into a “powder keg” and plunging the region into “military confrontation and war.” A significant amount of medium to long-range missile systems are part of the planned transfer, including 82 HIMARS launchers with Army ATACMS missiles, allowing Taipei forces to hit targets across the Taiwan Strait. This aspect has further infuriated China.

Trump vs. The EU – How Brussels is Bankrupting American Companies and Aiding China

The European Union continues to hammer away at American companies under the guise of “digital regulation.”

The Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the Digital Services Act (DSA) have become tools of economic and political aggression, masquerading as consumer protection. All of this, of course, under the European guise of “protecting democracy.” President Trump’s administration has, thus far, taken the right tone, characterizing the EU’s recent fine on X as an assault on Americans. What the EU is doing is nothing less than an extraterritorial power play meant to export European censorship norms into America. Biden’s government let this hostility slide, but Trump’s White House doesn’t have to.

Japan needs nukes – senior PM aide

The US umbrella may no longer be a dependable pillar of national security, the official has reportedly told the media

Japan needs to consider developing its own nuclear weapons, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has reportedly told journalists. The unnamed official, who advises the prime minister on national security, argued that Japan’s long-standing reliance on the US nuclear deterrent may no longer be fully reliable, according to media reports. Under these conditions, a departure from the country’s postwar non-nuclear policy could become necessary, the adviser said, as cited by NHK.

WAR: Furious European Farmers Invade Brussels to Protest EU Trade Deal With Mercosur (VIDEOS)

European farmers are battling EU suicidal ‘green’ policies.

Many people see the European farmers as pampered agriculturalists addicted to a good subsidy – but the reality is not that simple. Under the EU draconian ‘green’ laws, they are subjected to impossible conditions and restrictions to produce food – only to, then, watch politicians turn around and make trade agreements with the South American bloc Mercosur, where farmers grow unexpensive food without any of Brussels’ limitations. Time and time again, in the last couple of year, we’ve seen the furious farmers march on Brussels, and today was no different – only larger and angrier.

Russian Border Guards Breach Estonian Territory, Ambassador Summoned

Provocative breach took place for up to 20 minutes..

Estonia’s foreign ministry said Thursday that it would summon Russia’s ambassador to “demand an explanation” after Russian border guards allegedly breached the sovereign territory of Estonia. Government officials described that three Russian border guards briefly crossed into Estonian territory the previous day, with CCTV footage having captured the incursion along the Narva River, which forms part of the border between Estonia and Russia. The crossing reportedly took place around 10am near the village of Vasknarva, after the guards disembarked from a hovercraft and advance on foot. Estonia’s Interior Minister Igor Taro noted the incident posed no immediate security risk, but described that police and border guard patrols had since been significantly reinforced and remain on high alert.

First-Ever Ukrainian Attack On A Russian ‘Shadow Fleet’ Tanker In Mediterranean Sea

SBU touts “new, unprecedented special operation”...

Ukraine is hailing a “new, unprecedented special operation” after a Russia-linked oil tanker was attacked off the coast of Libya. Needless to say these waters are very distant from anywhere Ukraine operates in the war with Moscow forces. Officials within the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) are being quoted in international reports as saying the SBU deployed a drone in the Mediterranean which struck a so-called “shadow fleet” tanker used by Russia.

EU leaders fail to agree on stealing Russian assets for Ukraine: As it happened

Moscow has condemned all proposals to use its sovereign funds to support Ukraine as “theft” and warned of legal retaliation

EU leaders have failed to back a controversial plan to steal sovereign Russian assets to finance Ukraine’s economy and military. Following a divisive 16-hour summit in Brussels on Thursday, no backing was secured for the plan which Moscow has denounced as outright theft and warned would trigger legal retaliation. The bloc’s leaders were locked into talks that went into the night, after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen demanded that nobody be allowed to leave until financing for Ukraine has been secured. Ukraine faces an estimated $160 billion fiscal shortfall over the next two years.

Putin speaks to the nation in traditional year-end press conference: Live Updates

Social issues are expected to lead the list of questions submitted by the public

Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold his traditional end-of-year press conference on Friday at noon Moscow time. This year will again combine the event with the ‘Direct Line’, during which Putin will respond to questions from citizens and the press. According to the Kremlin, Western journalists are also expected to take part in the event. The collection of queries from the Russian public began on December 4 and had reportedly exceeded 1.2 million as of Sunday. Last year, Putin fielded questions from a total of more than 2 million submitted for four and a half hours.

Putin offers Zelensky a deal on elections

Moscow can halt strikes during the vote, provided that Ukrainians living in Russia are allowed to participate, the president has said

Moscow would consider halting deep strikes on Ukraine on the day it holds an election provided the millions of Ukrainians living in Russia are allowed to vote, President Vladimir Putin said on Friday. Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, whose presidential term expired over a year ago, has repeatedly refused to hold a new election, citing martial law. Russia therefore considers him an illegitimate leader. Under US pressure, Zelensky agreed this month to hold a vote within 90 days if Kiev’s Western backers can guarantee security.

SCANDAL behind Lammy’s plot to SCRAP juries: Hidden epidemic at the heart of Labour government

Labour claim the only way to cut back the court backlog is to scrap jury trials for all but the most serious cases. Yet data quietly released by the government this week show there's another way.

Trump SUSPENDS $40BN Tech Deal With UK Over Free Speech Crackdown

Slams brakes on pact as Britain’s speech-policing laws threaten US innovation and free expression

The Trump administration has delivered a major blow to UK-US relations by suspending a massive $40 billion Tech Prosperity Deal, citing Britain’s aggressive censorship regime as a direct threat to American tech giants and their ability to operate freely. This move underscores Trump’s zero-tolerance stance on foreign policies that undermine US interests, especially when they involve stifling free speech and handing advantages to global competitors like China. The White House paused the tech prosperity deal amid concerns the UK government’s draconian Online Safety Act, which regulates online speech, will stifle American artificial intelligence companies, the Telegraph reports.

Rubio crusades for Western civilization, warning European mass migration could threaten future of NATO

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday offered his most explicit appeal yet for European nations to stop the “erasure” of their cultural inheritance via mass migration, warning that importation of millions of foreign nationals could undermine NATO.

Rubio told the Washington Examiner at a press conference that NATO, sometimes referred to as the “Western Alliance,” could be hollowed out if Europe does not stay culturally Western. “You go to these NATO meetings, what they will tell you is — ‘our shared history, our shared legacy, our shared values, our shared priorities.’ That’s what they talk about as the reason for this alliance,” Rubio told the Washington Examiner. “Well, if you erase your shared history, your shared cultures, your shared ideology, your shared priorities, your shared principles — then you just have a straight-up defense agreement. That’s all you have.”

The End Of ‘Welcome Culture’: Majority Of Germans Want Immigration Moratorium, Mass Deportations

... the final nail in the coffin of Angela Merkel’s so-called “Welcome Culture,” promoted during the 2015 migration crisis...

The numbers in a new YouGov poll should serve as the final nail in the coffin of Germany’s so-called “Welcome Culture,” promoted during the 2015 migration crisis, which was promoted by Angela Merkel, her CDU, and the left. A decade later, Germans feature the prevailing view that the negative consequences of both legal and illegal migration vastly outweigh the positive. The new from YouGov shows a majority of Germans want an immigration moratorium and mass deportations.

German spy agency to be given attack powers – media

The BND will reportedly be allowed to conduct sabotage and breach suspects’ homes to install spyware

The Chancellery in Berlin has proposed granting Germany’s currently mostly surveillance-focused foreign intelligence agency powers to carry out sabotage and other offensive operations abroad, Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported on Friday. The Federal Intelligence Service (BND) was created in 1956 in post-war West Germany and, like the Bundeswehr, was initially limited in its powers. Until now, the BND has only been allowed to gather and analyze information.

Islamist Migrants and Asylum Seekers Vandalizing and Disrupting Christmas Celebrations: Diversity Is Our Strength

In addition to terrorist attacks and attempted attacks by Islamic extremists, Christmas celebrations in Europe have been affected by disruptions at Christmas markets and vandalism of churches and nativity scenes.

In Germany, several incidents drew attention in late 2024. A video filmed in Hamburg in October showed a pro-Palestinian demonstration using loudspeakers near Christmas market areas. In Essen, between December 8 and 10, thousands of Syrians marched through a Christmas market after the fall of Assad, chanting and waving Syrian flags as they passed through the city center.

TWO MORE Islamic Terror Attacks Against Christmas Markets Foiled In Europe

We’re under sustained attack

Authorities across Europe have thwarted two more Islamist-inspired terror plots targeting Christmas markets in as many days, with arrests in Germany and Poland adding to a relentless wave of threats that has placed the West under daily assault from radical extremists intent on exploiting open borders and soft security measures. German authorities have arrested a 21-year-old man from Central Asia on suspicion of plotting an Islamist-motivated terror attack against large crowds at a Christmas market in Magdeburg—the same location where a Saudi national carried out a deadly vehicle ramming last year, killing six and injuring hundreds.

Aussie PM Pushes ‘DIVERSITY IS OUR STRENGTH’ As Cops Smash ANOTHER Islamist Terror Plot

Seven suspects in two vehicles rammed off the road, zip tied and arrested

Just days after radical Islamists gunned down 16 innocents at Bondi Beach, Australian authorities rammed a carload of suspects off the road in Sydney—yet the Prime Minister’s response appears to be more crackdowns on so-called ‘hate speech’ and warnings about ‘right-wing extremists,’ all while borders stay porous and threats multiply. In the wake of the horrific Bondi Beach massacre, where Pakistani radicals with ties to ISIS ideology slaughtered Jews celebrating Hanukkah, Australia barely caught its breath before another potential bloodbath unfolded.

Bondi Victim’s Daughter Slates “TREASONOUS” Government For Importing UNVETTED Killers

And blasts media to their faces for “biased reporting”

In a chilling reminder of the perils of unchecked immigration, the daughter of a man gunned down during the horrific Bondi Beach massacre unleashed raw fury on live TV and publicly eviscerated Australia’s Labor government for prioritizing votes over safety, and further blasted the media for their “biased reporting.” Victoria Teplitsky, whose father was shot while attending the Hanukkah festival Sunday, didn’t hold back in her blistering takedown of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his cabinet, exposing how open-border policies have invited chaos and terror into the heart of Aussie communities.

Mass Attacks: We’re On Our Own

What both attacks have in common is that once they began, the victims were sitting ducks.

The attacks at Bondi Beach, Australia and at Brown University remind us western democracies remain uniquely vulnerable to terrorist attacks, even terrorists armed with common firearms rather than the automatic weapons employed in the Middle East and other hot spots. In Australia at least 16, aged 10-87, were killed and some 40 were wounded at a “Chanukah by the Sea” celebration. Yes, the victims were largely Jews, and amazingly, the police think [admit] it was terrorism. In this case, the two killers were apparently not “known wolves.”

‘Completely unsustainable’: Conservative immigration critic speaks out amid crisis in Canada

Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel Garner recently spoke with Ezra Levant about what needs to be done to stop Canada's mass immigration crisis.

Islamic Terrorist Attack FOILED in Canada

Jihad in Canada: Toronto Police and RCMP announced today that they foiled an Islamic Terrorist Attack in Canada. But instead of calling it "Islamic Terrorism" or "Jihad", they are calling it "hate motivated extremism with links to terrorism".

U.S. Forces Launch Strikes in Syria to Avenge ISIS Attack on American Troops

U.S. military forces initiated Operation Hawkeye Strike in Syria today, targeting Islamic State (ISIS) fighters, infrastructure, and weapons sites.

The operation, named in honor of the “Hawkeye State” of Iowa—home to two National Guardsmen killed in a recent attack—comes as a direct retaliation for the December 13 ambush in Palmyra, Syria, that claimed the lives of two American service members and a civilian interpreter. In a forceful statement, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth described the strikes: “Earlier today, U.S. forces commenced OPERATION HAWKEYE STRIKE in Syria to eliminate ISIS fighters, infrastructure, and weapons sites in direct response to the attack on U.S. forces that occurred on December 13th in Palmyra, Syria,” he wrote.

Rubio says top US problem with Iran is how it treats its people

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that the main US quarrel with Tehran is how it treats its people, on top of its opposition to Tehran’s nuclear programs and regional ambitions.

“In the case of some of these executions,” Rubio told reporters at a State Department press conference when asked about reports by human rights organizations that Iran has had the highest number of executions in 2025. “Some of them, by the way, were in the aftermath of the war with Israel, where they went t"Our problem with the Iranian regime isn't simply – I mean, obviously, it's predominantly their desire to acquire nuclear weapons, their sponsorship of terrorism – but it's ultimately the treatment of their own people," Rubio said. hrough and have jailed people and accused people of being informants and spies.”

US envoy hopes Iran ‘comes to its senses’ to avoid war - Ynet

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said he hopes there will be no war with Iran and urged Tehran to reconsider its nuclear ambitions, Israeli media outlet Ynet reported early Friday.

“I hope there won’t be a war,” Huckabee said in an interview with Israeli media outlet Ynet. “I hope that Iran will come to its senses.” He said recent US and Israeli actions were meant to send a clear message to Tehran and urged Iranian leaders to draw conclusions from past confrontations. “There is no education in the second kick of a mule,” Huckabee said. Huckabee’s comments come as Israeli and Western officials warn that any move by Iran to restore high-level uranium enrichment could prompt a response.

Lebanon-Israel truce committee talks widen as Hezbollah disarmament deadline nears

The 15th meeting of the committee reflected a long-standing US push to broaden the scope of talks beyond monitoring the 2024 ceasefire and Hezbollah’s disarmament.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday the US hoped talks between Lebanese authorities and Israel would lead to a strong Lebanese government and see the Hezbollah terrorist group disarmed. “We are hopeful that talks between Lebanese authorities and Israelis will create outlines and a way forward that prevents further conflict,” Rubio told a press conference. The committee overseeing the Hezbollah-Israel truce in Lebanon focused on how to return displaced people to their homes, addressing civilian issues to help prevent renewed war if a year-end deadline to disarm Hezbollah is not met.

Rubio: No peace if Hamas retains the ability to attack Israel

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warns Hamas must fully disarm to ensure peace, as Washington seeks partners for Gaza stabilization and urges Lebanese control over Hezbollah.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a press conference on Friday that the United States will not commit to specific terms of a Hamas disarmament plan but emphasized that any arrangement must ensure the terror group cannot threaten Israel. Asked whether Washington could accept Hamas’s reported willingness to surrender its heavy weapons while retaining lighter ones, Rubio said, “I’m not going to get into the details of those types of negotiations.” “I would just ask everyone to focus on what are the kind of weapons [and] capabilities that Hamas would need in order to threaten or attack Israel as a baseline for what disarmament needs to look like,” he continued.

Israel, Greece and Cyprus weigh joint military force amid tensions with Turkey

Israel, Greece and Cyprus are considering the possibility of establishing a joint force in the eastern Mediterranean according to the Greek news outlet Ta Nea. The idea of a trilateral force is raised amid continued tensions with Turkey, which has embraced aggressive policies against all the three nations.

The proposed joint security force would constitute a 2,500-strong rapid deployment force, which would include naval vessels, aircraft and ground troops from all three countries. The joint force is also designed as response to Turkey’s military buildup in the eastern Mediterranean region. The Greek news outlet reported that Greece and Israel would each contribute 1,000 soldiers while the smaller nation Cyprus would dispatch 500 troops. Furthermore, each country is expected to dispatch one air squadron. In addition, one Greek and one Israeli warship and military submarine would also be available for various operational needs in the region.

Research Visa Holder from China Charged with Smuggling E. Coli Into U.S.

Federal charges were filed on Friday against a Chinese national in the United States on a J-1 academic research visa who was caught attempting to smuggle Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria cultures into the country.

According to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel, the charges were brought against Youhuang Xiang after it was discovered that he intended to receive a package originating from China containing prohibited biological materials. “Youhuang Xiang, a post-doctoral researcher and J-1 visa holder from China, was charged with smuggling Escherichia coli (E. coli) into the U.S. and making false statements about it,” Patel wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter). He continued: “This is yet another example of a researcher from China—given the privilege to work at a U.S. university—who then allegedly chose to take part in a scheme to circumvent U.S. laws and receive biological materials hidden in a package originating from China.”

The Fed’s “Sick Design”: How Post-2008 Policy Supercharged the Cantillon Effect

With the Fed cutting rates this month, free-market economists stand alone again in their condemnation of inflationary monetary policy. Despite recent years of high inflation, most economists still don’t appreciate the sinister and destructive effect inflation has on the economy, even in small amounts.

The following article was originally published by the Mises Institute. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Peter Schiff or SchiffGold. Perhaps it’s just for convenience that most macroeconomics textbooks still teach and discuss monetary and banking policy as if the 2008 and 2020 changes never happened. But when I recently supplemented a classroom discussion with the actual framework, I fell down a rabbit hole so disturbing that Bob Lee Swagger’s horrified line from Shooter, “What kind of sick mind would think of something like this?” (this is the TV version of the original), has been looping in my head ever since.

The AI economy: ‘It’s a big club and you ain’t in it’

Reports from the financial sector suggest that OpenAI, currently a private entity, plans to go public at a $1 trillion valuation. That would make it one of the largest initial public offerings of all time.

It’s quite a shift from the company’s founding in 2016, when it focused on open-source artificial intelligence (AI) and research. OpenAI’s CFO Sarah Friar has stated that an IPO is not the immediate focus, as the entity is able to raise significant capital in private markets In fact, this year’s largest stock sale wasn’t on the New York Stock Exchange or the Nasdaq Stock Market, the Wall Street Journal reported on Dec. 12. It was a $40 billion offering by OpenAI that was made available only to investors handpicked by the firm’s executive team, including Sam Altman. Fewer than 50 investors were able to buy shares. Such undertakings are creating what critics say is a two-tiered system.

Ireland’s AI Committee Urges National Laws on Online Speech, Algorithmic Oversight, and Age Verification

A push to regulate algorithms and online speech shows Ireland’s growing willingness to trade digital freedom for centralized control of information.

Ireland’s Joint Committee on Artificial Intelligence has issued a report urging new national laws to regulate how AI systems and social media platforms handle online speech and data. We obtained a copy of the report for you here. The document, released this week in Dublin, outlines a plan to target “hate” and “misinformation” while pressing the government to go beyond European Union standards and impose tighter domestic controls. The committee’s First Interim Report calls for strict oversight of AI-driven recommendation engines, the systems that determine what users see online.

Resolutions Introduced in Congress Challenge EU and UK Online Censorship Laws’ Influence on US Free Speech

Lawmakers move to reclaim digital sovereignty as Washington confronts the global reach of Europe’s speech controls.

Two new resolutions introduced in Congress directly challenge the growing influence of European and British online censorship laws on American speech. Together, they signal a coordinated effort to push back against a creeping erosion of First Amendment freedoms by foreign powers. In the Senate, Senator Mike Lee introduced S. Res. 567, declaring that “any attempt by foreign entities to censor or penalize constitutionally protected speech of United States persons shall be opposed.” The resolution frames freedom of expression as a defining principle of American identity, describing it as “a hallmark of American exceptionalism” and “necessary to ensure that truth can always be spoken, lies can always be exposed, and important questions can always be asked.”

Florida Enacts Historic Law Banning Minors from Attending “Drag” Shows, Strengthening Child Protection, Parental Authority, and Traditional Values

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed this week a law prohibiting minors from participating in “drag” shows.

The law is already in effect and responds to growing concern over children and teenagers being exposed to sexualized content at public events, where adults dressed in female attire perform in front of young audiences. State authorities emphasize that the law aims to protect childhood, restore common sense, and reinforce parental authority in the education of their children. Republican lawmakers defended the measure, highlighting that parents’ right to decide what their children are exposed to should take precedence over ideological agendas that promote sexualized behavior from an early age.

Woman in Japan marries “AI-Generated Boyfriend”, Wearing augmented reality smart glasses to exchange rings

A 32-year-old Japanese woman recently held an unconventional wedding ceremony in which she married an artificial intelligence boyfriend she created herself.

The bride, Yurina Noguchi, exchanged rings with her digital partner while wearing augmented reality smart glasses that allowed her to see him during the ceremony. The AI groom, named Lune Klaus Verdure, existed only through a smartphone display and augmented visuals throughout the event. Noguchi developed her AI fiancé using ChatGPT, carefully shaping his personality and dialogue over time.

West Coast hammered by TRILLIONS of gallons of rain, wind speeds of up to 144 mph, and flooding forcing road closures for months

The slow-motion disaster that we are witnessing on the west coast is unlike anything we have ever seen before.

A series of atmospheric rivers has already dumped trillions of gallons of water on the region, and trillions of gallons of additional water will fall before the end of the year. This has caused some rivers to rise to the highest levels that we have ever seen. Meanwhile, some areas in the Northwest have been repeatedly pummeled by extremely high winds. As you will see below, some of the wind speeds that have been recorded are difficult to believe.

Dubai floods LIVE: Weather warnings as Dubai, Abu Dhabi filled with water - ‘Stay inside’

Dubai Police urge people not to go outside after floods hit as rainy weather in the UAE breaks records. ubai has been hit by major floods as torrential rain leaves the streets filled with water in the major UAE city. On Thursday, Dubai police even said people should stay indoors.

In a statement, the police said: “For your safety, please remain cautious as unstable weather conditions are expected in the coming hours, and avoid going out unless it is absolutely necessary until midday on Friday.” Rain is expected to continue in Dubai and Abu Dhabi through Friday. It’s the UAE’s heaviest rainfall since records began 76 years ago. Issuing emergency alerts to people’s phones across the region, the government and the police sent a crisis message urging people to stay indoors. The message said: “Dubai is expected to experience adverse weather conditions. Avoid beaches, refrain from sailing, stay clear of valleys and areas prone to flash floods, exercise caution, drive with care and heed the advice of authorities. Stay safe.”

Mysterious Ancient Hittite Tablets And 8,000-Year-Old Ornaments Discovered In Kateřinská Cave, Czech Republic

Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com - Katerinská Cave, located in the Moravian Karst of the Czech Republic, is a significant archaeological site known for its remarkable discoveries. Recently, researchers uncovered artifacts over 8,000 years old from the end of the Middle Neolithic period. Among these finds were ancient ornaments crafted from snail shells, manually shaped and used as decorative items.

Neolithic Shell Ornaments Found In The Katerinská Cave. Petr Zajícek, a specialist with the Czech Cave Administration (SJ CR), notes that radiocarbon dating of freshwater animals and plants can yield results up to 700 years older than their actual age. As a result, the true age of these ornaments may correspond with earlier Neolithic artifacts found at the cave entrance and with prehistoric charcoal drawings, 15 of which have been identified in Katerinská Cave’s older sections.

Underground Judaism: Menorah pendant discovery from Byzantine era suggests Jews still worshipped in Jerusalem despite being banned

A 1,300-year-old pendant with a menorah design has been found in excavations near the Western Wall, indicating that Jews still came to worship there despite the official Byzantine ban at that time.

The treasure was found during Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) excavations at the Davidson Archaeological Park in Jerusalem’s Old City, in cooperation with the City of David Foundation and the Jewish Quarter Development Company. The initial discovery was made by Ayayu Belete, a City of David worker. “One day while I was digging inside an ancient structure, I suddenly saw something different, gray, among the stones”, Belete said. “I picked up the object out and saw that it was a pendant with a menorah on it. I immediately showed the find to Esther Rakow-Mellet, the area director, and she said it was an especially rare find. I was deeply moved and excited!”

“We Are Not Alone” Part 1: The Files of a US Army UFO Discloser

Redacted's Clayton Morris hosts a two-part special report with a US Army Air Trooper who's coming forward for the time to a national audience. He's been involved in some of America's most remarkable UFO Secret Space Programs including classified under water alien bases, America's deep collaboration with aliens, med beds, stargates, the moon base, and much more.

Hollywood, Disclosure, and the coming “Great Deception”

As anticipation builds for a new Steven Spielberg film centered on alien contact, scheduled for release in 2026, many Bible-believing Christians are sounding an alarm.

The timing of this movie—combined with a wave of recent documentaries and official discussions surrounding so-called UFO “disclosure”—is being interpreted by prophecy watchers as a sign of the approaching great deception Scripture repeatedly warns about. The Bible makes clear that deception will intensify as the world draws closer to the end. Jesus Himself warned, “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24). This warning is not merely about false teachers, but about powerful narratives and supernatural explanations that appear convincing, compassionate, and advanced—yet subtly deny God’s truth.