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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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Lead: On Dec. 25 in Green Bay, the Packers secured a spot in the NFL playoffs after the Detroit Lions fell 23-10 to the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Detroit committed six turnovers in that game, finishing the regular season 8-8 and eliminating themselves from contention. Green Bay, now 9-5-1, is guaranteed at least … Read more
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
Lead: On December 25, 2025, the United States launched airstrikes in Sokoto state, north-west Nigeria, targeting Islamic State-linked militants, President Donald Trump said. The president announced the action on his Truth Social feed and described the strikes as a decisive response to attacks he said disproportionately targeted Christians. US Africa Command (AFRICOM) confirmed the operation … Read more
In a durability video posted on December 25, 2025, the Galaxy Z TriFold was put through a full JerryRigEverything regimen — scratch, fire, dirt and bend tests — and failed decisively in the bend and grime stages. While scratches and flame exposure produced expected results, pocket-dust intrusion and a reverse bend caused audible grinding from … Read more
On Christmas Eve, a single ticket sold in the US state of Arkansas matched all six numbers in the Powerball draw, producing a jackpot prize valued at $1.8 billion (about €1.5 billion). The winning combination was 4, 25, 31, 52, 59 with the Powerball 19. The jackpot had grown over multiple drawings and became the … Read more
De’Aaron Fox scored 29 points and San Antonio handed Oklahoma City a 117-102 loss on Dec. 25 in Oklahoma City, the Spurs’ third victory over the defending champions in two weeks. Victor Wembanyama recorded 19 points and 11 rebounds while Stephon Castle added 19 points and seven assists as San Antonio improved to 23-7. The … Read more
