Military leaders warn Hegseth against extending Iran war operations

Leaders of the U.S. European Command, the U.S. Pacific Command and the U.S. Southern Command, along with the Navy’s top admiral, responded with what is characterized in the SDOB as a “non-concur,” those familiar with the assessment said — meaning they disagree with the secretary’s order to extend their forces but will execute it nevertheless.

The Washington Post

Perry: Republicans fought ‘indoctrination.’ Now they’re telling students what to study.

The conservative attack on higher education in states like Iowa is hard to watch. But it also provides an opportunity for blue states like Minnesota.

The Minnesota Star Tribune

Mike Rogers Wants $50 Copays for Routine Screenings

At that meeting, Rogers got a question about what he would do to reduce the cost of health care. He promised to introduce a plan that would “embrace the freedom of the free market” and proceeded to explain that increasing out-of-pocket costs for preventive services was one way to do that.

“You know,” Rogers said, “if you go up and have to pay the doctor $50 for your annual physical, that’s probably okay, right?”

The Bulwark

We tested how AI chatbots would handle foreign propaganda. They did surprisingly well

The experiment found that AI chatbots outperformed search engines, while AI summaries underperformed. The results suggest that compared with traditional web search links, using AI chatbots with web search access is a “good way for users to start to investigate these issues,” said Mike Caulfield, a digital literacy expert at the University of Washington, Bothell, who has tested AI tools for search extensively. NPR’s experiment revealed that AI summaries at the top of search engine results may warrant more caution, depending on the product.

NPR

Walmart agrees to pay $50M settlement over allegations its pharmacies filled illegal opioid prescriptions

The complaint alleged that Walmart had been filling invalid prescriptions with the knowledge of pharmacists and its compliance team since June 2013.

Fox6 Milwaukee

West Point Professor Fired for Refusing to Lie About Climate Change

Dr. Adam Kalkstein is suing over his removal from the military academy.

The New Republic

‘This is an all-out war’: Inside the casino industry’s fight to stop prediction markets

Analysts blame Vegas’ slowdown on rising consumer costs, not prediction sites. But the casinos aren’t taking chances. They mobilized for “all-out war,” and have now become a driving force in the nationwide fight to rein in prediction markets, according to nearly 20 sources who spoke with CNN.

“A couple nerds came up with this idea to avoid paying taxes,” says Derek Stevens, who owns three Vegas casinos and Circa Sports, with sportsbooks in seven states. “Just because they’re shrewd doesn’t mean they should be exempt from the law. These are thieves. They’re pirates. They’re marauders.”

CNN

Does Donald Trump Have an Ideology?

No, not exactly. But he has a consistent, grievance-fueled idea of how power and status should be distributed, and that aligns him with the Right’s ideologues just fine

Democracy Americana

Grand jury: DeSantis admin ‘misappropriated’ tax dollars in Hope Florida scandal

The grand jury argued the $10 million transfer was “part of a sophisticated scheme to fund political activities,” according to a copy of the sealed grand jury report obtained by CBS News Miami.

The money was originally part of a $67 million settlement agreement against the state’s largest Medicaid contractor, Centene, with $10 million going to Hope Florida as a “donation.” 

The Hill

Internal Meta documents were at the center of Tennessee’s historic social media lawsuit

Meta agreed to pay $17 billion and change how Facebook and Instagram operate after Tennessee laid out evidence the platforms knowingly harmed children

News Channel 5 Nashville

Trump signs order to create space-focused service academy

A location for the school has not been determined. The executive order establishes a commission for the Space Academy, which includes Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Air Force Secretary Troy Meink.

Stars and Stripes

They Rebuilt After Texas’ Devastating Floods. Then Their Home Flooded Again.

Texas lawmakers repeatedly failed to take action that could have protected residents in flood-prone areas. That’s left Kerr County residents with difficult choices after two straight summers of flooding.

ProPublica

Trump says US will refill its petroleum reserves using Venezuelan oil

President Donald Trump says in a post that the ‘topping out’ process will ‌begin shortly.

AlJazeera

Special Report: Anonymous Q&A With Deployed Soldier

I talk with a member of our armed forces about the challenges of this current deployment and the need for direction in our present military efforts.

Adam Kinzinger

I’m part of the team writing the next bible of psychiatry – for the first time, the DSM will use biology to understand mental disorders

Despite its wide impact, the DSM has never integrated biology in its diagnoses of mental illness. This omission was largely because the underlying biology of mental illness was too preliminary to be included in such a widely used clinical manual.

The Conversation

Can the Midterms Be ‘Stolen’ On Jan. 3? It’s Complicated.

Panic about a ‘rogue clerk’ is likely unwarranted—but it’s worth paying attention.

Lawfare

To protect forests, I learned to burn them

After decades of warnings from Smokey Bear to prevent forests from burning, the state’s approach would now be better illustrated by a soot-smeared Uncle Sam urging citizens to pick up a drip torch.

Michigan Advance

Inflated Claim About Guns and Self-Defense Returns to CDC Website

The agency’s website now features misleading statistics about how often Americans use guns to protect themselves. Here’s where those numbers come from — and what the data actually shows.

The Trace

Mississippi Prison Band Offers a Glimpse of Freedom in a Lifetime of Punishment

The latest incarnation of the band composed of incarcerated people at Parchman prison toured the state and will release an album next year.

The Marshall Project

Will a Coalition of ‘MAGA Moms’ Rally Behind Gina Hinojosa’s Bid for Texas Governor?

Some conservatives say they won’t give Governor Greg Abbott a fourth term after what he’s done to the public education system in Texas.

Texas Observer

Nepal warns of possible fresh flooding as communities grapple with devastation

Authorities in Nepal warned of possible fresh flooding on Sunday and urged residents in flood-affected districts to remain on high alert after water levels rose in the Bhotekoshi River.

NPR

In one Nepal district, flood catastrophe is measured in bodies and burial trenches

In south-central Nepal’s Chitwan district, the scale of the catastrophe was evident in some 250 bodies awaiting identification and the hastily dug trenches for their temporary burial following Wednesday’s catastrophic floods and mudslides, which killed at least 800 people and left more than 3,000 missing in Nepal and Tibet.

AP News

Iceland votes to reject EU accession talks: What happens next?

With almost all votes counted, the ‘no’ side was ahead by 52.5 percent to 47.5 percent, the national broadcaster says.

AlJazeera

Mozambique: Women, capulana dresses, and police violence stand out at Nampula protests

The capulana is central to Mozambiquan cultural identity and is a staple for many women. However, this garment gained new significance amid the protests in Nampula. Beyond mere clothing, protesters used it as improvised protection against tear gas, and it became a visual symbol of unity and resistance, building on its earlier association with women’s participation in the national liberation struggle and, in turn, with the image of independence activist Josina Machel.

Global Voices

Canada Is Pissed Off. And We’re Done Keeping Quiet

From Blue Jays fans saying “Fuck the US” to Canadians refusing to travel, spend and bend, the message is getting louder: America finally pushed us too far.

Guard the Leaf

Death toll rises to 38 from Russia’s deadliest attack on Ukraine this year

The death toll from a Russian strike on a warehouse west of Kyiv, the war’s deadliest attack this year, rose to 38 with four people still missing, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday.

The Friday night strike on the warehouse, which Ukrainian officials said was storing ammunition, sparked massive explosions and fires that swept through dozens of nearby homes and buildings in the village of Myla.

AP News

Canada claps back at Trump’s efforts to rename Lake Ontario as ‘Lake America’

“President Trump can call it whatever he wants, but I can tell you the rest of the world will always call it Lake Ontario,” Doug Ford told reporters.

“We’re resilient and we’re strong Canadians who are always going to protect our sovereignty, always, and we’ll never ever back down from a bully, ever.”

WFDD

From Appalachia to Africa: Why Dolly Parton was beloved across the continent

At the news of her death this week, African country music stars and fans told NPR they could relate to Parton’s background and her ballads of rural hardship and struggle.

NPR

China’s fertility crisis is evidence of its modernization success

China’s declining birthrate is often discussed as a consequence of economic pressures, changing attitudes toward marriage, or the rising costs of raising children. But these explanations overlook a deeper transformation. The women China now hopes will marry earlier and have more children are the same women it spent decades encouraging to pursue education, achievement, mobility, and independence — expanding their life options far beyond traditional expectations.

Global Voices

Banque Misr, Egypt’s second-largest, hit by US sanctions: What to know

The move comes as Washington steps up its efforts to economically pressure Iran amid a deadlock in truce talks.

AlJazeera

For everything from troubled hearts to lost keys, Greeks bake cakes for a wish-granting saint

Thousands of pilgrims gathered late Wednesday and Thursday at the Church of St. Fanourios, 10 kilometers (6 miles) northwest of Athens, with their baked offerings.

Religion News Service

In taking Syria off state sponsor of terrorism list, US is putting its faith in al‑Qaida alumni – that presents risks and opportunities

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa was a designated terrorist until November 2025 – it was my office within the State Department that designated him in May 2013 under the name Muhammad al-Jawlani.

In delisting Syria, the U.S. administration is wagering that the former Islamist militant has changed and can work with the U.S. in areas of foreign policy, economics and even possibly defense.

The Conversation

Understanding Al-Shabaab’s Recruitment Pipeline

Members’ motivations are changing, and the approach of counter-recruitment programs must respond.

Lawfare

I went to China to see a different AI future. It looked familiar

My trip to China revealed an AI race that looks less like a clash of competing visions, and more like two countries racing toward a similar future.

Rest of World

Calling Israeli Settlers “Terrorists” Helps Cover Up Their State Backing

The label of “terrorism” is a political tool whose meaning has been shaped by those with the power to wield it.

Truthout

Trump administration deports relative of Afghans who helped US military to Central African Republic

The United States on Saturday deported dozens of people to the Central African Republic, including an Afghan whose brothers collaborated with the U.S. military, his lawyer and an advocacy group said.

The Afghan man, who is in his early twenties, was granted protection against deportation to Afghanistan by a U.S. judge due to fears of persecution by the Taliban, his lawyer Alma David said.

NPR

More Israelis are leaving as war, economy and political divisions reshape the country

Emigration has always been part of Israel’s history. What is different now is that some are leaving because they lost faith in the country’s direction, said Yossi Klein Halevi of the Shalom Hartman Institute.

Religion News Service