Category: World

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..

A CNN panel has identified the Democratic frontrunners for the 2028 presidential election with a new name added to the mix.
While the 2028 election is still three years away, some can’t help but speculate who will end up on the ticket. While there’s been talk about California Governor Gavin Newsom’s rise in popularity thanks to his social media trolling efforts against President Donald Trump and a potential matchup between progressive congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, also known as AOC, and Vice President JD Vance, there’s one Democrat some may be overlooking.
Senator Raphael Warnock’s name popped up in a recent panel discussion on CNN’s Inside Politics. Warnock was elected Georgia’s first Black senator in 2021 and has been a pastor at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church for about two decades.
On Wednesday, CNN’s Dana Bash had her panel look at the odds of prominent Democrats winning the party’s 2028 presidential nomination based on prediction market company Kalshi.
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