(London/Kyiv Combined Dispatch) A former British intelligence chief said that the latest intelligence assessment indicates Russian President Vladimir Putin has no intention of reaching a peace agreement with Ukraine. This also explains why the United States and its allies are taking a tougher stance against Russia.

(Washington, D.C.) U.S. War Secretary Hergace announced the launch of Operation Southern Spear in the Western Hemisphere to protect the homeland from drug trafficking. The operation will be led by the Southern Spear Joint Task Force and U.S. Southern Command.

(Reuters, Washington) Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and several other Democratic senators sent a letter to the Trump administration criticizing its decision in the last round of U.S.-China trade negotiations to temporarily suspend export controls on U.S. technology to Chinese companies, effectively handing over a key national security tool.

(Washington, D.C.) Sources revealed that the Trump administration is preparing to grant broad tariff exemptions to a range of imported products in an effort to mitigate rising food prices that are causing anxiety among Americans. The White House, in announcing trade agreements with four Latin American neighbors, including Argentina, on Thursday, emphasized that the agreements exempted certain tariffs and are expected to ease price increases for items such as coffee, cocoa, and bananas, benefiting American consumers.

(AFP, Washington) The Trump administration recently introduced new measures to list obesity or children with special needs as grounds for denying immigrant visas.

(Washington, D.C.) The International Monetary Fund (IMF) indicated that the U.S. federal government shutdown will have a negative impact on the economy, predicting that U.S. economic growth in the fourth quarter will be lower than the 1.9% forecast in October. However, the IMF's ability to assess the U.S. economic performance is hampered by the lack of data due to the shutdown.

(Berlin, Reuters) German Chancellor Merz announced that, citing national security concerns, Chinese suppliers such as Huawei will be excluded from the construction of Germany's future telecommunications networks. This move is part of Germany's accelerated "de-risking" policy to reduce reliance on foreign technology.

Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump