Greetings! Happy Falling Needles Day to those celebrating.

Let’s get into today’s top stories.

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🇩🇪 German vault heist turns a bank into a construction site. Thieves drilled into a Sparkasse branch in Gelsenkirchen during the holiday lull. Police spokesman Thomas Nowaczyk said they entered from a stairwell and hit deposit boxes. About 2.7K customers were warned their valuables may be gone. Investigators estimate losses between €10M and €90M in property. Roughly 200 officers swept the scene for hours. The method was quiet, surgical, and very loud on the balance sheet.

🇵🇸 Israel bans Gaza relief operations starting in 2026. Israel’s government announced that several humanitarian organizations, including Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, will be barred from operating in Gaza beginning in 2026. The move, universally condemned by dozens of governments and international NGOs, comes amidst the documented material reality of apartheid, famine, genocide, systematic illegal occupation, and continued land seizure. Critics say the policy cements these conditions and worsens existing restrictions on Palestinian movement and access to food, medicine, and other relief items. The ban extends to more than 30 relief groups currently treating civilians. Diplomats from the European Union (EU), United Nations (UN), Arab League, and United States observers said the decision weaponizes aid at a time of record suffering. 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.

🚫 American sanctions target Iran-Venezuela drone and missile trade. The Treasury Department sanctioned 10 people and firms tied to Iran’s drone trade and ballistic program. Officials said a Venezuelan firm and its chairman bought Iranian drones. Three Iranian men were accused of sourcing chemicals used in ballistic missiles. Other targets were linked to the already sanctioned Rayan Fan Group holding company. Treasury Undersecretary John Hurley said the aim is to block access to the American financial system. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said Tehran’s weapons to Caracas breach United Nations (UN) restrictions.

🥩 Ground beef recall puts Idaho shoppers on label duty. Mountain West Food Group recalled 2,946 lb of ground beef over possible E coli contamination. The Forward Farms label includes 16 oz vacuum packs produced on Dec 16. Packages list a use or freeze-by date of Jan 13 and establishment number 2083. The product shipped to stores in Idaho, Washington, and California, among other states. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said no illnesses are confirmed and advised cooking to 160F. The recall followed routine testing that detected the bacteria.

🕯️ Tatiana Schlossberg dies at 35 after battle with rare cancer. Tatiana Schlossberg, a journalist and the granddaughter of President John F. Kennedy, died at 35, her family said. She was the daughter of diplomat Caroline Kennedy and designer Edwin Schlossberg. Schlossberg revealed terminal cancer in a New Yorker essay and critiqued her cousin RFK Jr.’s disastrous public health policy as Secretary of Health and Human Services. Her family said she was diagnosed in May 2024 with acute myeloid leukemia. Doctors later found a rare mutation that offered limited options. She leaves a husband and two children, and a legacy that arrived too early.

🎭 Kennedy Center renaming triggers another high-profile cancellation. A Trump-appointed board voted to add President Donald Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center. Jazz supergroup The Cookers pulled out of a New Year’s Eve show in Washington. Saxophonist Billy Harper and bandleaders Chuck Redd and Randy Barrett said the rebrand crossed a line. They said organizers warned the band could owe up to $1M in damages if it stayed away. Kennedy Center president Richard Grenell brushed off the cancellations as politics. The result is a culture war fought with marquees.

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That’s all for today!

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See you tomorrow!