The Petersburg Post
Top News Stories for Thursday, December 18th 2025
Wednesday, Dec 17th, 2025 -
Washington — A walkway in the White House's West Wing that President Trump has dubbed the "Presidential Walk of Fame" now features partisan plaques installed under the portraits of his predecessors. From "Sleepy Joe" Biden references to painting Republican icon Ronald Reagan as a fan of a young Mr. Trump, the plaques include language written in Trumpian style. The installation is the president's latest move ...
Source: cbsnews.com
Wednesday, Dec 17th, 2025 -
Trump's Venezuela Blockade Is for "Our Oil." Experts Say It Isn't the US's to Take. The president referred to President Nicolás Maduro's government as a "hostile regime." Get your news from a source that's not owned and controlled by oligarchs. President Donald Trump appears resolute to do anything in his power to acquire oil from Venezuela—even if it means sidestepping congressional approval. In a ...
Source: motherjones.com
Wednesday, Dec 17th, 2025 -
▶ Follow live updates on President Donald Trump and his administration WASHINGTON (AP) — Four centrist Republicans broke with Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday and signed onto a Democratic-led petition that will force a House vote on extending for three years an enhanced pandemic-era subsidy that lowers health insurance costs for millions of Americans. The stunning move came the same day that House ...
Source: apnews.com
Wednesday, Dec 17th, 2025 -
Trump's chief of staff admits he's lying about Venezuela—and a lot of other things. Bluesky Since September 2, the Trump administration has been bombing boats in the Caribbean and Pacific Oceans on the pretext of combating drug trafficking. This was always a flimsy justification, but we can now confidently say that it was a flat lie. That's thanks to the testimony of one of Trump's top aides, White House ...
Source: thenation.com
Wednesday, Dec 17th, 2025 -
Dec 17 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Wednesday said she would block President Donald Trump's administration from laying off hundreds of federal employees, the latest legal setback for Trump's efforts to downsize the U.S. government workforce. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston during a hearing in San Francisco said hundreds of layoffs at four agencies were likely not allowed under a law Congress passed ...
Source: news.yahoo.com
Wednesday, Dec 17th, 2025 -
Law enforcement officials in Providence, Rhode Island, on Wednesday confirmed that witnesses' description of the gunman in the Brown University shooting matches the images they have released of the person of interest in the case. As the search entered its fifth day, authorities have so far been unable to identify the person of interest in the shooting that killed two students and wounded ...
Source: cbsnews.com
Wednesday, Dec 17th, 2025 -
A private equity firm owned by President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner , is no longer backing Paramount's hostile acquisition bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, the firm confirmed Tuesday. Days after Warner agreed to be bought by Netflix in early December, Paramount launched a rival bid that seeks to bypass Warner's management and appeal directly to its shareholders with more money. Paramount is offering ...
Source: apnews.com
Wednesday, Dec 17th, 2025 -
The Oscars will be shown only on YouTube from 2029, the Academy said Wednesday, in a radical gambit for a movie industry that remains wary of streaming platforms even as viewing habits shift online. The new five-year deal means Hollywood's most prestigious awards ceremony will be viewable exclusively online for the first time, ending a decades-long relationship with US broadcaster ABC. The decision will allow ...
Source: digitaljournal.com
Wednesday, Dec 17th, 2025 -
Major research institution dismissed as a source of "climate alarmism." On Tuesday, the head of the Office of Management and Budget, Russell Vought, announced that a major climate research center will be "broken up." The National Center for Atmospheric Research, or NCAR, is a significant contributor to research on the weather, climate, and other atmospheric phenomena. The move will be a crippling blow to climate ...
Source: arstechnica.com
Wednesday, Dec 17th, 2025 -
President Trump on Tuesday signed a proclamation expanding the scope of his administration's ban on travel into the United States from various countries, targeting Syria and those from the Palestinian territory. The proclamation adds "full restrictions and entry limitations" on those attempting to come to the United States from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria, as well as those with travel documents ...
Source: wfla.com
Wednesday, Dec 17th, 2025 -
In today's newsletter: The BBC is bracing for a high-stakes legal fight after the US president sues over an edited Panorama clip, and questions mount about the broadcaster's future funding and political vulnerability Good morning. On Tuesday, the UK woke to the news Donald Trump had filed his threatened $10bn lawsuit against the BBC, alleging that the corporation "intentionally, maliciously and deceptively" defamed ...
Source: theguardian.com
Wednesday, Dec 17th, 2025 -
WASHINGTON (AP) — FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said Wednesday that he will resign from the bureau next month, ending a brief and tumultuous tenure in which he clashed with the Justice Department over the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and was forced to reconcile the realities of his law enforcement job with provocative claims he made in his prior role as a popular podcast host. The ...
Source: pbs.org
Wednesday, Dec 17th, 2025 -
For two weeks, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been fending off scrutiny over a second U.S. strike on an alleged drug-smuggling boat from Venezuela. The hit killed two survivors who were clinging to the vessel's wreckage after an initial U.S. strike. Hegseth now claims he " didn't stick around " for the second strike and that Adm. Frank "Mitch" Bradley made the call . While it's refreshing to see the media ...
Source: foreignpolicy.com
Wednesday, Dec 17th, 2025 -
While holiday gift shopping may be at a peak this week, homebuyers and owners hoping to refinance may want to consider a different type of shopping right now. By comparison shopping for mortgage interest rates , both groups may be able to find affordable options worth pursuing. Mortgage interest rates, after all, have declined for much of 2025 , spurred in part by consistent rate cuts from the Federal Reserve , the ...
Source: cbsnews.com
Wednesday, Dec 17th, 2025 -
The Arctic just experienced its warmest air temperatures on record between October 2024 and September 2025 as the climate crisis dramatically alters the region, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found in its 20th Arctic Report Card . The annual report, released Tuesday, also notes the Arctic's lowest maximum sea-ice extent and its wettest year on record. The past 10 years have been the warmest ...
Source: commondreams.org
Wednesday, Dec 17th, 2025 -
On Wednesday, the White House announced additional support for Trump accounts, a type of tax-advantaged savings account for children. Here's what families need to know about who is eligible for the funding. The White House unveiled new information about " Trump accounts " on Wednesday, including an additional donation from billionaire hedge fund manager Ray Dalio and his wife, Barbara, to help ...
Source: cnbc.com
Wednesday, Dec 17th, 2025 -
Nick Reiner, the youngest son of Rob Reiner and Michele Singer, appeared in court in shackles and weaning a suicide prevention smock, as he faces charges of first-degree murder in the killing of his parents. Rob Reiner's son Nick made his first court appearance on Wednesday on two counts of first-degree murder in the killing of his parents. Wearing a suicide prevention smock and shackles, the 32-year-old did ...
Source: news.sky.com
Wednesday, Dec 17th, 2025 -
The new guidance marks a major policy shift to the vaccine framework that has been in place since 1991. The US Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC) no longer recommends that all US newborns receive the hepatitis B vaccine, marking an abrupt end to over 30 years of medical guidance concerning the jab in the country. The decision was widely expected given the outcome of the agency's Advisory Committee on ...
Source: pharmaceutical-technology.com
Wednesday, Dec 17th, 2025 -
Football's world governing body says the 48 teams at World Cup 2026 in North America will all get a share of a $655m (£490m) prize kitty. The prize for winning next year's football World Cup in North America will increase to $50m (£37m), FIFA has announced. Football's global governing body is boosting the overall prize pot for the tournament by 50%, compared to Qatar in 2022 when the champions Argentina ...
Source: news.sky.com
Wednesday, Dec 17th, 2025 -
For those who don't get enough of Instagram on their smartphone, a new app now allows users to scroll through Instagram on their smart TV or streaming stick. Along with back in September, Meta is now publicly testing an Instagram for TV app. However, there's a number of restrictions at the time of this writing, including the fact that the app only supports Amazon Fire TVs and Fire TV Sticks. in a number of ways. ...
Source: bgr.com
Wednesday, Dec 17th, 2025 -
A fresh analysis of tidal perturbations on Titan challenges a long-held hypothesis: that the cloud-shrouded Saturnian moon harbors an ocean of liquid water beneath its surface ice. But the scientists behind the analysis don't rule out the possibility that smaller pockets of subsurface water could nevertheless provide a home for extraterrestrial life. "The search for extraterrestrial environments is fundamentally a ...
Source: geekwire.com
Wednesday, Dec 17th, 2025 -
(The Center Square) – The U.S. House passed the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act in a party line, 216-211, vote Wednesday, sending the bill to its likely demise in the Senate. The bill, which will almost certainly fail to reach the Senate's 60-vote threshold, is Republicans' alternative to extending enhancements to the Obamacare Premium Tax Credit. Congress temporarily expanded the PTC during ...
Source: aol.com
Wednesday, Dec 17th, 2025 -
OpenAI launched GPT Image 1.5, delivering 4x faster image generation and improved editing accuracy for ChatGPT and API users worldwide. OpenAI has launched its newest image model GPT Image 1.5 , which offers up to 4 times faster image generation, more accurate image editing, and better compliance with user instructions. One of the more noticeable improvements is that the new version should provide more consistent ...
Source: pcworld.com
Wednesday, Dec 17th, 2025 -
Designed to balance speed with power, the new model will bring a boost to many of the AI perks that Gemini users have already come to expect, like vibe coding and multimodality. Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET's key takeaways Google has unveiled Gemini 3 Flash, the company's latest AI model, which it says balances speed with industry-leading reasoning and multimodal ...
Source: zdnet.com
Wednesday, Dec 17th, 2025 -
Brendan Carr's declaration raises concerns amid Trump efforts to exert greater control over independent agencies The Federal Communications Commission is not an "independent" agency, its chairman suggested on Wednesday, as the word was scrubbed from its online mission statement. Brendan Carr's declaration to senators raised concerns of a further power-grab by the White House, amid concerns surrounding efforts by ...
Source: theguardian.com
Wednesday, Dec 17th, 2025 -
Solitary bees repurposed the skulls of extinct mammals as multi-generational nurseries. The floor of the Cueva de Mono, a cave in the Dominican Republic, is a gruesome graveyard. For thousands of years, it served as the dining room for a massive family of now-extinct owls called Tyto ostologa . The owls would swoop down upon the tropical landscape, snatch up hutias (guinea-pig-like rodents) or sloths, and return to ...
Source: zmescience.com
Wednesday, Dec 17th, 2025 -
Automakers must pay up to $9M in restitution and install anti-theft protections Hyundai and Kia will overhaul security features in millions of vehicles as part of a sweeping multistate settlement accusing the companies of failing to install industry-standard anti-theft technology in many of their models. Under the agreement, the automakers must provide free zinc-reinforced ignition cylinder protectors to current ...
Source: foxbusiness.com
Wednesday, Dec 17th, 2025 -
California's Department of Motor Vehicles could temporarily halt sales of Tesla vehicles in the state. This possibility arises after a judge ruled against the company for making misleading claims about its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving features. Based on the decision, the DMV is giving Tesla 60 days to take action on how it describes its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving features to consumers. "If Tesla fails ...
Source: cnet.com
Tuesday, Dec 16th, 2025 -
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and 34 other countries formally approved plans Tuesday to create a compensation body to pay for damages to Ukraine caused by the , but questions remain about where the money will come from. Zelenskyy told leaders gathered in the Dutch city of The Hague that he hopes for strong international support so "any damage caused by the war can be ...
Source: news.yahoo.com
Tuesday, Dec 16th, 2025 -
Chicago-based Kraft Heinz announced Tuesday that Steve Cahillane will lead the global food company. Cahillane, who previously served as CEO of Chicago-based Kellanova, will become CEO Jan. 1 and will join the company's board of directors, according to Kraft Heinz. The announcement comes three months after the company said it would be splitting into two independent, publicly traded companies . The separation is ...
Source: chicago.suntimes.com
Tuesday, Dec 16th, 2025 -
Legal experts have raised concerns US forces may have committed a war crime by killing survivors of initial strike The Pentagon will not make public the full video of a September attack in the Caribbean that killed two individuals as they were clinging to the wreckage of a burning boat, Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday. The strike has been the most controversial development in Donald Trump's campaign against Venezuela, ...
Source: theguardian.com
Tuesday, Dec 16th, 2025 -
Jared Kushner's private equity firm says it is dropping out of the group of firms that planned to back Paramount Skydance's hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery. "With two strong competitors vying to secure the future of this unique American asset, Affinity has decided no longer to pursue the opportunity," a spokesperson for the ...
Source: aol.com
Tuesday, Dec 16th, 2025 -
Senators demand Big Tech pay upfront for data center spikes in electricity bills. Senators launched a probe Tuesday demanding that tech companies explain exactly how they plan to prevent data center projects from increasing electricity bills in communities where prices are already skyrocketing. In letters to seven AI firms, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Richard Blumenthal ...
Source: arstechnica.com
Susie Wiles Tells Vanity Fair 'Playboy' Trump Was on Jeffrey Epstein's Plane: 'He's on the Manifest'
Tuesday, Dec 16th, 2025 -
Vanity Fair's bombshell two-part profile of Trump Chief of Staff Susie Wiles included a myriad of candid and surprising quotes from the usually guarded powerbroker, but also a stunning admission about President Donald Trump' s relationship to convicted sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein . Wiles spoke at length about the threat the Epstein scandal poses to the White House she runs, and at one point acknowledged that Trump ...
Source: mediaite.com
Tuesday, Dec 16th, 2025 -
LOS ANGELES — A former California doctor was sentenced to 8 months of home detention and 3 years of supervised release Tuesday after pleading guilty to ketamine distribution in connection with the fatal overdose of "Friends" star Matthew Perry. Mark Chavez pleaded guilty in 2024 to one count of conspiring to distribute ketamine to Perry, who died two years ago at 54. Chavez appeared Tuesday before U.S. ...
Source: nbcnews.com