A federal judge has ruled the Trump administration’s stripping of an attorney’s security clearance for representing a whistleblower pivotal to the president’s first impeachment was a form of retribution and unconstitutional. https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5662614-zaid-lawsuit-security-clearance-trump/

A million more documents potentially related to the Epstein case have been located, according to the DoJ, which says lawyers are reviewing them to make legally required redactions to protect victims and it’ll release the files as “soon as possible.”

WaPo - ICE plans to speed up deportations by funneling new detainees to large-scale warehouses holding 5,000 to 10,000 people each, located in Virginia, Texas, Louisiana, Arizona, Georgia and Missouri. Sixteen smaller warehouses would hold up to 1,500 people each. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/12/24/ice-immigrants-detention-warehouses-deportation-trump/

The White House has ordered US military forces to focus almost exclusively on enforcing the "quarantine" of Venezuela, an American official tells Reuters.

Reuters - US Coast Guard waiting for additional forces to arrive before potentially attempting to board and seize a Venezuela-linked oil tanker it's been pursuing since December 21. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/us-eyes-additional-coast-guard-assets-seize-fleeing-tanker-sources-say-2025-12-24/

Nieman Reports - The swift loss of US funding for global media since President Trump took office a year ago has devastated journalism in many countries where the independent press was already on precarious footing.

Nieman Reports

Myanmar’s Independent Media Innovates to Survive - Nieman Reports

As U.S. funding vanishes for Myanmar's independent press, media competitors turn collaborators to keep reporting alive

Japanese scientists are to excavate a seabed at a depth of six kilometers, in a first of its kind experiment, to collect clay-like sediment rich in rare earths.

Japan to test deep-sea extraction of rare-earth mud - The Japan Times

French President Macron slams a decision by the US to impose visa bans on a former EU commissioner and other anti-disinformation campaigners. https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/french-president-macron-slams-us-visa-ban-thierry-breton-others-2025-12-24/

Kyiv Independent - After weeks of talks, Ukraine and the US have prepared a draft of the revised peace plan to end Russia’s full-scale war. https://kyivindependent.com/zelensky-reveals-20-point-peace-plan-draft-backed-by-ukraine-us/

The self-proclaimed head of USAGM, Kari Lake, who this year destroyed nearly all of the Voice of America, tells the agency’s few remaining journalists the White House National Security Strategy will “guide our interview subjects, story selection, and coverage going forward.”