Iran Internet Shutdown, Portland Federal Shooting and “Anxious” AI chatbots

Iran shuts down its internet amid deadly nationwide protests, U.S. federal agents injure two in a Portland, Oregon shooting, South Africa hosts China-led BRICS naval drills, Volodomir Zelenskyy says 2at least 4 are killed and the Qatari embassy is damaged in a Russian attack, Venezuela releases political prisoners, The U.S. House passes a 3-year Affordable Care Act subsidy extension, The U.S. Senate votes to limit President Trump's Venezuela war powers, J.D. Vance ann2ounces a new fraud czar, OpenAI launches ChatGPT Health for personalized care, and a study hypothesizes that AI chatbots show signs of anxiety and PTSD in therapy. Sources: Verity.News

Trump orders the U.S.’ withdrawal from 66 international groups, Rubio outlines a three-phase plan for Venezuela, Trump invites Colombia’s Petro to the White House, Lebanon says that Hezbollah has been disarmed in the south, Trump proposes raising the military budget over 50% to $1.5 trillion, state investigators ‘reluctantly’ withdraw from a probe into the fatal ICE shooting of a woman in Minneapolis, a study links weight-loss injections to rapid weight regain, U.K. police face scrutiny over last year's banning of Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer fans, Japan's nuclear agency loses a phone with sensitive data in China, and NASA's Hubble Space Telescope confirms the first starless ‘failed galaxy.’  Sources: Verity.News

An ICE agent fatally shoots a woman in Minneapolis, A Yemen separatist leader flees talks and faces treason charges, The U.S. pledges to “indefinitely” sell Venezuelan oil, The U.S. seizes two sanctioned oil tankers, including a Russian-flagged vessel, The U.K. and France pledge to station troops in Ukraine if a peace deal is agreed, China bans dual-use exports to Japan over Taiwan remarks, Representative Doug LaMalfa dies at 65, Aldrich Ames dies in pr ison at 84, The U.S. unveils new 2025-2030 dietary guidelines, and a Stanford-developed AI predicts over 100 diseases from sleep data. Sources: Verity.News        

The U.S. considers using the military to acquire Greenland, Venezuela appoints three prosecutors to probe “dozens” of deaths during the U.S. capture of Maduro, Iran's supreme leader allegedly prepares a contingency plan to flee to Moscow, Israel's foreign minister visits Somaliland, Somalia's U.N. envoy is linked to a Medicaid fraud scheme, 147 nations agree to exempt U.S. firms from a global 15% minimum tax, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting votes to dissolve, Australia faces extreme heatwave warnings in several areas, Senate Democrats seek to stop taxpayer-funded payouts to convicted Jan . 6 rioters pardoned by Trump, and NVIDIA launches its Alpamayo AI platform for self-driving cars. Sources: Verity.News

Nicolas Maduro makes his first court appearance in New York, Delcy Rodríguez is sworn in as interim president of Venezuela, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz ends his re-election bid, The Pentagon moves to reduce Sen. Mark Kelly’s rank, At least 30 people are killed in an attack on a village in Nigeria, Saudi-backed forces retake key provinces from the UAE-backed STC in Yemen, Left-wing militants claim responsibility for a sabotage attack on a Berlin power plant, All 40 victims of the Swiss bar fire are identified, Trial begins for an officer accused of failing to protect children during the Uvalde school shooting, Ten people are found guilty of cyberbullying Brigitte Macron, and a UK expert warns the world may lack time to prepare for AI safety risks. Sources: Verity.News

Saudi warplanes strike Yemen's UAE-backed separatists, Officials say a deadly Switzerland bar fire was likely caused by champagne sparklers, President Trump threatens to intervene as Iran protests spread, Venezuelan President Maduro says he is open to U.S. talks, The DRC accuses Rwanda of killing over 1,500 in an M23 offensive, Jair Bolsonaro returns to jail after medical treatment, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani revokes a swath of Eric Adams' Executive Orders, Trump discusses his health in a Wall St. Journal article, U.S. federal workers challenge a gender care coverage ban and a rogue planet’s mass and distance are measured for the first time. Sources: Verity.News

Iran’s president calls for dialogue amid ongoing protests, Russia depl oys the Oreshnik Missile System to Belarus, A military-backed party claims victory in the first phase of Myanmar’s election, Boeing wins an $8.6 billion Pentagon contract to build F-15 jets for Israel, A judge temporarily blocks Trump from ending temporary protected status for South Sudanese nationals, The health of four pro-Palestine activists on hunger strike in the U.K. deteriorates, 75% of U.S. adults meet the criteria for obesity under a new waist-based definition, Several artists cancel their shows at the Trump-Kennedy Center following its name change, The U.S. pledges $2 billion in U.N. humanitarian aid, and a study suggests that the universe may have entered a phase of decelerated expansion.

Donald Trump hosts Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago, U.S. President Trump met with Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war, President Trump claims a U.S. strike on a drug facility in Venezuela, China launches large-scale military drills around Taiwan, North Korea fires cruise missiles and pledges a nuclear buildup, Iran’s president says Tehran is in “full-fledged war” with the U.S., Israel and Europe, The U.K. curbs visas from the DRC, Australia orders a security agency review after the Bondi Beach attack, Kosovo conducts snap parliamentary elections, The FBI provides an update on its investigation into an alleged Minnesota fraud scheme, and OpenAI seeks a Head of Preparedness for AI security risks. Sources: Verity.News

The U.S. strikes Islamic State group militants in Nigeria, Nigeria’s Borno state suffers a deadly mosque bombing, Russian bombers fly near the U.K. on Christmas, Israel becomes the first nation to recognize Somaliland, Ex-Malaysian leader Najib Razak is found guilty in a fraud case, China sanctions 20 U.S. firms over an $11B Taiwan arms deal, The U.S. Dept. of Justice finds over 1M more Epstein documents, 19 states and Washington D.C. sue the federal government over its youth gender treatment declaration, A U.S. judge blocks the Trump admin. from deporting the CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, and Jair Bolsonaro endorses his son, Flávio, for Brazil’s 2026 presidential election. Sources: Verity.News

The U.N. Security Council discusses U.S.-Venezuela tensions in an emergency meeting, President Trump unveils a new “Trump Class” fleet of naval battleships, Thailand and Cambodia prepare for Christmas Eve ceasefire talks, Sudan’s Prime Minister proposes a U.N.-monitored ceasefire to end its civil war, U.K. police plan to scrap the non-crime hate incident system, Canada names Mark Wiseman its U.S. Ambassador, The U.S. Department of Homeland Security triples its self-deportation payment to $3,000, Amazon reportedly has blocked over 1,800 North Korean job applicants since April, The Pentagon will deploy xAI's Grok to 3 million personnel, and a scientific study creates a replica womb lining. Sources: Verity.News