Category: World

A man accused of planting pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Democratic and Republican National Committees before the January 6, 2021 attack told investigators after his arrest that he believed someone needed to “speak up” for people who believed the 2020 election was stolen, according to federal prosecutors.
He said he targeted the political party headquarters because they were “in charge,” according to a new filing from U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro.
Brian J. Cole Jr., 30, allegedly told investigators that “something just snapped” after “watching everything, just everything getting worse” in the wake of the election.
Cole was arrested earlier this month and charged with transporting explosives across state lines and with maliciously attempting to use the bombs to damage or destroy property.
Authorities had not previously outlined a possible motive for the pipe bombs or detailed any connection between the devices and the Capitol insurrection. But it was previously reported tha..

Jeffrey R. Holland, a high-ranking official in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who was next in line to become the faith’s president, has died. He was 85.
Holland died early Saturday morning from complications associated with kidney disease, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced on its website.
Holland led a governing body called the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, which helps set church policy while overseeing the many business interests of what is known widely as the Mormon church.
He was the next longest-tenured member of the Quorum of the Twelve after President Dallin H. Oaks, making him next in line to lead the church under a long-established succession plan.
Henry B. Eyring, one of Oaks’s two top counselors, is now next in line for the presidency.
open image in galleryJeffrey R. Holland was next in line to lead the church under a long-established succession plan (AP)Holland had been hospitalized during the Christmas holiday for treatment related..

Top officials and federal agencies in Donald Trump’s administration used their official government social media accounts to share explicitly religious messages and declare Jesus the nation’s savior during the week of Christmas, drawing warnings from First Amendment advocates fearing a critical breach of the church-and-state firewall.
The Department of Homeland Security shared two videos on X with the caption “Christ is Born!”
Another post from the agency included the caption “we are blessed to share a nation and a Savior” with an 85-second video with rapidly cut-together American Christmas imagery with a cassette-like filter.
Both messages were shared by the White House.
“Merry Christmas to all. Today we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote. Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote that “the joyous message of Christmas is the hope of Eternal Life through Christ.”
open image in galleryPosts shared by Trump administration officials a..

Three people are hurt following a shooting in the downtown area of Wallace, Idaho.
Police responded to reports of gunfire at the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office around 2:30 p.m. local time Friday, Sheriff William Eddy said at a press conference. Multiple agencies responded, and the suspected shooter is now dead.
An officer sustained an injury to his ear and two women were shot in the leg while inside a vehicle near the county building. All three have “minor injuries,” Eddy said.
Following an “officer-involved shooting,” the suspect was pronounced dead around 4:15 p.m. local time in the lobby of the building, according to Eddy. The suspected attacker had “several guns,” he said. No further information has been revealed about the suspect.
SWAT units were deployed to the area after the shooting was reported.
open image in galleryShoshone County Sheriff William Eddy told reporters three people were injured in a shooting in Wallace, Idaho (KREM 2 News)The Mineral County Sheriff's O..

President Donald Trump has shared photos of “potential marble armrests” for the seats at the Kennedy Center, shortly after his name was added to the building.
The armrests are “unlike anything ever done or seen before,” Trump wrote Friday on Truth Social. His post comes just days after the White House announced plans to rename the Washington, D.C., landmark the “Trump-Kennedy Center.”
The Independent has contacted the Kennedy Center for comment.
Trump’s post about the potential installation of marble armrests drew criticism on social media, including from Democratic Senator Andy Kim.
“Americans are struggling to keep food on the table while Trump is spending your money on wasteful vanity projects. He doesn’t care about you,” Kim wrote on X.
open image in galleryPresident Donald Trump shared photos of 'potential marble armrests' for the Kennedy Center (President Donald Trump)White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced plans to change the Kennedy Center’s name on De..

CloseRussian police on scene in aftermath of fatal explosion in MoscowUkraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has hinted at progress on a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, following a “really good conversation” with President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, on Christmas Day.
“It was a really good conversation: many details, good ideas, that we discussed,” Zelensky said on Telegram on Thursday. “There are some new ideas on how to bring the real peace closer, and it concerns formats, meetings, and, certainly, the timeline.”
The talks come a day after Mr Zelensky unveiled an updated 20-point peace plan. He said it offered the potential withdrawal of Ukraine troops from the east, with the creation of a demilitarised zone in the Donbas region.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the proposal had been brought to Moscow, and was now being analysed.
The peace discussions come as two people were killed after Russia launched more than 130 drones on Ukraine on Christmas nigh..