The Petersburg Post
Top News Stories for Friday, December 12th 2025
Friday, Dec 12th, 2025 -
The Trump administration has imposed new sanctions on Venezuela, targeting three nephews of President Nicolas Maduro's wife, Cilia Flores, as well as six crude oil tankers and shipping companies linked to them, as Washington steps up pressure on Caracas. Two of the sanctioned nephews were previously convicted in the United States on drug trafficking charges before being released as part of a prisoner exchange. The ...
Source: aljazeera.com
Friday, Dec 12th, 2025 -
It's likely just a matter of time before we see the wisened duo of Rafiki and Jiminy Cricket weilding lightsabers on the icy plains of Arendelle. to use Disney's characters and other intellectual property. Disney will also invest $1 billion in OpenAI and will purchase ChatGPT Enterprise for its employees. It's a major shift for Disney, which has historically been deeply protective of its intellectual property. And ...
Source: insider.com
Friday, Dec 12th, 2025 -
The long-awaited Federal government campaign to quash state-by-state AI regulations is on. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Dec. 11 directing the federal government to establish a new national approach to artificial intelligence and to push back against state-by-state AI rules the administration says are slowing U.S. innovation. For banks, payments firms and FinTechs leaning on AI for fraud ...
Source: pymnts.com
Friday, Dec 12th, 2025 -
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose case has become a flashpoint in the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in the United States, has been freed from detention on a judge's order and returned to his home, according to reports. Abrego Garcia was due to check in with US immigration officials on Friday, The Associated Press news agency reported, a day after returning to his home following his release from an ...
Source: aljazeera.com
Friday, Dec 12th, 2025 -
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... By LARRY LAGE ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — After spending two nights in jail, fired Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore was expected to be arraigned Friday amid a police investigation of an alleged assault. Moore, 39, was fired on Wednesday for what the school called an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. Hours later, he was in police custody. Authorities ...
Source: orlandosentinel.com
Friday, Dec 12th, 2025 -
The Justice Department's mortgage fraud investigation into New York Attorney General Letitia James is on life support after a grand jury, for the second time, rejected an indictment that would have revived charges against her. Lindsey Halligan , appointed by President Donald Trump to run the office, now faces the decision on whether to try again next week or pull the plug and risk the wrath of the president who ...
Source: aol.com
Friday, Dec 12th, 2025 -
Western Washington is facing a "historic" flooding crisis that has forced tens of thousands to flee their homes and could displace thousands more Friday as rivers reach record levels. There have been no reports of fatalities, but local authorities and first responders stressed the potentially lethal nature of the record-breaking flooding. Warnings remain in place for some parts of the state until Saturday morning. ...
Source: nbcnews.com
Friday, Dec 12th, 2025 -
Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. Swipe for next article President Donald Trump pushes for release of jailed former county clerk, who has become a cause celebre for MAGA conservatives President Donald Trump has announced a pardon for former Colorado county clerk Tina Peters, currently serving a nine-year jail sentence for her part in ...
Source: independent.co.uk
Friday, Dec 12th, 2025 -
The US Food and Drug Administration intends to put a "black box" warning on Covid-19 vaccines, according to two people familiar with the agency's plans. A boxed warning, which appears at the top of prescribing information for medicines, is the agency's most serious, designed to warn about risks such as death or life-threatening or disabling reactions that should be weighed against the intervention's benefits. They ...
Source: aol.com
Friday, Dec 12th, 2025 -
The United States is planning to require some visitors to provide their social media history from the past five years, according to US President Donald Trump's administration. This requirement will apply to visitors who do not need a visa to enter the US. Here is a closer look at this proposal: What is the US planning to do? The proposal was announced on the Federal Register by the US Customs and Border Protection ...
Source: aljazeera.com
Friday, Dec 12th, 2025 -
Football's leading fan organisations have demanded FIFA immediately stop selling tickets for next year's World Cup , to be played in the United States, Canada and Mexico, warning that prices reaching nearly $9,000 for premium final seats will exclude supporters from the tournament. Football Supporters Europe, which called the ticket pricing "extortionate", issued the call on Thursday after national associations ...
Source: aljazeera.com
Friday, Dec 12th, 2025 -
FDA reports cases have increased from 39 last week with illnesses spanning multiple months At least 51 babies have been hospitalized in a growing botulism outbreak tied to contaminated baby formula, federal health officials announced Wednesday. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said suspected and confirmed cases have now been reported in 19 states among infants who consumed ByHeart formula ...
Source: foxbusiness.com
Friday, Dec 12th, 2025 -
Co-founder of Singapore-based Terraform Labs given more jail time by US judge than prosecutors sought Do Kwon, the entrepreneur behind two cryptocurrencies that lost $40bn (£29.8bn) three years ago and caused the sector to crash, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for fraud. The South Korean, 34, had pleaded guilty to two counts of US charges of conspiracy to defraud and wire fraud. Kwon, who co-founded ...
Source: theguardian.com
Thursday, Dec 11th, 2025 -
Welcome to Trendlines. The secret password is " He's dead, Jim ." Today, the Federal Reserve remains sharply divided over the outlook for jobs and inflation. Plus: the mill fire that created a folk hero. Federal Reserve officials gather about every six weeks to assess the economy and whether interest rates are at the right level to support its goals of maximum employment and low, steady inflation. The outcome is ...
Source: bostonglobe.com
Thursday, Dec 11th, 2025 -
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Thursday rejected legislation to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits, essentially guaranteeing that millions of Americans will see a steep rise in costs at the beginning of the year. As Republicans and Democrats have failed to find compromise, senators voted on two partisan bills instead that they knew would fail — the Democratic bill to extend the subsidies, and a ...
Source: bostonglobe.com
Thursday, Dec 11th, 2025 -
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was engaged in the familiar routine of congressional hearings Thursday, basking in Republican praise and fending off attacks from Democrats over the administration's immigration tactics, when Rhode Island Representative Seth Magaziner broke up the traditional back and forth. Magaziner, a Democrat on the House Committee on Homeland Security, began to grill Noem about whether ...
Source: bostonglobe.com
Thursday, Dec 11th, 2025 -
In what has become a tradition every few years, Time magazine's "Person of the Year" isn't an individual for 2025 -- it's a group and a concept. In this case, it's what Time is dubbing, " The architects of AI ." Time Editor in Chief Sam Jacobs said in a note about the cover story that AI's power and influence was ever-present in 2025, advancing rapidly and making the impossible possible. Don't miss any of our ...
Source: cnet.com
Thursday, Dec 11th, 2025 -
As if this year wasn't already a picture-perfect hellscape that exemplifies what happens when the wrong people are in charge of the country's public health recommendations, we have another outbreak to contend with as the year draws to a close. Indeed, months after the measles outbreak in Miami , health experts are saying there is another outbreak in South Carolina, thanks to unvaccinated people. The people of South ...
Source: greenmatters.com
Thursday, Dec 11th, 2025 -
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that the United States is pushing for Ukraine to withdraw its forces from the Donetsk region to establish a "free economic zone" in the Kyiv-held parts of eastern Ukraine that Moscow wants to control. Zelenskyy confirmed on Thursday that his country had presented the US with a 20-point set of counter-proposals for peace amid discussions on security guarantees with top US ...
Source: aljazeera.com
Thursday, Dec 11th, 2025 -
OpenAI Group PBC today launched GPT-5.2, its newest and most capable large language model. The LLM is available in three versions: Instant, Thinking and Pro. OpenAI says that the latter two editions provide record-setting performance across many mathematical tasks. The company claims that GPT-5.2 also outperforms rivals in other areas. OpenAI tested the mid-range Thinking version of the model using ...
Source: siliconangle.com
Thursday, Dec 11th, 2025 -
We could all use a buddy to help us track down dinner from time to time. New research published on December 11 in Scientific Reports posits that killer whales ( Orcinus orca ) off the coast of British Columbia may be forging hunting partnerships that bridge a species divide . Sarah Fortune, a marine ecologist at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, and her colleagues used drones and camera-equipped tags to study ...
Source: scientificamerican.com
Thursday, Dec 11th, 2025 -
Some social media users in the Netherlands said they couldn't stomach it, so McDonald's has withdrawn an advertisement generated entirely by artificial intelligence . Entitled "the most terrible time of the year," the 45-second video was released on the fast-food giant's YouTube channel for the country Saturday. As a reworked version of the Andy Williams song "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" plays in the ...
Source: nbcnews.com
Thursday, Dec 11th, 2025 -
President Trump is touting his administration's new "gold card" visa as a fast track for foreigners who are willing and able to pay $1 million for the right to immigrate to the U.S. Applications for the new visa went live on Wednesday afternoon, with the government website for the gold card saying the process can be completed in a matter of weeks after applicants file their paperwork. Mr. Trump unveiled ...
Source: cbsnews.com
Thursday, Dec 11th, 2025 -
Reddit has launched a challenge in Australia's highest court against the nation's landmark social media ban for children. The online forum is among 10 social media platforms which must bar Australians aged under 16 from having accounts, under a new law which began on Wednesday. The ban, which is being watched closely around the world, was justified by campaigners and the government as necessary to protect children ...
Source: bbc.com
Thursday, Dec 11th, 2025 -
Eli Lilly said its next-generation obesity drug delivered what appears to be the highest weight loss seen so far in a late-stage trial and reduced knee arthritis pain, clearing the first of several upcoming studies on the weekly injection. The drugmaker is betting big on the treatment, retatrutide, as the next pillar of its obesity portfolio after its weight loss injection Zepbound and its upcoming ...
Source: cnbc.com
Thursday, Dec 11th, 2025 -
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR reached a settlement Thursday of the bruising antitrust lawsuit filed against the stock car series by two of its race teams, including one co-owned by NBA great Michael Jordan. The settlement came on the ninth day of the trial before U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell, who set aside motions hearing for an hour-long sidebar. Jeffrey Kessler, attorney for 23XI Racing and Front Row ...
Source: nbcnews.com
Thursday, Dec 11th, 2025 -
OpenAI and its investor Microsoft Corp. were sued over a Connecticut murder-suicide in the latest case to blame the popular ChatGPT chatbot for dangerous psychological manipulation of users. The lawsuit turns on the actions of a 56-year-old man who lived with his 83-year-old mother in Greenwich, Connecticut, and had been conversing for months with the chatbot over his fear that he was under surveillance and people ...
Source: news.bloomberglaw.com
Thursday, Dec 11th, 2025 -
In its latest splurge, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will spend nearly $140 million on six Boeing 737 planes to deport immigrants. The new DHS planes are intended to cut costs "by allowing ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] to operate more effectively," Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin told The Washington Post . The planes will be purchased with funding granted by the One ...
Source: reason.com
Thursday, Dec 11th, 2025 -
The Trump administration announced Wednesday that it plans to create a militarized zone along the U.S.-Mexico border in California to support border security operations for three years, the latest in a controversial series of moves aimed at securing the border amid the government's immigration crackdown. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said in a written statement that the agency plans to transfer about 760 ...
Source: latimes.com
Thursday, Dec 11th, 2025 -
The US trade deficit has unexpectedly narrowed to its smallest level since 2020 as President Donald Trump's sweeping tariff hikes altered import behaviour, according to delayed Commerce Department data released on Thursday. The deficit fell 10.9% to $52.8 billion in September, even as exports rose 3% to $289.3 billion and imports edged up 0.6% to $342.1 billion, AFP reported. The release is among a set of economic ...
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Thursday, Dec 11th, 2025 -
Federal prosecutors said this week that Michael S. Jeffries, the former CEO of Abercrombie and Fitch who was charged with running an international sex-trafficking ring , was fit to stand trial, contradicting a previous ruling that had found he could not be tried because of a dementia diagnosis. A judge ruled Jeffries, 81, unfit to stand trial in May, after doctors evaluated him and determined that he met the ...
Source: bostonglobe.com
Thursday, Dec 11th, 2025 -
Conflict monitors say the junta has increased airstrikes year-on-year since the start of Myanmar's civil war Dozens have been killed in a military strike on a hospital in Myanmar's western Rakhine state, according to an aid worker, a rebel group, a witness and local media reports, as the junta wages a withering offensive ahead of elections beginning this month. "The situation is very terrible," said on-site aid ...
Source: theguardian.com
Thursday, Dec 11th, 2025 -
Fourteen years after their breakout roles in the juggernaut dystopian franchise The Hunger Games , and a decade since their last appearance in one of the films, Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson are set to return to Panem. As reported by Deadline , the stars are confirmed to appear in the forthcoming prequel, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping . The movie follows The Hunger Games (2012) , Catching Fire ...
Source: vogue.com
Wednesday, Dec 10th, 2025 -
NASA has lost contact with a spacecraft that has orbited Mars for more than a decade. Maven, an acronym for Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, abruptly stopped communicating with ground stations on Dec. 6. NASA said this week that it was working fine before it went behind the red planet. When it reappeared, there was only silence. Launched in 2013 and having entered Mars' orbit in September 2014, Maven began ...
Source: cbsnews.com