News of the World

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UKRAINE WAR

NATO’s Post-WW2 Naval Dominance Under Serious Threat: Military Chief

The dominance Western countries like the United Kingdom have enjoyed for decades in the Atlantic Ocean is under threat from Russia, the head of the British Navy has said.

The British government has said it has seen a 30 percent increase in Russian vessels posing a threat to U.K. waters in the past two years, and the country's military has intercepted several Russian ships this year.

The powerful position nations like the U.K. have long had in the Atlantic "is at risk," the chief of the U.K.'s Royal Navy, General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, said in a speech in central London on Monday.

"We are holding on, but not by much," Jenkins said. "There is no room for complacency."

British Defense Secretary John Healey said last month the Yantar, described by officials as a Russian intelligence-gathering ship, had pointed lasers at British pilots watching the vessel near U.K. waters in what he termed a "deeply dangerous" move. The Yantar was also spotted off the British coast in January and intercepted close to France.

"The Yantar is only the visible bit you see in the public—and it's not the bit that worries me the most," Jenkins said. "It's what's going on under the waves that most concerns me."

Russia has a formidable submarine fleet and is well accustomed to operating in the austere Arctic conditions, whereas NATO members are often less comfortable.

Moscow has several major military bases, including a chunk of its nuclear deterrent, clustered around the Arctic cities of Murmansk and Severomorsk and will send its stealthy submarines out through strategic chokepoints like the so-called GIUK gap, between Greenland, Iceland and the U.K., out into the Atlantic.

But Russian submarines under the waves are often very difficult to detect, and NATO officials concede they are sometimes not spotted. Moscow is tipping funds into modernizing its military, in particular its naval capabilities, as part of its ballooning defense spending while it grinds on with its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

"Our would-be opponents are investing billions," Jenkins said. "We have to step up, or we will lose that advantage," he added.

The U.K. said early on Monday its new initiative, dubbed Atlantic Bastion, will protect critical undersea infrastructure by blending drones and artificial intelligence with warships and other more traditional assets in the North Atlantic.

NATO Ally [Lithuania] Declares National Emergency Over Balloons

NATO member Lithuania has declared a national emergency over smuggling balloons crossing into its airspace from neighboring Belarus, a key ally of Russia.

"It’s clear that this emergency is being declared not only because of disruptions to civil aviation, but also due to national security concerns and the need for closer coordination among institutions,” Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovič said during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Lithuania's LRT reported.

The Lithuanian government said the balloons posed a "danger" to human life, property and the environment, and that the actions were seen as a form of hybrid warfare. 

Newsweek contacted the Belarusian and Lithuanian foreign ministries for comment.

Why It Matters

Tensions between Lithuania and Belarus have increased in recent weeks due to meteorological balloons crossing from Belarus, which have forced the NATO member to repeatedly shut down its main airport.

The incursions add to concerns that hybrid operations along NATO's eastern flank could disrupt the region's security.

While Belarus has has not been involved directly in Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it has been used a staging post for attacks.

What To Know

Lithuania’s state of emergency was announced on Tuesday following a cabinet meeting of the government, which is a strong backer of Ukraine. 

The declaration allows state institutions to coordinate their response and involve the military. The decision will be reviewed in a month, according to the country’s interior ministry.

Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko - who is President Vladimir Putin's closest ally - accused Lithuania on Tuesday of escalating and politicizing the issue of weather balloons, playing down the safety fears that pilots face.

Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who ran against Lukashenko in 2020 in disputed elections that were followed a crackdown, condemned Minsk's "latest provocations."

"Threats to regional security will continue as long as the dictatorship remains," she wrote on X. "We stand firmly with Lithuania against these hybrid attacks."

Lithuania shares a border with Russia's exclave of Kaliningrad, which is heavily armed and believed to be the epicenter should any hostilities between Moscow and NATO break out. 

Earlier this month, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen warned that the situation at the EU's border with Belarus was worsening, and that Brussels was preparing further sanctions to punish Minsk. 

"Such hybrid attack by the Lukashenka regime is completely unacceptable," she wrote on X. "Lithuania continues to have our full solidarity."

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) also said this month that the wave of balloon incursions was part of the "phase zero" strategy by Russia, whose leader the to pressure NATO through constant low-cost disruptions.

How Russia and China Are Countering US Alliance’s Missile Threat

Russia and China recently conducted a joint anti-missile exercise, which an expert told Newsweek signaled a growing level of trust, with the two sides able to mutually benefit amid the proliferation of long-range precision weapons in Europe and Asia.

In a short statement released on Saturday, China's Defense Ministry said the war game, held at an undisclosed location in Russia in early December, did not target any third party and had nothing to do with the "current international and regional situation."

Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry by email for further comment.

Why It Matters

China has been one of Russia's closest partners since the outbreak of the full-scale war in Ukraine in 2022, with Moscow describing its relations with Beijing as a partnership "without limitations or taboos." The two countries have closely cooperated on military matters, including joint patrols and bilateral drills, to bolster their readiness.

The Russia-China drill came amid United States deployment of mid-range missiles in Japan and the Philippines, along with plans to station similar weapons in Germany next year. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is advancing its plan to build the Golden Dome missile defense network to protect the homeland from all types of aerial threats.

What To Know

According to China's Defense Ministry, the December drill marked the third time it has conducted an anti-missile exercise with its Russian counterpart. The previous two war games, both code-named Aerospace Security, were held in 2016 and 2017, respectively.

During the 2017 exercise—based on computer simulations—both militaries conducted joint air defense and anti-missile defense operations to test their ability to respond to "accidental and provocative ballistic and cruise missile strikes" on their territories, CGTN reported.

Dmitry Stefanovich, a research fellow at the Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Newsweek on Monday that the long pause between the second and third anti-missile exercises might reflect a "growing level of mutual trust" between Russia and China.

"I mean, exercise in 2017 might have been perceived as peak cooperation in the airspace defense domain, but by 2025 Russia and China are ready for something more impressive," he said, despite no information about the substance of the latest exercise.

Joint missile defense exercises could contribute to the growing mutual trust between Russia and China, as well as their military operational compatibility, Stefanovich said.

Additionally, Russia has what the analyst called "unique experience" in both defending against all kinds of aerial threats, including advanced Western missiles and drones, as well as in penetrating layered air and missile defense systems during its war with Ukraine.

Putin Ally Issues Update on Deploying Nuclear Weapons in NATO Warning

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko shared an update on Tuesday about his plans to deploy nuclear weapons in coordination with Russia throughout his country.

The close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin said that "the question of returning nuclear weapons to us was raised."

"We also discussed putting on alert Russia’s state-of-the-art systems. We have full mutual understanding and support from Russia. Therefore, we will work together to defend our country," Lukashenko said, according to Belarus' BelTA news agency.

"We cannot ignore this very mobilization and militarization [by NATO nations]," Lukashenko said. "These countries are not spending vast amounts of money on, as they say, countering Russia and Belarus for no reason. We do not intend to attack anyone. We have enough of everything."

"We need to update our defense measures so that everyone sees we are ready to defend every patch of our land," he warned.

Why It Matters

Russia originally announced plans to place tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus in March 2023, at Minsk’s request. By April 2024, Lukashenko confirmed the delivery of several dozen warheads. The weapons fall under the framework of the Union State of Russia and Belarus, which came into effect in March 2025 and includes a provision that such arms can be used only as a measure of last resort.

What To Know

Lukashenko also confirmed that Russia’s Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile system will enter combat duty in Belarus in December and will be deployed across the country. The Oreshnik system, which was first publicly revealed during a 2024 strike on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, is capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear payloads.

“Just so you know, we have once again exchanged our nuclear weapons,” Lukashenko said, according to BelTA. “We sent them to Russia and brought back the most advanced ones. They were put in order. Maintaining these weapons is expensive, and the Russians help us with that. So we returned these weapons. We train using them, both from aircraft and missile weapons. And we make no secret of it.”

In September, Russian and Belarusian forces conducted joint exercises under “Zapad 2025,” a recurring military drill series that included simulations of nonstrategic nuclear operations. The exercises involved roughly 30,000 troops—far fewer than the 100,000 claimed by Moscow—according to Lithuanian intelligence cited by the ELTA news agency. Only 2,000 of those troops were Russian; the rest were from Belarus and other participating nations.

Despite the smaller scale, the drills were described by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk as “very aggressive.” In response, Poland conducted its own war games, code-named Iron Defender, which included 30,000 troops and forces from multiple NATO member states.

‘Disappointed’ Trump claims Zelensky ‘hasn’t yet read’ peace proposal — as prez’s son suggests he may walk away from Ukraine

President Trump cast doubt on whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is ready to back the latest peace proposal — as his son warned that the commander-in-chief may grow impatient and walk away from Ukraine.

“I have to say that I’m a little bit disappointed that President Zelensky hasn’t yet read the proposal, that was as of a few hours ago,” Trump told reporters before becoming the first president ever to host the ritzy Kennedy Center Honors.

“His people love it, but he hasn’t. Russia’s fine with it.”

Last month, US and Ukrainian negotiators hashed out a 19-point peace plan that included several provisions that Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin promptly rejected.

It’s unclear how much of that was reworked in the time since Russia rejected it.
“I think he may,” Donald Trump Jr. said at the Doha Forum on Sunday when asked whether his father will walk away from Ukraine.

“What’s good about my father, and what’s unique about my father, is you don’t know what he’s going to do,” he continued. “The fact that he’s not predictable … forces everyone to actually deal in an intellectually honest capacity.”

Zelensky, however, has commended the negotiations to end the bloody war ravaging his country and stressed that his team is still working out the finer details of the plan.

“I am grateful for a very focused, constructive discussion,” Zelensky wrote on X Saturday.

“We covered many aspects and went through key points that could ensure an end to the bloodshed and eliminate the threat of a new Russian full-scale invasion, as well as the risk of Russia failing to honor its promises, as has happened repeatedly in the past.”

Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Ukrainian negotiator Andriy Hnatov and Rustem Umerov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, last Friday in Florida.

Zelensky trekked to London on Monday to huddle with European leaders amid the talks to end the war.

Throughout his peace negotiation efforts, Trump has wavered between faulting Ukraine or Russia more for prolonging the brutal conflict that is set to mark its fourth anniversary in February.

In September, Trump ripped into Putin and suggested that Russia might be a “paper tiger,” adding that he felt Ukraine might be able to regain its lost territory. Weeks later, the president had seemingly soured on Ukraine again and publicly declared his belief that “Putin wants to end the war.”

Last month, staunchly pro-Ukraine lawmakers in Congress were apoplectic over a draft 28-point peace plan that would’ve seen Kyiv make massive concessions such as ceding the entire Donbas region, which the Russians have been unable to fully take over for more than a decade, including the period before its invasion, when it helped fuel a civil war in Ukraine.

Ukraine would also have to commit to never joining NATO, shrink its military force from roughly 900,000 to 600,000 personnel, and provide amnesty to everyone involved in the war, meaning that Russians couldn’t face war crime claims. Russia was asked to make a few concessions in that proposal. But Trump’s team quickly overhauled the plan during a series of talks with Ukrainian negotiators.

Trump Jr. took swipes at Zelensky and ripped into how the Ukrainian leader is often portrayed on the world stage and in American media.

Zelensky says he still has one big unanswered question in Ukraine-Russia peace deal

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday that one key question remains unanswered as the Trump administration works to hammer out a peace deal end the war in Ukraine.

As President Trump pushes for a cease-fire deal to end Russia’s nearly four year invasion, Zelensky maintained that the US and its allies have yet to offer clear details on what security guarantees would be granted to Ukraine to protect it from future aggression.

“There is one question I — and all Ukrainians — want to get an answer to: if Russia again starts a war, what will our partners do?” Zelensky told Bloomberg.

The main disagreements in the peace deal involve Russia’s maximalist demands that Ukraine shrink its military, totally cede the contested Donbas region and give up any hopes of joining NATO.

“There are visions of the US, Russia and Ukraine — and we don’t have a unified view on Donbas,” Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian president has long maintained that the Donbas region cannot be surrendered as it contains the Donetsk fortress belt, which has staved off Russian invasions for more than a decade.

Without it, Ukrainian officials have argued that Moscow would have an easier time launching yet another invasion in the near future, a concern that was shared by European allies.

To that end, Zelensky insisted Ukraine needed guarantees from NATO — specifically the US — that the defense bloc would intervene in the case of another Russian invasion.

The US and NATO members have previously floated the idea of granting Ukraine protections similar to NATO’s Article 5, which would see the block treat an attack on Kyiv as an attack on the coalition itself.

Zelensky also reiterated that the European Union should be involved in the cease-fire negotiations despite US negotiators effectively shutting out the Europeans concerns.

“We are talking to the US — it is constructive work,” Zelensky told Bloomberg. “But there are questions that concern Europe — and we cannot decide for Europe. We need to discuss with Europe Ukraine’s membership in the EU, which is also part of security guarantees.”

Ukraine’s Zelensky refuses to give up land to Russia: ‘Precisely what we are fighting for’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was adamant Monday that Kyiv would not cede territory to Russia — a central demand Moscow has pushed and one that appears in the latest draft of the US-negotiated proposal to end the war in Ukraine.

“We have no right to give anything away — not under our laws, not under international law, not under moral law,” Zelensky told reporters on Monday. “Russia is, of course, insisting that we give up territory. We, of course, do not want to give up anything — that is precisely what we are fighting for, as you are well aware.”

“To be honest, the Americans are looking for a compromise today,” he added.
The current draft proposal includes 20 points — whittled down from the 28-point proposal blasted as a Kremlin-friendly wishlist straight out of Vladimir Putin’s desk drawer and up from a pre-Moscow meeting 19-point plan — and has been scrubbed of what Zelensky called its most “anti-Ukrainian” pieces.

The new version shows Kyiv is willing to talk, he said — while still stressing that surrendering land was off the table as he addressed Ukrainian reporters following a meeting in London with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

“Not everything our partners came back with is to our liking,” he said of the latest plan developed after last week’s US-Russia meeting at the Kremlin. “Although that is less a question for the Americans and more a question for the Russians. But we will definitely work on it.”

But other tough issues — such as funding and security guarantees — remain wide open.

The US remains the only country capable of providing security guarantees that matter, Zelensky said — adding that he won’t accept another toothless agreement like the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, which pledged the US would protect Ukraine from Russian invasion after it gave up its nuclear arsenal.

“The strongest security guarantees we can receive are from the United States — provided that they are not another Budapest Memorandum or empty promises — but legally binding commitments approved by the US Congress,” he said. “That is what we are discussing, and so far they are responding positively to this approach.”

But the US wants to see Europe step up more — as Zelensky noted the continent has yet to answer what actions, if any, it would take if Russia restarts its aggression after a ceasefire.

Trump warns Ukraine is ‘losing’ Russia war, calls for new elections despite wartime prohibition

President Trump said in an interview Monday that Ukraine should hold new elections despite its ongoing war with Russia — prompting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to declare he’s “ready” for them to begin when voters can be safe.

“I think it’s time. I think it’s an important time to hold an election,” the president told Politico reporter Dasha Burns. “They’re using war not to hold an election, but, uh, I would think the Ukrainian people would, should have that choice.”

Under Ukraine’s constitution, elections cannot be held during period of martial law — which President Volodymyr Zelensky imposed in response to Russia’s invasion in February 2022. Under normal circumstances, the terms of Zelensky and Ukraine’s parliament would have ended in May and August 2024, respectively.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Zelensky said he has the “will and readiness” to hold elections. But he cited issues in Ukraine’s way, including the security of voters in a war zone at risk of missile strikes and Ukrainian law that prevents elections when the country is under martial law.

Zelensky said he’s seeking a legislative fix, and if he has help from the US on ensuring the saftey of voters during a war, Kyiv would be ready to hold elections in “the next 60 to 90 days.”

“I’m asking now and stating openly: I need the United States of America to help me,” he said. “Together with European colleagues, we can ensure security for conducting elections.”

“Maybe Zelensky would win,” Trump said of the prospect of a wartime election. “I don’t know who would win. But they haven’t had an election in a long time. You know, they talk about a democracy, but it gets to a point where it’s not a democracy anymore.”

The president also responded to a weekend claim by first son Donald Trump Jr. that the commander-in-chief may be willing to walk away from Ukraine, saying: “It’s not correct. But it’s not exactly wrong.”

“We have to, you know, they have to play ball,” the president went on. “If they, if they don’t read agreements, potential agreements, you know, it’s not easy with Russia because Russia has the upper, upper hand. And they always did. They’re much bigger. They’re much stronger in that sense.

“I give the people of Ukraine and the military of Ukraine tremendous credit for the, you know, bravery and for the fighting and all of that,” Trump said. “But you know, at some point, size will win, generally.”

“We have to, you know, they have to play ball,” the president went on. “If they, if they don’t read agreements, potential agreements, you know, it’s not easy with Russia because Russia has the upper, upper hand. And they always did. They’re much bigger. They’re much stronger in that sense.

“I give the people of Ukraine and the military of Ukraine tremendous credit for the, you know, bravery and for the fighting and all of that,” Trump said. “But you know, at some point, size will win, generally.”

The president’s comments came as his administration makes another effort to end Europe’s deadliest conflict since the Second World War, with Trump telling reporters Sunday that Zelensky had yet to read the latest peace framework hashed out by US and Ukrainian negotiators.

“It would be nice if he would read it,” the president told Politico Monday. “You know, a lot of people are dying. So it would be really good if he’d read it. His people loved the proposal. They really liked it. His lieutenants, his top people, they liked it, but they said he hasn’t read it yet. I think he should find time to read it.”

Zelensky disputed the accusation on Thursday, telling reporters he has in fact “read many different versions of this plan.”

USA

Elon Musk reveals he wouldn’t do DOGE again — doubts that effort to chainsaw government was successful

Elon Musk says he’s no longer convinced his crusade to clean up government waste through the Department of Government Efficiency — better known as DOGE — was worth the chaos it unleashed.

Musk admitted he’s deeply unsure whether his high-profile stint running Washington’s most meme-able agency actually worked, in a wide-ranging — and, at times, philosophical — interview on “The Katie Miller Podcast.”

“We’re a little bit successful. We’re somewhat successful,” the Tesla founder said when Miller asked if DOGE achieved what he’d hoped.

But he quickly undercut the praise, lamenting how entrenched the waste was.

“There was, like, probably $100, maybe $200 billion worth of zombie payments per year,” he said, noting DOGE shut down only a fraction of it.
The SpaceX CEO said cutting off even that much cash came with serious blowback.

“If you stop money going to political corruption, they will lash out big time,” he explained. “They really want the money to keep flowing.”

When Miller asked point-blank whether he’d do DOGE again, Musk hesitated.

“I mean, no, I don’t think so,” he admitted. “I think instead of doing DOGE, I would have basically … worked on my companies, essentially.”

He added that in another timeline, without the political storm, “the cars — they wouldn’t have been burning the cars.”

The tech mogul was referring to a violent outbreak of vandalism on Tesla vehicles earlier this year after he began working with the second Trump administration.

Musk also said joining Washington never gave him any illusions.

He blasted what he called “massive transfer payments” to migrants and claimed the system creates a “gigantic money magnet” that encourages people to come to the US.

Trump fumes Rep. Ilhan Omar does nothing but ‘b—h,’ insists she should ‘get the hell out’ of US

President Trump on Tuesday fumed that Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar does nothing but “b–ch” — insisting she should be booted from the country after boldly claiming that she married her brother to get US citizenship.

“I love this Ilhan Omar, whatever the hell her name is, with the little turban,” Trump said, seemingly referring to the Somali-American lawmaker’s hijab, during the first stop of his affordability-focused roadshow in northeastern Pennsylvania.

“I love her. She comes in, does nothing but b—h.. She’s always complaining. She comes from her country, where I mean, it’s considered about the worst country in the world, right?”

The raucous crowd erupted into a loud “Send her back!” chant as the president repeated his false claim that the “Squad” member committed immigration fraud by illegally marrying her brother.

“We oughta get her the hell out,” Trump raged.

“She married her brother in order to get in, right? She married her brother. Can you imagine if Donald Trump married his sister? Beautiful. She’s a beautiful person. If I married my sister to get my citizenship, do you think I’d last for about two hours? Or would it be something less than that?” he continued.

“She married her brother to get in. Therefore, she’s here illegally. She should get the hell out. Throw her the hell out. She does nothing but complain.”

The claim that Omar illegally wed her brother so she could gain American citizenship first surfaced on conservative blogs in 2016, when she was running for the Minnesota state legislature.

That same year, the Minnesota congresswoman called it “baseless rumors” that “are absolutely false and ridiculous.” She has since continued to debunk the claims.

The 43-year-old first tied the knot with Ahmed Nur Said Elmi in 2009, a marriage that ended in 2011. She later married Ahmed Hirisi, splitting from him in 2019.

Trump’s jab comes amid mounting scrutiny over Minnesota’s $1 billion fraud scandal, which has targeted the state’s generous social safety net and largely involves the Somali immigrant community.

Zohran Mamdani taps ex-con rapper who served 7 years for armed robbery as criminal justice adviser on transition team: ‘Insane’

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has picked a controversial rapper who did seven years in state prison for armed robbery to advise him on the criminal justice system, The Post has learned.

Mysonne Linen, 49, a Bronx convict-turned-activist who was found guilty of two felony heists in the late 1990s, was appointed by the democratic socialist to sit on his mayoral transition’s “criminal legal system” committee — just one of many questionable picks.

“This is a testament to our decades of work advocating on behalf of black and brown communities and our expertise in gun violence prevention, legislative advocacy and criminal justice reform,” Linen boasted on Instagram last month after the position was announced. “We are building something different.”

Linen was a promising young rapper when he was convicted in 1999 for being part of a crew that robbed two cab drivers in the Bronx, the New York Daily News reported at the time.

The conviction came just as Linen’s debut album was due for release by Def Jam Recordings.

Bronx prosecutors said his crew pulled off the June 8, 1997, robbery of taxi driver Joseph Eziri, and the March 31, 1998, gunpoint theft from cabbie Francisco Monsanto, according to the News.

According to officials at the state Department of Correction and Community Renewal, Linen was hit with a sentence of seven to 14 years and was sprung on parole on July 5, 2006.

Linen, who had faced up to 25 years behind bars, continued to deny he was involved and rebranded himself as a community activist following his release from state prison.

He spent years volunteering as a so-called violence interrupter and also founded Rising Kings, a non-profit group that teaches classes to inmates at Rikers Island.

Linen also partnered up with anti-Israel activist and adviser of Mamdani, Linda Sarsour, to found the group Until Freedom, a social justice activism organization.

Critics slammed his appointment to the 20-member “Committee on the Criminal Legal System,” which will advise Mamdani on criminal justice policies.

“It is both disheartening and deeply disturbing that individuals who are convicted felons and have a history of breaking the law are being given the opportunity to help shape the future of New York’s criminal justice system,” said Benny Boscio, president of the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association.

Mitt Romney’s sister-in-law’s cause of death finally revealed after she plunged from parking garage

Mitt Romney’s sister-in-law died by suicide, medical examiners revealed weeks after she plunged to her death from a California parking garage.

Carrie Romney was killed by “blunt traumatic injuries,” the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office revealed Tuesday.

Her manner of death was also marked “suicide.”

Romney, 64, was found dead at the bottom of a Valencia parking garage on Oct. 10 after apparently throwing herself off the five-story concrete structure.

She was married to the former presidential candidate’s legal eagle older brother George Scott Romney, 81, but the pair had been going through an ugly divorce for months.

They had been separated since May, around when they filed for divorce over “irreconcilable differences” after eight years of marriage.

It remains unclear what those differences were, but both tried to block the other from receiving any assets during the process, court documents showed.

They were living together in a $725,000 Valencia condo before the breakup, but it also remains unclear whether they were still living together at the time of Carrie’s death.

At the time, George Romney wanted to deny his wife any spousal support and said the couple had no joint property to divide.

The garage where Carrie died is attached to a high-end apartment complex.

Trump Touts Creating Nearly 60K Jobs, $100 Billion in Investment for Pennsylvania Since Inauguration

President Donald Trump touted strong economic numbers for Pennsylvania to kick off his speech in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday night.

Trump stated that his administration has created 60,000 jobs for the commonwealth since returning to office in January, and he highlighted that tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians have been lifted off of food stamps.

“After just ten months in office, I’m pleased to report that America is winning again. Pennsylvania is prospering again, and I will not rest until this Commonwealth is wealthier and stronger than ever before,” the president told supporters.

“Since my inauguration, we’ve created nearly 60,000 new Pennsylvania jobs, including 4,000 Pennsylvania manufacturing jobs that the Democrats gave up on … Under our leadership, more than 40,000 Pennsylvanians have been lifted off of food stamps,” he added.

Trump then gave a shoutout to Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA), who was elected last year, noting that they have worked to bring almost $100 billion in investment to the Keystone State.

“Working with Sen. David McCormick, we’ve secured commitments for nearly $100 billion of investments in Pennsylvania,” Trump said.

The president touted saving U.S. Steel, as well, through a planned partnership with Japanese-based Nippon Steel. Nippon Steel had sought to buy U.S. Steel for more than 18 months before the partnership was brokered.

“This little group of people, and me, saved a little company called U.S. Steel, and it’s hot as a pistol now, and we have the keys to the company,” Trump said. “It’s always going to be here. It’s never moving.”

Trump visited a U.S. Steel plant in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, in May to celebrate the agreement.

“It will keep its headquarters in the great city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where it belongs. For generations, the name United States Steel was synonymous with greatness, and now it will again be synonymous with greatness,” he said at the time.

He also vowed in May that the “best and strongest steel on earth will forever be made in America and made in Pennsylvania.”

Pete Hegseth would have ordered second strike on Venezuelan drug boat as he backs Admiral Frank Bradley

WASHINGTON — Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said he didn’t order the second strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat — but he would have, in new comments about the decision to target survivors of a Sept. 2 US attack.

“I fully support that strike,” Hegseth said during his remarks at the Reagan National Defense Forum on Saturday. “I would have made the same call myself.”

Last week, a group of House and Senate lawmakers were briefed in a classified setting by Admiral Frank Bradley about the strikes. Democrats said they came away horrified by what they learned, while Republicans in the briefing largely stood by Hegseth.

President Trump has supported releasing footage of the strikes, but Hegseth was noncommittal during a question-and-answer session at the Reagan National Defense Forum.

“We’re reviewing it right now to make sure sources, methods, I mean, it’s an ongoing operation, [tactics, techniques and procedures], we’ve got operators out there doing this right now,” Hegseth explained, when asked by Fox News’s Lucas Tomlinson.

The Sept. 2 attack was the first of 22 known attacks on alleged drug vessels by the Trump administration.

At least 86 people have been killed in the strikes.

The Pentagon says Bradley, a Navy SEAL, was the one who ordered the second strike on the boat — which Democrats claim could amount to a war crime.

So far, only snippets of the strikes have been released to the public. Lawmakers briefed on the strikes were shown the full footage of how the attack unfolded.

“What I saw in that room was one of the most troubling things I’ve seen in my time in public service,” Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, vented to reporters afterwards

“You have two individuals and clear distress, without any means of locomotion, with a destroyed vessel, [who] were killed by the United States.”

Several Republicans who received a similar briefing, including Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), have sided with the Pentagon assessment that the survivors remained a threat.

“I saw two survivors trying to flip a boatload of drugs down the United States back over so they could stay in the fight, and potentially, given all the context — we heard of other Narco terrorist boats in the area coming to their aid to — recover the cargo and recover those Narco terrorists,” Cotton told reporters following his briefing.

“…It’s my expectation, and my deep hope, this will continue.”

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker Signs Bill Preventing ICE from Arresting Illegal Aliens near Courthouses

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) signed a bill that prevents U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from arresting illegal aliens outside of or near courthouses in the state.

Pritzker’s signing of the bill comes after Illinois lawmakers passed the bill during the government shutdown, according to the New York Times. Under the bill, places like hospitals and daycare centers are restricted from sharing certain information with ICE agents.

While the legislation has been praised by Democrat lawmakers in the state, Republicans in the state, such as Illinois state Sen. John Curran ®, have taken “issue with the law’s ban on civil immigration enforcement at state courthouses or within 1,000 feet of those courthouses,” according to the outlet.

“We’re pushing this more and more, with these prohibitions, into uncontrolled settings,” Curran said. “And with uncontrolled settings, there are heightened risks.”

During a press conference on Tuesday for the signing of the bill, Pritzker claimed that “the Chicago region has been subjected to a relentless campaign of cruelty and intimidation and abuse at the hands of ICE” under the Trump administration.

“Over the past few months, the Chicago region has been subjected to a relentless campaign of cruelty and intimidation and abuse at the hands of ICE and Border Patrol agents under the command of President Trump, and condoned by the Republican Congress,” Pritzker said. “Our people have been forced to live in fear, everyday activities like dropping off of the kids at school, going to the park with your family, going to the doctor, showing up at your job has meant risking your safety and your livelihood.”

Breitbart News’s Lowell Cauffiel reported in November, after Illinois lawmakers passed the bill, that it will also “allow Illinois residents to bring lawsuits against agents whom they allege violated their constitutional rights.”

Pritzker’s signing of the bill comes as other states, such as California and Connecticut, have similar measures “in place that attempt to prevent courthouse arrests of illegal immigrants.”

AMERICAS

Top Canadian envoy to US will resign ahead of free trade agreement review

Canada’s ambassador to the US for the last six years said Tuesday she’s resigning next year as the two major trading partners plan to review the free trade agreement.

Ambassador Kirsten Hillman said in a letter it is the right time to put in place someone who will oversee talks about the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement that is up review in 2026.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Hillman “prepared the foundations for Canada in the upcoming review” of the agreement.

Carney noted she’s one of the longest-serving ambassadors to the United States in Canada’s history.

Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed Hillman in 2017. She was the first woman appointed to the role.

Hillman helped lead the trade negotiations during US President Donald Trump’s first term and worked with US and Chinese officials to win the release of two Canadians detained in China.

Dominic LeBlanc, the minister responsible for Canada-US trade, and Hillman had been leading trade talks with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.

US Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra said on social media that Hillman has been an “awesome and well-respected” contributor to the US-Canada relationship.

“I value your friendship and wish you all the best in your next adventure. You will be missed,” Hoekstra said.

Trump ended trade talks with Carney in October after the Ontario provincial government ran an anti-tariff advertisement in the US, which upset the US president. That followed a spring of acrimony, since abated, over Trump’s insistence that Canada should become the 51st US state.

Asked this week when trade talks would resume, Trump said, “we’ll see.”

Canada is one of the most trade-dependent countries in the world, and more than 75% of Canada’s exports go to the US. Most exports to the US are exempted by the USMCA trade agreement but that deal is up for review.

Trump warns Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro his ‘days are numbered,’ prez won’t rule out ground invasion

President Trump warned in a new interview that Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro’s “days are numbered” and refused to rule out sending US ground troops to depose the left-wing leader.

The president stressed in the sitdown with Politico released Tuesday that Maduro could not be allowed to stay in power as the administration cracks down on South American drug trafficking, but declined to tip his hand about what the US could or would do to cause regime change.

When reporter and “The Conversation” podcast host Dasha Burns asked how far Trump was willing to go to oust Maduro, the president merely responded, “I don’t want to say that.”

“But you want to see him out?” Burns followed up.

“His days are numbered,” Trump affirmed.

Trump blamed the Caracas regime for sending “drug dealers” into the US, including members of the notorious gang Tren de Aragua.

“I want the people of Venezuela to be treated well,” he told Burns. “I want the people of Venezuela, many of whom live in the United States, to be respected. I mean, they were tremendous to me. They voted for me 94% or something … I got to know the people well. They’re incredible people. And they were treated horribly by Maduro.”

Since Sept. 2, the US military has carried out more than 20 strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, killing more than 80 people.

When asked by Burns if he could rule out a ground invasion of Venezuela to overthrow Maduro, Trump answered: “I don’t want to rule in or out.”

“I don’t talk about it,” he added, later telling Burns that “I don’t want to talk to you about military strategy.”

Trump did, however, tell Politico that airstrikes targeting Venezuelan territory would happen “very soon.”

The US has already begun building up an amphibious force in the area around Venezuela, with Maduro responding by mobilizing his army and preparing for a guerrilla-style counterattack if land incursions or airstrikes occur.

EUROPE

Teenage Afghan Illegal Migrants Convicted of Raping 15-Year-Old in England

Two teenage illegal migrants from Afghanistan have been sentenced to prison for the rape of a 15-year-old girl in a park in the English town of Leamington Spa in Warwickshire.

Jan Jahanzeb and Israr Niazal, who both arrived illegally on small boats across the English Channel from France as unaccompanied minors, have been sentenced to ten years and eight months and nine years and ten months in prison respectively for the rape of a 15-year-old girl in May.

Both Afghan nationals were being housed in taxpayer funded accommodation at the time of the brutal attack, The Times of London reported.

Despite the two migrant rapists being aged 17 years old, Judge Sylvia de Bertodano decided that it was in the public interest to reveal their names at Warwick crown court on Monday. This came despite warnings from the defence that disclosing their names and nationality could spark “widespread public disorder” and protests as occurred over the summer in response to other sexual assaults committed by illegal boat migrants.

During the trial, the defence also attempted to excuse the rape of the 15-year-old girl by citing “cultural differences” and the supposed trauma experienced by the rapists while growing up in their native Afghanistan.

Barrister Joshua Radcliffe, who defended Niazal, told the court that his client is “not used to a society where women are free and deemed equal to men. He is not used to a society where alcohol is freely available. He is morally at sea. There are massive cultural barriers that have become massive moral barriers.”

However, Judge Bertodano rejected this defence, saying that while there are “significant cultural differences” between Afghanistan and Britain, the defendants still should understand that concept of consent.

ASIA

7.2-magnitude earthquake strikes off Japan’s coast, triggers tsunami alert

TOKYO — A powerful 7. 6-magnitude earthquake struck late Monday off northern Japan, triggering a tsunami of up to 50 centimeters (20 inches) in Pacific coast communities and warnings of potentially higher surges, the Japanese Meteorological Agency said.

Several people were injured, media reports said.

The quake struck at about 11:15 p.m. (1415 GMT) in the Pacific Ocean about 80 kilometers (50 miles) off the coast of Aomori, the northernmost prefecture of Japan’s main Honshu island, the agency said.

A tsunami of 50 centimeters was measured in Kuji port in Iwate prefecture, just south of Aomori, and tsunami levels of 40 to 50 centimeters struck other coastal communities in the region, the agency said.

The agency issued an alert for potential tsunami surges of up to 3 meters (10 feet) in some areas, and Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihar urged residents to immediately head to higher ground or take shelter inside buildings or evacuation centers until the alert is lifted.

Several people were injured at a hotel in the Aomori town of Hachinohe and a man in the town of Tohoku was slightly hurt when his car fell into a hole, public broadcaster NHK reported.

Kihara said nuclear power plants in the region were conducting safety checks and that so far no problems were detected.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, in brief comment to reporters, said the government set up an emergency task force to urgently assess the extent of damage. “We are putting people’s lives first and doing everything we can,” she said.

The quake struck about 80 kilometers (50 miles) northeast of Hachinohe, and about 50 kilometers (30 miles) below the sea surface, the meteorological agency said.

Trump-brokered truce under threat as Thailand-Cambodia fighting reignites

Thailand said its fighter jets struck Cambodia on Monday in an attempt to cripple its military capability, as a re-eruption of border hostilities derailed a fragile ceasefire brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Each side blamed the other for starting clashes that broke out during the night and intensified before dawn and spread to multiple locations, with one Thai soldier and four Cambodian civilians killed, according to officials.

Cambodia accused Thailand of “inhumane and brutal acts” of aggression, stressing it had not retaliated, while Bangkok said it carried out air strikes on military targets after its neighbor mobilized heavy weaponry and repositioned combat units.

“The objective of the army is to cripple Cambodia’s military capability for a long time to come, for the safety of our children and grandchildren,” Thai army chief of staff General Chaipruak Doungprapat said, according to the military.

The fighting was the fiercest since a five-day exchange of rockets and heavy artillery in July that marked their heaviest clashes in recent history, when at least 48 people were killed and 300,000 displaced before Trump intervened to broker a ceasefire.

‘THERE WILL BE NO TALKS’ SAYS THAI PM

Tensions have simmered since Thailand last month suspended de-escalation measures that were agreed at a summit in Trump’s presence, after a Thai soldier was maimed by a landmine that Bangkok said was newly laid by Cambodia.

Some of the mines that have wounded seven Thai soldiers since July were likely newly laid, Reuters reported in October, based on expert analysis of material shared by Thailand’s military.

Cambodia has denied laying the mines, and Thailand has said it will not implement the ceasefire terms until Cambodia apologizes.

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Monday said his government would do whatever was necessary to protect its territorial integrity and would not engage in dialogue with Cambodia.

“There will be no talks. If the fighting is to end, (Cambodia) must do what Thailand has set,” he said, without elaborating.

MIDDLE EAST

Hamas grows ranks to 20,000 terrorists, fills coffers with tariffs — as Israel questions whether peacekeepers can disarm them

Hamas has regrown its fighting force to some 20,000 terrorists, is reasserting its power by policing the streets and refilling its coffers with tariffs on imports to the Gaza Strip after goods were allowed to flow into the Palestinian territory, according to a new report.

Despite a brutal two years of war that has decimated Gaza and killed thousands of terrorists, Hamas is regaining its footing — even as Israel and President Trump’s Arab-backed peace deal demand that the group disarm and cede power, according the New York Times.

“Hamas was hit hard, but it wasn’t defeated,” Shalom Ben Hanan, a former senior official in the Shin Bet, told the Times. “It’s still standing.”

On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu questioned whether an international force, which is meant to deploy to Gaza for the second phase of the peace plan, would be able to force Hamas to remark.

Netanyahu said he still supports international attempts to de-fang Hamas, but he vowed that Israel would be there to enforce it if the international peacekeepers fail.

“We can do it the easy way, or the hard way,” he said, according to the Times of Israel. “But in the end it will be done.”

While Israel touted that it had slain more than 22,000 Hamas terrorists before October’s cease-fire, Israeli and western media have reported that Hamas has replaced the vast majority of its slain fighters.

The terror group also has plenty of access to weapons — including missiles that can reach deep into the Jewish state — as well as access to its underground tunnel system, which remains active in the 43% of Gaza currently under Hamas occupation, according to the Israeli military.

With its renewed manpower, Hamas has re-emerged as the law of the land in its half of Gaza, with the terror group even managing the day-to-day finances in the struggling enclave.

Since the cease-fire began, Hamas has been generating revenue from some of the more costly items flowing into Gaza after Israel cleared the way for humanitarian aid and businesses to flow goods into the territory.

The terror group has reportedly levied taxes on several commercial goods, including computers and solar panels, four Gaza businessmen told the Times.

Hamas officials denied that they were collecting taxes on imported goods.

Hamas not committed to peace plan or disarming, Israeli foreign minister says

Israel’s foreign minister warned that Hamas is not committed to the US-backed peace deal, which calls for the terror group to cede its weapons, warning that the Jewish state would enforce the condition no matter what.

Speaking with The Post on Monday, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar slammed Hamas’ latest insistence that it would neither give up its arms nor cede power to an international board unless its demands for Palestinian statehood were met.

“We will give a fair chance to see whether we can get Hamas to disarm and Gaza de-militarization in the context of the plan,” Sa’ar said about the ongoing negotiations. “If not, we will have to do it ourselves.”

Sa’ar’s statement echoes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has repeatedly warned that war in Gaza could be reignited if Hamas fails to comply with the terms of the cease-fire deal.

Hamas’ leadership has recently claimed that it would give up power to Palestinian technocrats, as laid out in President Trump’s peace deal — but the terror group has fully rejected the formation of a Board of Peace set to rule Gaza in the interim.

“So I believe that if you read the statement that was given publicly this weekend, it doesn’t demonstrate that [you are] really committed to the peace plan and what it requires from them in the next stage,” Sa’ar explained.

The foreign minister also expressed distrust in Hamas’s willingness to cede power as it has effectively regained control of the 43% of the Gaza Strip not occupied by the Israeli military.

The terror group has launched a brutal crackdown on crime, including public executions, and profiting off imports of goods into The Strip.

Hamas’ re-emergence as the de facto rulers of Gaza with access to weapons and its tunnel systems has raised concerns about whether the group can be disarmed without another bloody conflict engulfing the already war-torn Palestinian enclave.

Hamas hid tons of baby formula to damage Israel with starvation claims, Palestinian activist says

Hamas hid tons of baby formula and nutritional shakes meant for kids inside a warehouse to allow Gazans to starve and further its claims of widespread famine to undermine Israel, a US-based Palestinian activist claimed.

Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, an anti-Hamas activist, accused the terror group of hoarding food meant for infants and young children to purposefully increase starvation in Gaza and damage the public perception of Israel.

Footage shared by Alkhatib on social media shows the inside of the alleged Gaza warehouse with hundreds of packages of baby formula and nutritional shakes.

“During the worst of the days of the hunger crisis in Gaza in the past six months, Hamas deliberately hid literal tons of infant formula and nutritional shakes for children by storing them in clandestine warehouses belonging to the Gaza Ministry of Health,” Alkhatib wrote on X.

“The goal, as I said then, was to worsen the hunger crisis and initiate a disaster as part of the terror group’s famine narrative in a desperate effort to stop Israel’s onslaught against Gaza and force the return of the UN’s aid distribution mechanism, and away from the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF),” he added.

Warnings of looming famine inside Gaza were raised earlier this year after a temporary cease-fire broke down in March.

Israel blocked humanitarian aid from entering the Strip as a result.

In the following months, images of widespread starvation shocked the world, with the US directly getting involved and setting up the GHF to distribute food inside Gaza.

The program, however, was mired with controversy over near-daily shootings and deaths around the distribution centers, with Hamas directly warning Palestinians not to go to the GHF sites.

During this time, Alkhatib accused Hamas of taking advantage of the hunger crisis and using Palestinians as collateral in its fight against Israel.

Alkhatib, who advocates for peace and a two-state solution, said Hamas needs to be held accountable for its role in the destruction and death in the Gaza Strip.

Jerusalem legalizes 6 Samaria communities in ‘historic’ move after ‘years of struggle’

The Binyamin Regional Council in Samaria on Tuesday announced the “historic” official legalization of six former outposts by the government.

Ahiya, Harasha, Migron, Nofei Prat, Adei Ad and Shvut Rachel have been “fully regularized and recognized as official towns” by Israel’s Interior Ministry, the council, which administers communities in southern Samaria, said in a Hebrew-language statement.

“Following years of struggle, effort and challenges, these towns are now formally recognized, with ‘settlement symbols’ and full recognition by the State of Israel,” it said.

“This is a significant achievement, especially for the young settlement, which has maintained faith and determination over the years, despite harsh weather conditions and many obstacles.”

Binyamin Regional Council leader Israel Ganz thanked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also oversees civilian issues in Judea and Samaria as part of his secondary role as a minister in the Defense Ministry.

“We continue building and settling with full strength!” Ganz concluded.

Ahiya, Adei Ad, Nofei Prat received Israeli Cabinet approval in May, while Harasha, Migron and Shvut Rachel are neighborhoods of existing communities that were split off by a March 22 Cabinet decision.

All six are established towns, some dating to the early 90s, with hundreds of residents, and have received retroactive authorization.

On Nov. 10, Israel Defense Forces Central Command head Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth signed an order setting “jurisdiction zones” for the communities, which formally demarcates their municipal boundaries, which was an official step closer towards the full legalization of these villages.

Now, the Interior Ministry has issued official “settlement symbols,” turning them into legal communities for all intents and purposes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has led an unprecedented drive to expand control of Judea and Samaria, approving some 50,000 housing units and over 50 new Jewish communities since late 2022.