Celebrations begin marking New Year’s Eve
Countries around the world have already started to ring in 2026 with dazzling fireworks and grand celebrations. U.S. authorities have said they are taking extra precautions to ensure public safety at major events. In New York City, thousands of NYPD officers are deployed throughout Times Square ahead of the iconic ball drop, supported by helicopters and drones for comprehensive monitoring, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. “New Year’s Eve in Times Square is one of the largest and most complex public safety operations in the world, and one the NYPD has secured successfully for decades,” Tisch added. Meanwhile, on the West Coast, California will usher in the New Year with more stormy weather just days after a destructive Christmas-week storm caused intense flooding and debris flows.
Trump vetos two bills, angering a key Republican
Donald Trump has issued the first vetoes of his second term, blocking two bipartisan, infrastructure-related bills. The president argued that blocking both measures was necessary to save taxpayer dollars. One of the bills, H.R. 131, would have lowered the payments certain communities in Colorado make for the construction of a water pipeline. The other bill vetoed, H.R. 504, would expand the land reserved for the Miccosukee Tribe in Florida and instruct the Department of Interior to work with the tribe to mitigate flooding. Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, an ally of Trump who sponsored H.R. 131, said in an internet post, “This isn’t over.”
New bruising seen on Trump
A new issue with Donald Trump’s left hand is reviving questions about his health nearly one year after he became the oldest president to take the oath of office. Trump now has discoloration or light bruising on the back of his left hand, in addition to the more persistent bruise on his right hand that has been visible for months. The new bruise appears to complicate the White House’s explanation that the right-handed Trump developed the bruising through constant handshaking. The fresh bruising on Trump’s left hand represents the latest development to fuel speculation about his health since he returned to the White House — a sensitive topic for him that he’s sought to counter by boasting frequently about his vigor.
Russia repeats claims that Putin’s house was attacked
Russia has repeated claims that Ukraine launched a massive drone attack on Monday targeting one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s residences. The Russians say 91 drones were launched by Ukraine against the house. The Russian defense ministry also published video of a soldier standing over some drone wreckage but did not tie the wreckage to Putin’s house. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected the alleged drone attack as “a complete fabrication” by Russia. The European Union’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said today that Russia’s claim is a “deliberate distraction” and “Moscow aims to derail real progress towards peace by Ukraine and its Western partners.”
Health care subsidies expiring
The Affordable Care Act’s enhanced premium subsidies are set to expire after today, leaving millions of Americans facing higher health care insurance costs in 2026. Republicans in Congress have blocked Democratic efforts to extend the subsidies. While the House is expected to vote in January on a Democratic proposal to extend them for three years, the effort faces significant hurdles in the Senate. This comes after Democratic lawmakers refused to fund the federal government this fall unless the subsidies were renewed, leading to a record-long shutdown that only ended in mid-November with an agreement to hold a vote in the Senate on the matter. Both Democratic and Republican health care bills failed to pass the chamber in mid-December.
Israel set to ban some help for Gaza
Several international humanitarian organizations, including Doctors Without Borders face being barred from working in Gaza beginning on Thursday for failing to comply with Israel’s new restrictions for aid groups operating in the devastated enclave. Israel said it will suspend the operations of international aid groups that did not renew their registration, which includes requiring organizations working in Gaza to provide personal details of their staff members. Aid agencies have repeatedly voiced concerns over those requirements, citing the safety of their employees. Israel’s move comes as 10 countries warned that Gaza’s humanitarian situation is getting worse. “As winter draws in, civilians in Gaza are facing appalling conditions with heavy rainfall and temperatures dropping,” the foreign ministers of Canada, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland said in a statement.
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