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🇺🇸 🇷🇺 🇪🇺 US, Russia to hold talks on Ukraine war in Miami this weekend The Russian delegation is expected to include the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund Kirill Dmitriev, according to one of the people familiar with the matter. Both people were granted anonymity to discuss plans for the next rounds of sensitive talks. Trump administration special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are expected to represent the U.S. side. European leaders have spent much of the past two weeks huddling to try and iron out specific plans for security guarantees for Kyiv, including a demilitarized zone along the current frontlines, and troop pledges for training Ukrainian forces and monitoring any ceasefire. One European official, also granted anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy, said that the coalition troops would likely be tasked with operating aircraft and drones to survey the frontlines, while some troops would be stationed in western Ukraine “to help rebuild the Ukrainian forces — not to serve on the front line.” https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/17/us-russia-ukraine-war-miami-00695305

🇺🇸 Secretary of State Marco Rubio was seen pacing back and forth in the Oval Office as he awaited President Trump's return. 📸 Andrew Leyden 📎 FaytuksNetwork

🇺🇸❌🇲🇽 — NEW: The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed sanctions on the Mexican criminal group Cartel de Santa Rosa de Lima and its leader, José Antonio Yepez Ortiz. ➡️ The Treasury says the cartel generates most of its illicit income through large-scale fuel and oil theft in the Mexican state of Guanajuato.

🇺🇸❌🇻🇪 — President Trump on Venezuela:

Getting land, oil rights, whatever we had — they took it away because we had a president that maybe wasn't watching. But they're not going to do that. We want it back. They took our oil rights. We had a lot of oil there. They threw our companies out. And we want it back.

🇺🇸❌🇻🇪 — President Trump on Venezuela:

It’s a blockade. We're not going to let anybody going through that shouldn't be going through. You remember, they took all of our energy rights. They took all of our oil from not that long ago, and we want it back. They illegally took it.

🇲🇽🇺🇳🇺🇸🇻🇪⚡️ — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum calls out the UN:

And a call to the United Nations to assume its role [regarding US-Venezuela]. It has not been seen doing so. It must assume its role to prevent any bloodshed and always seek the peaceful resolution of conflicts.

🇺🇸⚡️- The Senate has confirmed Jared Isaacman to run NASA in a 67-30 vote. “Mr. Isaacman highlighted three objectives: human space exploration of the moon, Mars and deep space; unlocking a larger space economy; and becoming a “force multiplier” for science missions, tapping into partnerships with commercial companies and academia to bring down costs.” - NYT.

🇸🇾 🏴 Syrian security forces detained a cell of ISIS fighters in northern Idlib Province that has conducted at least three attacks targeting Syrian government forces along the M5 highway since November 28. This cell may have been operating in the southern Aleppo-northern Idlib countryside for some time, but its three most recent attacks are part of an increase in ISIS attacks targeting Syrian government forces since Syria joined the Global Coalition on November 10. High-profile Islamic State (IS) supporters have encouraged ISIS sympathizers to conduct attacks against the Syrian transitional government “whenever and wherever possible” in the weeks since Syria joined the Global Coalition 📎 Critical Threats

✡️ 🇺🇸 In 1989 SCOTUS ruled in Allegheny vs ACLU that Christian Nativity scenes couldn’t be displayed by the government but Menorah’s could. So the White House has a menorah but not a nativity scene on the lawn. Some religions are more privileged than others. 📎 Mark Taylor

🇺🇸🇪🇨⚡️ — NEW: The U.S. Air Force is deploying to Ecuador at Eloy Alfaro International Airport for a temporary mission aimed at dismantling drug trafficking routes, disrupting drug trafficking networks, and boosting the Ecuadorian military’s capacity to fight narco-terrorism, including improved intelligence collection and counter-drug operations. ➡️ The airport, a dual civilian–air force facility that previously hosted U.S. personnel until foreign bases were banned in 2009, has seen at least six C-17A Globemaster III flights arrive since December 13. 📝The move comes despite 61% of Ecuadorians rejecting foreign military bases in a referendum last month.

🇺🇸🇻🇪⚡️ — Tucker Carlson said earlier today that he was told by a member of Congress that lawmakers were briefed yesterday on an imminent war with Venezuela, which he says will be announced tonight during President Trump’s scheduled 9 PM EST address from the Oval Office.

🇪🇺⚡️ — EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen:

Jewish history is European history. Jewish culture is European culture, and Jewish life must be able to flourish for Europe to flourish fully.

🇫🇷⚡️- An African leader called Emmanuel Macron this Sunday in a panic, believing France was undergoing a coup d'Etat. In reality, the African leader had seen an AI video of a fake reporter claiming the Elysée had been seized by an armed group led by a colonel. Emmanuel Macron told this story to medias today, keeping the African caller anonymous, to emphasize the dangers of fake news online. The French President added "It made us laugh! 12 million views!" and formally asked Facebook to take down the video.

🇪🇨🤝🇺🇸 — Ecuadorian President, Daniel Noboa on X:

With the backing of the United States, we activated a temporary operation alongside the Ecuadorian Air Force in Manta, as part of a long-term bilateral security strategy. This operation will enable the identification and dismantling of drug trafficking routes, and the submission of those who believed they could take over the country.

#BREAKING | 🇺🇸 🇪🇨 — Reports of U.S. Air Force personnel deploying to Ecuador's Manta Air Base for anti-drug cartel operations. However, no credible sources confirm any such deployment as of December 17, 2025. Ecuadorian voters rejected a November 2025 referendum proposal to lift the constitutional ban on foreign military bases. The U.S. Embassy in Quito has not announced any "temporary joint-operation" involving Air Force personnel at Manta. The Global Eye | Subscribe

🇿🇦🇺🇸 Joost Strydom on Facebook: "What a privilege! To be able to represent our community in the United States. This time before the select audience of the New York Young Republicans' extremely formal annual gala. In the audience; members of the US House of Representatives, conservative Members of Parliament from the European Parliament, Members of the Italian and German Parliaments, the organizers of CPAC and various conservative, supportive and welcoming Americans! My choice; a quote from Piet Uys that I found in "Die Skepping van Boer-identiteit" [The Creation of Boer Identity]: "We aim to establish our Republic on the same principles as those of the United States". How appropriate! Then Ernst Roets, in front of the international audience, repeated our People's Vow to God of December 16, 1838. What a huge privilege! Thank you to everyone who helped make this possible! FREEDOM IN OUR TIME! To God be all the Glory." 📎 Joost Strydom

🇺🇸❌🇻🇪 — White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy:

American sweat, ingenuity and toil created the oil industry in Venezuela. Its tyrannical expropriation was the largest recorded theft of American wealth and property. These pillaged assets were then used to fund terrorism and flood our streets with killers, mercenaries and drugs.

🇹🇩⚡- Chadian media reports of an attempted coup against President Deby. State media reports the coup attempt failed, with Deby still firmly in control of the country. Heightened security can be seen throughout N'Djamena.

🚿 🇨🇳 🇵🇭 China Coast Guard Blasts Fishermen With Water Cannon Near Sabina Shoal, Philippines Dispatches Patrol Boats | USNI News According to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), the incident occurred on Friday near Sabina Shoal when several China Coast Guard (CCG) and China Maritime Militia vessels surrounded 20 Filipino fishing boats operating near the maritime feature located 75 nautical miles from the Philippine island of Palawan. CCG cutters 21559 and 21562 also deployed rigid-hulled inflated boats to cut the anchor lines of the Philippine fishermen, sending them adrift in what the PCG described as an “endangering” action. Three Philippine citizens sustained injuries, including bruising and open wounds, according to the Philippine Coast Guard. Two fishing vessels were also damaged from the Chinese high-pressure water cannon blasts. China claimed that its cutters took “necessary control measures” against the Philippine fishermen. Chinese forces throughout the South China Sea, which Beijing claims under its Ten Dash Line assertion, have countered Philippine activity at Sabina, Second Thomas and Scarborough Shoals at an increased pace in the last few months. A separate encounter on Friday saw Chinese military forces under the People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theater Command challenge Philippine aircraft patrolling over Scarborough Shoal. 📸 地图大数据

🚗 🇨🇳 🔋 Electric vehicles (EVs) make up over a quarter of new car sales in 2025 – with many emerging economies moving fast in transport electrification. https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/the-ev-leapfrog-how-emerging-markets-are-driving-a-global-ev-boom/ 📎 Ember