Europeans oppose Greenland takeover threat
European leaders have issued a joint statement denouncing Donald Trump’s plan to take over Greenland, possibly through a U.S. military invasion. They warn that such a move by the U.S. would end the NATO alliance and possibly lead to a new world war. Russian President Vladimir Putin for many years has wanted to see an end to the NATO alliance. Trump’s chief aide Stephen Miller in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper refused to eliminate military action to seize Greenland as a possibility. The European leaders said, “Greenland belongs to its people.”
Trump says he’ll control money from Venezuelan oil
President Trump says that Venezuela will give the U.S. from 30 million to 50 million barrels of its oil and the U.S. will sell the oil at market value and he will control the money. The current market value is about $60 per barrel and the money Trump will control could amount to $2.75 billion. A senior Trump administration official tells CNN the oil has already been produced and will be shipped to the U.S. for refining. There were no details released on why Venezuela agreed to provide the oil or who in that country made the decision to do so. Analysts say the Venezuelan oil is unlikely to have a major impact on Americans’ gas prices.
U.S. seizes another oil tanker
The U.S. has seized an oil tanker linked to Venezuela after tracking it across the Atlantic, according to the U.S. European Command. Originally called the Bella 1, the tanker was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2024 for operating within a “shadow fleet” of tankers transporting illicit oil. The U.S. Coast Guard had tried to seize the tanker last month when it was near Venezuela, but U.S. forces were unable to board it after the ship turned around and fled. At some point while being pursued, the crew of the tanker painted a Russian flag on its hull, claiming it was sailing under Russian protection. Shortly thereafter, the vessel appeared on Russia’s official register of ships under a new name — the Marinera. Russia filed a formal diplomatic request last month demanding that the U.S. stop pursuing the vessel.
Trump White House blames Jan. 6 Capitol attack on police and Democrats
In an attempt to rewrite history, the White House has posted a new website that falsely claims the violent attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was instigated by law enforcement and then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The website features a large photo of Pelosi and photos of several other prominent Democrats. It does not contain images of the rioters beating police and destroying windows, doors and ransacking offices. The White House casts the rioters who beat police and said they wanted to kill Vice President Pence and Pelosi as victims. The White House website depicts Trump as a hero for granting presidential pardons to the nearly 1,600 people charged in connection with the attack. The White House website repeats Trump’s false claim that the 2020 election was stolen from him.
Justice Department hasn’t released 99% of Epstein files
The Justice Department has admitted that so far it has released less than 1% of the Epstein files. In a court filing, it said it has released 12,285 Epstein documents with more than 2 million documents still being reviewed. The Justice Department told Judge Paul Engelmayer of the Southern District of New York that the 12,285 documents the department has already released contain roughly 125,575 pages. Congress passed a law in November – with near-unanimous support – giving the Justice Department a Dec. 19, 2025, deadline to release all of its files about Epstein, the convicted sex offender who was accused of abusing dozens of underage girls.
Flu claims 5,000 lives in U.S.
With anti-vaccine advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. heading the federal government’s Department of Health and Human Services and its advertising campaign urging people to get vaccinated against the flu having been canceled, doctor visits for flu symptoms have reached their highest level in 25 years, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports. This comes as nearly all U.S. states are showing high or very high levels of flu activity, driven by a new variant called subclade K. Many health experts urge vaccination to reduce the risk of severe illness, although current vaccines may provide only partial protection against the new variant. The CDC estimates that at least 11 million people have had the flu this season, 120,000 have been hospitalized as a result and 5,000 have died.
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