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the Guardian
My family has never believed in Father Christmas – I don
I would never want them to feel that they had been naughty if I couldn’t afford their gifts one year, says writer and music producer Matt Taylor
 A father writes that he told his children the truth about Christmas presents, rather than the usual Santa Claus lie, so they won't feel judged if some year he can't afford to get them any presents. I think that is a good reason. But I still feel that telling the usual lie is wrong as well. And when parents bully me into speaking to their children as if Santa Claus existed, it puts me in a painful
the Guardian
Trump team’s contentious climate report ‘makes a mockery of science’, experts say
Over 85 top climate specialists lambasted administration’s review, calling it a ‘shoddy mess’ that downplays risks
 *Over 85 top climate specialists* refuted the magats' official denial of the developing climate crisis, *calling it a "shoddy mess" that downplays risks,* and *a mockery of science.* It has *pervasive problems with misrepresentation and selective citation of the scientific literature, cherry-picking of data, and faulty or absent statistics.*
the Guardian
Rare footage from trial of Chinese general who defied Tiananmen crackdown order leaked online
Video shows Gen Xu Qinxian explaining why he refused to deploy troops to crush 1989 student-led demonstrations
Tank Man - Wikipedia
 Video has been leaked showing the trial of Xu Qinxian, a Chinese general who refused to send troops into Beijing in 1989 to crush the students' massive Tien An Men protest for freedom and democracy.
the Guardian
The US supreme court’s TikTok ruling is a scandal | Evelyn Douek and Jameel Jaffer
The decision means TikTok now operates under the threat that it could be forced offline with a stroke of Trump’s pen
Glossary
 *The [Supreme Court] decision means TikTok now operates under the threat that it could be forced offline with a stroke of [the bully's] pen.*
civicshout.com
Citizenship Is Not Conditional — Stop Trump’s Plan
The Trump administration has issued new guidance directing federal agencies to aggressively ramp up denaturalization cases, setting monthly quotas ...
 US citizens: call for limiting denaturalization to people who committed atrocious crimes before gaining US citizenship.
civicshout.com
Restore USAID Funding Now—Stop Starving the World
In February 2025, the U.S. government initiated sweeping cuts to USAID, triggering an immediate global humanitarian crisis as clinics closed, food ...
 US citizens: call on Congress to restore USAID humanitarian funding - help poor countries against hunger and plagues. US citizens: Join with this campaign to address this issue. To phone your congresscritter about this, the main switchboard is +1-202-224-3121. Please spread the word.
[1/2] 📄.pdf On the damaging insincerity of working as a "chat moderator", which turned out to mean pretending to love various customers in parallel while imitating each customer's requested gender and sexual orientation. The author speculates that his conversations on the platform were being used to train a Fake Intelligence system such as an LLM. The article gives an example of the wrong that
the Guardian
Fairer laws passed, polluting factories shuttered, charges against innocent people dropped – and 10 more ways our US reporting made change in 2025
Our work would not be possible without the support of our readers. From everyone at the Guardian US: thank you
 *Fairer laws passed, polluting factories shuttered, charges against innocent people dropped – and 10 more ways [the Guardian's] US reporting made change in 2025.*
the Guardian
Gaza no longer in famine but hunger levels remain critical, UN says
Monitor says almost one in eight people face food shortages as flooding and cold exacerbate humanitarian emergency
 *Gaza no longer in famine but hunger levels remain critical, UN says.* This means that some people in Gaza are still dying or being permanently stunted from lack of food, but not so many as before. Israel continues to limit medical supplies in Gaza and keep out tents, which people in Gaza desperately need and have a right to.
the Guardian
As the US invests in fossil fuels, young climate activists push back in the courts
In this week’s newsletter: A generation is using the legal system to demand accountability for climate harm
 *As the US invests in fossil fuels, young climate activists push back in the courts.*