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Angry Russians turn on Putin over poverty and stagnant economy during marathon press conference
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Russian frustrations cut through a meticulously controlled marathon press conference delivered by President Vladimir Putin on Friday, revealing the hardships facing ordinary people.
The 73-year-old leader delivered his customary end-of-year address, fielding questions from a public grappling with a stagnant economy, squeezed by international sanctions after almost four years of relentless war with Ukraine.
It comes after European leaders agreed to offer Ukraine a massive €90bn interest-free loan to fund most of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s military needs for the next two years.
The European Union were unable to agree on a plan to use £185bn of Russian assets, a plan that Putin lashed out as being akin to “daylight robbery” and the work of “burglars”.
But tensions were palpable within Russia with the state of the economy top of the agenda.
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Putin’s ‘rigidity’ displays a rare glimpse at the unease beneath a usually meticulously crafted persona, say experts (CNN)
One medical student expressed her concerns about starting a family when the “salaries of young experts is not great and that does not allow you to create a family properly”. “We are losing young experts,” she said.
Putin responded with a description of state-funded options and student loans available to young people, adding: “Getting an education or starting your career should not be the basis for postponing getting married or having children,” appearing out-of-touch with the realities of his citizens.
A soldier’s widow asked about delays in paying out a pension, for which the president apologised, vowing that the issue would be solved quickly.
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Meanwhile Zelensky met with Polish president Karol Nawrocki on Friday (AP)
One mother-of-six and kindergarten assistant married to a driver, described “working a lot” and several “additional jobs” alongside her husband to keep up with living costs and inflation. She said the family had exceeded the welfare threshold by 249 roubles (£2.49) and had “lost all the benefits”. “We want some more help from the government,” she said.
Despite censorship and the highly choreographed nature of the event, global media picked up on several sarcastic comments and criticism that broke through.
Text messages to a “direct line” to Putin were dubbed “not a direct line, but a circus” in one comment. Two messages complained about internet outages and rust-coloured water in the city of Saransk.
Another took aim at Russian communications watchdog Roskomnadzor, responsible for limiting access to platforms including WhatsApp, YouTube, Snapchat and Roblox. “Block Roskomnadzor itself!” the person wrote. One person asked: “Why do ordinary people live worse than Papuans? [citizens of Papua New Guinea]?”
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European leaders issued a massive interest-free loan to Ukraine in lieu of using frozen Russian assets
Comments on a live stream seen by The Independent called out Putin and other Russian leaders for living in “mansions” while people struggled through rising costs and poverty. He later addressed a pre-written question about the simplicity of his living style, stating he lived in a basic flat.
”Vladimir Vladimirovich, it’s Friday already, can we break out the booze?” said one irreverent viewer.
Putin’s discomfort was apparent to analysts who noticed an increased rigidity of tone.
“Putin’s obvious discomfort in the face of these questions illustrates perfectly the pressure that the regime is under as its economic problems intensify,” said Dr Lee Cooper, director of PeaceRep’s Ukraine programme at the London School of Economics foreign policy think tank, LSE IDEAS.
“For all his apparent intransigence in the talks to end the war, it is proving enormously costly to Russia and its position in the global economy. The question is whether the regime – and Russian society more broadly – has the ability to correct course in the face of these growing hardships on the ‘home front’.”
Russia’s populace is nervous about living standards, however Putin “downplayed concerns about Russia’s slowing economy” that has “prioritised defence over all other sectors” according to Dr Bulent Gokay, professor of international relations at Keele University.
“We know that Russia’s economy is suffering; inflation is 8 per cent, interest rates are 16 per cent, growth is slowing, budget deficits are soaring, real incomes are plunging, and consumer taxes are rising.”
But Dr Gokay says that Putin was able to reframe this as a positive: “He stated that the Russian economy was stable and contrasted it positively with slow growth in Europe.
“He acknowledged that growth was slow, but framed it as a strategic choice to preserve the economy’s quality and macroeconomic stability. However, I doubt this explanation fully convinces the Russian people.”
Putin has been dominating politics in Russia since 1999 but has isolated the country with several policies, most notably its war with Ukraine.
Throughout the four and a half hour media session, the Russian leader provided advice on loving one’s mother, starting a family young, God, aliens, and the similarities and differences between religions.
“Putin’s demeanor during the press conference did not suggest visible nervousness in a conventional sense,” says Irina Tsukerman, a geopolitical analyst and president of Scarab Rising.
“His delivery was controlled, deliberate, and consistent with the practiced style he has adopted since the conflict escalated. However, there was a noticeable rigidity compared to prewar performances, where humour, improvisation, and long exchanges with journalists were more common.
“The absence of spontaneity can be interpreted less as anxiety and more as strategic caution. The Kremlin appears acutely aware that messaging discipline now carries higher stakes, both domestically and internationally, and Putin’s presentation reflected that priority.”
Negotiations for a ceasefire and peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine remain ongoing with President Volodymyr Zelensky meeting with Polish president Karol Nawrocki on Friday.
WORLD NEWS
David Walliams ‘strongly denies’ allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards women – and claims his publisher did not tell him he was under investigation before dropping him
David Walliams has ‘strongly denied’ allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards women at his publisher HarperCollins who today dropped him as an author.
Mr Walliams, 54, has been accused of ‘harassing’ junior female employees at the firm following an investigation that began last year.
One of the women who raised concerns about his behaviour was given a five-figure payout and has since left the company, The Telegraph reports.
Mr Walliams previously came under scrutiny following allegations of sexist remarks he is said to have made whilst a judge on ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent.
But it was revealed today that he was also at the heart of an investigation at Harper Collins after allegations were made about is behaviour in 2023.
A junior colleague is said to have complained about his conduct, leading to other staff members being interviewed.
A spokesperson for David Walliams has since responded to the claims.
They said: ‘David has never been informed of any allegations raised against him by HarperCollins. He was not party to any investigation or given any opportunity to answer questions. David strongly denies that he has behaved inappropriately and is taking legal advice.’
David Walliams, 54, is accused of ‘harassing’ junior female employees at the firm, resulting in one staff member being offered a five-figure settlement
The children’s author has published more than 40 works which have been translated into 55 languages and sold more than 60 million copies
Sources told the The Telegraph that the investigation led to several junior employees being kept away from the author and one being paid a settlement.
Former employees also described how they were advised to work in pairs when meeting with him and told not to visit his home.
Allegations first emerged in 2023, prompting interviews with staff who worked with Mr Walliams, with the investigation reportedly involving an in-house lawyer.
But he is understood to have not been aware of the investigation at the time or been informed of its conclusions.
A spokesman for Harper Collins said: ‘After careful consideration, and under the leadership of its new CEO, HarperCollins UK has decided not to publish any new titles by David Walliams. The author is aware of this decision.
‘HarperCollins takes employee wellbeing extremely seriously and has processes in place for reporting and investigating concerns. To respect the privacy of individuals we do not comment on internal matters.’
The decision to drop Walliams comes after the departure of former CEO Charlie Redmayne in October.
The children’s author, who began writing books in 2008, has published more than 40 works which have been translated into 55 languages and sold more than 60 million copies.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow.
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David Walliams ‘strongly denies’ allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards women – and claims his publisher did not tell him he was under investigation before dropping him
Thousands of users have reported issues with Microsoft Teams today, with reports of issues with the Office 365 platform flooding into DownDetector
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Ukraine has struck a Russian tanker in the Mediterranean Sea for the first time, a Kyiv intelligence source has said.
The ship, called the Qendil, suffered “critical damage” in the attack, according to a member of the SBU, Ukraine’s internal security agency.
The tanker is said to be part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” – a group of ageing vessels that Kyiv alleges helps Moscow exports large quantities of crude oil despite Western sanctions.
The SBU source said Ukrainian drones hit the ship in neutral waters more than 2,000 kilometres (1,243 miles) from Ukraine.
They said: “Russia used this tanker to circumvent sanctions and earn money that went to the war against Ukraine.
“Therefore, from the point of view of international law and the laws and customs of war, this is an absolutely legitimate target for the SBU.
“The enemy must understand that Ukraine will not stop and will strike it anywhere in the world, wherever it may be.”
Michael Clarke discusses Ukraine’s strike on the tanker
The vessel was empty at the time of the attack, the Ukrainian source added.
Speaking during a live TV event, Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, claimed the attack would not disrupt supplies, but vowed that Russia would retaliate nonetheless.
He added that Russia regularly responded with “much stronger strikes” against Ukraine.
Putin also warned against any threat to blockade Russia’s coastal exclave Kaliningrad, which he said would “just lead to unseen escalation of the conflict” and could trigger a “large-scale international conflict”.
Read more:
The mercenaries fighting for Russia
British man who fought for Ukraine jailed
Sky military analyst Michael Clarke said Ukraine’s claim about causing significant damage to the ship was “probably true”.
He added: “The Ukrainians obviously feel that they can legitimise this sort of operation.”
The Qendil, pictured near Istanbul last month. Pic: Reuters
The attack comes after the European Union announced it would provide a €90bn (£79bn) interest-free loan to Ukraine.
Oleksandr Merezhko, the chairman of the foreign affairs committee in the Ukrainian parliament, told Sky News that the money would “tremendously enhance” Kyiv’s defensive capabilities.
However, he said the International Monetary Fund estimated that Ukraine needed $137bn to “keep running”.
“The aggressor should be punished”, Mr Merezhko added, as he argued that frozen Russian assets in Europe should be used to help fund his country’s defence.
He vowed that Ukraine would “continue to fight” for the move, adding that it was “a matter of justice”.
WORLD NEWS
Rubio says ‘progress but ways to go’ in efforts to end Russia-Ukraine war | Russia-Ukraine war News
US top diplomat’s remarks come as Ukraine negotiators travel to US for new round of talks on ending the conflict.
The top United States diplomat says progress has been made in efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war, but more work is needed, as Ukrainian officials travelled to the US for a new round of negotiations.
Speaking during a year-end news conference in Washington, DC, on Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington is not trying to impose a deal on either side.
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“What we are trying to figure out here is what can Ukraine live with and what can Russia live with and … see if we can drive them towards each other and some sort of agreement,” he said.
“I think we’ve made progress, but we have a ways to go, and obviously, the hardest issues are always the last issues.”
Rubio’s remarks come as Ukrainian peace negotiators were set to start a new round of talks with US officials on Friday on proposals for ending the nearly four-year war with Russia.
The head of Kyiv’s delegation, Rustem Umerov, who is in the US for the talks, said on the Telegram messaging app that Ukraine’s European partners would be involved.
“We are constructively minded. We have already held preliminary consultations with our European colleagues and are preparing for further discussions with the American side,” Umerov said.
“Ukraine’s security must be guaranteed reliably and in the long term,” he added.
Since returning to office in January, US President Donald Trump has launched a major diplomatic push to end the conflict, but negotiations have been tense over sharply conflicting demands from Moscow and Kyiv.
White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, held talks in Berlin with Ukrainian and European officials earlier this week.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Ukraine and the US had agreed on several documents, including a 20-point peace framework, and security guarantees and a reconstruction plan for Ukraine.
But he said that no final proposals had been agreed, adding that territorial issues remained unresolved.
Putin’s demands
For his part, Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded Ukraine cede all territory in four key regions his forces have captured and occupied, along with Crimea, which Moscow seized and annexed in 2014.
Putin also wants Ukrainian troops to withdraw from parts of eastern Ukraine that Russian forces have not yet taken in the eastern Donetsk region, where fighting remains attritional – conditions Kyiv has rejected outright.
On Friday, in his “Results of the year” speech in Moscow, Putin blamed Zelenskyy for refusing to discuss territorial concessions – a key requirement from the Kremlin to end the war.
The Ukrainian leader has said in recent days that Kyiv will not give up territory, and the nation’s constitution also forbids it.
But Zelenskyy has indicated that Kyiv was prepared to drop its long-held ambition of joining the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO) in exchange for Western security guarantees.
While the Kremlin welcomed the decision, fighting on the ground continues.
On Friday, Rubio noted that wars generally end one of two ways: When one side surrenders or when the parties agree to a negotiated settlement.
“We don’t see surrender any time in the near future, and only a negotiated settlement can end this war,” said the US secretary of state, adding that any decision about ending the war will be up to Ukraine and Russia.
WORLD NEWS
Epstein files: Democrats vow to fight Trump officials’ plan to hold back some documents, slamming ‘violation of federal law’ – live | Donald Trump
Democrats vow to fight Trump officials’ plan to hold back some Epstein files, slamming ‘violation of federal law’
Further to that, the ranking members on the House oversight and judiciary committees respectively, Robert Garcia and Jamie Raskin, have issued this statement slamming the Trump administration’s “decision to defy the Epstein Files Transparency Act” by not releasing all the Epstein files today.
“We are now examining all legal options in the face of this violation of federal law,” they said.
Donald Trump and the Department of Justice are now violating federal law as they continue covering up the facts and the evidence about Jeffrey Epstein’s decades-long, billion-dollar, international sex trafficking ring. For months, Pam Bondi has denied survivors the transparency and accountability they have demanded and deserve and has defied the Oversight Committee’s subpoena. The Department of Justice is now making clear it intends to defy Congress itself, even as it gives star treatment to Epstein’s convicted co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Courts around the country have repeatedly intervened when this Administration has broken the law. We are now examining all legal options in the face of this violation of federal law. The survivors of this nightmare deserve justice, the co-conspirators must be held accountable, and the American people deserve complete transparency from DOJ.
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Updated at 18.50 CET
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Senator Adam Schiff of California has joined a wave of lawmakers today who are demanding that the Trump administration honor the law by releasing the full Epstein files after deputy attorney general Todd Blanche said the justice department won’t meet its Friday deadline for full disclosure.
“The Epstein Files Transparency Act is clear: while protecting survivors, ALL of these records are required to be released today. Not just some,” Schiff wrote on X. “The Trump administration can’t move the goalposts. They’re cemented in law.”
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Updated at 20.02 CET
Two rightwing influencers have clashed at the annual youth conference of Turning Point USA, the conservative pressure group founded by the late Charlie Kirk.
The fissures within the movement were laid bare on the stage in Phoenix when Ben Shapiro, a prominent podcaster, attacked the former Fox News host, Tucker Carlson, and other figures on the right as grifters and charlatans who mislead their followers with conspiracy theories and false narratives, AP reported.
Shapiro also accused Carlson of “an act of moral imbecility” over his recent podcast interview with the far-right provocateur Nick Fuentes, who has peddled antisemitic views and voiced admiration for Hitler.
Carlson responded with mockery less than an hour later, saying he “laughed” at what he called Shapiro’s attempt to “deplatform” him.
“To hear calls for deplatforming and denouncing people at a Charlie Kirk event, I’m like, what?” Carlson said. “This is hilarious.”
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Updated at 19.36 CET
Exclusive: Unaccompanied children being pressed to return to their countries by US border officials
José Olivares in New York
Border officials are pressuring unaccompanied children who arrive in the US as undocumented immigrants to quickly agree to return to their countries of origin, even if they express fear for their safety there – or else face “prolonged” detention and other consequences, a federal government document reveals.
The document, which emerged as an attachment in a court filing made by immigration attorneys, is understood to be presented or read to children within the first few days of them entering the US while they are still in the custody of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), before they can see any relatives in the US.
The document is termed an “advisal” and was attached as exhibit A at the bottom of a court filing by advocates. It says:
If you choose to seek a hearing with an immigration judge or indicate a fear of returning to your country you can expect the following: you will be detained in the custody of the United States Government for a prolonged period of time.
It goes on to say that the child’s sponsor – usually a family member residing in the US who will care for the child – “may be arrested, prosecuted and deported” if they do not have legal status, or prosecuted “for aiding your illegal entry”, and adds that if the child turns 18 in government custody they “will be turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE] for removal (deportation) …”
A US senator is now demanding “this cruel policy” be abolished, saying it “cynically exploits” unaccompanied children’s unique vulnerabilities as a way of pushing the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda.
Democrat Ron Wyden from Oregon, who’s also the ranking member of the Senate’s finance committee, has written to CBP accusing the agency of trying to frighten children into abandoning their rights by showing them a document with choices that he describes as “shockingly coercive”.
He added in the letter, shared exclusively with the Guardian, that the policy was “clearly intended to frighten unaccompanied children into abandoning the legal relief and protections they are seeking”.
Read José’s full report here:
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While we wait for the Department of Justice to release (some, but not all) files relating to Jeffrey Epstein this evening, in today’s episode of Today in Focus, Guardian columnist and host of our Politics Weekly America podcast Jonathan Freedland joins Lucy Hough to discuss why it’s such a big moment that could shed further light on Epstein’s misdeeds and his connections with key public figures – including Donald Trump.
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Updated at 19.36 CET
Further to my earlier post about the work already under way to add Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center building this morning – despite concerns over the legality of the move to rename the institution – the latest images on the wires show that the president’s full name has now made it on there.
Donald Trump has added his name to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC. Photograph: Bonnie Cash/UPI/ShutterstockShare
Updated at 19.36 CET
Democrats vow to fight Trump officials’ plan to hold back some Epstein files, slamming ‘violation of federal law’
Further to that, the ranking members on the House oversight and judiciary committees respectively, Robert Garcia and Jamie Raskin, have issued this statement slamming the Trump administration’s “decision to defy the Epstein Files Transparency Act” by not releasing all the Epstein files today.
“We are now examining all legal options in the face of this violation of federal law,” they said.
Donald Trump and the Department of Justice are now violating federal law as they continue covering up the facts and the evidence about Jeffrey Epstein’s decades-long, billion-dollar, international sex trafficking ring. For months, Pam Bondi has denied survivors the transparency and accountability they have demanded and deserve and has defied the Oversight Committee’s subpoena. The Department of Justice is now making clear it intends to defy Congress itself, even as it gives star treatment to Epstein’s convicted co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Courts around the country have repeatedly intervened when this Administration has broken the law. We are now examining all legal options in the face of this violation of federal law. The survivors of this nightmare deserve justice, the co-conspirators must be held accountable, and the American people deserve complete transparency from DOJ.
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Updated at 18.50 CET
Republican representative Thomas Massie, who co-sponsored the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act with Democrat Ro Khanna, shared a picture of the text of the law in a post on X this morning, highlighting the part that says “all” of the files must be released within 30 days. In another post Massie wrote: “Time’s up. Release the files.”
Yesterday Massie shared a 14-minute video explaining what people can expect if the justice department does or does not disclose all of its information on Epstein on its Friday deadline. He said he had spoken with the victims’ lawyers “and collectively they know there are at least 20 names of men who are accused of sex crimes in the possession of the FBI”.
“If we get a large production on December 19 and it does not contain a single name of any male who is accused of a sex crime or sex trafficking or rape or any of these things, then we know they haven’t produced all the documents,” Massie said. “It’s that simple.”
Per our earlier post, Khanna also posted a video on social media last night threatening legal action in the event of “tampering or excessive redaction” of the documents.
“Any person who attempts to conceal or scrub the files will be subject to prosecution under the law,” wrote on X. In the video, he said:
Let me be very clear, we need a full release. Anyone who tampers with these documents or conceals documents or engages in excessive redaction will be prosecuted because of obstruction of justice.
We will prosecute individuals regardless of whether they’re the attorney general or a career or political appointee. We need full transparency and justice for the survivors tomorrow. Finally, rich and powerful men who raped underage girls or who covered up for this abuse will help be held accountable. The Epstein class needs to go.
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Updated at 18.11 CET
Schumer slams DoJ’s plan to not release all Epstein files today as violation of law
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer has laid into the justice department over its plan to release some of the Epstein files today but not all.
Deputy attorney general Todd Blanche told Fox News this morning that he expected the department to release several hundred thousand documents today and several hundred thousand more “over the next couple of weeks”.
“The law Congress passed and President Trump signed was clear as can be — the Trump administration had 30 days to release ALL the Epstein files, not just some,” Schumer said in a statement. “Failing to do so is breaking the law. This just shows the Department of Justice, Donald Trump, and Pam Bondi are hellbent on hiding the truth.”
He said Senate Democrats are working with the attorneys representing Epstein survivors as well as outside legal experts “to assess what documents are being withheld and what is being covered up by [attorney general] Pam Bondi”. “We will not stop until the whole truth comes out,” he said.
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Updated at 19.03 CET
A reminder that Democrats on the House oversight committee ramped up the pressure on the Trump administration yesterday when they released a new batch of 68 pictures from Epstein’s estate.
One showed Epstein sitting with the philosopher Noam Chomsky on a plane while another showed Bill Gates, the philanthropist and Microsoft founder, posing beside a woman whose face was redacted.
The Democrats said the images came from a larger trove of more than 95,000 photographs turned over last week by the Epstein estate. The photos were provided to Congress without context, timing, or locations.
The images also included heavily redacted photos of women’s passports from Ukraine, Russia, South Africa, Italy, the Czech Republic and Lithuania. There were also multiple photographs of a woman’s body on which quotes from Lolita, the Vladimir Nabokov novel about a man’s sexual obsession with a 12-year-old girl, were written. A screenshot of a text message appeared to involve a discussion about recruiting an 18-year-old woman to meet Epstein.
A text about the sending of girls to Epstein. Photograph: Epstein Estate/House Oversight/ZUMA Press Wire/ShutterstockShare
Updated at 17.52 CET
Robert Tait
Speculation surrounding the affairs of Jeffrey Epstein is expected to reach a defining moment of revelation today with the much-anticipated publication of files relating to the disgraced late financier and convicted sex trafficker.
Deputy attorney general Todd Blanche said the justice department plans to release documents today from the government’s files, but added they won’t all come out at once and more would be released “over the next couple of weeks”.
After months of delay and stalling, the Trump administration is legally obliged to publish a massive archive of documents that could shine fresh light on Epstein’s misdeeds and his connections with key public figures, including Donald Trump himself.
Protesters call for the release of the Epstein files in Washington in September. Photograph: Mehmet Eser/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images
Under the terms of the Epstein Files Transparency Act – passed by Congress in November following months of resistance from the White House – Pam Bondi, the attorney general, must release by midnight on Friday “all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials” linked to Epstein, his jailed associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, and individuals named in connection with his criminal activities.
The files are required to be released in “searchable and downloadable” formats.
The publication will come after months of clamoring for the release of the files from Trump’s Maga base, which has shown signs of fracturing over the issue.
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Updated at 17.53 CET
Kennedy Center starts work to add Trump’s name onto building despite questions over legality
The Kennedy Center has begun adding Donald Trump’s name to the building this morning, a day after the president’s handpicked board voted to rename it “the Trump-Kennedy Center” and despite questions around the legality of a name change.
At the time of writing, “THE DONALD” is visible as workers on a forklift work on the building.
Democratic members of Congress who are ex-officio board members and members of the Kennedy family, as well as some historians, have expressed outrage over the vote and insist that only Congress can change the name.
Joe Kennedy III, grandnephew of the former president who also served a congressman for Massachusetts, yesterday also expressed doubt the center’s name could legally be changed, writing on X:
The Kennedy Center is a living memorial to a fallen president and named for President Kennedy by federal law. It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says.
Workers on a forklift work on the signage on the Kennedy Center on Friday. Photograph: Mark Schiefelbein/AP
Earlier this year, House Republicans proposed changing the name of the Kennedy Center’s Opera House to the “First Lady Melania Trump Opera House”. It has also ordered a review of the Smithsonian Institution and is seeking to build a huge ballroom adjacent to the White House in the place of the East Wing, which was demolished over the summer.
Yesterday, US congresswoman Joyce Beatty posted on X that the decision to rename the institution as the Trump-Kennedy Center was not unanimous.
“For the record. This was not unanimous,” said Beatty, who serves as an ex-officio member of the center. “I was muted on the call and not allowed to speak or voice my opposition to this move.”
She said the center’s renaming was “just another attempt to evade the law and not have the people have a say”.
The Kennedy Center board of trustees voted in what they said was a unanimous decision to rename the facility ‘The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts’. Photograph: Heather Diehl/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 18.54 CET
Trump to announce new deals to lower drug prices
On that announcement we said was coming at 1pm from Trump, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has confirmed that it will be about new agreements to lower drug prices. She wrote on X:
TODAY AT 1PM AT THE WHITE HOUSE: President Trump will be announcing more incredible deals that will lower prices of drugs and pharmaceuticals.
CNN reports that representatives from at least five companies will be present at the White House event, though “the attendee list remains in flux and could still change depending on which agreements the administration can finalize in time for the announcement”.
As part of his “most favored nation” push for more affordable drug pricing, Trump sent letters to the leaders of 17 major pharmaceutical companies in July demanding lower prices, and has since announced deals with five of them – Pfizer, Eli Lilly, AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk and EMD Serono.
Among the 12 remaining companies that have yet to strike agreements with the administration, several outlets are reporting that the likes of Merck, Gilead, Roche, GSK, Bristol Myers Squibb, Novartis, AbbVie and Sanofi could be involved today.
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Updated at 18.38 CET
At least three people have been killed and nine others injured as a knife-wielding attacker went on a rampage in the Taiwanese capital Taipei.
The 27-year-old suspect set off smoke bombs at Taipei’s main metro station, before running to another station in a busy shopping district, stabbing people along the way, Taiwanese Premier Cho Jung-tai said.
The suspect, named by officials as Taiwanese man Chang Wen, later died after falling from a multi-storey building, Cho added. His motive remains unclear.
Attacks of this kind are rare in Taiwan, which has low rates of violent crime. The last time a similar incident struck Taipei was more than a decade ago in 2014.
Friday’s attack took place during the city’s evening rush hour.
Videos shared on social media showed people fleeing the scene in panic as an individual wearing a baseball cap and black clothing lobbing smoke bombs across a busy road.
He can then be seen carrying a large knife as he walks past cars.
Cho said the suspect had detonated smoke bombs and Molotov cocktails at Taipei’s Main Station, which is connected to a busy underground shopping street.
A man reportedly tried to stop the attacker but was struck with a blunt object and later died in hospital.
The suspect then went to another subway about 800m away, Zhongshan metro station, where he set off more smoke bombs and stabbed more people.
Cho said he had ordered increased security at metro and railway stations, as well as airports, in response to the attack.
“We will investigate [the suspect’s] background and associated relationships to understand his motives and determine if there are other connected factors,” Cho was quoted by news agency Reuters as saying.
Taiwan’s President William Lai also promised a swift investigation.
The last major incident of this kind, in 2014, saw a man kill four people on an underground train in Taipei, shocking people in Taiwan. The perpetrator of that attack was executed two years later.
Rome is set to introduce an entrance fee for the Trevi Fountain and five other sites, the Italian capital’s mayor announced on Friday.
Rome’s mayor, Roberto Gualtieri, said at a press conference that tourists will be expected to pay the new fees starting on February 1.
Rome residents will be afforded free access to the monument.
While the Trevi Fountain will still be viewable from a distance for free, tourists will have to purchase a €2 ($2.35) ticket to get a closer look.
Rome had already implemented restrictions in order to combat overtourism, with only 400 people allowed in the area around Trevi Fountain at a time.
Gualtieri (second from left) stressed that Rome residents will continue to be able to access the fountain free of chargeImage: Tiziana Fabi/AFP
The 18th-Century Baroque fountain is typically beset by dense crowds, with many people making a wish and tossing a coin into its water.
Gualtieri said that an average of 30,000 people visited the fountain per day this year, amounting to some nine million tourists between January 1 and December 8.
The other sites to introduce entry fees are the Villa of Maxentius — an imperial structure built in the 4th Century — the Napeolonic Museum, the Baracco Museum, the Carlo Bilotti Museum and the Pietro Canonica Museum.
Tourist Trevi Fountain coins help poor in Rome
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Italy grapples with overtourism
Italy is one of the most visited countries in the world, and Rome and other popular tourist destinations have introduced measures to curb mass tourism.
Rome’s Pantheon, a church and former Roman temple, introduced entrance fees in 2023.
In 2024, Venice, known for its iconic canals, began charging an access fee for day visitors during peak periods, doubling the price to €5 this year.
Edited by: Wesley Dockery
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As the United Nations adopted a resolution condemning Iran for its execution spree “in the strongest terms,” a leading dissident group released a report accusing Tehran of putting 2,013 Iranians to death under President Masoud Pezeshkian between Jan. 1 and Dec. 15 of this year.
The Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) report says this more than doubles the total of 975 executions that the United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights counted in 2024. The U.N. noted that the 2024 figure was the highest recorded since 2015. The group counted a similar total of 1,001 executions in 2024.
According to MEK documents provided to Fox News Digital, a free-falling Iranian currency, nationwide protests, factional power struggles, “snapback” U.N. sanctions and fractures among leaders are stoking the increase in executions. The MEK says that this year’s execution total is the highest recorded since the 1980s.
IRANIAN-AMERICANS AND DISSIDENTS RALLIED AGAINST ‘MURDEROUS REGIME AGENTS’ AS IRAN’S PRESIDENT ADDRESSED UNGA
Pezeshkian accused the U.S. of a “grave betrayal” at the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 24, 2025, in New York City. (Jeenah Moon/Reuters)
A State Department spokesperson condemned Iran’s continued abuse of human rights, telling Fox News Digital that, “We strongly condemn the Iranian regime’s use of execution as a tool of political repression. For decades, the regime has subjected Iranians to torture, forced confessions, and sham trials, resulting in unlawful executions. Today, innocent civilians are being used as scapegoats for the regime’s military and economic failures.”
The spokesperson continued, “The Trump Administration restored the policy of maximum pressure, ending the Biden Administration’s policy of announcing fig-leaf sanctions while handing the regime billions. Since January, we have designated dozens of people and over 180 vessels in Iran’s shadow fleet to deplete the regime’s coffers.”
Behnam Ben Taleblu, the senior director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Iran Program, said there are more steps needed to be taken by Washington. He told Fox News Digital that the U.S. has “been lagging behind” other Western partners who have responded to Iranian human rights violations with sanctions and other measures, most recently Canada, which sanctioned four individuals after a protest in the Iranian city Mashhad in December.
“The lack of practical measures to support the Iranian people is a strategic own goal,” Taleblu said.
Taleblu noted that Iran “arrested over 21,000 people” following the 12-Day War in June, alongside a “political repression that is even much more expansive than ever before.” He said that the Islamic Republic “understands how weak it is,” and any efforts to appear more socially lenient, including regarding hijab laws, are an attempt to “retain their oligarchic political position in a post-Khamenei Iran.”
A view of the entrance of Evin prison in Tehran, Iran Oct. 17, 2022. (Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters)
RILEY GAINES, MARTINA NAVRATILOVA LEAD SPORTS COALITION CONDEMNING IRAN’S DEATH SENTENCE OF BOXER JAVAD SANI
Noting the prior Trump administration’s strong stance on Iran, Taleblu says that “it certainly can do better much more cheaply and more cost effectively than it thinks.” Taleblu said that one “simple” messaging strategy will present itself in March during President Trump’s Nowruz address, when he can “give an homage to the most pro-American, the most pro-Israeli population in the heartland of the Muslim Middle East.”
“The imperative for Washington to support Iranian protesters… stands,” Taleblu said. “But that should be a constant in U.S. foreign policy, given the disposition of the Iranian street, which is almost entirely against the Iranian state. U.S. human rights policy towards Iran should not be limited to merely having social media accounts that are the stenographers for Iran’s decline into failed state status.”
The MEK has urged U.S. policymakers to recognize the Iranian people’s right to resist and overthrow the regime, which they claim is the only means for eliminating the country’s theocracy.
On Dec. 10, the European Parliament marked International Human Rights Day by calling for the world to take action against Iran on account of its execution campaign. Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, addressed the parliament with her concerns that Iran is attempting to crush dissent. She urged that “all relations with the regime must be conditioned on the halt of executions,” with members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Ministry of Intelligence placed “on the terrorist list.”
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Nooses with red roses are displayed during the Anglo-Iranian community rally to support the Iranian people’s push for a new revolution. Members of the Anglo-Iranian community, along with supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), commemorated the 45th anniversary of the revolution in Iran that saw the overthrow of the Shah’s regime and eventually let to a theocratic Islamic republic in 1979. (Loredana Sangiuliano/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Among those sentenced to death is Zahra Tabari, a 67-year-old engineer and mother who the MEK say was given her sentence after a “sham 10-minute trial… without her chosen legal representation.” MEK documents say Tabari was arrested because she held a banner reading “Woman, Resistance, Freedom.”
The total number of executions in Iran has doubled since October. At the time, the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said that Iran was murdering up to nine prisoners each day, which they called an “unprecedented execution spree.” In response, death row prisoners staged a hunger strike.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not offer comment on the report.
Beth Bailey is a reporter covering Afghanistan, the Middle East, Asia, the United Nations, Central America and antisemitism. She was formerly a civilian intelligence analyst with the Department of the Army. You can follow Beth on X @BWBailey85
WORLD NEWS
MTG’s fiancé melts down over MAGA infighting ‘bulls***’ at TPUSA conference: ‘I’m just over it!’
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Brian Glenn, the soon-to-be former White House correspondent for far-right network Real America’s Voice who recently became engaged to Marjorie Taylor Greene, exclaimed on Friday that he was “angry” over the MAGA infighting “bulls***” that was on full display at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest conference.
With the American conservative movement already embroiled in a simmering civil war over the rising prominence of white nationalist Nick Fuentes, the fractures within MAGA grew even more pronounced in recent weeks over right-wing provocateur Candace Owens’ conspiracy theories about TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
During the opening night of AmericaFest, Daily Wire editor emeritus Ben Shapiro – the first speaker after Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, took the stage – tore into Owens and other “charlatans” who “traffic in conspiracism and dishonesty.” Shapiro also took aim at Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly and Steve Bannon, blasting them as “frauds and grifters” who have shown themselves to be cowards.
“The people who refused to condemn Candace’s truly vicious attacks — and some of them are speaking here tonight — are guilty of cowardice,” Shapiro raged, later adding: “If you host a Hitler apologist, Nazi-loving, anti-American piece of refuse like Nick Fuentes … you ought to own it.”
Carlson, who has come under fire from much of the right for his extremely chummy interview with Fuentes, did not take Shapiro’s broadside sitting down in his own speech from the TPUSA stage.
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Brian Glenn criticized prominent MAGA personalities for continuing to blast each other during a Turning Point USA conference, expressing concern about the impact it will have on the 2026 midterms. (Real America’s Voice)
“That guy is pompous,” Carlson sneered, adding that he “laughed” at Shapiro’s speech while watching it in the green room. “To hear calls for, like, deplatforming and denouncing people at a Charlie Kirk event, I’m like, what?! That’s hilarious!”
As for Kelly, who credited herself for setting up the “detente” between Owens and Erika Kirk earlier this week, she snarked online that Shapiro had levied an “attack on yours truly” without having “a d*mn clue what has been going on behind the scenes for months.” In recent months, Kelly has faced increasing criticism for refusing to condemn Carlson and Owens amid their increasingly unhinged conspiracies.
Appearing on Real America Voice’s morning show on Friday, Glenn – no stranger to the bitter disputes tearing apart Donald Trump’s coalition – groused that the growing rifts within the Republican Party could lead to massive midterm election losses next year.
“I kind of wish we’d turn our attention to 2026 and the policies that actually affect Americans. All of this talk is great for talk radio, but it’s horrible in terms of winning the 2026 midterms,” Glenn declared.
“This does nothing to improve anyone’s life,” a rapidly agitated Glenn continued. “And if I seem a little angry about it, it’s because I am! We waste so much dadgum time on who said this, who said that, all these conspiracy theories.”
Asking if Americans’ lives are better than they were a year ago and whether they will have improved midway through Trump’s second term, Glenn said “those are the things I wish we’d talk about” before sounding off over the intraparty feuds roiling the GOP.
“All this other bull***, I’m sorry, I’m just over it! If I seem a little angry, I apologize, I’m just over it,” he grumbled. Of course, Glenn himself has been stuck in the middle of much of this splintering of Trump’s base.
Greene, who said yes to the RAV personality after he popped the question earlier this month, has found herself deemed a “traitor” by the president after she split with the administration and GOP leadership on several issues – namely the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files and extending health care subsidies.
Because of the awkward position he’d been placed in over the bitter divorce between Trump and Greene, once one of the president’s most loyal and fiercest defenders, Glenn revealed that he would be leaving his position as Trump’s favorite White House reporter to move to Georgia when his fiancee officially leaves Congress next month.
NEED TO KNOW
- Two new episodes of Taylor Swift’s The End of an Era docuseries are out now on Disney+
- In episode 4, Swift and Sabrina Carpenter are seen rehearsing to perform a mash-up at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans in October 2024
- Carpenter opens up about having a “big blonde moment” before the show
Sabrina Carpenter had a “big blonde moment” while preparing to hit the stage with Taylor Swift.
In episode 4 of Swift’s The End of an Era docuseries on Disney+, the 36-year-old pop superstar and Carpenter are seen rehearsing to perform a mash-up of “Espresso,” “Is It Over Now?” and “Please Please Please” at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans in October 2024.
While backstage in a green room before the big moment on stage, Carpenter spoke about realizing why Swift chose to include the 1989 (Taylor’s Version) track in between the “Tears” singer’s hits.
Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter in September 2023.
Kevin Mazur/Getty
“Okay, I felt like a real big idiot, ‘cause the first time you sent me the first version, which was so genius, it didn’t process that the ‘takeout coffee’ line really fits with ‘Espresso’ until I literally was in the car on the way here,” said Carpenter, who opened for many Eras Tour shows before the New Orleans appearance.
“I was like, ‘She’s so smart.’ But yeah, that was a big blonde moment for me,” she continued. “It took me a day.”
Swift responded, “No, but what are the chances it has the same rhythm and is in the same key?”
Elsewhere during the episode, the “Karma” singer spoke about what it’s like working with Carpenter, whom she featured on the title track of her latest album, The Life of a Showgirl.
“Sabrina is just like a shooting star,” said Swift. “She’s so smart, she knows exactly how to entertain people in the way that they want, in the moment that she’s in.”
Sabrina Carpenter and Taylor Swift in February 2024.
Don Arnold/TAS24/Getty
“She’s just like battling herself for No. 1 on the charts all summer,” added the 14-time Grammy winner. “And when you see that happen, you’re just like, ‘Go! Fly higher!’ And then it’s even cooler when, like, someone like this will circle back and, like, bless us with their magic.”
The third and fourth episodes of The End of an Era premiered on Friday, Dec. 19. The final two episodes will hit Disney+ on Dec. 23.