Republicans now intend to hold mail in ballots hostage until after election day to void legal votes and steal the upcoming elections.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/12/30/us-postal-service-changes-postmark-rules-what-to-know/87960162007/

The U.S. Postal Service is making new changes in 2026, including adjustments to the postmark process, which could result in late fees and penalties for anyone mailing time-sensitive documents such as tax returns or bill payments.

For decades, the postmark – an official mark that shows where and when mail was accepted by the Postal Service – has been used in law as proof that an individual met a deadline, such as submitting a ballot by Election Day.

A USPS postmark used to indicate the date when mail was dropped in a mailbox or submitted at the post office counter. Now, USPS is clarifying in a new rule that the postmark will reflect the date an envelope is first processed by an automated USPS sorting machine, potentially days after it was dropped off – not the actual drop-off date.

Changes to USPS are part of its Delivering For America initiative that includes consolidation of mail processing and modernizing infrastructure to fit a time when the volume of paper letters is dropping and the number of packages is increasing.
How does the new postmark rule affect your mail?

For a long time, Americans have assumed that mail will be postmarked the day it is mailed and may not be prepared to account for the extra days.

Tax payments, charitable contributions, legal filings, rent payments and other bills or items that rely on postmark dates for deadlines can be impacted by later postmarks and risk late fees, penalties, or delinquency.

Many states also accept ballots that are postmarked by Election Day.

Time-sensitive mail should be mailed several days before the deadline. People can also go inside their local post office and ask for a hand-stamped "manual postmark" on the date, or use certified mail.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/27/its-frightening-how-far-right-is-infiltrating-everyday-culture

The two men chop peppers, slice aubergines and giggle into the camera as they delve into the art of vegan cooking. Both are wearing ski masks and T-shirts bearing Nazi symbols.

The German videos – titled Balaclava Kitchen – started in 2014 and ran for months before YouTube took down the channel for violating its guidelines.

But it offered a glimpse of how far-right groups have seized on cultural production – from clothing brands to top 40 music – to normalise their ideas, in a process that researchers say has hit new heights in the age of social media.

“It’s frightening, honestly,” said Katherine Kondor, a researcher with the Norwegian Center for Holocaust and Minority Studies. “You can be radicalised sitting on your couch.”

In affiliation with the Center for Research on Extremism (C-REX), Kondor is leading a six-country project looking at how the extreme right uses aesthetics, from fitness influencers to memes and stickers, to spread their views across Europe.

From Sweden to Spain, researchers found that extremist messaging was woven through cultural aspects of everyday life, both online and offline.

“In Hungary we have some examples of extreme right bands becoming mainstream because they’re on the top 40 chart. I mean, what’s more normal than being on the top 40?” Kondor said.

https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/zohran-mamdani-new-york-city-mayor-takes-oath-of-office-old-city-hall-subway-station/

Zohran Mamdani officially took the oath of office as the clock struck midnight on New Year's Eve, becoming the 112th mayor of New York City.

In a private ceremony at the abandoned Old City Hall subway station, Mamdani was sworn in by New York Attorney General Letitia James.

The 34-year-old democratic socialist, who served in the 36th Assembly District representing the Queens neighborhood of Astoria, is now the city's first Muslim mayor and its first of South Asian descent.

"This is truly the honor and the privilege of a lifetime," Mamdani said in a brief speech.

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/police-finland-arrest-2-connection-damage-undersea-telecom-128841367

HELSINKI -- Finnish authorities have arrested two people in connection with damage to an undersea telecommunications cable in the Gulf of Finland that occurred earlier this week between the capitals of Finland and Estonia, police said Thursday.

The damage was discovered early Wednesday in Estonia’s exclusive economic zone. The cable belongs to Finnish telecommunications service provider Elisa and is considered to be critical underwater infrastructure.

Helsinki police have opened an investigation into aggravated criminal damage, attempted aggravated criminal damage and aggravated interference with telecommunications.

Officials placed two other people under travel bans as a result of the ongoing investigation, Helsinki police said in a statement Thursday.

The individuals’ connections to the ship was not immediately clear and police would not release their nationalities or other details.

The ship, named the Fitburg, was flagged in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It had been traveling from Russia to Israel. The 14 crew members hail from Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan and were detained by Finnish authorities.

Finnish National Police Commissioner Ilkka Koskimäki said earlier this week that the ship was dragging its anchor for hours when it was discovered in Finland’s exclusive economic zone. He noted investigators are not speculating on whether a state-level actor was behind the damage.

Twice as many Americans believe their financial security is getting worse than better, according to an exclusive new poll conducted for the Guardian, and they are increasingly blaming the White House.

57% of Americans said the US economy is undergoing a recession, up 11% from a similar poll that was conducted in February.

The stark divisions between Democrats and Republicans continue to persist. Democrats are almost twice as likely as Republicans to say their financial security is getting worse – 52% versus 27%. But more concerningly for Republicans, who will have to fight next year to keep their majority in Congress, Trump hasn’t been able to sway independents. A majority (54%) of independents said their financials are worsening, +9% compared with February’s polling. Most independents (58%) also believe the country is experiencing a recession.

And more of the blame is being placed on the White House than ever before. When asked to choose between the government or corporations for the question “who is most responsible for any increasing prices”:

- 76% of Democrats said it was government management of the economy, +17% from February’s poll.
- 72% of independents also pointed to the government, +14% from February.
- Republicans were less likely to point to the government, with 55% saying it was government (-6% compared to February) and 45% blaming corporate practices.

In another worrying sign for Republicans, over the course of his first year, these voters have soured on the economy.

While Americans overall have grown more pessimistic this year, women are far less confident about the economy than men. Nearly two-thirds of women (62%) believe the US is experiencing a recession, +12% from February, compared with 52% of men who believe the same. And half of women (50%) believe their financial security is getting worse while 39% of men believe the same.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/dec/29/americans-financial-security-economy-poll

Colheram o Maduro.

https://g1.globo.com/mundo/noticia/2026/01/03/trump-diz-que-maduro-foi-capturado.ghtml

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-venezuelan-officials-still-mum-trumps-mention-action-against-drug-boat-2025-12-29/
President Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States had "hit" an area in Venezuela where boats are loaded with drugs, which would mark the first known time the US has carried out operations on land in Venezuela since a pressure campaign began against the government of Nicolas Maduro.
"There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs," Trump said.
"We hit all the boats, and now we hit the area... it's the implementation area. That's where they implement, and that is no longer around."
It was not immediately clear what target was hit nor which part of the U.S. government acted.
Asked if the CIA had carried out the attack, Trump said: "I don't want to say that. I know exactly who it was but I don't want to say who it was."
Trump has previously said that he has authorized the CIA to carry out covert operations in Venezuela.
On a radio show last week, Trump had made vague comments about an apparent US operation against a "big facility" in Venezuela.
The Central Intelligence Agency, the White House and the Pentagon have not publicly elaborated on those comments and declined to comment on questions posed by Reuters. The Venezuelan government has not commented on the incident Trump described and there have been no independent reports from Venezuela of it.
The Venezuelan communications ministry, which handles all press requests for the government, did not immediately respond to a comment request on Monday.
The administration has previously touted its success in taking out suspected drug trafficking vessels, and the Pentagon has posted footage of several of its strikes on social media.
The lack of response by US national security agencies had raised questions about whether the incident Trump mentioned was carried out covertly. Such an operation would likely limit the ability of US officials to speak on the matter.

>https://nypost.com/2025/12/31/us-news/minnesota-somali-run-daycare-bizarrely-says-all-their-important-documents-about-child-care-were-stolen-in-mystery-break-in/

A Somali-run day care in Minneapolis is claiming somebody broke in and stole “important documents,” but cops say the facility didn’t report anything was actually taken.

The alleged burglary comes as the national spotlight shines on the unfolding multibillion-dollar fraud scandal involving Minnesota human services, with particular scrutiny on day care facilities run by Somali immigrants after dozens of people from the community have been busted for pilfering state funds.

Nasrulah Mohamed, manager of Nakomis Day Care Center, told reporters that a suspect entered through the kitchen at the rear of the facility, damaging a wall and breaking into the building’s office, sometime on Tuesday.

He said the alleged prowler stole “important documentation” including children’s enrollment information, employee documentation and checkbooks.

However “no loss was reported to officers,” according to a preliminary report by the Minneapolis Police Department.

MPD noted that the center later reached out with additional information, but the updated police report was not immediately available.

Video of the purported break-in shared by Nakomis Day Care showed a hole in the wall in what appeared to be a utility closet with nearly stacked piles of cinder blocks behind the drywall.

Mohamed blamed last week’s viral video by YouTuber Nick Shirley, in which he visited nearly a dozen day care facilities looking for evidence of fraud, for the incident.

“This is devastating news, and we don’t know why this is targeting our Somali community as one video made by a specific individual made this all happen,” he said, claiming they’ve received “hateful” and “threatening” messages over the last several days.