Greetings! Happy Kwanzaa to those celebrating.

Let’s get into today’s top stories.

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🇳🇬 American strikes hit Islamic State targets in Nigeria. President Donald Trump approved strikes after attacks targeting Christians in Nigeria. The military said it hit Islamic State group (IS) positions tied to recent violence. Nigeria’s population is nearly split between Muslims and Christians, and communal bloodshed has cut both ways for years. Abuja says it is battling insurgents while trying to avoid civilian harm and revenge cycles. Rights advocates want transparency on casualties and targeting rules. The risk is familiar: airpower wins nights, while grievances win decades.

🇷🇺 Kremlin floats an “offer” to France over jailed citizen. The Kremlin said Moscow made an offer to France involving French citizen Laurent Vinatier, imprisoned in Russia. Vinatier faces espionage-related accusations, a label that travels fast and sticks hard. French President Emmanuel Macron’s government has pressed for access and resolution. Russian officials framed it as diplomacy, not charity, in a climate where swaps are currency. Paris must weigh humanitarian urgency against strategic leverage. In great-power disputes, people become punctuation marks.

⛏️ Graphite mining returns as the battery boom bites. The lithium battery surge is reviving interest in graphite, the unglamorous backbone of most anodes. Developers argue that domestic supply matters because China dominates much of the graphite chain. Federal agencies are weighing permits alongside environmental and tribal concerns. Local communities want jobs, but not poisoned water or scarred land. Automakers and utilities want scale, fast, to feed electric vehicles and grid storage. The United States is trying to build resilience without building resentment.

⚜️ Trump OKs 350 Guard troops for New Orleans. President Donald Trump approved the deployment of 350 National Guard members to New Orleans. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry backed the move as a public-safety reinforcement. New Orleans officials say the city needs help, but not confusion over command and accountability. The National Guard (NG) role is framed as support, not replacement, for local law enforcement. Civil-liberties groups want tight rules of engagement and clear end dates. Every “temporary” deployment nowadays becomes a test of what “normal” means.

🎇 Times Square debuts a patriotic crystal ball for 250. Times Square will feature a patriotic crystal ball for New Year’s Eve (NYE), starting America’s 250th-birthday runway. The ball will drop at exactly midnight, then rise again. Organizers are branding it as pageantry with a purpose, not just glitter with countdown music. The semi-quincentennial is a marketing bonanza, a civic ritual, and a political Rorschach test. Sponsors want the symbolism, and cities want the tourism receipts. Critics see kitsch; planners see a national narrative you can photograph. NYE is now a pregame for 2026.

📈 Stocks drift near records as gold and silver pop. American stocks hovered near record highs in quiet trading. Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P 500) investors largely watched and waited rather than chased. Gold and silver jumped, a reminder that calm markets still hedge their bets. Traders cited rate expectations and global crosscurrents as the week stayed thin. The mood was less euphoria than inertia with good posture. Sometimes the loudest signal is how little anyone panics in the face of uncertainty.

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That’s all for today!

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