Christmas: After posting a message on his Truth Social internet site wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, Donald Trump spent the next hour posting almost three dozen messages filled with hate, sarcasm and statements about the agenda he plans to follow once in office. Trump doubled down on taking over the Panama Canal, Greenland and Canada. He called Americans on the political left radical lunatics.
Plane crash: A Ukrainian official claims that Russia shot down the Azerbaijan Airlines plane that went down yesterday a couple of hundred miles off its planned flight path. Thirty-eight people were killed and 29 survived. A Kremlin spokesman said that an investigation into the cause is underway and he warned against speculation as to what happened. The airplane was an Embraer 190.
Bird flu: Bird flu has killed 20 animals at a wildlife sanctuary in Shelton, Washington. The animals include bobcats, cougars and a Bengal Tiger. In another incident, Northwest Naturals, which sells raw and frozen pet food, recalled a batch of its foods following the death of a house cat due to bird flu. The food tested positive for the bird flu virus.
Ukraine: President Biden has decried Russia’s Christmas attacks on Ukraine in which waves of missiles and drones were launched against Ukrainian cities and critical energy infrastructure. Biden said that the purpose was to cut off electricity and heat during the winter. Biden said that he has directed the Department of Defense to continue its surge of weapons deliveries to Ukraine, and pledged that the United States will continue to strengthen Ukraine’s position in its defense against Russian forces.
Journalists: Five journalists working for a Palestinian TV channel were killed when their van was attacked by Israeli forces, according to the TV channel. The Palestinians say that the van was marked as being a press vehicle. The van was in Gaza City when it was hit and burst into flames. Israel’s military has not commented on the Palestinian report.
Afghanistan: The Taliban says that at least 46 people were killed in airstrikes by Pakistan against Afghanistan. The Taliban has threatened retaliation. Pakistan claims that the Taliban is hosting radical groups that have staged attacks on Pakistan. It said that last week 16 of its soldiers were killed in an attack. It said that almost 1,000 people were killed in attacks that originated in Afghanistan in 2024.
