A woke Vermont school district has been deluged with racist threats after it flew a Somali flag in response to President Donald Trump referring to the country’s immigrants as ‘garbage’.

Winooski School District leadership hoisted the flag above a building housing K-12 classrooms and administrative offices on December 5.

It was flown alongside the Vermont state flag and beneath the United States flag in an attempt to show solidarity with the district’s diverse student body, nine percent of whom are of Somali descent.

Somali students cheered and clapped at the sight, telling administrators the flag flying meant a great deal to them, district Superintendent Wilmer Chavarria said.

But just days later the district was inundated with more than 200 harassing calls and messages according to Chavarria, a US citizen who was born at a refugee camp in Nicaragua.

Police are investigating the ‘racist and hateful’ communications, with investigators telling WPTZ that it ‘appears to be part of a coordinated national campaign’.

School officials have taken additional precautions to ensure staff and student safety while the investigation is underway, including stationing police officers at buildings and temporarily shutting down the district website.

Chavarria, whose own family self-deported earlier this year after receiving a worrying notice from immigration authorities, intends to continue celebrating the district’s diversity.

Winooski School District in Vermont has received racist threats after it erected a Somali flag (far right) on top of a building in response to President Donald Trump referring to the country’s immigrants as ‘garbage’

Winooski School District Superintendent Wilmer Chavarria  said the Somali flag was flown alongside the Vermont state flag and beneath the US flag in an attempt to show solidarity with the district’s diverse student body – 9 percent of whom are of Somali descent

Chavarria has said his position as superintendent gave him authority to fly the flag for up to a week without the school board’s explicit approval.

The superintendent said district leadership ‘felt really good about it until the ugliness came knocking Monday morning’.

The district erected the flag of Somalia last Friday during an event with catered Somali food. 

Videos of the gathering were shared widely on social media, resulting in a flood of hostile calls, voicemails and social media posts aimed at district workers and students. 

A district spokesperson told the news outlet that it received ‘significant number of racist and hateful messages’ and that many of them ‘specifically referenced the Somali flag and Somali community members’.

‘Our staff members, our administrators and our community are overwhelmed right now, and they are being viciously attacked,’ Chavarria said Tuesday.

‘The content of those attacks is extremely, extremely deplorable. I don’t know what other word to use.’ 

Chavarria also said the footage circulating online did not show the US and Vermont flags were still up in their proper location, with the American flag at the highest point, which he notes was important context.

The flag was flown on the district building’s third flag mast. The US and Vermont flags were still up in their proper location, with the American flag at the highest point

School officials have taken additional precautions to ensure staff and student safety while the investigation is underway, including stationing police officers at buildings

The Winooski School District is helping law enforcement investigate the continued threats. Vermont State Police have said that ‘none of the messages reviewed so far had presented a credible threat of violence.’ 

Federal authorities last week began an immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota to focus on Somali immigrants living unlawfully in the US.

Trump claimed ‘they contribute nothing’ and said ‘I don’t want them in our country’.

The Minneapolis mayor has defended the newcomers, saying they have started businesses, created jobs and added to the city’s cultural fabric. Most are American citizens and more than half of all Somali people in Minnesota were born in the US.

The Somalian cultural event held in Winooski last Friday was a direct response to Trump’s latest immigration crackdown. 

‘School officials raised the Somali flag as a gesture of support for our Somali students and families,’ Chavarria said in a statement on the district’s Facebook page. 

‘We chose to raise the Somali flag to acknowledge and support our Somali students during a time when many in their community are feeling particularly vulnerable. 

‘This action reflects our commitment to ensuring all students feel seen, valued, and supported in our schools.’

Chavarria is a US citizen who was born at a refugee camp in Nicaragua. His family (pictured) self-deported earlier this year after receiving a worrying notices immigration authorities

Chavarria also admitted he ‘felt sorrow for the students, the families, the little kids that are my responsibility to keep safe’.

Mukhtar Abdullahi, an immigrant who serves as a multilingual liaison for families in the district who speak Somali and a related dialect, said ‘no one, no human being, regardless of where they come from, is garbage’.

Students have asked if their immigrant parents are safe, he added. ‘Regardless of what happens, I know we have a strong community. And I’m very, very, very thankful to be part of it.’

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson has described the threats directed at the school as ‘actions of individuals who have nothing to do with’ Trump.

‘Aliens who come to our country, complain about how much they hate America, fail to contribute to our economy, and refuse to assimilate into our society should not be here,’ Jackson said in a statement late Thursday.

‘And American schools should fly American flags.’

Winooski School District (WSD) appears to take pride in its diverse student body and regularly promotes inclusivity on its social media pages.

The district has an antiracism steering committee, which aims to support staff and administrators in making WSD an ‘antiracist school district’.

District leadership also highlight students’ ‘diverse and unique’ communities in its newsletters and celebrates holidays valued by these cultures. 

President Donald Trump raged against Somali immigrants last week, saying they ‘do nothing but b***h’ about America and should ‘go back to where they came from’. Pictured: Trump stands up to depart after holding a meeting with his Cabinet on December 2

Demonstrators rally in protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement on December 8 amid an immigration operation targeting the Somali community in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Chavarria also appeared before lawmakers in Washington DC on Tuesday to testify against what he and other activists have called ‘unconstitutional detentions’ by ICE.

‘I do not feel like I am free to visit my mother without being afraid that I will be detained or disappeared at any time for any reason,’ Chavarria told the public forum. ‘I don’t think any American should be deprived of the right to visit their mother.’ 

The superintendent was invited to participate in the forum after having been detained by customs agents at a Houston airport in July as he returned home after visiting his family in Nicaragua, WPTZ reported.

He said he was separated from his husband and ‘subjected to abusive interrogation’. 

Comparing the detainment as being ‘abducted by a gang of aggressive, violent people’, he argued that he was ‘treated in a manner that is deeply disturbing and unacceptable’.

His detainment came just three months after his brother, sister-in-law and two nieces self-deported back to Nicaragua, the news outlet reported.

Chavarria’s family reportedly received a notice from Homeland Security ordering them to leave the country or face deportation. 

Immigration authorities sent the notice in April to 532,000 immigrants in the CHNV Parole Program, a Joe Biden initiative which allowed hundreds of thousands of nationals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to enter the US.

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The bodies of two elderly men were found by enforcement agents who were repossessing a funeral parlour in Gosport, Hampshire, which was run by Richard Elkin and Hayley Bell

20:15, 12 Dec 2025Updated 20:24, 12 Dec 2025

Hayley Bell (left) and Richard Elkin face jail(Image: Solent News)

Two funeral directors have been warned to prepare for jail by a judge after a decomposing body was found in their mortuary room.

Richard Elkin, 49, and Hayley Bell, 42, ran Elkin and Bell Funerals in Gosport, Hampshire, and they were convicted of preventing the decent burial of a body and fraud offences following a trial at Portsmouth Crown Court.

Lesley Bates KC, prosecuting, told the trial that the bodies of two elderly men were found by High Court enforcement agents who had been tasked with repossessing the premises because of unpaid rent and debts.

She said that the room was not refrigerated and water was coming in through a leak in the roof of the mortuary room and the body of one of the men, 87-year-old William Mitchell “showed obvious signs of decomposition”.

READ MORE: Screaming mum finds funeral director ‘watching cartoons’ with two dead babiesREAD MORE: Funeral home director ‘handed fake ashes to thousands of pet owners – while actual remains went to landfill’Two bodies were found at Elkin & Bell Funerals in Gosport(Image: Solent News)

The prosecutor said that the defendants had said the body of Mr Mitchell had remained because the cremation fees had not been paid – when the costs had actually been covered by a funeral payment plan. Mr Mitchell’s family “were incredulous” when told by police that his body had not been cremated in the planned private cremation and had even placed a wreath at Portchester Crematorium in the “mistaken belief that his body had been cremated there”, the court heard.

Ms Bates told the jury that there had been five other known cases of “badly decomposed” bodies kept in the mortuary room of Elkin and Bell. There were more than 40 other bodies stored at the funeral directors between June 28, 2022 and December 10, 2023 which were not seen separately at hospital.

She said: “Bearing in mind the condition of the bodies they did see, what happened to these others?” Ms Bates said that the funeral directors was previously investigated by the Gosport Environmental Health Partnership in August 2021 and issued with improvement notices which the defendants responded to by buying a refrigeration unit on eBay which was unsuitable because of the size of the room.

The pair were found guilty at Portsmouth Crown Court(Image: PA)

They were both found guilty at Portsmouth Crown Court of intentionally causing public nuisance between June 27, 2022 and December 11, 2023, preventing lawful burial of a body between November 3, 2023 and December 11, 2023 and carrying on a business fraudulently between August 10, 2022 and December 11, 2023. Along with this Elkin was convicted of the forgery of a certificate of funeral directing and using it as a false certificate on or before December 10, 2023. He had previously pleaded guilty to illegal possession of pepper spray.

Judge James Newton-Price KC adjourned the case for pre-sentence reports to be prepared on the two defendants who will be sentenced on February 19. Releasing them on conditional bail, he told them: “I am going to adjourn sentencing in this case for pre-sentence reports on both defendants because I need to know more about each of you.

“Neither of you gave evidence in this trial and I need to know a little more about your circumstances and the circumstances surrounding these offences. You should prepare yourselves for an immediate custodial sentence.”

Rachel Robertson, of CPS Wessex, said that Elkin and Bell “showed a grave disregard for the dignity owed to the deceased in their care”. She added: “Their conduct caused serious harm to those coming into contact with their business and the families who had placed the care of deceased loved ones in their trust.”

Assistant Chief Constable Paul Bartolomeo, of Hampshire Constabulary, called for new legislation following similar cases elsewhere in the country. He said that the defendants had betrayed the trust of the families “in the worst way possible”.

He added: “We need new legislation rather than relying on common law. We also need better regulation. Combined, this can help ensure that all funeral directors act, as the majority do, with professionalism and compassion.”

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The Belgian prime minister said he is “sceptical” about giving Ukraine a loan using frozen Russian assets, and tells Sky News that it would need to be done with European partners.

Bart De Wever met Sir Keir Starmer at Downing Street on Friday for talks on using frozen Russian assets, the majority of which are held in Belgium, to fund Ukraine.

European Council president Antonio Costa said this week that members were close to greenlighting the proposal, but the Belgian prime minister has not ruled out taking legal action against the EU if the bloc decides to confiscate the assets.

Asked by Sky News’ people and politics correspondent Nick Martin if Belgium holds the key to Ukraine’s future defence, Mr De Wever said “that’s a bit of a cynical question”.

“I don’t think we hold the key, but we do hold a lot of Russian assets,” he said. “Will we do it with a European solution or with the reparation loan? I’m sceptical about a loan. I’m not going to lie.

“That’s because I’m heavily exposed to the liabilities of such an operation. But I’m a loyal European. I’m loyally pro Ukraine.”

Image:
‘I’m not the only one who holds immobilised assets, there are other countries’. Pic: Reuters

The Belgian prime minister then said “if you want to go through with this, we could,” but said there would need to be “the mutualisation of the risk of it being a liquidity safety net”.

“The idea that we do this all together,” he said. “But I’m not the only one who holds immobilised assets, there are other countries like the UK, like France.

“If you go together, then you’re under a big umbrella and you’re not the only one that is exposed to all the risks.”

Russian assets worth €190bn are held in Belgium, De Wever said outside Number 10, compared with €8bn worth in the UK.

When asked if he received assurances on shared liability from Sir Keir, Mr De Wever added: “I’m not sure that I’m at liberty to say what the Prime Minister has told me… but it was a constructive meeting”.

Image:
Pics: Reuters

‘It’s something historic’

Mr De Wever also said that the meeting was timely and noted “I’ve even been described as a Russian asset” for his stance on the proposal.

“It worries me a lot, of course. The exposure risk is huge. €190bn plus damages, and litigation that could go on, go on for two decades.

“It’s a tall order, because until two months ago, we considered this to be an operation that we would never do… It’s not a detail. It’s something historic.

“So to get that all in the right wording, with the right reassurances, it’s quite something.”

A Downing Street spokesperson said in a statement that Mr De Wever and Sir Keir “discussed ongoing work, together with European partners, on addressing Ukraine’s financial needs, including through the use of the value of immobilised Russian Sovereign Assets”.

“They agreed to continue to work together closely to make progress on this complex issue,” they added.

Read more from Sky News:
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UK ‘rapidly developing’ plans to prepare for war

EU indefinitely freezes assets

It comes as Russia’s central bank said on Friday that the plan was “illegal” and that it reserved the right to take any means necessary to protect its interests.

Meanwhile, the EU has indefinitely frozen Russia’s assets in Europe using a special procedure meant for economic emergencies to prevent the billions of euros from being used to support Ukraine.

Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban – who has friendly relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin – accused the European Commission, which prepared the decision, “of systematically raping European law.”

“It is doing this in order to continue the war in Ukraine, a war that clearly isn’t winnable,” he added on social media.

Slovakian prime minister Robert Fico has also said that he would refuse to support any move that “would include covering Ukraine’s military expenses for the coming years”.

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49:17

Michael Clarke answers your Ukraine questions

Zelenskyy to visit Ukraine, Sky News learns

It comes as Sky News learnt from a source that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is planning to visit Berlin on Monday.

He is set to meet German chancellor Friedrich Merz and also speak with representatives of Britain and France, it’s understood.

It also comes as Ukraine’s deputy energy minister said that Russia has launched 1,800 missiles, 50,000 drones and attacked energy facilities 4,500 times since the start of the year.

Roman Andarak told a briefing: “There are no examples in recent history of an energy system existing under such conditions – such large-scale, targeted terror.

“Unfortunately, this terror is intensifying every day.”

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Kilmar Abrego Garcia walked out of a US courthouse without being arrested by immigration authorities, relieving fears ICE may attempt to take him back into custody the day after he was released.

Published On 12 Dec 202512 Dec 2025

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Angry French farmers are calling for more protests over the government-backed slaughter of cattle herds affected by so-called Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD).

On Thursday there were clashes between riot police and demonstrators in the southern Ariège department, after vets were called in to destroy potentially contaminated cattle at a farm.

Elsewhere in the south, farmers have dumped manure outside government buildings and blocked roads. The offices of several environmentalist groups were ransacked in the Charente-Maritime department.

LSD is a highly contagious bovine disease which is transmitted mainly by fly-bites. The symptoms are fever, mucal discharge and nodules on the skin.

Though mainly non-fatal, it can badly affect milk-production and the cows are unsaleable.

The disease arrived in Europe from Africa about ten years ago. France’s first outbreak was in the Alps in June, when an infected herd forced the Tour de France cycle race to cut short one of its stages.

The government’s policy of slaughtering entire herds where a single animal has been infected has run up against bitter opposition from two of the three main farmers’ unions.

Conféderation Rurale and Conféderation Paysanne say the policy is being brutally applied, and is in any case unnecessary because a combination of selective culling and vaccination would suffice.

But most vets disagree.

“Right now we are unable to tell the difference between a healthy animal and a symptomless animal carrying the virus. That is the only reason we have to carry out these whole-herd slaughters,” said Stephanie Philizot who heads the SNGTV vets’ union.

Since June there have been around 110 outbreaks of LSD in France, originally in the east but now increasingly in the south-west. Ministry officials blame the illegal movement of cattle from affected zones. Around 3,000 animals have been slaughtered.

The French government is worried the protests could snowball into a wider movement among a farming population that feels itself under growing threat from the imposition of EU norms and competition from abroad.

A big protest is planned in Brussels next week during the summit of EU leaders. Several French farming sectors are in deep crisis, from wine-growers hit by falling consumption to poultry farmers hit by avian flu.

There is also widespread opposition to the impending signature of an EU free-trade agreement with South American countries, which farmers fear will open France to more cheap food imports, much of it produced under looser environmental and sanitary constraints.

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Citizens of nations conventionally considered low-risk US allies will soon have to provide their social media handles upon arrival to the country. Under plans announced this week by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), travelers from 42 countries including Germany, Israel, Australia and Japan will be subject to the same tight scrutiny as the rest of the world has been since 2019.

Up until now, travelers from the 42 countries have enjoyed a visa waiver, meaning they can travel to the US for up to 90 days without applying for a visa, as long as they get authorization through the lighter-touch Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). The new proposals mean travelers will likely soon be obliged to share their social media history, phone numbers and email addresses as part of the travel authorization process.

The DHS said the proposal, which will reportedly come into effect on February 8, 2026, unless challenged in court beforehand, originated from US President Donald Trump’s January order for arrivals to be “vetted and screened to the maximum degree.” It comes on the heels of an announcement by the State Department in August that all US visa holders would be under “continuous vetting,” including on social media.

How would a social media check for travelers work?

While travelers will be required to provide social media handles and phone numbers used in the last five years and email addresses in the last 10 years, on their entry forms, there will be no requirement to hand over log in details.

How dangerous are TikTok & Co. for democracy?

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Therefore, in theory, the US government can only see publicly available information, unless it gathers further details directly from social media companies — something that has not been stated as a possibility in the documentation. It does however say that biometric data and a host of personal details on applicants’ family members will be added to the entry requirements when “feasible.” 

The proposal is thin on details of how it will monitor social media accounts provided or how it already does. But the logistics of actively monitoring such a huge number of accounts poses a number of questions as David Ellis, an expert on digital behavior from the University of Bath, England, explained to DW.

“How are they going to manage all that data? Are they just interested in what you’re saying or is it what you consume too?” Ellis, part of the university’s Institute for Digital Security and Behavior, said.

“Most people don’t say much online but there is obviously content that we all see online that we don’t agree with, that we didn’t want to see. So how do they [the US government] draw a distinction between that being a red flag, and just something that was served up and you watched for three seconds?”

What would the US government look for in tourist social media posts?

The executive order that sparked the proposal cites concerns about terrorism as a reason for increasing the spotlight on those from overseas. “The United States must ensure that admitted aliens and aliens otherwise already present in the United States do not bear hostile attitudes toward its citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles, and do not advocate for, aid, or support designated foreign terrorists and other threats to our national security,” it reads.

For Ellis, phrases like “hostile attitudes” are dangerously open to interpretation and perhaps could be used against people who have liked, viewed or shared something that they may not even agree with.

“You could look at someone’s TikTok history and see they saw a video that was promoting extreme views, but they only watched it for a second. Is that better than if it were 30 seconds?” he asked. “Ethically, they should give justification, but they could just say ‘we don’t like your social media use’ to make things difficult for people who want to come to the country with perfectly good intentions.”

There is no specific reference to what would disallow a person from entering the US. A clue may come in the US government’s catch-and-revoke policy, described by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as a “one-strike policy” which aims to identify and expel foreign nationals in violation of US legislation — independent of that infraction’s severity.

US judge rules Columbia student Khalil can be deported

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The program uses AI-powered surveillance tools to monitor foreign nationals in the US by monitoring their presence on social media and at protests. Law experts and rights groups have warned that the program particularly targets individuals appearing to express support for US-designated terrorist organizations such as Hamas or Hezbollah when speaking out for Palestinian rights.  

Ellis suspects similar, if not the same, technology, will be used for tourists under the new proposal.

“It’ll almost have to be AI.” he said. “The resource required to manually go through it is just never going to happen. They are going to have to use specific queries and things to look for. There will be a huge financial and environmental cost there, whatever is decided. I do wonder how much it’s been thought through and how many ‘bad people’ it’ll actually catch,” he added.

Are there privacy concerns?

Most obviously, those who post anonymously online would forfeit their privacy on entry to the US. There are also concerns about the use of data. In the EU, users can find out what data is held on them by social media companies, but no such mechanism is available to the individual in the US.

US stance, policy on Europe ‘not helpful,’ MEP tells DW

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There are also concerns that the changes will mean every visitor to the US can be tracked for as long as the government wants to. “Nearly every non-US citizen who seeks to enter or remain in the United States would be subject to indefinite social media surveillance by the US government,” Caroline DeCell, a legislative advisor at Columbia University’s Knight First Amendment Institute, told Al Jazeera.

The First Amendment of the US Constitution guarantees the freedom of religion, speech, the press and peaceful assembly. DeCell is among those who fear the changes mean potential visitors or immigrants to the US will have to censor their speech on social media should they wish to travel or reside in the country.

There are also concerns for the millions traveling to the 2026 FIFA World Cup , hosted in Canada, Mexico and the United States. Iran and Haiti fans are already unwelcome due to the travel ban imposed by Trump. Ronan Evain, the executive director of Football Supporters Europe, said the rights of those who travel to the games should be protected.

“Freedom of expression and the right to privacy are universal human rights. No football fan surrenders those rights just because they cross a border. This policy introduces a chilling atmosphere of surveillance … and it must be withdrawn immediately.”

Edited by: Maren Sass

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Archaeologists in Turkey have discovered a fresco of a Roman-looking Jesus as the “Good Shepherd,” which is being hailed as one of the most important finds from Anatolia’s early Christian era.

The work of art was found in August in an underground tomb near the town of Iznik, where the Nicene Creed, a foundational statement of Christian belief, was adopted in A.D. 325. The tomb itself is believed to date back to the third century, when the area was still under the Roman Empire and Christians faced persecution.

POPE LEO XIV OPENS FIRST FOREIGN TRIP IN TURKEY WITH A VISIT TO CHRISTIANITY’S EARLY HEARTLANDS

Archaeologists clean and restore frescoes inside a 3rd-century tomb where a rare early Christian depiction of Jesus as the “Good Shepherd” was discovered, in Iznik, Turkey, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. (Khalil Hamra/AP Photo)

The fresco shows a youthful, clean-shaven Jesus dressed in a toga and carrying a goat on his shoulders, according to The Associated Press, which was the first international media organization given access to the tomb. The outlet noted that researchers say the fresco represents one of the rare instances in Anatolia in which Jesus is portrayed with Roman attributes.

The lead archaeologist on the project believes the artwork could be the “only example of its kind in Anatolia,” the AP reported.

A fresco depicting Jesus as the “Good Shepherd” adorns the wall of a 3rd-century tomb in Hisardere, where archaeologists uncovered one of Anatolia’s best-preserved early Christian artworks, in Iznik, Turkey, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. (Khalil Hamra/AP Phto)

POPE LEO XIV CALLS FOR ‘DIVINE GIFT OF PEACE’ IN MAIDEN VISIT TO MIDDLE EAST

Pope Leo XIV recently visited the town as part of his first overseas trip since taking the helm of the Vatican. While in Iznik, Pope Leo XIV marked the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which set forth the Nicene Creed that millions of Christians still read today.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) welcomes Pope Leo XIV (R) with an official welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkiye, on Nov. 27, 2025.  (Utku Ucrak/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan presented a tile painting of the “Good Shepherd” discovery to the pope, according to the AP.

While in Turkey, Pope Leo XIV was joined by Eastern and Western patriarchs and priests as they prayed that Christians would one day be united once again. They prayed together over the site where the council produced the Nicene Creed. The men recited the creed, which the pope said was “of fundamental importance in the journey that Christians are making toward full communion,” according to the AP.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Rachel Wolf is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and FOX Business.

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Illinois residents with terminal illnesses will soon be able to choose to end their lives on their own terms.

Gov. JB Pritzker signed the Medical Aid in Dying act into law Friday. It is also known as “Deb’s Law” in recognition of Deb Robertson, a lifelong resident of the state living with a rare terminal illness who has pushed for the measure’s approval.

She has testified to the suffering of people and their families wanting the chance to decide for themselves how and when their lives should end.

Pritzker said he was moved by stories of patients suffering from terminal illness and their devotion to “freedom and choice at the end of life in the midst of personal heartbreak.”

“This legislation will be thoughtfully implemented so that physicians can consult patients on making deeply personal decisions with authority, autonomy, and empathy,” Pritzker said after singing the measure in Chicago.

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Deb Robertson, the retired social worker from suburban Chicago who gave a name to the law, thanked Pritzker for signing the law providing ‘the full range of end-of-life options’ (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The law takes effect in September 2026 to give the Illinois Department of Public Health and other medical participants time to develop “stringent processes and protections” for implementing the provision, according to the Democratic governor’s office.

Eleven other states and the District of Columbia offer medical aid in dying, according to the advocacy group, Death With Dignity. Delaware was the latest, and its provision takes effect Jan. 1, 2026. Seven other states are considering allowing it.

In Illinois, patients 18 and older with physician-confirmed mental capacity to make medical decisions may request end-of-life medication if they have an illness that could be fatal within six months, as verified by two doctors; as well as have received information about all end-of-life care options, such as hospice or palliative care.

Additionally, both oral and written requests for the medication must come from the patient, not a surrogate or proxy.

Sponsoring Sen. Linda Holmes, a suburban Chicago Democrat, said both her parents died of cancer.

“I’ll never forget the helpless feeling of watching them suffer when there was nothing I could do to help them,” Holmes said. “Every adult patient of sound mind should have this as one more option in their end-of-life care in the event their suffering becomes unbearable.”

The Illinois House approved the measure 63-42 in late May at the end of the legislative spring session. The Senate didn’t take it up until October, when it was approved 30-27. In both chambers, there were prominent Democratic “no” votes.

The Catholic Conference of Illinois, representing the state’s six Catholic dioceses, issued a statement disparaging Pritzker’s action, saying the law puts Illinois “on a dangerous and heartbreaking path.”

“Rather than investing in real end-of-life support such as palliative and hospice care, pain management, and family-centered accompaniment, our state has chosen to normalize killing oneself,” the Catholic bishops said. “This law ignores the very real failures in access to quality care that drive vulnerable people to despair.”

The conference also derided the idea that Illinois has legalized suicide for some while attempting to prevent it in others, particularly teenagers, among whom suicide is the second-leading cause of death. That sentiment was echoed by the nonpartisan advocacy and lobbyist group Patients Rights Action Fund.

“Assisted suicide plunges Illinoisans with disabilities and other vulnerable people into conversations about death, instead of the care and support they deserve from their medical teams,” said Matt Valliere, the group’s president and CEO.

Deb Robertson, the retired social worker from suburban Chicago who gave a name to the law, thanked Pritzker for signing the law providing “the full range of end-of-life options.”

Robertson added, “The end for me could be near, but I’m pleased to have been able to play some role in ensuring that terminally ill Illinois residents have access to medical aid in dying.”

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NEED TO KNOW

• Liam Neeson narrates the new documentary, Plague of Corruption, which expresses skepticism toward vaccines and includes discredited science
• A representative for Neeson released a statement stressing that the actor “never has been, and is not, anti-vaccination”
• Neeson has previously advocated for vaccines, saying that conversation about them in recent years has “lost sight of how much good they have done”

Liam Neeson is countering speculation that he is against vaccinations.

On Friday, Dec. 12, the Naked Gun star clarified his stance on vaccines after being tied to the controversial documentary, Plague of Corruption: 80 Years of Pharmaceutical Corruption Exposed. The 73-year-old narrates the new documentary, which expresses skepticism toward vaccines and includes discredited science.

In a statement to PEOPLE, a representative for Neeson stressed that he has “never been” anti-vaccination.

“We all recognize that corruption can exist within the pharmaceutical industry, but that should never be conflated with opposition to vaccines,” the representative said. “Liam never has been, and is not, anti-vaccination. His extensive work with UNICEF underscores his long-held support for global immunization and public-health initiatives. He did not shape the film’s editorial content, and any questions about its claims or messaging should be directed to the producers.”

The documentary is based on the 2021 book of the same name, co-authored by Judy Mikovits, a discredited former scientist who espoused disinformation and encouraged people not to get the COVID-19 vaccine, and Kent Heckenlively, who previously referred to himself as the “world’s #1 anti-vaxxer.”

In the narration by Neeson, he reportedly states that those on the pro-vaccine side have demanded “unconditional submission to our public institutions” and “science has become dangerously politicised,” the Guardian reports.

Additionally, the film reportedly features an interview with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and praises President Donald Trump. Both men have spread debunked theories and shared misinformation about the safety of vaccines and supported the removal of long-standing vaccine mandates.

Liam Neeson.

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In response to Neeson’s involvement in the documentary, Heckenlively posted on X last month saying, “Liam Neeson for the win. Aslan is on our side!”

Despite the controversy, in the past, Neeson has advocated for vaccines in his role as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. 

In 2022, the Taken actor said, “Vaccines are a remarkable human success story. Over the last 75 years, billions of children have been vaccinated, thanks to scientists, to health workers, to volunteers. If you’ve ever been vaccinated, or vaccinated your children, then you are part of the arm-to-arm chain that keeps all humanity safe.”

“The conversation about vaccines in recent years has lost sight of how much good they have done for each of us,” he continued. “We need to celebrate this. It is perhaps one of the biggest collective achievements in human history.”

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A menacing ‘shadow fleet’ of tanker ships is sailing just miles from the US coastline— brazenly transporting sanctioned Iranian oil while President Trump continues his  military campaign against alleged drug smugglers in the very same waters.

A bombshell new report obtained exclusively by the Daily Mail exposes a deep, clandestine network of 20 illicit tankers currently lurking in the Caribbean, serving as a lifeline for the regimes of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro, Iran and Russia.

United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), which has spent over 12 years tracking these elusive vessels, has identified 11 ships directly linked to Iran’s oil trade—including the ‘Skipper’ and ‘Star Twinkle 6’—alongside nine others tied to Russian and Venezuelan operations.

The stakes could not be higher. The Skipper’s revenues reportedly fund terrorist activity by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah, prop up hostile regimes and provide cut-price oil to China.

Jemima Shelley, Senior Research Analyst at UANI, warns this reality could lure Trump into a dangerous provocation with Iran, pointing to the strong ideological alliance forged between Maduro and the Ayatollah.

‘Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism and its illicit oil sales are the main source of funding for its global terrorist activities,’ Shelley told the Daily Mail. 

‘The IRGC—a designated foreign terrorist organization—is not only using this oil revenue to revamp its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile program, but also to actively plot terror on US soil, including against senior members of the US administration,’ she added.

The sheer scale of this operation was brought into sharp focus on Thursday with the dramatic seizure of the Skipper.

A satellite image of BERTHA provided by UANI. Friday, it was seen loading Venezuelan oil from the Jose Terminal

The FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Coast Guard, with support from the Department of War, executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran. For multiple years, the oil tanker has been sanctioned by the United States due to its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations

News of the interception broke after US Attorney General Pam Bondi released a 45-second video on X

The stakes could not be higher. The Skipper’s revenues reportedly support terrorist activity by the IRGC and Hezbollah, prop up hostile regimes and provide cheap oil to China

News of the interception broke after US Attorney General Pam Bondi released a 45-second video on X. 

The footage captures the high-stakes raid: two helicopters swoop down over the vessel in open water, deploying armed agents in camouflage who rappel onto the deck to seize control.

The operation, carried out by the FBI, Homeland Security and the Coast Guard with US military support, marks a significant escalation. It is the first Venezuelan oil cargo seized since US sanctions were imposed in 2019.

While Iran-linked tankers are most often tracked in the Persian Gulf and Asia, the Skipper’s interception off the Venezuelan coast signals a dangerous geographical diversification.

These ‘Ghost Armadas’—clandestine fleets shared by Iran, Russia, and Venezuela—are no longer distant threats; they are at America’s doorstep – navigating waters dangerously close to the US.

Shelley told the Daily Mail that the seizure of the Skipper is just the tip of the iceberg, revealing new data on the massive revenue these ships generate.

‘At UANI, we have acquired data showing that there are at least 10 additional dark fleet vessels in the Caribbean with a similar history of transporting illicit Iranian oil,’ Shelley said. ‘In total, these 10 vessels have in the past carried over 29 million barrels of Iranian crude, generating approximately $1.8 billion for the Iranian regime.’

Iran’s embassy in Caracas condemned the raid on X, labeling it a ‘grave violation of international laws and norms’

According to UANI leaders, the ships’ presence in the Caribbean highlights the highly coordinated and flexible operations of these dark fleets. The vessels are interchangeable assets in an illicit alliance between Tehran, Moscow, and Caracas.

‘The revenue made by Iran’s illicit oil trade and transported by the dark fleet serves as the primary funding source for the Iranian regimes’ nuclear program and global terrorist activities,’ Shelley explained, ‘as well as its efforts to assassinate US citizens, including on American soil.’

The geopolitical fallout has been immediate. 

Iran’s embassy in Caracas condemned the raid on X, labeling it a ‘grave violation of international laws and norms.’

Meanwhile, the US has officially sanctioned the Skipper for its role in the Iranian oil trade and is reportedly planning further seizures as part of an intensifying pressure campaign against Nicolás Maduro’s government.

UANI leaders warn that this is only the beginning. Their comprehensive list of vessels provides a clear roadmap of potential targets—and with the US signaling its readiness to act, the hunt for the rest of the Ghost Armada is on.

The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment.  

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