US judge blocks detention of British social media campaigner

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Lead: A US federal judge on Thursday granted a temporary restraining order preventing the detention and possible deportation of British social media campaigner Imran Ahmed after the US government moved to revoke his visa. Ahmed, founder of the Center for Countering Digital Hate and a US lawful permanent resident, had sued senior officials including Secretary … Read more

Japan’s Cabinet OKs record defense budget that aims to deter China – AP News

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Japan’s Cabinet on Friday approved a draft fiscal 2026 defense budget exceeding 9 trillion yen (about $58 billion), a 9.4% increase from 2025 that advances the government’s five-year plan to double arms spending to 2% of GDP. The package accelerates investments in long‑range cruise missiles, Type‑12 surface‑to‑ship systems and expanded unmanned air, surface and underwater … Read more

How the Duffer Brothers Built Vol. 2’s Big Payoffs — and What Comes Next for Stranger Things

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Lead: In late December 2025, Matt and Ross Duffer discussed the final stretch of Stranger Things in an interview following the release of Vol. 2 of season 5. The three supersized episodes — “Shock Jock,” “Escape From Camazotz” and “The Bridge” — delivered major reveals about the Upside Down, returning characters and where the story … Read more

NASA’s Satellites Captured a Terrifying Picture of a Giant Tsunami

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Lead In the summer of 2025, an 8.8-magnitude earthquake off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula unleashed a Pacific tsunami that was imaged in unprecedented detail by NASA’s SWOT satellite. The event, recorded across deep-ocean DART buoys and by SWOT during a 75-mile-wide overpass, allowed researchers to map a roughly 250-mile rupture and seafloor uplift up to 13 … Read more

Snoop Dogg, Huntr/x, Lainey Wilson Liven Up Netflix NFL Halftime Show

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On Dec. 25, 2025, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, a holiday-themed halftime segment for Netflix’s Christmas Day telecast of the Detroit Lions vs. Minnesota Vikings game mixed hip-hop, country and classical music. Snoop Dogg led a medley of his hits and Christmas standards, joined by Huntr/x and Lainey Wilson, with Andrea and Matteo Bocelli … Read more

Australia Announces National Bravery Award for Bondi Beach Heroes

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On Dec. 25, 2025, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the federal government will create a special national bravery award to honor civilians and first responders who confronted attackers at a Bondi Beach Hanukkah gathering on Dec. 14. The assault, described by officials as antisemitic and inspired by ISIS, left 15 people dead and dozens injured … Read more

Should a top Russian archaeologist face trial for digging in occupied Crimea?

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A Russian archaeologist, Alexander Butyagin, has been detained in Warsaw and is awaiting a Polish court decision on a Ukrainian extradition request. Butyagin, a senior researcher tied to the Hermitage Museum, has led excavations at the ancient Crimean site of Myrmekion since 1999, continuing work after Russia’s 2014 seizure of the peninsula. Kyiv accuses him … Read more

How long are the ‘Stranger Things’ episodes? Here’s when the series finale drops

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Lead: With the second batch of Season 5 episodes released on Christmas Day, only the series finale of Stranger Things remains. The final episode, titled The Rightside Up, is set to premiere on Wednesday, Dec. 31 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT simultaneously on Netflix and in more than 350 North American theaters. Runtime details … Read more

U.S. Announces Strike on ISIS Targets in Nigeria After Christmas Claims

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Lead: On the night of December 25, 2025, President Donald Trump announced that U.S. forces had carried out a “deadly strike” against Islamic State fighters in northwest Nigeria’s Sokoto State. The president posted the claim on Truth Social, saying the operation targeted militants he accused of killing Christians in the region. U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) … Read more

Submarine finds anomalous structures in Antarctica, then loses the signal

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Lead: An autonomous submarine mapping the underside of West Antarctica’s Dotson Ice Shelf detected unexpected geomorphic features and then lost contact while operating roughly ten miles beneath the ice. The vehicle, named Ran, logged weeks of surveys during a 2022 campaign and returned high-resolution sonar maps of about 54 square miles before one mission ended … Read more

Elon Musk and Tesla AI Director Describe Empty-Driver Robotaxi Tests

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December 25, 2025 — Elon Musk and Tesla AI Director Ashok Elluswamy posted firsthand accounts and video from Robotaxi trips in Austin that ran without a safety monitor or occupant in the driver’s seat. Musk said the car drove him around Austin with “perfect driving,” while Elluswamy shared a two‑minute back‑seat video calling the ride … Read more

Which states tax Social Security benefits? See the 2026 map

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Lead: Beginning in 2026, rules governing state and federal taxation of Social Security benefits will shift for many retirees. West Virginia will stop taxing Social Security income, trimming the number of states that tax benefits to seven. At the federal level, beneficiaries may still have up to 85% of benefits taxed depending on combined income, … Read more