A group charged by Congress with helping to preserve historic buildings is asking a judge to block construction of President Trump’s White House ballroom until reviews occur, arguing that the ongoing project is illegal and unconstitutional. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/12/12/trump-ballroom-lawsuit-construction/
Photos from the estate of Jeffrey Epstein tie the convicted sex offender to President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, tech billionaire Bill Gates and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers. https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/12/trump-clinton-gates-included-in-epstein-photo-trove-00688628
As I noted for this article, it’s in the interest of any administration to maintain good relations with the mainstream media. https://wng.org/articles/unconventional-press-1765072828
DHS terminates TPS for Ethiopians, saying conditions in their home country "no longer pose a serious threat to the personal safety of returning Ethiopian nationals” and those with no other lawful basis for remaining in the US have 60 days to voluntarily depart. image
US military admits ‘mistake’ in the arrest of an American civilian in Okinawa that went viral. https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/12/11/japan-arrest-viral-video-okinawa-military/
The verdict in the national security trial of Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai is set to be handed down next Monday.
Hong Kong Free Press HKFP
HK: Jimmy Lai verdict to be handed down Monday
The verdict in the national security trial of Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai is set to be delivered next Monday, according to the judiciary.
WaPo - President Trump is expected to push the government to dramatically loosen federal restrictions on marijuana, reducing oversight of the plant and its derivatives to the same level as some common prescription painkillers and other drugs. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/12/11/trump-marijuana-reclassification-executive-order/
Do Kwon sentenced to 15 years in prison in New York for the multibillion-dollar fraud that fueled the 2022 collapse of his crypto empire.
crypto.news
Do Kwon sentence: 15 years for multibillion-dollar fraud
Kwon's troubles aren't exclusive to the U.S. Following his 15-year sentence, the Terra founder still faces prosecution in South Korea.
Europe must prepare for a conflict with Russia “on the scale our grandparents endured," warns NATO's general secretary.
The Independent
Europe should prepare for war ‘like our grandparents endured’, warns Nato chief
Nato’s secretary general Mark Rutte said Europe is already Russia’s next target and ‘we are already in harm’s way’
NewsGuard - As the US retreats from its foreign media efforts, Russia sets its propaganda sights on the world’s most populous nation. https://open.substack.com/pub/newsguardtech/p/russias-rt-expands-to-india