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Lead After the Rams’ 38-37 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday, coach Sean McVay publicly addressed wide receiver Puka Nacua’s apology for using an antisemitic hand gesture during a midweek livestream. McVay said he believed Nacua did not grasp the full implications of the action and emphasized the team’s intent to educate rather than … Read more

Lead: President Donald Trump ordered a pause of the U.S. diversity visa (green card) lottery on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2025, after Portuguese national Claudio Neves Valente, 48, was identified as the suspect in shootings at Brown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she directed U.S. Citizenship and Immigration … Read more

Dec. 19, 2025 — In Canberra on Friday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese unveiled a national gun buyback program aimed at removing hundreds of thousands of firearms from circulation after a mass shooting at Bondi that killed 15 people. The announcement followed investigators’ statements that two suspects — a father and son — were inspired by … Read more

Lead: The Seattle Seahawks rallied from a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Los Angeles Rams 38-37 in overtime when Sam Darnold hit backup tight end Eric Saubert for a two-point conversion that ended the game. The comeback, completed after a chaotic review and a final-game decision to go for two, vaulted Seattle into sole … Read more

Lead: Tonight’s new moon peaks at 7:43 p.m. CST on Friday, December 19, 2025, as the lunar cycle crosses from Sagittarius into Capricorn. A moon alert runs from 9:15 to 10:55 p.m. Chicago time; during that window avoid shopping (except groceries and fuel) and postpone major decisions. The lunar configuration is opposed by stern Saturn, … Read more

Lead On Dec. 18, 2025, Asian equity markets were poised to open higher after a stronger-than-expected US consumer price index reading lifted risk assets and government bond markets. The move came alongside a decisive Bank of Japan policy shift: the BOJ raised its key interest rate by a quarter-point to 0.75%, the highest official policy … Read more

Lead President Donald Trump on Friday ordered a suspension of the US Diversity Visa (DV) “green card” lottery after a mass shooting at Brown University on 13 December left two students dead and nine injured. Officials say the suspect, 48-year-old Claudio Neves Valente, entered the United States through the diversity immigrant visa programme (DV1) in … Read more

EU leaders meeting in Brussels agreed to provide Ukraine with a €90bn loan to cover military and economic needs over the next two years, but they did not reach a consensus on repurposing frozen Russian assets. The package, approved after more than a day of intensive summit talks, is backed by the bloc’s common budget … Read more

Lead On Dec. 18, 2025, a Romanian appeals court in Constanța sentenced U.S. rapper Wiz Khalifa (born Cameron Jibril Thomaz) to nine months in jail for possession of cannabis, finalizing a case that began after a July 2024 festival incident. Romanian authorities say police stopped Khalifa after he smoked on stage at the Beach, Please! … Read more

Lead On Thursday night, Dec. 19, 2025, the Seattle Seahawks produced a dramatic comeback at Lumen Field to beat the Los Angeles Rams 38-37 in overtime. Trailing by 16 points early in the fourth quarter, Seattle rallied through a mix of special-teams heroics, critical two-point conversions and a late offensive surge to win. The victory … Read more

Pope Leo has appointed Bishop Aldon Ronald Hicks, 58, as the next archbishop of New York, replacing Cardinal Timothy Dolan, 75, who is retiring after about 16 years in the post. The appointment was announced on Thursday and is scheduled to take effect with an installation at St Patrick’s Cathedral on 6 February 2026. Hicks, … Read more

Lead: On Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, European Council leaders approved a financial package committing 90 billion euros ($105.5 billion) in support for Ukraine covering 2026 and 2027. EU Council President Antonio Costa confirmed the deal on X, saying member states reached agreement on funding measures after weeks of debate. The package will be financed through … Read more

Lead: Greg Biffle, a three-series NASCAR winner and respected figure in the racing community, died Thursday at age 55 in a plane crash near Statesville, North Carolina, that also killed six others including his wife and two children. A native of Washington state who rose through grassroots racing, Biffle amassed 842 national series starts and … Read more

Lead On Dec. 18, 2025, a Wisconsin state judge, Hannah C. Dugan, was convicted of obstructing federal agents after prosecutors said she guided a man away from officers waiting outside a courthouse courtroom. The jury found Dugan guilty of the obstruction charge but acquitted her of a lesser count of concealing a person from arrest. … Read more

Lead On Thursday night, Dec. 18, 2025, the Seattle Seahawks overcame a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Los Angeles Rams 38-37 in overtime. The prime-time victory, sealed by a two-point overtime conversion, clinched a playoff berth for Seattle and moved the team into first place in the NFC West and the top spot in … Read more