Greetings! Happy Candle Day to those celebrating.

Let’s get into today’s top stories.

🚢 Sanctioned tanker Kairos strands off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast. Bulgarian rescue official Rumen Nikolov says the 274-meter Gambian-flagged oil tanker Kairos remains stable after drifting aground near the port of Ahtopol. The 149K ton ship, built in 2002, is considered part of Russia's sanctions evasion “shadow fleet” used to move oil despite penalties over the war in Ukraine. It sailed empty from Egypt toward Novorossiysk when it reportedly caught fire after a suspected Ukrainian naval drone strike near Turkey. A Turkish tug later cut the tow, leaving the powerless vessel adrift until it grounded less than a nautical mile offshore. All ten crew members of mixed nationalities remain aboard with food and water for several days. Bulgarian border police are tracking the tanker as diplomats ask why it was brought into national waters. The episode highlights how the Black Sea has become increasingly hazardous for aging tankers and coastal states alike.

🎄 Bethlehem’s Christmas lights return after war-shattered tourism. In Bethlehem’s Manger Square, restaurateur John Juka watched his once-empty dining room refill as a towering tree lit up for the first full celebration since genocide in Gaza began in October 2023. Mayor Maher Nicola Canawati says about 80% of residents depend on pilgrims and tourists drawn to the traditional birthplace of Jesus. He estimates unemployment in the city jumped from 14% to around 65% during Israel’s offensive in Gaza and widened West Bank military operations. Authorities had previously canceled major festivities while airstrikes and raids escalated, and thousands of Palestinians were killed. War left streets deserted and pushed many families to seek work abroad. This year, officials forecast hotel occupancy around 70% at Christmas, still below prewar peaks but enough to wake long dormant businesses. For many residents, crowded squares and reopened shops feel less like normality and more like proof that the city has survived another shock. Editor’s Note: The polycrisis afflicting Gaza was officially considered a genocide by the United Nations (UN) and International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), with famine declared formally by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), confirmed by UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UNICEF, World Food Program (WFP), and World Health Organization (WHO), along with Global Sumud Flotilla eyewitnesses.

🎖️ Trump medals Kennedy Center honorees in the Oval Office. President Donald Trump presented 2025 Kennedy Center awards in the Oval Office to actor Sylvester Stallone, singers Gloria Gaynor and George Strait, rock band Kiss and actor-singer Michael Crawford. He hailed them as icons of American culture and described the group as perhaps the most accomplished class the institution has assembled. Trump told guests he was about 98% involved in choosing the honorees, a far more direct role than earlier presidents typically claimed. He has already reshaped the center by replacing its board with allies and assuming the chairmanship himself. Each artist received a new gold medallion designed and donated by Tiffany and Co., which replaces the long-used rainbow ribbon collar. The ceremony, once held at a State Department dinner, is now a White House production. The broadcast later this month on CBS and Paramount+ is one that Trump predicts will draw record ratings.

⚔️ Hegseth defends Trump’s strikes on alleged cartel boats. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told an audience at the Reagan Library that President Donald Trump can use military force “as he sees fit” to defend the country. He was defending a new campaign in which American forces have hit small boats near Venezuela that commanders say carried cocaine for powerful drug cartels. Lawmakers recently learned that more than twenty vessels have been destroyed and more than eighty people killed, including survivors fired upon while clinging to wreckage. That revelation intensified questions over whether the attacks violated international humanitarian law. Hegseth compared the effort to post-September 11 wars against Al Qaida and argued that cartels pose a national security threat, not just a policing problem. Critics say the strategy stretches counterterrorism statutes by treating traffickers as wartime enemies without explicit congressional authorization. The debate now centers on how far any president may extend wartime powers against criminal networks on the high seas.

🍄 California warns foragers after deadly wild mushroom poisonings. California health officials urged residents to stop foraging for wild mushrooms after at least 21 poisoning cases, and one death was reported this year. Most cases occurred around the Monterey and San Francisco Bay areas, where deadly species like death caps and destroying angels can resemble edible varieties. Nearly half of the known exposures involved children, and several patients suffered severe liver damage requiring intensive care. Doctors warn that symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea may briefly improve before organ failure begins. Officials stressed that cooking, freezing or drying does not neutralize the toxins. California Poison Control urges anyone who may have eaten wild mushrooms to seek help ASAP rather than wait for symptoms. Regulators say the safest rule is simple: never eat a mushroom unless it came from a store or a verified expert.

🏞️ Park Service swaps MLK and Juneteenth for Trump’s birthday. The National Park Service quietly rewrote its 2026 free entry calendar, dropping Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth while adding June 14, which is both President Donald Trump’s birthday and Flag Day. Other no-fee days include Presidents Day, Memorial Day, July 4, the park system’s August 25 founding date, Constitution Day, Theodore Roosevelt’s October 27 birthday, and Veterans Day. Officials say the shift emphasizes military and patriotic milestones and helps manage heavy crowds. Critics, including civil rights advocates, argue that erasing two days tied directly to Black freedom while honoring a sitting president looks racially tone deaf and self-serving. At the same time, the agency plans to raise some nonresident entrance fees and annual passes, citing maintenance backlogs. The combination leaves budget-minded visitors weighing both higher costs and a reordered civic calendar, and lawmakers signaling interest in oversight hearings.

Help better understand our audience. Take this 1-minute survey here so we can provide our community with the best content, news, and stories that matter to you most.

Feel free to reply with your feedback. PM reads and responds to every email. :)

That’s all for today!

Much obliged and many thanks for reading and sharing today’s newsletter.

See you tomorrow!