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Russia’s Defense Ministry on Wednesday released nighttime video footage it claimed shows the wreckage of a Ukrainian drone intercepted during an attempted attack on a residence used by President Vladimir Putin.

The video, filmed in a snow-covered, forested area in Russia, shows a Russian serviceman standing over debris that Moscow said belongs to a Ukrainian-made Chaklun-V drone.

Russian officials also said the drone was shot down before it could strike Putin’s residence near Lake Valdai in the Novgorod region and was carrying a six-kilogram explosive device that failed to detonate.

The footage was released as Moscow faced mounting skepticism over its account of events.

PUTIN REJECTS KEY PARTS OF US PEACE PLAN AS KREMLIN OFFICIAL WARNS EUROPE FACES NEW WAR RISK: REPORT

Satellite imagery shows Vladimir Putin’s residential complex in Roshchino, Novgorod Region, Russia Aug. 31, 2023.  (Planet Labs PBC/Handout via Reuters)

The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that U.S. national security officials concluded Ukraine did not target Putin or any of his residences in the alleged drone incident.

The Journal said the finding was supported by a CIA assessment that determined no attempted attack on Putin occurred, citing a U.S. official briefed on the intelligence.

Instead, Ukraine, they said, was believed to be targeting a military site it had previously struck in the same region but not near Putin’s residence, the official said.

Ukrainian officials have continued to reject the allegations, with a military drone expert claiming the video provided little evidence of an attempted strike on one of Russia’s most heavily secured locations.

UKRAINE SAYS IT CARRIED OUT FIRST-EVER UNDERWATER DRONE STRIKE ON RUSSIAN SUBMARINE IN NOVOROSSIYSK

Russia releases drone footage of the alleged Ukraine attack on Putin’s residence. (Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via Reuters )

“This footage, unfortunately, does not offer proof of anything other than that there is a wrecked drone on the ground somewhere being stood over by a Russian serviceman,” Draganfly CEO Cameron Chell told Fox News Digital.

Chell, whose firm supplies drones to the U.S. Department of Defense and its allies, said the drone shown in the video looked ill-suited for such a mission.

“The attacks that occurred on Dec. 29 were also hundreds of kilometers away,” he added.

“The engines on the drone in this new footage are very small, and though capable of multiple hours of flight with the type of fixed-wing drone displayed, it would be extremely slow and unsophisticated.

“This drone is not untypical of many Ukraine drones, but these would only be used for infrastructure targets and woefully ineffective in an attack on a facility the likes of Putin’s residence,” Chell concluded.

PUTIN SAYS RUSSIA WON’T LAUNCH NEW ATTACKS ON OTHER COUNTRIES ‘IF YOU TREAT US WITH RESPECT’

The Russian Defense ministry shows a downed drone after an alleged drone attack on Putin’s residence. (Russian Defense Ministry/Handout via Reuters )

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi also dismissed the footage as “laughable,” saying Kyiv was “absolutely confident that no such attack took place,” according to Reuters.

Russia alleges the drone was part of a broader Ukrainian operation targeting Putin’s residence earlier this week.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov asserted 91 drones had been intercepted en route to Putin’s residence, a figure that appeared to conflict with earlier Defense Ministry statements.

The ministry initially reported that 89 drones were shot down across eight regions, including 18 over Novgorod, before revising the numbers upward. 

RUSSIA ALLEGES ATTACK ON PUTIN RESIDENCE AS UKRAINE DENIES CLAIM AHEAD OF TRUMP TALKS

A Ukrainian air intelligence soldier carries a drone in the direction of Bakhmut, Ukraine, May 10, 2024. (Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Only after Lavrov’s remarks did the Defense Ministry claim that 49 drones intercepted over Bryansk — nearly 300 miles from Valdai — were also targeting the presidential residence.

The ministry initially reported that 89 drones were shot down across eight regions, including 18 over Novgorod, before revising the numbers upward. 

The timing of the allegations has also drawn scrutiny, coming shortly after what Moscow described publicly as a positive meeting between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Florida.

Zelenskyy also called the alleged drone attack a “complete fabrication,” saying it was designed to justify further Russian strikes and undermine diplomatic efforts.

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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected Ukraine’s denials and said Moscow would toughen its diplomatic stance.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.

Emma Bussey is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital. Before joining Fox, she worked at The Telegraph with the U.S. overnight team, across desks including foreign, politics, news, sport and culture. 

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Actor George Clooney and his wife Amal Clooney were granted French citizenship because “they contribute, through their distinguished actions, to France’s international influence and cultural outreach,” the French government said Wednesday, defending their naturalization that was questioned by a junior French minister.

The naturalizations of the Kentucky-born star of the “Ocean’s” series of heist movies, his wife and human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, and their twins Ella and Alexander were announced last weekend in the Journal Officiel, where French government decrees are published.

Marie-Pierre Vedrenne, a junior minister at the Interior Ministry, expressed misgivings Wednesday that some of the Clooneys’ new French compatriots may think that the star couple was granted special treatment. The actor speaks only what he himself says is “horrible, horrible” French.

“The message being sent is not good,” Vedrenne said in an interview with broadcaster France Info. “There is an issue of fairness that, in my eyes, is absolutely essential.”

The couple purchased an estate in France in 2021 and Clooney has said that it’s their primary residence. Non-French residents of France have multiple possible routes to becoming naturalized. It wasn’t clear whether the 64-year-old actor retained his American citizenship. His 47-year-old wife was born in Lebanon and raised in the U.K and naturalized by France under her maiden name, Amal Alamuddin. The 8-year-old twins were born in London.

The Foreign Ministry said the Clooneys were eligible for citizenship under a French law that allows for the naturalization of foreign nationals who contribute to France’s international influence and economic well-being.

It argued that France’s cinema industry will benefit from the actor’s clout as a global movie star and said that as a lawyer, Amal Clooney regularly works with academic institutions and international organizations in France.

“They maintain strong personal, professional and family ties with our country,” the ministry said.

“Like many French citizens, we are delighted to welcome Georges and Amal Clooney into the national community,” it concluded, giving the actor’s first name a French twist by adding the “s” at the end.

The decision was also defended by Vedrenne’s superior at the Interior Ministry, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, who said he signed the naturalization decree.

“It’s a big chance for our country,” he said.

In recent media interviews when he was promoting “Jay Kelly,” Clooney said that he is trying to teach himself French using a language-learning app. He said that his wife and children speak the language perfectly.

“They speak French in front of me so that they can say terrible things about me to my face and I don’t know,” he joked, speaking to French broadcaster Canal+.

French media have reported that the Clooneys live part-time in their luxury 18th-century villa outside the town of Brignoles in southern France, where they can keep a lower profile and their children are protected from unauthorized photographs by French privacy laws.

In an interview with Esquire in October, Clooney said: “I was worried about raising our kids in L.A., in the culture of Hollywood.”

“I don’t want them to be walking around worried about paparazzi. I don’t want them being compared to somebody else’s famous kids,” he said. Growing up away from the spotlight in France, “they have dinner with grown-ups and have to take their dishes in. They have a much better life.”

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NEED TO KNOW

• Amy Schumer shared a glimpse of her New Year’s Eve as a newly single woman
• In early December, the actress and comedian announced that she and Chris Fischer would divorce after seven years of marriage
• The former couple are parents to one son, whom they welcomed in May 2019

Amy Schumer is gearing up for New Year’s Eve in her single era. 

Hours ahead of the big ball drop, the 44-year-old Kinda Pregnant actress gave her followers a sneak peek into how she would be spending her evening with two posts on Instagram.

“Happy New Year! #sensualphoto,” she captioned a Wednesday, Dec. 31 Instagram snap.

The single picture featured the newly single Schumer sitting alone on a sofa in a dimly lit room. She wore a loose-fitting T-shirt underneath a black hoodie and was makeup-free with her hair in a ponytail. She also crossed her eyes and made a funny face while holding onto a container of spaghetti. 

Amy Schumer.

Amy Schumer/instagram

Schumer shared the same photo in a post to her Instagram Stories, this time adding the text, “Who’s kissing this at midnight?”

On Dec. 12, the Trainwreck actress confirmed her split from Chris Fischer, announcing online that the couple had called it quits after seven years of marriage.

“Blah blah blah Chris and I have made the difficult decision to end our marriage after 7 years,” the comedian wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post. 

“We love each other very much and will continue to focus on raising our son. We would appreciate people respecting our privacy at this time. blah blah blah not becisse I dropped some lbs and thought I could bag s basket and not because he’s a hot Janlmes beard award winning chef who can still pull some hot tail. Amicable and all love and respect! Family forever,” she continued.

At the time, a source close to the pair exclusively told PEOPLE, “There’s nothing ugly. It’s a cohesive split. They’ve just been finalizing a few things.”

The former couple, who tied the knot in February 2018, are parents to son Gene, whom they welcomed in May 2019. 

Months before news of their divorce, Schumer showed off a dramatic weight loss transformation in October. 

Amy Schumer and Chris Fischer at the Minetta Lane Theatre in January 2019.

Cindy Ord/Getty

More recently, the I Feel Pretty actress showed off her shape in an Instagram Stories selfie of what appeared to be her makeup-free face with her hair pulled into a ponytail on Monday, Dec. 29.

The photo, which was taken near a full-length mirror, included her body from her head to about mid-thigh. 

“@skims lyfe,” she wrote over the image of herself in a short and form-fitting bodysuit.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Schumer also prepped for the New Year by letting go of the home she once shared with Fischer, 45. 

In March, they listed their Brooklyn townhouse for $14 million. However, the home sold for $3 million less at $11 million in late November, a representative for The Corcoran Group previously confirmed to PEOPLE.

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By JAMIE BULLEN, LIVE COVERAGE EDITOR and SAM CHISHOLM and NOOR QURASHI, NEWS REPORTER and SHANNON MCGUIGAN, NEWS REPORTER

Updated: 23:47 GMT, 31 December 2025

New Year’s Eve celebrations are taking place across the world tonight as we mark the final remaining hours of 2025.

Japan and South Korea became the first Asian nations to see in the new year with traditional bell-ringing celebrations taking place across Tokyo and Seoul. 

Parties soon followed in Beijing, Singapore, Taiwan and Manila where the clock struck midnight an hour later. 

It comes as Australia and New Zealand were the first major countries to enter 2026 with celebrations in Sydney particularly poignant as people honoured the victims killed in the Bondi Beach terror attack earlier this month. 

Throughout the day, the final countdown will take place in cities across Asia, Africa and Europe before Big Ben strikes at midnight to kick off the new year for the UK.

Across Britain, revellers have been told to wear extra layers when they head out to watch fireworks displays with the Met Office issuing a snow warning for London later this week.

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Follow the latest updates on New Year’s Eve celebrations below 

How are YOU celebrating the new year? Will it be with a packet of Tesco’s 12 (seedless!) grapes – on offer for £1.25?

Let us know in the comments how you plan on ringing in the new year.

If you plan on following the century-old Spanish tradition of eating 12 grapes at midnight, perhaps you’ve gone and purchased them from Tesco – which is selling a dozen grapes a pack (seedless, mind you) for £1.25.

Have a read about it below.

Keir Starmer: A message of ‘hope’

If you missed Keir Starmer’s message of ‘hope’ for the coming year, you can watch it here below, in all its glory.

Scotland is READY to celebrate the new year

Fireworks are currently lighting up the sky over Edinburgh Castle.

Images show the city’s streets packed with revellers who are ready for midnight.

In some, people can even be seen donning hats with the Scottish flag across as they hold up cans of drink with some of the country’s iconic landmarks behind them.

And so the chaos begins … police are pictured detaining a man in Birmingham while elsewhere in the city a reveller is wheeled away on a stretcher by paramedics

With celebrations now fully underway across the UK, police are already having to deal with incidents ahead of the new year.

In Birmingham, officers were pictured detaining a man on the street.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the city, a reveller was wheeled away by paramedics.

IN PICTURES: France welcomes in the new year with stunning display

Fireworks explode in the early hours of this morning as ‘2026’ was projected onto the Arc de Triomphe during the New Year’s celebrations on the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris, France.

Fireworks displays cancelled in Russia’s capital

New images show armed officers patrolling Russia’s capital, Moscow.

In the city’s Red Square, fireworks displays were cancelled, with the area shut to visitors until 8am on January 1.

However, not too far away, happy Russians were pictured embracing one another as they celebrated the beginnings of 2026 next to St Basil’s Cathedral.

Breaking:More than 45 European countries now welcome the new year … with just one hour to go before the UK follows…

Germany, France and Spain are among the more than 45 countries that have now welcomed in 2026.

Also ringing in the new year are African nations including Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Central African Republic and Morocco.

This means there is now just an hour to go before the UK follows suit.

Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate this evening is pictured below as well as fireworks exploding over Thermaikos gulf next to the White Tower in Thessaloniki during the country’s celebrations.

IN PICTURES: Partygoers across the UK gear up for the high and lows of New Year’s Eve

Partygoers take to the streets of Leeds and Newcastle to celebrate the upcoming year.

Huge crowds forming in central London

With little more than one hour to go huge crowds have now formed by the London Eye – with the landmark already illuminated in blue ahead of the clock hitting 12.

The Metropolitan Police has issued a dispersal order across vast swathes of central London after barriers were erected and park gates locked in a bid to stop crowds of revellers gathering on New Year’s Eve.

The force declared a large area across the capital city had been placed under a dispersal order as officers prepare to tackle anti-social behaviour while ushering in 2026.

‘It gives officers the power to order people to leave the area. Those who refuse to do so are liable to arrest,’ it said, while reasserting London’s spectacular fireworks display was ‘fully sold out’.

‘Please be aware of scammers trying to sell fraudulent tickets. We’ve just arrested three people doing so near Trafalgar Square,’ the spokesperson added.

It comes as barriers were erected and gates have been locked in parks across London ahead of tonight’s celebrations in a bid to prevent partygoers congregating.

Among the famous parks in the capital city that have been blocked off to the public by ‘grotesque’ barriers tonight is Primrose Hill in Camden.

A popular viewing spot for the fireworks with its panoramic views of London, there were an estimated 30,000 people celebrating at the park last year.

But tonight, the area has been turned into a no-go zone for ‘public safety’, with the gates set to be locked until 6am after parks police were axed in a bid to reduce costs.

READ MORE BELOW:

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer wishes the nation a Happy New Year’s

Sir Keir Starmer has wished the nation as he promised ‘renewal’ would become ‘reality’ in Britain.

By Martin Beckford

Sir Keir Starmer has promised that his Government will make people’s lives easier in 2026 in an attempt to turn round his failing fortunes.

In an upbeat New Year’s message on Wednesday night, the Prime Minister echoed the New Labour anthem as he vowed that ‘things can and will get better’.

He admitted many Britons are still struggling and said he too felt frustrated by how slow change has been, in an acknowledgment of his administration’s failings since his party won the election 18 months ago.

But he insisted that the situation will change this coming year, with reduced bills and improved public services, amid a widespread belief in Westminster that his own job will be on the line unless he can turn around his party’s dire poll ratings as crucial elections loom.

In a video message broadcast online on New Year’s Eve, Sir Keir said: ‘Things have been tough in Britain for a while. For many, life is still harder than it should be. You long for a bit more money in your pockets, a meal out, a holiday. The chance to make a special family moment extra special.

‘In 2026, the choices we’ve made will mean more people will begin to feel positive change in your bills, your communities and your health service.

‘But even more people will feel once again a sense of hope, a belief that things can and will get better, feel that the promise of renewal can become a reality, and my government will make it that reality.

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New Year’s Eve: UK gears up to celebrate ‘best of British’ after dazzling displays in Europe and UAE – live updates

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An intruder was apprehended after twice gaining entry to Kensington Palace in London, in incidents a policing expert claimed were a ‘serious cause for concern’

The intruder broke into the home of William and Kate twice(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

The Prince and Princess of Wales were twice intruded upon by a man allegedly wearing a “heavy rucksack”, who vaulted into their official residence as the royals prepared for Christmas.

Derek Egan, 39, was reportedly seen hauling the rucksack as he climbed over a fence into Kensington Palace, the couple’s royal residence, two days before Christmas this year. The Metropolitan Police confirmed Egan had been charged, in a statement this evening. A spokesperson for the police service said Egan was able to gain access to the property’s gardens but was apprehended both times by specialist royal protection officers from the London Metropolitan Police.

The reported incidents were branded a “serious cause for concern”, with the intruder managing to gain entry twice despite having been initially bailed by police.

The intruder is said to have vaulted over the barrier to Kensington Palace twice(Image: Getty Images)

The Met Police said the intruder was charged with two counts of trespassing following the repeated alleged incidents on December 21 and 23. A spokesperson said: “On Tuesday, 23 December, Derek Egan, 39, of Clayfield Way, Hillingdon was charged with trespassing on a protected site and breaching bail conditions. He was remanded in custody and appeared at Bromley Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, 24 December.

“The charges relate to incidents on Sunday, 21 December and Tuesday, 23 December when Egan was arrested on suspicion of trespassing on a protected site in Palace Green, Kensington.”

Experts have called for a major investigation after the latest royal intrusion – which took place as the royals and their staff prepared for Christmas. Dai Davies, the former head of the Met Police’s Royal and Specialist Protection branch, said the nature of the offending gives “serious cause for concern”.

He added the police must now work out what level of danger the Royal Family was in at the time. He told The Sun: “The fact he repeated the offending after being given bail, given the nature of it, gives serious cause for concern. The police must work out what level of danger the Royal Family were in, and based on the charges, why on Earth he was given bail?”

The Prince and Princess of Wales, who reside permanently in Windsor, are not believed to have been living in Kensington Palace at the time.

But they were reportedly spending the days preceding the alleged dual incidents in London while preparing for the Royal Family’s traditional Sandringham Christmas. The alleged intruder is the latest in a long line of intruders who have gained access to royal properties before being apprehended.

The royals were reportedly not at home at the time, but were over the previous days(Image: AP)

In 2023, Jaswant Singh Chail, 21, was sentenced to nine years in jail for treason after he was found to have tried entering Windsor Castle on Christmas Day 2021 armed with a crossbow while the late Queen Elizabeth II was in residence.

The Old Bailey in London heard during his trial that he was spurred on by an AI “girlfriend” named Sarai, and inspired by storylines from the Star Wars films. Chail was also subject to a hybrid order under the Mental Health Act, and remanded in a psychiatric hospital before being treated to custody following treatment.

Judge Mr Justice Hilliard passed his sentence during a live television broadcast, saying Chail had experienced homicidal thoughts he had acted on before becoming psychotic.

He said: “His intention was not just to harm or alarm the sovereign – but to kill her.” The judge added that Chail’s intention to kill made his offence “as serious as it could be”. The judge added Chail, a former supermarket worker, was also “culpable to a significant degree” when he applied to join the Ministry of Defence Police and Grenadier Guards as he “wanted to get close to the royal family”.

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Published On 31 Dec 202531 Dec 2025

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New Year’s Eve celebrations are unfolding across the world as countries move into 2026 one time zone at a time.

The first major cities to mark the new year welcomed midnight with fireworks over their waterfronts, and large crowds gathered at public viewing points.

As the night continues, countries across the Americas will close out the global transition with events stretching from Rio de Janeiro’s beaches to Times Square in New York City and beyond.

This gallery shows how people are marking the start of 2026 around the world.

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The Department of Health and Human Services is freezing all childcare payments to all states, an official for Donald Trump’s administration told ABC News in a report published Wednesday. States’ funds will be released “only when states prove they are being spent legitimately”.

The report came a day after Jim O’Neill, the HHS deputy secretary, and Alex Adams, an HHS assistant secretary who oversees the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), appeared in a Tuesday evening video message. O’Neill declared that the department had “activated our defend-the-spend system for all ACF childcare payments across America” and would now require “justification, receipt or photo evidence before we make a payment”.

Originally, O’Neill and Adams’s message was interpreted as an announcement that HHS would stop childcare funding in Minnesota, not all 50 states. However, the Associated Press reported late Wednesday that the freeze would apply to every state and that all states would need to provide more documentation about their childcare programs before receiving federal money.

The department did not immediately reply to a Guardian request for comment to clarify the nature of the freeze, but HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon told ABC News that “it’s the onus of the state to make sure that these funds, these federal dollars, taxpayer dollars, are being used for legitimate purposes”.

Recipients of childcare funding will have to provide HHS with extensive documentation, such as “attendance records, licensing, inspection and monitoring reports, complaints and investigations”, Nixon added.

The changes to US childcare services as part of a response to a viral video, made by a self-described “independent journalist” and rightwing influencer, that purported to discover massive fraud at daycare centers operated by Somali Americans in Minneapolis.

However, other news outlets have not been able to verify the claims made in the video. Allegations of exploitation of Minnesota’s social safety net have also been extensively covered by local and national news media over the past several years, and prosecutors brought charges over one allegedly massive scheme during the Biden administration.

In recent weeks, Trump has intensified his xenophobic attacks on Somali Americans, including his long-running nemesis Ilhan Omar, a representative from Minnesota who is Somali American and came to the US as a refugee. He has said that Omar is “garbage” and said Somalia is “no good for a reason”.

“When they come from hell and they complain and do nothing but bitch, we don’t want them in our country,” Trump said in one December cabinet meeting. “Let them go back to where they came from and fix it.”

Tim Walz, the Democratic governor of Minnesota who is running for re-election this year, denounced the Trump administration’s freeze of Minnesota’s funding as part of “Trump’s long game”.

“We’ve spent years cracking down on fraudsters. It’s a serious issue – but this has been his plan all along,” Walz said in a Tuesday post on X.

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Osmond Chia,Business reporterand

Yan Chen,BBC News Chinese

Getty Images

Chinese people will pay a 13% sales tax on contraceptives from 1 January, while childcare services will be exempt, as the world’s second-largest economy tries to boost birth rates.

An overhaul of the tax system announced late last year removes many exemptions that were in place since 1994, when China was still enforcing its decades-long one-child rule.

It also exempts marriage-related services and elderly care from value added tax (VAT) – part of a broader effort that includes extending parental leave and issuing cash handouts.

Faced with an ageing population and sluggish economy, Beijing has been trying hard to encourage more young Chinese people to marry, and couples to have children.

Official figures show that China’s population has shrunk three years in a row, with just 9.54 million babies born in 2024. That is around half of the number of births recorded a decade ago, when China started to ease its rules on how many children people could have.

Still, the tax on contraceptives, including condoms, birth control pills and devices, has sparked concern about unwanted pregnancies and HIV rates, as well as ridicule. Some people point out that it would take a lot more than pricey condoms to persuade them to have children.

As one retailer urged shoppers to stock up ahead of the price hike, a social media user joked: “I’ll buy a lifetime’s worth of condoms now.”

People can tell the difference between the price of a condom and that of raising a child, wrote another.

China is one of the most expensive countries in which to raise a child, according to a 2024 report by the YuWa Population Research Institute in Beijing. Costs are pushed up by school fees in a highly competitive academic environment, and the challenge women have juggling work and parenting, the study said.

The economic slowdown, partly brought on by a property crisis that has hit savings, has left families, and especially young people, feeling uncertain or less confident about their future.

“I have one child, and I don’t want any more,” says 36-year-old Daniel Luo, who lives in the eastern province of Henan.

“It’s like when subway fares increase. When they go up by a yuan or two, people who take the subway don’t change their habits. You still have to take the subway, right?”

He says he is not concerned by the price hike. “A box of condoms might cost an extra five yuan, maybe 10, at most 20. Over a year, that’s just a few hundred yuan, completely affordable.”

Getty Images

Young couples in China, like elsewhere, are having fewer or no children

But cost might be a problem for others, and that’s what worries Rosy Zhao, who lives in the city of Xi’an in central China.

She says making contraception, which is a necessity, more expensive could mean students or those struggling financially “take a risk”.

That would be the policy’s “most dangerous potential outcome”, she added.

Observers appear divided on the aim of the tax overhaul. The idea that a tax hike on condoms will impact birth rates is “overthinking it”, says demographer Yi Fuxian from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

He believes Beijing is keen to collect taxes “wherever it can” as it battles a housing market slump and growing national debt.

At nearly $1tn (£742bn), China’s VAT revenue made up close to 40% of the country’s tax collection last year.

The move to tax condoms is “symbolic” and reflects Beijing’s attempts to encourage people to lift China’s “strikingly low” fertility numbers, said Henrietta Levin from the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

What is also hampering efforts, she adds, is that a lot of the policies and subsidies will have to be implemented by indebted provincial governments – and it’s unclear if they can spare sufficient resources.

China’s approach to urging people to have children also risks backfiring if people feel the government is being “too intrusive” about what is deeply personal choice, she said.

Recently there have been media reports that women in some provinces have received calls from local officials asking about their menstrual cycles and plans to have children. The local health bureau in Yunnan province said such data was needed to identify expectant mothers.

But this has not helped the government’s image, Ms Levin said. “The [Communist] party can’t help but insert itself into every decision that it cares about. So it ends up being its own worst enemy in some ways.”

Getty Images

China is one of the priciest countries to raise a child, a study in 2024 found

Observers and women themselves say the country’s male-dominated leadership fails to understand the social changes underpinning these broader shifts, which are not exclusive to China.

Countries in the West and even those in the region, such as South Korea and Japan, have been struggling to lift birth rates as their population ages.

Part of the reason is the burden of childcare, which disproportionately falls on women, research shows. But there are also other shifts, such as a decline in marriage and even dating.

China’s measures miss the real problem: the way young people interact today, which increasingly avoids genuine human connections, Mr Luo from Henan said.

He points to rising sales of sex toys in China, which he believes is a sign that “people are just satisfying themselves” because “interacting with another person has become more of a burden”.

Being online is easier and more comforting, he says, as “the pressure is real”.

“Young people today deal with way more stress from society than people did 20 years ago. Sure, materially they’re better off, but the expectations placed on them are much higher. Everyone’s just exhausted.”

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NEED TO KNOW

• Sabrina Carpenter shared a series of Instagram Stories posts to reminisce on the past year
• The star revealed she accidentally set a fire in her bathroom at some point in 2025
• Earlier this month, Carpenter released a new Man’s Best Friend bonus track titled “Such a Funny Way”

It’s been a big year for Sabrina Carpenter, from career highs to at-home mishaps.

Ahead of the new year, the “House Tour” singer, 26, reminisced on the past 12 months of her life with a series of Instagram Stories posts on Wednesday, Dec. 31 and revealed she accidentally set a fire in her bathroom at some point in 2025.

Many of Carpenter’s IG Stories highlighted positive moments, from collaborating with Dolly Parton on the “Please Please Please” remix to singing with Paul Simon on Saturday Night Live. She also shared photos of her Vogue cover, shooting the “Manchild” video, releasing Man’s Best Friend and performing all over the world on the Short n’ Sweet Tour.

Sabrina Carpenter’s bathroom.

Sabrina Carpenter/Instagram

One post at the end of Carpenter’s 2025 memories, however, featured a shot of a fire-damaged sink and what appears to be a nearby candle. “set my bathroom on fire by accident,” she wrote with a white heart emoji.

It’s unclear when the incident occurred, but the Grammy winner isn’t the only pop star to experience an accidental house fire.

Britney Spears opened up about burning her home gym down in 2020, while Carpenter’s past tourmate Taylor Swift and Gracie Abrams set fire to the “Karma” artist’s N.Y.C. apartment kitchen while making their 2024 collaboration, “Us.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Earlier this month, Carpenter treated fans to a year-end treat with a new Man’s Best Friend bonus track, “Such a Funny Way.”

In an Instagram post, she spoke to fans on Dec. 24 about releasing the song “to thank you for such a beautiful year …and to supply whoever needs a cathartic christmas crashout song…”

“i love you guys so much,” continued Carpenter. “Thank you for caring for these songs the way i do and for such a special 2025!! I feel lucky to know there’s still so much good to come.”

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By NIKKI SCHWAB, CHIEF CAMPAIGN CORRESPONDENT

Published: 20:37 GMT, 31 December 2025 | Updated: 21:46 GMT, 31 December 2025

President Donald Trump’s Department of Health and Human Services is freezing federal child care funding nationwide after halting funds to Minnesota amid the Somali daycare scandal.

ABC News reported Wednesday on the nationwide pause, quoting an HHS official who said that federal funds would be released ‘only when states prove they are being spent legitimately.’ 

HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon told the network that recipients of federal tax dollars – even those ‘not suspected of fraudulent activity’ – would be required to send HHS ‘administrative data’ for review. 

Daycare facilities in Minnesota, including those ‘suspected of fraudulent activity,’ would have to provide HHS with receipts, Nixon said, which include ‘attendance records, licensing, inspection and monitoring reports, complaints and investigations.’ 

‘It’s the onus of the state to make sure that these funds, these federal dollars, taxpayer dollars, are being used for legitimate purposes,’ Nixon told ABC News. 

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee, has come under fire for the scandal, which has also put the state’s Somali community in the crosshairs of Trump’s hardline immigration policies. 

Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar, a member of that community and a top political nemesis of the president, has also taken heat, as she’s pushed back, saying the actions of a few shouldn’t tarnish the reputation of the entire group.

Somali-owned daycare centers are the center of a scandal involving federal funds 

Federal prosecutors were already investigating Minnesota fraud cases that cost the state’s taxpayers $1 billion when conservative YouTuber Nick Shirley released a video over the weekend that has since gone viral, which purported to show more fraud. 

Shirley found empty daycare centers that were recipients of federal funding.

His video report prompted the Department of Homeland Security to launch door-to-door investigations of the facilities and the Justice Department to launch a probe. 

In an interview Wednesday morning on Fox News Channel, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt applauded Shirley’s effort, saying, ‘He epitomizes what new media looks like.’ 

Leavitt said the White House was deploying a ‘whole-of-government effort’ to find and punish those guilty of fraud, saying that Trump would ‘absolutely’ support revoking the citizenship of any Somali immigrants convicted. 

‘People will be in handcuffs as a result of the fraud that Governor Walz has allowed to occur for the – for many, many years,’ she said. 

Walz has defended his administration by saying that Minnesota officials ‘have spent years cracking down on fraudsters.’ 

The Democratic governor charged that it was ‘Trump’s long game’ to politicize the issue and dismantle liberal Minnesota’s safety net. 

Walz is up for reelection this year, with Trump ally, My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell, among the Republican candidates. 

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Trump’s HHS halts child care funding to ALL states after viral video sparks Somali daycare scandal in Minnesota

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Cecil Mains, 46, has been accused of murdering his wife Jeri in front of their children at their home in Indiana, US, after she sought protection from the alleged serial abuser

Jeri Mains was allegedly shot dead by her husband(Image: WRTV6)

A mum-of-four allegedly murdered by her own husband had sought protection from the abusive killer just days before he took her life, a court has heard.

Jeri Mains, 44, was found shot dead at her home in Indiana on December 28, three days after she filed for a Christmas Day protective order against her husband. Cecil Mains, 46, had repeatedly terrorised Mrs Mains and abused her in front of their four children, aged 19, 17, 14 and 10, before she filed the order on December 25.

But her request was never fulfilled by judges, who weren’t working on Christmas when court offices were closed – and her daughter reportedly called 911 to report her death on the weekend.

Mum-of-four Jeri Mains was allegedly killed in front of her children

Local media outlet WRTV reported that Mrs Mains had in the petition described herself as a victim of domestic violence, and accused her husband of assaulting her on Christmas Eve. She had alleged Mains attacked her with a pair of kitchen tongs, causing a laceration and bruising.

The petition also alleged several earlier incidents, including one on December 10 when Mains punched a computer during a fight, sending a cup of hot chocolate flying over her.

He was also alleged to have punched his wife in the face during a November fight, leaving her with a nosebleed and bruised face, state newspaper IndyStar reports. During another alleged incident at the beginning of the year, Mains punched out the driver’s side window of her truck.

On previous occasions, he was said to have threatened to kill their children and pets. Police said Mains faces preliminary charges of murder after he allegedly shot Mrs Mains in front of their children and left her body in their home driveway.

Mrs Mains was allegedly shot dead at her home in front of her children(Image: WRTV6)

WRTV reported that their 10-year-old daughter phoned in her death on Sunday afternoon, telling dispatchers her father had shot her mother before fleeing the scene in a car. A probable cause affidavit alleged he “had a gun and he shot their mother…then fled the scene in a gray Toyota Tundra”.

Mrs Mains was found in critical condition and rushed to Eskenazi Hospital, where she was tragically pronounced dead. Mains was later apprehended by police after he was spotted driving a few miles away from their home.

IndyStar reports that Officer Daniel Beasley saw his car travelling northbound and initiated a traffic stop nearly 4.5 miles away from the Mains’ family home before arresting the alleged killer. Cecil Mains is being held without bond at the Marion County Jail, and their children have been passed into the care of family members while mourning their mother’s loss.

Her family has been left “completely shattered” by the incident, WRTV reporter Nicole Griffin said, and they have remembered Mrs Mains as a woman who “loved her friends and family fiercely”.

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United States President Donald Trump has unleashed another attack on Somali Americans, with the White House saying the administration is reviewing plans to strip citizenship from those convicted of fraud.

The statements on Wednesday came a day after the Trump administration froze $185m in federal subsidies for low-income childcare amid claims of fraud at daycares run by Somali Americans in Minnesota’s largest city, Minneapolis.

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In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote that “much of Minnesota Fraud, up to 90%, is caused by people that came into our Country, illegally, from Somalia”.

He also repeated attacks on Somali American Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, calling her “one of the many scammers”.

“Send them back from where they came, Somalia, perhaps the worst, and most corrupt, country on earth,” Trump wrote.

Meanwhile, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in an interview on Fox News that the administration was “looking at” possibly revoking citizenship from Somali Americans convicted of fraud.

She said that denaturalisation remained “a tool at the president and the secretary of state’s disposal”.

Trump and his allies have repeatedly threatened to strip citizenship from an array of naturalised citizens: those born outside the US but who acquire citizenship through the government’s immigration processes.

While legal experts have noted that citizenship can be stripped from foreign-born citizens, the practice is exceedingly rare and often requires a high burden of proof, showing an individual was naturalised under false pretences.

Heightened scrutiny

Trump has regularly demonised immigrant communities throughout his political career.

That rhetoric was a hallmark stretching back to his first successful bid for president in 2016. While on the campaign trail, in 2015, he claimed that Mexico was sending “rapists” and criminals across the southern border into the US, spurring outrage.

Later, during his presidential run in 2024, he repeated baseless claims against Haitians living in Illinois, including that they were killing and eating pets.

In recent weeks, Trump has focused on Somali Americans, comparing them to “garbage” and criticising the legal pathways that allowed them into the country. He further claimed they were “destroying America”.

Lawmakers, community groups, and political organisations decried Trump’s statements as blatantly racist.

But Trump has accompanied his rhetoric with action. Over the past month, his administration has surged immigration enforcement agents to Minnesota, conducted a wide-scale audit of legal Somali immigrants, and prioritised investigations of fraud claims in the state.

His efforts have seized upon a scandal that has rattled the midwestern state in recent years.

Prosecutors have alleged that criminals have defrauded the state of approximately $9bn in misused social assistance funding and nearly $300m in misused COVID funding.

Attorney General Pam Bondi on Monday said the Justice Department has charged 98 individuals in Minnesota as part of its wide-ranging fraud investigation, adding that 85 of those charged were of “Somali descent”.

However, many of those charges pre-date Trump’s second term.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has also shot back that local and federal authorities have spent years combatting fraud in the state, which he called a “serious issue”.

In a post on the social media platform X on Wednesday, Walz said Trump is “using an issue he doesn’t give a damn about as an excuse to hurt working Minnesotans”.

Some of the Trump administration’s actions have come in the wake of a viral video uploaded by conservative YouTube Nick Shirley, who claimed Somali American-run daycare centres in Minneapolis had committed up to $100m in fraud.

Shirley’s video has received 127 million views on X, and administration officials, including Bondi, have repeatedly cited his claims.

For instance, on Tuesday, FBI Director Kash Patel said in a social media post that his organisation “is aware of recent social media reports in Minnesota”.

He added that the bureau had “surged personnel and investigative resources to Minnesota to dismantle large-scale fraud schemes exploiting federal programmes”.

Still, questions have arisen over the accuracy of Shirley’s video.

An investigation by CBS News this week found that “all but two” of the daycares featured in the video had active licences and “were visited by state regulators within the last six months”.

Those regulators issued several citations, according to the report, but “there was no recorded evidence of fraud”.

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Australia paused to show solidarity with the Jewish community as New Year’s Eve festivities rolled across the nation.

Weeks on from the Bondi Beach terrorist attack, hundreds of thousands of people around Sydney Harbour observed a minute’s silence and shone a collective, defiant light after the recent atrocity.

At 11pm AEDT on Wednesday night, the Sydney crowd held their phone torch lights aloft on Wednesday night while a menorah was projected on to the Harbour Bridge’s pylons and a dove and the words “peace” and “unity” were displayed.

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The silent reflection contrasted with the dazzling fireworks that lit up the night sky above the world-famous harbour to ring in 2026 an hour later.

A cloud of fear has lingered over the city since the terror attack but crowds responded to leaders’ calls to go out in defiance of terrorism.

The festivities came with a heavy security presence, with thousands of armed police in attendance.

Fireworks light up the midnight sky over Sydney Harbour. Photograph: Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images

One reveller, Irishman David Mooney, who nabbed an early spot at Sydney Harbour, said the potential security risks had only “slightly” crossed his mind.

“With everyone in such good spirits, you almost feel a bit of safety in numbers,” the 29-year-old said.

“Everyone’s in good form, everyone’s relaxed, I personally couldn’t have felt more reassured.”

An earlier batch of fireworks let off at 9pm AEDT was met with rapturous applause as the crowd defied any expectation of a sombre mood.

The display, titled Calling Country, celebrated Australia’s Indigenous history with images displayed on to the Sydney Harbour Bridge’s pylons.

The relaxed atmosphere around the harbour saw hundreds of thousands gather, share drinks and play board games as they waited for the fireworks.

Lieke Wijnhoven, 24, from the Netherlands, said extra security measures gave her peace of mind.

“Of course [the Bondi terror attack] is in your mind a little bit, but it could happen anywhere,” she said.

“Because of all the security, the police, even police helicopters, they’ve done what they can and we’re just here trying to enjoy ourselves.”

Caroline Meierhans, 24, from Switzerland, said the many hours queueing to enter Sydney’s Macquarie Point had not dampened her spirits for an exciting night ahead.

Spectators shine light from their mobile phones during a tribute to the victim’s of the Bondi terror attack at Mrs Macquaries Point in Sydney. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/EPA

“For hours we were singing, just standing there, connecting with other people, looking at our watches wondering how long it would take,” she said.

Just more than two weeks have passed since 15 people were killed and 41 others were injured during the 14 December attack at Bondi, with the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, encouraging people to show kindness.

“What Bondi also showed us was the best of the Australian spirit, in all its courage and compassion,” he said.

Police were also out in force in Melbourne, with about 500,000 people expected to flock to the city for the fireworks and laser display at midnight.

German tourist Alexandra Bender said she felt unconcerned as she nabbed an early viewing spot with her family at Flagstaff Gardens.

“Everywhere can happen, things like this. We had it in Germany too,” she said.

Lasers and fireworks over Sydney Harbour. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/EPA

At other Melbourne live sites at the Treasury Gardens, Kings Domain and Docklands, families were enjoying live entertainment before the 9.30pm and midnight fireworks.

In Perth, fireworks lit up the sky over the Swan River at 8.30pm before the usual midnight show.

Partygoers lined the banks of the River Torrens in Adelaide for fireworks in Elder Park.

In Brisbane, the 7.45pm fireworks went off along the Brisbane River at 7.45pm amid rainy weather, with a midnight display following.

For Tasmanians, there were fireworks over Hobart’s River Derwent at 9.30pm and midnight.

Fireworks were also taking place on the Darwin waterfront with displays at 9pm and midnight.

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Friedrich Merz began his first New Year’s TV address to the nation with a callback to February 23 and the early election that led to the conservative becoming German chancellor, unseating Olaf Scholz and a Social Democrat-led government. 

“You, the citizens, decided on the political future of our country that day. A new federal government was formed that has set out to steer Germany in the right direction with determination and a clear sense of direction,” Merz said.

Merz acknowledged immediately that this goal was “no small task.” 

‘Show courage, and work together,’ Merz tells Germany

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He said 2025 had presented Germany and the wider world with a series of major challenges. 

“A terrible war is raging in Europe, one that poses a direct threat to our freedom and our security. Our economy is coming under pressure from necessary reforms, high costs and global trade conflicts. Moreover, new technologies are revolutionising our world of work and the way we live together,” Merz said. 

Against this backdrop, Merz said, his government saw its fundamental mandate as “the renewal of the foundations of our freedom, our security and our prosperity.” 

Russia’s Ukraine war ‘part of a plan targeted against the whole of Europe’

Renewing these foundations would only be possible “if we safeguard peace in Europe,” the chancellor said, noting how Ukraine would be seeing in a fourth consecutive New Year “under the most difficult circumstances.” 

Merz insisted the war in Ukraine was not a “distant” one of no concern to Germany. 

“After all, we are seeing more and more clearly that Russia’s aggression was and is part of a plan targeted against the whole of Europe,” he said. “Germany is also facing sabotage, espionage and cyberattacks on a daily basis.” 

The chancellor later noted his government’s plans to increase defense spending and to implement voluntary military service for some young men, including constitutional reforms to enable more borrowing to fund the military.  

Merz’s New Year’s speech airs on German TV on Wednesday eveningImage: Kay Nietfeld/dpa/picture alliance

Partnership with the US ‘is changing’ 

Although the chancellor did not directly connect the idea to either Russia’s war of aggression or Germany’s increased defense expenditure, he also made reference to changing ties to the US amid Donald Trump’s return to the White House. 

“At the same time, our partnership with the United States of America, which has long been the reliable guarantor of our security, is changing,” Merz said. “For us Europeans, this means that we must defend and assert our interests much more strongly by ourselves.”

Trump’s new US national security strategy rattles Europe

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Economic malaise, sluggish reforms at home and in Europe

The Christian Democrat, with a background in corporate law outside of politics, lamented what he called “a return to protectionism in the global economy.” Germany’s “strategic dependence on raw materials is increasingly being wielded as a political lever against our interests,” he said, with Germany as an exporting nation feeling the effects particularly keenly, hinting at the fiscal problems for major industries like carmakers.

He said his government was seeking to provide relief in areas including taxation, energy prices and cutting red tape. 

But Merz also said that “homegrown reform backlogs are paralysing the potential of our companies,” at exactly the moment where the economy’s creativity and innovation was required to counter global pressures.

It was becoming “increasingly difficult” for German companies to hold their own internationally, Merz warned, later implying some fault also lay with the European Union in Brussels. 

“We are consistently cutting red tape and putting the promotion of competitiveness at the top of the political agenda,” he said of his government’s efforts in negotiations at the EU level.

Pensions, demography, migration

The chancellor, who at 70 recently passed Germany’s standardized retirement age himself, also made reference to the country’s aging population, saying that “the baby boomers will now commence their well-deserved retirement.” 

Merz said that in 2026 it would therefore be essential “to create a new balance in our social security systems,” taking the concerns of all generations into account “in a fair manner.” 

He also devoted time to the domestic flashpoint policy of migration, in a speech that never explicitly mentioned the challenge from the populist right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD), or indeed any other rival party. 

Merz said his government was trying both to create new avenues for legal migration, while also closing routes for illegal and disorderly migration. 

“For us, humanity and order are two sides of the same coin,” he said. 

Many Syrians living in Germany want to stay

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2026 can be year ‘of new beginnings’

The chancellor alluded to public frustration at his coalition government’s infighting and difficulties implementing several banner reforms, such as welfare and pension changes, by acknowledging that many felt the government’s achievements to date were “not enough.” 

“And I want to tell you that you are right! It is not enough,” Merz said. But he argued that the work had begun and that he was confident Germany “will reap the benefits of these reforms, even if it takes some time.”

The chancellor argued that 2026 could prove to be “a year of new beginnings,” in which Germany and Europe “reconnect with decades of peace, freedom and prosperity.”

He said the various geopolitical, economic and techological developments did indeed represent an “epochal shift,” but said it was up to Germany to overcome the challenges with its own strength. 

“We are not the victims of extraneous circumstances. We are not at the mercy of great powers. Our hands are not tied,” Merz said.

Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah

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Donald Trump was “most culpable” for Jan 6 riot and would have been convicted in court, according to the explosive testimony of former special counsel Jack Smith, released Wednesday by the House Judiciary Committee.

Smith led the Justice Department prosecutions into Trump following the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters after he lost the 2020 election, and his alleged concealment of classified materials at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.

Trump’s 2024 election victory essentially ended the DOJ effort to hold him criminally liable.

The House Judiciary Committee, led by Republicans, pledged to investigate the Biden administration and Smith in particular over the two criminal prosecutions of Trump that were launched after Trump left office. Throughout his campaign, Trump argued that he’d done nothing illegal and that the prosecutions were political efforts to punish him and prevent his return to the White House.

Trump faced two separate indictments. He was accused of a criminal conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election and prevent Joe Biden from taking the White House despite his own campaign being unable to prove his allegations of election fraud. The president was also accused of taking a trove of documents including some classified materials from the White House upon his departure in January of 2021.

In the 225 pages of testimony released on Wednesday, Jack Smith argued that Trump was criminally liable in both cases.

• Trump’s actions “without question” added to the danger faced by Vice President Mike Pence, who was in the Capitol during the riot and was targeted by Trump’s supporters.

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Jack Smith testified before the House Judiciary Committee about the two criminal investigations into Donald Trump led by the Justice Department (AP)

• The Supreme Court’s ruling on executive immunity was not, in his view, an affirmation that the president’s conduct leading up to January 6 was legal.
• His case relied heavily on the testimony of Republicans who “put their allegiance to the country before the party”
• The president’s demand that Georgia officials “find” more than 11,000 votes was seen by Smith as evidence of criminal intention

This is a breaking news report. More to follow…

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