As we produce journalism that combats authoritarianism, censorship, injustice, and misinformation, your support is urgently needed. In fact, it is already reshaping sectors like education, transportation, finance, health care, media, and telecommunications. Indeed, it is estimated that about 60 percent of jobs in advanced economies may be impacted by AI, which means that it could affect economic growth, employment, and wages. As a result, investment in AI is booming across industries, echoing the late-1990s dot-com era, with investors pouring billions into AI in the hope for a big payday. Nearly $1.6 trillion has been put into this technology since 2013, and Big Tech companies are expected to add over $400 billion into AI efforts before the year ends, with even bigger spending planned for 2026. If the AI bubble were to burst, not only would virtually every company be affected, but the entire economy could collapse like a house of cards. Professor Gerald Epstein, a world-leading authority on banking, finance, and financial crises, addresses these questions in the exclusive interview for Truthout that follows. Polychroniou: There are growing concerns about an AI bubble and what may happen if it bursts. In your own view, are we in an AI speculative bubble, and what are the real threats behind a bubble? Capital expenditure in new manufacturing plants, equipment, and technology is a major driver of both our current economy — including job creation — and also of our longer-term growth of productivity and the economy overall. In recent months, AI-related expenditures account for a significant percent of our capital expenditures, with most of this being for the building of data centers (more on this in a moment). So, the short-term state of our economy has become highly dependent on one industry, and a new and untested one at that. If that industry were to severely falter, it could lead to a significant short-term decline in the economy overall and even perhaps cause a recession. To make the short-term risks even greater, as is often the case with a building frenzy such as AI data centers, a financial frenzy forms around it and makes it riskier for the economy. Similarly, with the AI boom, various speculative frenzies, including massive increases in stock values of NVIDIA, the AI chips maker, and speculative lending and borrowing, threaten to destabilize the economy (more on this below). The medium-term problems include the environmental and industrial problems associated with a massive investment (and perhaps overinvestment) in data centers. These data centers are huge computer server farms that require enormous amounts of energy, water to cool down the computers, and land. Much of the electricity for these centers will come from fossil fuels with obvious disastrous effects on climate change, and will use scarce water in many states. Just as they are raising the cost of electricity to small businesses, households, and farmers, they are bidding up the prices of computer chips, steel, and other inputs into making AI computers, etc. In other words, they are transforming the whole supply chain and industrial structure, if this growth continues. In the medium to long term, as AI increasingly is used in the workplace, it is likely to displace workers, leading to more unemployment, eliminating entry-level jobs, and knocking out the lower rungs of job ladders. It is too early to see how this will all play out, but it appears that younger people who need entry-level jobs might initially get most impacted. Meanwhile, our landscape will be littered with data centers. What are the common traits in financial bubbles? First, it is important to distinguish between overbuilding or investment in the “real economy” and “financial bubbles.” The tricky part, though, is that these are often intertwined. In this case, internet companies such as WorldCom grew rapidly, expanding their internet infrastructure and capacity (the real economy), while at the same time there was a massive run-up in their stock price. The short-term state of our economy has become highly dependent on one industry, and a new and untested one at that. Of course, “financial bubbles” vary quite a bit, but, building on ideas developed by Hyman Minsky, by looking at hundreds of years of economic history, Charles Kindleberger and his colleagues developed a schema that helps us understand these bubbles. They identified the following sequence: (1) Displacement: Some new idea or project catches on, often due to publicity spread by the press, inside players, or currently the internet; (2) Boom: More wealth is invested in the asset which drives it price higher as more investors catch on; (3) Euphoria: Investors check their caution and rational calculation at the door, and are motivated by FOMO (fear of missing out), and herding to follow the crowd; (4) Profit taking: Some investors wake up to their senses and begin to realize that the returns on these assets no longer justify their high prices; they sell in order to take profits; others see the “overtrading” and begin to bet against the asset, as with “The Big Short” during the great financial crisis of 2008-2009; (5) Panic: As prices stall out and fall, investors panic and rush for the exits, trying to sell their assets as rapidly as possible in an attempt to rescue at least some of their investments. Already, AI promoters are suggesting that they might need “support” (i.e., a bailout) from the government if confidence in AI's future falters. The overall size, pace, and destructiveness of these bubbles — both on the way up and on the way down — is much greater if they are fueled by debt or what economists call “leverage.” If you pay $100 for an asset, but borrow $80 to do it (so you only put in $20 of your own wealth into it), if the price of the asset drops by just 50 percent ($50) then you not only lose your whole investment, but you have to come up with $30 someplace else to repay your debt. Fears of an AI bubble have spread into credit markets. Can you talk a bit about how AI is transforming the finance industry and what the connection is between AI and debt? Increasingly, AI companies are borrowing money (issuing debt) to finance their data centers, and even to buy stock in AI companies. By some estimates, they are poised to borrow $1 trillion over the next several years. They are even using some of the techniques and financial products that were used in the run-up to the great financial crisis; these include asset-backed securities held off of their balance sheets in “special purpose vehicles” financed by short-term borrowing. Well, as the Minsky-Kindleberger cycle suggests, market expectations can change rapidly and dramatically. As increasing concerns about an “AI bubble” take root, and as some AI firms begin having trouble refinancing their debts because banks and other financiers get cold feet, it is reasonable to expect a “correction.” How big a “correction” and how much spillover there is from it will largely depend on the amount of leverage in the system, and how much hidden risk. Already, AI promoters are suggesting that they might need “support” (i.e., a bailout) from the government if confidence in AI's future falters. And, despite the speciousness of this argument, they might just get their bailout. This is due, in no small part, to the connections of Donald Trump's supporters (and even some cabinet members) in the AI business. According to The New York Times, Lutnick's family promotes foreign investment in data centers that they then broker, help build, and cash in on. This is just one example of the interconnections between Trump world and AI. So if there is a crash in AI investment, yes, it would put downward pressure on economic activity. But that could be easily managed by more government investment in housing, schools, education, medical research, green energy, and health care. If by some miracle, that were the response, then an AI bubble burst would be a big blessing in not so big a disguise. December is the most critical time of year for Truthout, because our nonprofit news is funded almost entirely by individual donations from readers like you. So before you navigate away, we ask that you take just a second to support Truthout with a tax-deductible donation. We are up against a far-reaching, wide-scale attack on press freedom coming from the Trump administration. 2025 was a year of frightening censorship, news industry corporate consolidation, and worsening financial conditions for progressive nonprofits across the board. We can only resist Trump's agenda by cultivating a strong base of support. The right-wing mediasphere is funded comfortably by billionaire owners and venture capitalist philanthropists. We've set an ambitious target for our year-end campaign — a goal of $250,000 to keep up our fight against authoritarianism in 2026. If you have the means, please dig deep. This article is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), and you are free to share and republish under the following terms: Currently, his main research interests are in U.S. politics and the political economy of the United States, European economic integration, globalization, climate change and environmental economics, and the deconstruction of neoliberalism's politico-economic project. He has published scores of books, including Marxist Perspectives on Imperialism: A Theoretical Analysis; Perspectives and Issues in International Political Economy (ed. Many of his publications have been translated into a multitude of languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Croatian, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Turkish. Get the news you want, delivered to your inbox every day. To confront Trump's fascism in 2026 we will need significant resources. So, we have an ambitious goal — to raise $250,000 by December 31. Please make a tax-deductible donation now to support nonprofit journalism.

• Gun laws: Albanese announced Australia's plans to strengthen its already tough gun laws with new measures that will restrict who gets a license. For those just joining us, here's what we've been covering on the terror attack today: Among the 15 killed are a 10-year-old girl named Matilda and a Holocaust survivor, as well as two rabbis and at least two foreign nationals. Injured in hospital: At least 27 people are in hospitals following the attack, including a police officer who is in serious but stable condition and a bystander who wrestled a gun from one of the alleged attackers. Australian authorities believe the suspects “weren't part of a wider cell,” helping them to evade detection, though they were interviewed by security services in 2019, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told public broadcaster ABC. Pope Leo also called for an end to antisemitic violence in a post on X. CNN's Helen Regan, Kunal Seghal, Issy Ronald, Sandi Sidhu, Todd Symons, Lex Harvey and Billy Stockwell contributed to this reporting. Naveed Akram, a Pakistani man who lives in Sydney, said that pictures of him have been circulated online claiming that he is the shooter. That is a different person, and I am completely outside of this matter,” he said in a video posted to Facebook by the Pakistan Consulate General in Sydney. So I just want everyone's help, to help me stop this propaganda,” Akram said, calling on the public to report any social media posts accusing him of being the shooter. Aged 41, he had five children, including a baby boy born just two months ago, Chabad said. “I remember him as passionate, energetic, he was a happy personality,” Rabbi Zalmy Fogelman, a rabbi who studied with Schlanger, told Chabad. Schlanger will be laid to rest in Jerusalem, Chabad said. Levitan was a “key figure” in educational initiatives at BINA, an organization which describes itself as a “Jewish center of learning,” according to the crowdfunding page. More than 1.4 million Australian dollars (around $950,000 US dollars) has been donated to a GoFundMe page in support of the bystander who wrestled a gun from one of the alleged attackers during the mass shooting at Sydney's Bondi Beach. Earlier Monday, the bystander was identified as Ahmed al Ahmed, whose refugee parents had just arrived from Syria, according to Australian officials and media. Fundraiser organisers said the campaign was launched to “honour this absolute hero and help support him through recovery.” GoFundMe confirmed to CNN on Monday that it was working “directly with the fundraiser organizers to help ensure funds raised safely reach Ahmed,” as well as his family. “All funds remain held with payment processors during our verification process until we can make sure funds can be transferred safely to him,” GoFundMe said. More now from Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who spoke to public broadcaster ABC earlier on Monday. He rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's accusation that recognizing a Palestinian state fuelled antisemitism following the deadly attack on Bondi Beach, which targeted a Jewish gathering. His government recognized a Palestinian state in September, alongside several other countries like Britain, Canada and France. A report by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry found that there were 1,654 antisemitic incidents last year, a threefold annual increase since the October 7 attacks in 2023. Albanese appointed a Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism last year as well as an anti-Islamophobia envoy, to address retaliation against the Palestinian community and their supporters. A menorah was lit by Rabbi Levi Wolff at the scene. Long queues formed at a Sydney blood donation center today, as people showed up to support their community following yesterday's fatal Bondi Beach shooting. Around 40,000 people booked appointments to donate blood across Australia on Monday, the Australian Red Cross told CNN in an email – an increase of 30,000 appointments compared to a usual day. “I just want to donate blood because I felt super helpless at home just sitting and doing nothing and I felt that there was something that you have to do, so I just came here and here we are,” one woman waiting at the donation center told Australia's Seven Network “It's the most minuscule thing that we can do to help,” she added. Antisemitism should have been taken seriously sooner, according to the Australian Jewish Association CEO. Speaking with CNN's Rosemary Church on “Newsroom” earlier, Robert Gregory described how grief has turned to anger toward the government in the wake of Sunday's deadly terror attack at Bondi Beach, as he said lawmakers have missed opportunities to tackle a reported rise in antisemitic sentiment in the country. “The government appointed a commissioner on antisemitism that's made some recommendations which have not been adopted yet,” Gregory explained, citing university campuses and media outlets as identified “hotspots” for antisemitism. He claimed that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's swift commitment to tighten gun laws is a “deflection” and will not implement meaningful change, which Gregory said must address the issue at its root. When asked by a journalist how his government is responding to reports of rising antisemitism in the country since October 7, 2023, he said, “Yes we have taken it seriously, and we've continued to act.” Pope Leo has posted about yesterday's Bondi Beach shooting on X, calling for an end to antisemitic violence and offering prayers for the victims of the attack. “Let us #PrayTogether for all those who suffer due to war and violence. It has been more than a day since two men opened fire on Sydney's Bondi Beach, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens more. Here's what we've learned about the fatal shooting so far today: New South Wales Premier Chris Minns met with Ahmed in hospital, calling him a “real-life hero.” Suspects named: The suspected perpetrators of the terror attack have been named by Australian media as 50-year-old Sajid Akram and his 24-year-old son Naveed Akram. The younger man was born in Australia while his father immigrated to the country in 1998, according to Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke. Injured officers: The two police officers who were injured in the shooting are in a serious but stable condition, New South Wales (NSW) Police said today. One of the officers was named as Constable Scott Dyson. Tightening gun laws: Australia plans to strengthen its gun laws with new measures that will restrict who gets a license, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced earlier. CNN's Hilary Whiteman, Helen Regan, Sandi Sidhu, Todd Symons, Lex Harvey, Laura Sharman, Kunal Seghal and Issy Ronald contributed to this reporting. Speaking to CNN's Audie Cornish, Dionne Taylor described Sunday's Bondi Beach event, which marked the first night of the Jewish festival Hanukkah, as a joyous celebration turned tragedy. We are shocked, but we are not surprised,” Taylor revealed, adding, “Every attack that has happened up until last night was the warning sign that last night was inevitable.” Taylor said the rise has been clear since October 2023, when she said antisemitic acts of graffiti, hate speech, physical violence and arson attacks started to become more common, “And now, murder,” she added. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told journalists at a conference on Monday that Australia is a nation committed to protecting its people, listing the criminalization of hate speech and a ban on the Nazi salute and other hate symbols, which could result in massive fines or imprisonment, among evidence for this. Australian authorities believe the two men suspected of killing 15 people on Sydney's Bondi Beach “weren't part of a wider cell,” helping them to evade detection, though they were interviewed by security services in 2019, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told public broadcaster ABC. As we've reported, the suspects have been named by Australian media as 50-year-old Sajid Akram and his 24-year-old son Naveed Akram, but Albanese did not name the father-son duo in his interview. “There's no evidence that these people were part of a cell,” Albanese said, while underlining that they were motivated by an extremist, antisemitic ideology. “It's extreme perversion of Islam that has resulted in these catastrophic consequences,” Albanese added. The pair were known to security services, he said. The son was investigated for six months by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) in 2019 “because of his connections with two people who subsequently … went to jail,” but that investigation concluded there was “no evidence” he had been radicalized, Albanese said. Some context: The father has held a firearms license since 2015, New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon told reporters at a separate news conference, adding that police “know very little about them.” One of the people killed in yesterday's shooting on Sydney's Bondi Beach was a Slovak citizen named Marika Pogány, according to the Slovak Jewish Association. Slovakia's President Peter Pellegrini also confirmed this, writing on X that a Slovak woman named Marika was among the victims of the “senseless, violent rampage.” Pogány was “active, smiley and humane,” the Slovak Jewish Association said in a statement on its official Facebook page. She was a close family friend of Slovakia's former President Zuzana Čaputová, who said she first met Pogány during a visit to the Auschwitz Nazi Concentration Camp. No other member of this prominent family from Rožňava survived. Sydney was a safe haven for her, away from fascism and communism,” Čaputová said in a statement posted on the organization's Facebook page. Pogány was an “extraordinary woman who lived her life to the fullest,” Čaputová said. In his post on X, Pellegrini said that “it is terrifying to see how far sick, faceless hatred toward strangers can go — hatred fueled simply by differences in faith, skin color, origin, or orientation.” He offered his “heartfelt and sincere condolences to Marika's family and loved ones.” The two police officers who were injured in Sunday's Bondi Beach shooting are in a serious but stable condition, New South Wales Police said today. No further details have been released about the second injured officer. They also expressed their “heartfelt gratitude to all first responders who acted with courage, in particular the police officers and paramedics who responded. They also wish to thank their hospital team, and especially those in ICU.” “There's a significant difference … between people who have been radicalized to use the language that we would usually use to refer to people who've adopted extremist positions, and people who are actually going to follow through and undertake something like what happened yesterday,” West told CNN's Polo Sandoval on Monday. West explained the number of people who adopt extreme views outweigh those who risk committing violence, “and so the challenge for any intelligence service is always trying to sift between those who might … present with having … Islamic state ideology or Al Qaeda ideology or neo-Nazi ideology, and those who actually appear as if they're going to go and do something.” Akram, the 24-year-old currently in hospital suspected of orchestrating the attack which killed at least 15 people with his father, was investigated by ASIO in 2019 for an alleged proximity to other people on their radar. “There's every possibility the assessment … he wasn't an imminent risk of violence was entirely accurate at the time,” West said before observing, “Counter-terrorism resources are a finite pie, and decisions have to be made about what to prioritize.” The 43-year-old met with New South Wales Premier Chris Minns on Monday, who praised him as a “real-life hero” whose “incredible bravery no doubt saved countless lives when he disarmed a terrorist at enormous personal risk.” Ahmed, a father of two girls, was shot several times in the shoulder, his parents said, according to ABC. A man seen running toward one of the Bondi shooters in footage on social media has been identified by his lawyer as a Middle Eastern refugee and father of two. Lawyer Alison Battisson told CNN that her client, who lacks permanent legal status in Australia, hid behind a tree with a detective and waited for the shooter to reload. She declined to give her client's name but identified him as “AB”. AB, dressed in black, can then be seen approaching the downed shooter with his hands raised. “The government won't give him a permanent visa. AB, whose pregnant wife and two children are Australian citizens, sprang into action when he arrived at Bondi Beach by taxi and heard gunshots erupt, Battisson said. “He comes from a country where you know when there is gunfire,” Battisson said. “Then the detective ran up and said ‘no, he's with me. The father and son duo suspected to have carried out the massacre at Sydney's Bondi Beach in which 15 people were killed have been named by Australian media as 50-year-old Sajid Akram and his 24-year-old son Naveed Akram. Separately, an imam who provided Quran lessons to Naveed Akram at Sydney's Al Murad Institute told CNN he was able to identify the younger shooter from video of the attack as the man he had taught. “I condemn this act of violence without any hesitation,” said Ismail in a video message. “What I find deeply ironic is that the very Quran he was learning to recite clearly states that taking one innocent life is like killing all of humanity. This makes it clear that what unfolded yesterday at (Bondi) is completely forbidden in Islam.” “Not everyone who recites the Quran understands it or lives by its teachings, and sadly, this appears to be the case here,” he said. Ismail said he produced a video message to clarify his relationship with Naveed Akram after a photograph was circulated of them together from the Al Murad Institute in 2022. The younger man was born in Australia while his father, who was killed in an exchange of gunfire with police at the scene, had immigrated to the country in 1998, Home Affairs minister Tony Burke said on Monday. Two firearms and several suitcases were taken from the property by police on Monday afternoon, according to CNN affiliate 9News. He had previously come to the attention of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) which spent six months assessing his links to other people on their radar in 2019. “The assessment was made that there was no indication of any ongoing threat or threat of him engaging in violence,” said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during a news conference on Monday. In the years since then, he had taken just three trips overseas, returning on a resident return visa each time, said Burke. Police have yet to officially name the pair and officials would not confirm Sajid Akram's country of origin. We are very much working through the background of both persons” said New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon. But he added that police “know very little about them.” There are two types of hunting licenses, Lanyon said: the ability to hunt on a property or also as part of a hunting club — or “gun club” — which is the type of license the suspect held. Residents living nearby described CNN scenes of chaos and fear as officers swarmed their normally quiet street. Renato Padilla, who has been living in Bonnyrigg for more than 25 years, said the street quickly filled with police vehicles as authorities launched a raid on a nearby house believed to be connected to the attack. The victims of Australia's worst mass shooting in almost 30 years are yet to officially be identified, but their families and friends are paying tribute to those they have lost.

Representative says her son was let go once he showed ID as Trump ramps up operation targeting Somali population in Minneapolis Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar told a Minneapolis broadcaster that her son had been stopped over the weekend by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, after Donald Trump ordered an operation targeting the Minnesota city's Somali population. “Yesterday, after he made a stop at Target, he did get pulled over by [ICE] agents, and once he was able to produce his passport ID, they did let him go,” Omar said on Sunday in an interview with WCCO. She added that her son, who she did not name, had earlier been praying at a mosque when ICE agents arrived and entered, before leaving without incident. She noted that he “always carries” his passport with him. Following that encounter, Omar said she told her son, “just how worried I am, because all of these areas that they are talking about are areas where he could possibly find himself in and they are racially profiling, they are looking for young men who look Somali that they think are undocumented.” Omar, who has represented Minnesota's largest city in the House of Representatives since 2019, is the first Somali American congresswoman, and a frequent target of attacks from Trump and his allies. The president recently went on a racist rant against Somalis, calling them “garbage” and saying Omar “should be thrown the hell out of our country”. Omar was born in Somalia but became a US citizen in 2000. The Trump administration has deployed immigration agents to Minnesota's Twin Cities area to target undocumented Somalis and Latinos. Last week, Omar sent a letter to Kristi Noem, the US homeland security secretary, and Todd Lyons, the acting ICE director, saying the enforcement, dubbed “Operation Metro Surge”, has resulted in “blatant racial profiling, an egregious level of unnecessary force, and activity that appears designed for social media rather than befitting a law enforcement agency.”

As we produce journalism that combats authoritarianism, censorship, injustice, and misinformation, your support is urgently needed. Please make a year-end gift to Truthout today. While I was there, I was “picked up” on the street by an ultra-orthodox woman who offered me free lodging in a hostel exclusively for Jewish travelers in the Old City of Jerusalem. It was Hanukkah, and all across the Jewish Quarter, picturesque oil menorahs twinkled in the windows and doorways of ancient-looking buildings built from a pearly-pink marble called “Jerusalem stone.” I didn't grow up celebrating Hanukkah, so my hosts explained to me that in 167 BCE, the ancient Jewish Temple, which once stood just around the corner from where I was staying, had been occupied by the mighty Hellenistic Seleucid Empire. Since then, they said, Jews have kindled Hanukkah candles every year in honor of this marvelous battle, and dreamed of a return to reoccupy these very homes, in this exact neighborhood. It was an inspiring story, perfectly matched by the stirring ancient setting. The pearlescent stone buildings that looked age-old to my teenage eyes had actually mostly been constructed in the last few decades, on top of Palestinian homes that were bulldozed after Jerusalem was seized by the Israeli military in 1967. New homes and plazas were hastily built over what is now known as the Jewish Quarter, and constructed to look as if they'd always been there. It was not retaking the land or rebuilding an army that led to our cultural survival, but telling shared stories that fostered a sense of belonging across generations and around the world. For centuries, the Maccabees didn't make it into these Jewish sacred stories. The Book of Maccabees, which records their battle, is a holy text in Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christianity, but it's not included in Jewish holy books. It contained only enough for one day's lighting. Early Zionists took the Maccabees from obscurity and claimed them as heroes precisely because traditional Judaism had dismissed them as unpleasant zealots. Instead of celebrating the Maccabees' military might, it lifts up spiritual values of faith, trust, and patience in a little bit going a long way. This message is explicit in the prophetic biblical passage from the Book of Zechariah read on the shabbat of Hanukkah in synagogue: “Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit.” Zionism arose in the late 19th century as a secular European colonial movement, and many of its early tropes were explicitly a rebuke of religious Judaism. Early Zionists took the Maccabees from obscurity and claimed them as heroes precisely because traditional Judaism had dismissed them as unpleasant zealots. Early Zionists named sports clubs and athletics contests after the Maccabees, and argued that they were models for a new “muscular Jewry.” Israeli pop songs scoffed at the miracle of oil, and instead reframed the Hanukkah miracle to glorify the newly established gangs of Zionist militias that were chasing Palestinians off their lands. This was a completely new and intentionally irreligious version of Hanukkah. And yet historical memory can be very short. Today, many people, including leftists, have forgotten that there is another, more ancient version of Hanukkah underneath the modern, Zionist facade. In this time of ongoing genocide in Palestine and cascading worldwide catastrophes, remembering the original meaning of Hanukkah, and its refusal to celebrate violence, is particularly important. Today, we again need to rededicate what has been defiled by this monstrous disregard of life. As authoritarianism rises worldwide and many of our systems of care fragment, we need to save our age-old stories like seeds in a seed bank, as they contain vital spiritual nourishment. Within the story of Hanukkah's oil, there are timeless, universal truths that we will need in order to survive this era: tales last longer than Temples, and faith can be more powerful than force. The night is often long, with only a little bit of fuel to warm and light it, but when we work together in solidarity, there is enough for everyone. December is the most critical time of year for Truthout, because our nonprofit news is funded almost entirely by individual donations from readers like you. So before you navigate away, we ask that you take just a second to support Truthout with a tax-deductible donation. We are up against a far-reaching, wide-scale attack on press freedom coming from the Trump administration. 2025 was a year of frightening censorship, news industry corporate consolidation, and worsening financial conditions for progressive nonprofits across the board. We can only resist Trump's agenda by cultivating a strong base of support. The right-wing mediasphere is funded comfortably by billionaire owners and venture capitalist philanthropists. We've set an ambitious target for our year-end campaign — a goal of $250,000 to keep up our fight against authoritarianism in 2026. If you have the means, please dig deep. This article is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), and you are free to share and republish under the following terms: His book on hidden grief, The Heart Lives by Breaking, is forthcoming in Fall 2027 from Schocken (Knopf Doubleday). Get the news you want, delivered to your inbox every day. 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U.S. negotiator Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff leave the U.S. Embassy on Monday in Berlin, Germany.Christian Mang/Getty Images Russia has indicated it's open to Ukraine joining the European Union as part of a potential peace deal aimed at ending Russia's war on Ukraine, and there's now consensus on about 90 per cent of the U.S.-authored peace plan, U.S. officials said Monday. The officials said that robust negotiations between President Donald Trump's envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his team led to progress on narrowing differences on security guarantees Kyiv said must be provided to Ukraine as well as the contentious issue on Moscow's demand that Ukraine concede land in the eastern Donbas. The U.S. officials who briefed reporters after Witkoff and Kushner met with Zelensky and other European officials in Berlin over the last two days said that such an offer over Ukraine joining the EU would be a major concession by Moscow. But Russia has previously said it does not object to Ukraine joining the EU. The latest round of talks between Zelensky and U.S. envoys ended Monday as Kyiv faces Washington's pressure to swiftly accept a U.S.-brokered peace deal while confronting an increasingly assertive Moscow. Ukraine's lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, said on social media that “real progress” had been achieved at the talks in Berlin with President Donald Trump's special envoy Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Kushner as well as European officials. The search for possible compromises has run into major obstacles, including control of Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, which is mostly occupied by Russian forces. But Ukraine's preference remains NATO membership as the best security guarantee to prevent further Russian aggression however this option doesn't currently have full backing from all allies. Zelensky ditches NATO ambition as U.S. envoy Witkoff sees progress in peace talks Russian President Vladimir Putin wants Ukraine to withdraw its forces from the part of Donetsk region still under its control as one of the key conditions for peace. Zelensky's itinerary on Monday also included meetings with German and other European leaders. French President Emmanuel Macron's office confirmed he would travel to Berlin later Monday. “The issue of security in particular will ultimately determine whether this war actually comes to a standstill and whether it flares up again,” a spokesperson for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Stefan Kornelius, told reporters. The Russian president has cast Ukraine's bid to join NATO as a major threat to Moscow's security and a reason for launching the full-scale invasion in February, 2022. Zelensky emphasized that any Western security assurances would need to be legally binding and supported by the U.S. Congress. He is absolutely not open to any tricks aimed at stalling for time.” Blaise Metreweli was using her first public speech as chief of the United Kingdom's foreign intelligence service to say that Britain faces increasingly unpredictable and interconnected threats, with emphasis on “aggressive, expansionist” Russia. Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following.

Check out our new weekly Work Life newsletter. The next time somebody famous dies, head to Wikipedia. In today's polarized climate, we might add this other huge barrier: How could they ever find agreement on controversial entries – indeed, any entry, given the passionate disagreements that would inevitably arise over factual accuracy. But they did topple the existing encyclopedia giants and have become something we take for granted today. While other tech companies may disappoint, with their algorithms and ads and noise, Wikipedia quietly does the job its founder, Jimmy Wales, set out to accomplish. There are now more than 300 versions in other languages, with total annual page views of 300 billion on a planet with only eight billion people. Wikipedia is simply read by immense numbers of people who trust the information it provides,” he writes in The Seven Rules of Trust, along with Ottawa's Dan Gardner, his writing partner for the book. “And as a starting point on more difficult subjects, as a way to get your bearings, to find good sources and begin exploration, Wikipedia is wonderful – on almost any subject under the sun, from the trivial to the profound,” he says. Crucial to its success, he believes, was clarity of purpose. At the start, he would repeat regularly, “Wikipedia is an encyclopedia.” That made it clear to the many volunteers what their job was since they all had a mental model of what an encyclopedia does. If he had made a big deal about it being a new way to share information, he would then have a lot of explaining to do to get their attention and have them sign on and then point them in the right direction. This way, people immediately knew its value, what topics to tackle and how it should be written. The other four were: Wikipedia is written from a neutral point of view. Wikipedia is free content that anyone can use, edit and distribute. Wikipedia editors should treat each other with respect and civility. The pillars tended to attract people who were concerned with accuracy. “In time, Wikipedia developed a culture that is obsessed with accuracy,” he writes. “Millions of wonderful hairsplitting details … can be found in Wikipedia because the people who write Wikipedia are overwhelmingly passionate about getting facts right.” He shares as an example when a new, anonymous editor might have replaced a paragraph on American presidential politics with something different – and objectionable to you – as an editor. “While you may suspect in the back of your mind that this person is a rotten, self-promoting, partisan hack, you will not respond that way. You will assume this is someone honestly trying to improve Wikipedia. That changes the focus and tone of your response to factual disagreement. Of course, you may not come to an agreement and, after three rounds of discussion, the rule is others are brought into the conversation. He notes any organization that needs to draw on the knowledge and skills of a wide array of people must create a healthy environment and for that civility is essential. Some people get a kick out of being rude and abusive, he adds, but most Wikipedians are nice people; they just love to argue – about everything. His team tries to celebrate those who do so in a civil manner, setting them up as examples for others to follow. “But civility does not mean – I can't underscore this strongly enough – minimizing or downplaying disagreements, much less avoiding arguments altogether. Disagreement is how we learn from others and get smarter together,” he writes. Britannica published an open letter complaining the study was flawed. The people using Wikipedia have to trust its information. Harvey Schachter is a Kingston-based writer specializing in management issues. He, along with Sheelagh Whittaker, former CEO of both EDS Canada and Cancom, are the authors of When Harvey Didn't Meet Sheelagh: Emails on Leadership. Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following. © Copyright 2025 The Globe and Mail Inc. All rights reserved.

Vladimir Zelensky's statement of Kiev's willingness to drop its much-discussed but unrequited aspirations to join NATO in exchange for Western security guarantees reads more like a belated acknowledgment of a reality that has existed for years, which is that Ukraine was never going to be admitted to the bloc in the first place. Zelensky's “compromise” may also be little more than a semantic maneuver. Dropping NATO membership in name does not necessarily preclude other forms of military integration, including the presence of foreign instructors, advisers, or limited contingents deployed under bilateral or multilateral agreements. Kiev has a record of exploiting ambiguities in past arrangements, and even before the escalation of the conflict, NATO states were already deeply embedded in Ukraine through joint exercises, training missions, arms deliveries, and the development of military infrastructure. Kiev joined the bloc's Partnership for Peace program in 1994, cooperating through joint exercises and political dialogue. Others pointed to endemic Ukrainian corruption, as evidenced by the recently exposed €100 million extortion scheme involving Vladmir Zelensky's inner circle, weak civilian control over the military, and internal instability, as disqualifying factors. Ukraine found itself in a domestic conflict with unresolved territorial disputes, while its military lagged behind NATO standards. Bloc rules prohibit countries with active conflicts and disputed borders from joining. What followed was a prolonged exercise in political theater. Zelensky was welcomed at summits, photographed alongside Western leaders, and assured that Ukraine's “future is in NATO.” Yet the bloc repeatedly refused to offer even a provisional timeline. Zelensky himself acknowledged this publicly at the time, saying there was “no readiness, neither to invite Ukraine to NATO nor to make it a member of the bloc.” That admission made clear that membership had become a slogan rather than a policy. And we always appreciate an open conversation.Ukraine will be represented at the NATO summit in Vilnius. Because it is about respect.But Ukraine also deserves respect. Now, on the way to Vilnius, we received signals that… Western media are now portraying Zelensky's latest statement as a diplomatic breakthrough while in practice, it is a concession only in name. Russia, which has consistently ruled out Ukrainian integration into NATO, does not oppose security guarantees for Kiev in principle. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin recently said that any such security guarantees for Ukraine must be paired with reliable promises to respect Moscow's vital interests. Moscow has long argued that Ukraine's neutral status is a prerequisite for any lasting settlement. Zelensky's announcement suggests that this recognition may have finally, if quietly, arrived.

Tributes paid to two people killed as authorities search for a gunman who also injured nine others in Providence, Rhode Island, on Saturday Two victims named in Brown University shooting as police continue search for killer The two people killed in Saturday's shooting have been identified as Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov and Ella Cook, according to reports. Aspiring neurosurgeon Umurzokov was identified by his family in a Gofundme page. In a message on the site, they said: “He was incredibly kind, funny, and smart. He had big dreams of becoming a neurosurgeon and helping people. He continues to be my family's biggest role model in all aspects. “He always lent a helping hand to anyone in need without hesitation, and was the most kind-hearted person our family knew. We are going to be taking a brief break in this blog while we await more updates, as authorities continue to search for the gunman who killed two students and injured nine others. One of the victims fatally shot has been identified as Ella Cook. Umurzokov was identified by his family in a Gofundme page. He had big dreams of becoming a neurosurgeon and helping people. He continues to be my family's biggest role model in all aspects.” Brown University announced that it was temporarily delaying the release of admissions decisions for applicants who were meant to find out whether they had been admitted to the school today. FBI director, Kash Patel, said on Sunday that the FBI had activated its “cellular analysis survey team to provide critical geolocation capabilities” to aid with the investigation. The University of Rhode Island said that it will not hold in person exams today. As the investigation continues, authorities in Rhode Island have asked “anyone with relevant information, including video or photo evidence, to submit it by phone or through the FBI tip line”. Tensions ran high in Providence on Monday near the Brown University campus, after authorities said they were still searching for a suspect and would release a person of interest they detained over the weekend. In midmorning, sirens could be heard racing through the city's East Side, where Brown is located. Meanwhile, all Providence public schools were open with what the district told parents would be an increased safety presence, while many private schools in the neighborhood closed. Foot and car traffic in the area around Brown was notably diminished from a typical Monday in early December, and a news helicopter circled the neighborhood all morning. US Representative Seth Magaziner, a Democrat of Rhode Island, who is an alumni of Brown University, told MS NOW that people in Providence are feeling “shocked” “sad and upset”. “The last couple of days, people have really been stepping up to look out for each other” Magaziner said. It's a place where people help each other and grieve together. “But more than anything else, I think people are looking out for each other.” Magaziner said now that authorities do not have anyone in custody, “everyone's concerned and people are taking precautions, some schools in the area have been shut down, for example.” “Ella Cook from Birmingham, Alabama, and Midlothian High School's own Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov” he wrote. Virginia's governor-elect Abigail Spanberger has also paid tribute to one of the two shooting victims, Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov. “I am heartbroken to learn that Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov — who just graduated from Midlothian High School — is among the victims of the horrific act of violence at Brown University” Spanberger said on X. “Our prayers continue to be with them and their families” Paxson said on Sunday. He added that the officers will “not rest until they have brought this individual to justice, and they are working overtime, triple time to get the job done”. In an interview with CNN on Monday, Reed said that “as the mayor has indicated, he's doing an excellent job, along with state officials and all of our law enforcement personnel, they have gathered a great deal of information.” “I think we'll get there,” he added, “but this is a disappointing setback. What they've done is determined that shelter in place is not necessary, but they've intensified police operations in the city, particularly around the campus.” Smiley said: “I want to be clear that while we certainly were focused on processing evidence for the person of interest who was detained, that didn't mean that the other pieces of the investigation were stopped or in any way paused. “Obviously we're disappointed that the person needed to be released because of the evidence that had been examined, and it's a setback, to be clear. Those frustrations, I'm sure, are being felt by more than just me.” Smiley said the lack of a “credible or specific threat” since the shooting at about 4pm on Saturday assured him that there was no further threat to public safety. Other aspects of the investigation remain at full speed,” he said. He said it was “an emotional letdown” to release the person: “The 24 hours where we thought we had a person of interest that might lead to something more concrete… [it] turns out that we've got a lot more work to do.” As the investigation continues, authorities in Rhode Island are asking “anyone with relevant information, including video or photo evidence, to submit it by phone or through the FBI tip line”. “I am heartbroken to hear that Mountain Brook's Ella Cook was among those killed over the weekend at Brown University” Senator Tommy Tuberville said. In another post, Senator Katie Britt said that she joins the “Mountain Brook community and all of Alabama in mourning the heartbreaking loss of one of our own, Ella Cook, who was senselessly killed over the weekend on Brown University's campus.” The University of Rhode Island said that it will not hold in person exams today. “Importantly, there is no known threat to our campuses” the university said. Providence mayor Brett Smiley appeared on Good Morning America this morning, and said that after authorities reviewed the evidence in the case, it was “determined that this person of interest needed to be released”. One of the victims killed in Saturday's shooting has been identified as student Ella Cook, who was from Alabama. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reposted the College Republicans of America post, and wrote: “There are no words.

BRUSSELS, December 15. /TASS/. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said that, now that Ukraine's membership in the North Atlantic Alliance is "out of the question," the European Union would need to provide concrete security guarantees to the former Soviet republic. "Now if this [Ukraine's NATO membership] is not in question, or this is out of the question, then we need to see what are the security guarantees that are tangible. They can't be papers, or promises, they have to be real troops, real capabilities," she explained to reporters in a doorstep interview ahead of an EU Foreign Ministers meeting. Kallas reiterated that "in the last 100 years, Russia has attacked at least 19 countries," a remark she has lately been using in any comment on Russia. Based on this, she claimed that "the security guarantees are needed for all other members" in the EU. The EU foreign policy chief also called for enhancing efforts to provide military aid for Ukraine as she emphasized that the EU delivered on its promise to supply Kiev with 2 million artillery shells this year, without elaborating. Earlier, Vladimir Medinsky, a Kremlin aide who chairs the Russian Military Historical Society, said, commenting on Kallas' remark about the "19 countries" allegedly attacked by Russia, that he is ready to personally give a detailed history lesson to the EU's chief diplomat.

The magazine has featured contributions from many leading international affairs experts. JUSTIN BRONK is Senior Research Fellow for Airpower and Technology at the Royal United Services Institute. Why the Lessons of Ukraine Don't Apply to a Conflict With China Since 2023, both sides have deployed millions of cheap quadcopter-type drones across the battlefield. Meanwhile, Russia is using thousands of Geran-2 and Geran-3 propeller-powered one-way attack drones in almost nightly long-range strikes on Ukrainian cities, and Ukraine has been using a wide array of its own one-way attack drones for regular strikes on Russian bases, factories, and energy infrastructure. Watching these developments, many Western defense strategists have made urgent calls to shift military priorities. In June, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to accelerate drone production. Since then, the U.S. Department of Defense has made several policy changes to facilitate the rapid integration of low-cost drones into the U.S. arsenal, and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has called for the United States to establish “drone dominance.” In the private sector, meanwhile, software and AI companies that have bet heavily on developing uncrewed military technologies, such as Anduril, Palantir, and Shield AI, are racing to win lucrative new defense contracts. But the assumption that large-scale acquisition of AI-enabled drones will strengthen U.S. defenses against China is misguided. For one thing, lessons from the war in Ukraine—an attritional, inconclusive struggle between two fundamentally land-centric armed forces—often do not apply directly to other kinds of conflicts. Over the past few years, military analysts and defense industry executives alike have focused on the lessons that Western militaries should supposedly take from Ukraine's remarkable defense against Russia. One result of this interest has been an oversaturation of new defense products and technologies that are being marketed to Western militaries as “transformational,” based on vaguely described combat use in Ukraine. In fact, many such systems, especially Western-made drones from tech startup firms, have proved ineffective or even failed outright on the battlefield in the face of omnipresent Russian (and Ukrainian) electronic warfare and hard environmental conditions. A larger problem, however, is that the war in Ukraine features many characteristics that would not apply to U.S. and Chinese forces in an Indo-Pacific context. Neither side has achieved air superiority, making airpower far less significant than in other modern conflicts. Since both Russian and Ukrainian armored formations and other elite units suffered catastrophic losses in the early phases of the war, neither side has been able to conduct large-scale combined-arms maneuver warfare since mid-2023. As a result, both armies have had to rely heavily on small infantry units with attached tank, artillery, and drone support to make probing attacks through minefields against fixed defensive lines. Under these conditions, short-range, lightweight, cheap, and mass-produced quadcopter-type drones have proved highly effective. By 2024, frontline combat had indeed come to be dominated by ever greater numbers of drones and the constant development of new technologies such as fiber-optic drones and AI-assisted terminal imaging guidance. However, many active counterdrone defense systems are overstretched in Ukraine due to the widely dispersed nature of forces on the frontlines and constant attrition. Even so, the expansion of drone warfare is arguably not what has prevented Ukrainian forces from holding key positions against Russian forces in 2024 and 2025. These 500kg–3000kg glide bombs can demolish even deep, hardened fighting positions and kill dug-in troops far more effectively than small drones, and Ukraine still lacks an effective way to intercept the launch aircraft that release the bombs from more than 40 miles behind the frontlines. Relentless Russian glide bomb strikes on key positions have been particularly difficult for Ukrainian troops fighting to hold heavily fortified strategic locations, such as the hilltop city of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast. In sharp contrast to the operational conditions in Ukraine, any likely conflict between U.S. forces and China's People's Liberation Army would unfold predominantly in the air and at sea, with combat between land forces likely limited to key islands such as Taiwan or the Senkakus (known in China as the Diaoyus). In this context, success for the United States would depend on the ability to rapidly and repeatedly bring decisive airborne and maritime firepower to bear at those key points at critical moments. In other words, the conflict would involve very different kinds of forces and equipment from what either Ukraine or Russia is using in the current war. Taiwan, for example, could greatly benefit from being able to deploy hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of small drones to repel a PLA landing force on its beaches. It would also be essential for Taiwanese forces to have counterdrone capabilities that could sustainably intercept and jam PLA one-way attack drones and surveillance drones flying from the mainland or from ships off the beaches. Yet such uncrewed systems would be useless to the U.S. Air Force and Navy in their efforts to assist with air cover and, ultimately, maritime support, which would require projecting power from Guam or other distant U.S. bases. The greatest shortcoming of the current generation of “exquisite” American fighter aircraft—the F-22, F-35, and F/A-18E/F—against growing Chinese threats is not that they are expensive and comparatively few. Even the longest-range fiber-optic-cable-equipped first-person view drones in common use in Ukraine are limited to around 15 miles, and most small FPVs have significantly shorter ranges than that. In other words, the one weapons system that has made combat in Ukraine significantly different from that of previous state-on-state wars would be largely irrelevant in the critical early phases of a conflict between Chinese and American forces. Even if small drones could be delivered rapidly across the required ranges, none of the varieties currently in use in Ukraine by either side could effectively defend U.S. forces against Chinese attacks. Beijing already operates thousands of high-end ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles that would be used to strike U.S. forward bases, aircraft carriers, tanker aircraft, and other key large assets. To counter such threats, the U.S. military would unavoidably have to rely on multimillion-dollar missile defense systems such as the Patriot PAC-3 MSE, THAAD, SM-6, and SM-3. These will be needed in large quantities regardless of whether they are launched by crewed fighters or, potentially, in the future by AI-enabled uncrewed systems. Small drones simply cannot intercept combat aircraft operating at high altitudes and speeds. Moreover, the many types of uncrewed systems that would potentially be far more useful in the Indo-Pacific will entail large costs of their own. The less ambitious designs that are intended to be little more than forward sensors and weapon-launching “trucks” will still cost many millions of dollars. There may well be significant benefits to their development and adoption, but they cannot be “swarmed” or expended en masse on a regular basis given their cost. Simpler, one-way attack, decoy, or stand-in jamming-type drones can be somewhat cheaper to produce and could still perform vital roles within a complex joint strike package. AI-enabled swarming behavio­rs in flight may increase the effectiveness of such drones or missiles in various tactical situations, but the data links and processing power required will further increase unit cost, and thus quantities will remain limited. For the United States, it is unavoidably clear that a significant peer conflict will require very different resourcing than the overseas interventions and counterinsurgency operations that it has conducted in recent decades. In any confrontation with China, the U.S. military would need vast stockpiles of ammunition, spare parts, medical supplies, and other logistical necessities. Washington currently has significant shortfalls of key long-range strike, antiship, and interceptor missiles, and most of its allies lack them to a greater degree still. The United States also has a shrinking and increasingly aging conventional force structure thanks to more than a decade of deferred air force and navy modernization during the global war on terrorism. The sheer cost of bringing back “combat mass” with conventional high-end military systems has driven an almost frantic search by many defense analysts and policymakers for a way to get AI-enabled technology, including drones, to deliver “cheap mass.” The PLA, by contrast, increasingly has both mass and quality. Strikingly, despite having by far the world's largest and most advanced drone-manufacturing industrial base, China's major military focus is on acquiring more crewed combat aircraft, large warships, and advanced missile systems. The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) is on course to have a fleet of around 1,000 J-20s—China's primary fifth-generation stealth fighter—by 2030. Especially in the air-to-air and surface-to-air missile domain, many of these Chinese systems are starting to exceed the performance of their U.S. equivalents in some key areas. By comparison, while Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighters are being built at a slightly higher rate than China's J-20A and J-20S, only some of that production is being purchased by the U.S. military. The next generation F-47 fighter, which is expected to cost more than $300 million apiece, is not scheduled to enter U.S. Air Force service until the early 2030s as a production standard combat asset. By that point, however, the next-generation Chinese J-36, J-XDS, and J-50 equivalents, all of which are already in flight testing, will likely also be in service. They may be marginally less capable than the F-47 on a per-aircraft basis but they will likely be produced faster and in greater numbers. Another area in which China's high-end capabilities are already outstripping those of the United States is in airborne long-range early warning and command system (AWACS) aircraft. These aircraft are huge force multipliers because they provide air forces and joint forces with long-range, wide-area radar coverage for early warning, battlespace management, and targeting. The PLA already has roughly 60 modern AWACS, all equipped with the latest active electronically scanned array-type radars and advanced data link and satellite communications capabilities to act as network nodes. The plan to acquire the Boeing E-7A Wedgetail to replace this rapidly shrinking fleet was canceled by Hegseth in June 2025, citing concerns over cost overruns, delays, and operational vulnerability. That means that the United States will face an airborne sensor and airborne networking and battle management node gap with China for at least a decade. Trying to replicate Ukraine's emphasis on drones at a vast scale will not solve the problem. But unless the United States can maintain air and maritime superiority over key contested areas, it will find that the rest of its military force structure will struggle to produce relevant combat power against China in any Indo-Pacific clash. Even if the Pentagon acquires similar capabilities, they will not change its rapidly degrading balance of power with China in the Indo-Pacific, no matter how good swarms of AI-enabled drones might look on PowerPoint slides. Why America and China Are the World's Only Great Powers Only a Long-Term Strategy Can Counter the Threat From Beijing Why America and China Are the World's Only Great Powers Why the Lessons of Ukraine Don't Apply to a Conflict With China Our editors' top picks, delivered free to your inbox every Friday. Our editors' top picks from the week, delivered on Friday. * Note that when you provide your email address, the Foreign Affairs Privacy Policy and Terms of Use will apply, and you will receive occasional marketing emails.

Former Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai has been found guilty on two national security charges and a lesser sedition charge, in a landmark two-year trial widely viewed as a measure of the city's shrinking freedoms under Beijing's rule. He founded Apple Daily, a fiercely pro-democracy tabloid newspaper known for its blistering broadsides against the Chinese Communist Party until its forced closure in 2021. Lai had pleaded not guilty to all charges, and now faces possible life in prison. Monday's verdict marks the end of a tumultuous legal saga that had drawn condemnation from supporters and foreign leaders around the world, including US President Donald Trump – who had once vowed to “get him out.” The imposition of the national security law has transformed Hong Kong, with authorities jailing dozens of political opponents, forcing civil society groups and outspoken media outlets to disband, and transforming the once-freewheeling city into one ruled by “patriots only.” Hong Kong and China's leaders say it has “restored stability” following the 2019 protests. Lai is a British citizen, and the UK government has previously called for his release. At a news conference in London on Monday, Lai's son, Sebastian, said he was “heartbroken” about his father's condition and called on the UK government to do more to secure his freedom. UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper on Monday condemned Lai's verdict as “politically motivated,” saying Beijing's national security law had been imposed to silence China's critics. They pointed to Lai's lobbying of US politicians during Trump's first term – much of it before the security law was enacted – as evidence of sedition and colluding with foreign forces, including his meetings with then-Vice President Mike Pence, then-State Secretary Mike Pompeo, and attempts to meet Trump himself. They also pointed to his WhatsApp messages with other pro-democracy activists and Apple Daily leaders, and a New York Times opinion piece he had written in May 2020 – in which he suggested ways to punish China for its repression of Hong Kong, such as revoking student visas for the children of government officials. Collusion is punishable by life imprisonment under the security law. The judges had earlier warned everyone inside to maintain “absolute silence” as their verdict was read out. Lai appeared calm throughout, greeting his wife and son at the start with a wave. He did not respond when the verdict came down but took off his glasses and wiped his face before he was led out of the courtroom. Throughout his trial, prosecutors accused Lai of using his Apple Daily newspaper to call for sanctions against Hong Kong and China during the 2019 protests, and after the national security law was introduced. Lai's supporters – many of whom had stood in line overnight to secure a seat inside the courtroom – expressed dismay but not surprise at the verdict, with many saying they no longer held faith in Hong Kong's judicial system. “I've got no anticipation (that) Jimmy Lai will be released,” one woman told CNN, describing the city's transformation as “too sad.” Another supporter said he, too, had held no hope for Lai's release, and described feeling numb to Beijing's crackdown on the city. But, he said, “We're still here … You can't really arrest us all.” Lai was born in mainland China and arrived in British-ruled Hong Kong at 12 years old, working his way up from factory laborer to clothing tycoon. A Hong Kong court is about to decide the media mogul's fate President, you're the only one who can save us,” Lai said in an interview with CNN in 2020 weeks before he was arrested, addressing Trump. Both the Chinese Embassy in Washington and the Hong Kong government have warned against “external forces” interfering with internal affairs and judicial process. Following Lai's conviction, China's foreign ministry said the central government “firmly supports (Hong Kong) in safeguarding national security and punishing crimes endangering national security in accordance with the law.” In a separate statement on Friday, responding to a US congressional committee report on China's human rights record, which included criticism of Lai's imprisonment and treatment, the Hong Kong government accused US officials of trying to “interfere with the judicial proceedings in (Hong Kong) by means of political power in order to procure a defendant's evasion of the criminal justice process.” Critics fear the national security law has brought Beijing's authoritarian and opaque judicial norms to Hong Kong, with all national security trials so far heard by a panel of specially selected judges, not juries – a departure from the city's common-law tradition. In an opinion piece in The Washington Post last Tuesday, his daughter Claire Lai wrote that “solitary confinement is taking its toll on his body,” and claimed the family had little knowledge what medical care he was receiving as no outside physicians were allowed to examine her father. In its statement on Friday, the Hong Kong government said Lai had received “adequate and comprehensive” medical services while in custody, and the prison had arranged “daily medical checkups” for Lai. There had been “no complaints at all regarding the medical services he was receiving,” it said. It added that he had been placed in solitary confinement “at his own request.”

A wave of Ukrainian drones targeted the Russian capital overnight on Dec. 14-15, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin claimed. Russian air defense units have shot down at least 18 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) en route to Moscow, Sobyanin said. Emergency response crews are clearing wreckage from the attack sites. Temporary restrictions have been imposed at Moscow's Zhukovsky and Domodedovo airports. Residents of the Istrinksy district, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of Moscow, have reported over a dozen loud explosions, according to the Russian Telegram news channel Shot. Residents of Kashira and Kolomna in southern Moscow Oblast also reported explosions. Ukraine regularly uses long-range drones to target military and industrial targets in Russia. Previous attacks on Moscow have disrupted aviation operations, grounding and delaying hundreds of flights despite the drones being intercepted by air defenses. Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Encircled Russian troops in Kupiansk are still getting limited drone drops — and a Ukrainian official says some included flags, not food. For the first time, Ukrainian underwater drones have successfully attacked a Russian submarine, Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) reported on Dec. 15. Ukraine's Security Service said its long-range drones struck Russian offshore oil platforms in the Caspian Sea for the third time in a week, halting operations at one site. A thermal power plant in Belgorod, known as "Luch", was damaged during a wave of drone attacks on Russian territory overnight on Dec. 15, Astra reported, citing local residents. Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz floated the idea of transferring Warsaw's remaining Soviet-designed MiG-29s to Kyiv in exchange for Ukraine's drone and anti-drone technology. The International Chess Federation's (FIDE) General Assembly on Dec. 14 allowed teams from Russia and Belarus to participate in international tournaments and permitted youth chess players to compete under national symbols. Russian air defense units have shot down at least 15 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) en route to Moscow, Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said. The attack caused "serious damage" to an unspecified facility, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said. Local Telegram channels reported explosions at a key thermal power plant.

"We welcome the decision of the General Assembly of the International Chess Federation to allow our athletes and our chess teams to participate in international competitions under the national flag and anthem. We deeply appreciate this decision made following the vote of the General Assembly," Peskov, who is also the chairman of the Russian Chess Federation's (RCF) Board of Trustees, told journalists. "We believe that it was the right step towards the depoliticization of sports, especially in such field as chess," he continued. "And we hope that this decision of the international federation reflects it in full. Other interpretations of fair voting may only provoke our disappointment," Peskov added. On February 28, 2022, FIDE announced that chess players from Russia and Belarus would be allowed to participate in international competitions under a neutral status, adding, however, that the federation had barred both countries from hosting official chess competitions. On March 16, 2022, the world governing body of chess barred teams representing Russia and Belarus from all international competition. On June 26, 2024, Russia's governing chess body filed an appeal against the decision of the FIDE Ethics Commission and requested a complete overhaul of the Ethics Commission, as well as the return of the flag and anthem to Russian athletes. In July, 2025, FIDE allowed the Russian women's national team to participate in the World Team Championship under the FIDE banner while the European Chess Union (ECU) opposed this decision. On December 14, 2025, FIDE ruled that "youth athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport should no longer be restricted in their access to international youth competitions, in both individual and team sports… In addition, the standard protocols of the IF [International Federations] or the International Sports Event Organizer regarding flags, anthems, uniforms and other elements should apply, provided that the national sports organization concerned is in good standing.