USNN World News

02/12/2025

By Bill Pan

President Donald Trump is urging Israel to maintain a diplomatic approach with Syria after a recent Israeli military operation near the border escalated tensions between the two Middle Eastern neighbors.

In a rare instance of publicly calling on Israel to show restraint, Trump said on Dec. 1 that he is “very satisfied” with the progress of Syria’s interim government and implied that further military action could undermine the country’s transition following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in 2024.

“It is very important that Israel maintain a strong and true dialogue with Syria, and that nothing takes place that will interfere with Syria’s evolution into a prosperous State,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
(Gaza)

02/12/2025

By Kimberly Hayek

The Treasury Department is investigating claims that Minnesota taxpayer funds were stolen by fraudulent nonprofits and rerouted to the Al-Shabaab terrorist group in Somalia, according to Secretary Scott Bessent on Dec. 1.

Bessent made the announcement on social media platform X, just days after President Donald Trump eliminated temporary deportation protections for Somalis living in Minnesota. Trump, in his announcement on Nov. 21, also called Minnesota a “hub of fraudulent money laundering activity” and accused Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of failing to deter such crimes in the state.

Bessent said that “under the feckless mismanagement of the Biden administration and Gov. Tim Walz, hard-working Minnesotans’ tax dollars may have been diverted to the terrorist organization Al-Shabaab.”

This story will be updated with additional details.

The Treasury Department is investigating claims that Minnesota taxpayer funds were stolen by fraudulent nonprofits and rerouted to the Al-Shabaab terrorist group in Somalia, according to Secretary Scott Bessent on…

01/12/2025

By Guy Birchall

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Dec. 2, the Kremlin has said.

“Yes, the meeting with Witkoff is indeed planned for tomorrow. He himself mentioned this yesterday,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Dec. 1, according to Russian state news agency TASS. “The president will also have several closed-door meetings today in preparation for tomorrow’s Russia–US contacts.”

Witkoff and Putin last met in August.

Russian Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik said that the departure of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andrii Yermak, in the midst of a corruption probe in Kyiv was unlikely to have a “negative impact” on discussions, from a Russian perspective.

The Ukrainian delegation lost its lead negotiator, Zelenskyy said on Nov. 28, adding that Yermak had resigned following a home search by anti-corruption investigators.
(NATO)

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Dec. 2, the Kremlin has said. “Yes, the meeting with Witkoff is indeed…

01/12/2025

By Naveen Athrappully

Spot silver prices hit a new record high in early-morning trade on Monday, while gold also rose amid the possibility of interest rate cuts in December.

Silver hit a high of $57.87 per oz. on Dec. 1 and was trading at $57.43 as of 7:10 a.m. ET, up by 1.82 percent from Friday’s close. Spot gold was trading at $4,250.62 per oz., up by 0.47 percent. Contrasting the precious metal gains, Bitcoin prices dropped by 5.36 percent to $86,015.

In October, the Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate for the second straight meeting, lowering it to a range of 3.75 to 4 percent. According to FedWatch data, the majority of interest rate traders expect a 25-point rate cut at the Fed’s final meeting of the year, scheduled for Dec. 9 to 10.

Precious metals such as silver and gold are generally more attractive to investors during rate-cutting periods.
(CPI) (GDP) (LEI) (economy)

Spot silver prices hit a new record high in early-morning trade on Monday, while gold also rose amid the possibility of interest rate cuts in December. Silver hit a high…

30/11/2025

By T.J. Muscaro

Hurricane season officially came to an end on Nov. 30, and for the first time in 10 years, no hurricane made landfall in the United States.

While the Atlantic’s annual cyclones still left their mark on a large portion of the East Coast, especially North Carolina, and wreaked havoc across neighboring nations in the Caribbean, this year’s storm count stood in stark contrast to last year’s devastation, which included Hurricanes Beryl, Helene, and Milton.

“For the first time in a decade, not a single hurricane struck the U.S. this season, and that was a much-needed break,” Neil Jacobs, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s administrator, said in a news release.

Hurricane season officially came to an end on Nov. 30, and for the first time in 10 years, no hurricane made landfall in the United States. While the Atlantic’s annual…

30/11/2025

By Jacob Burg

Three key Trump administration officials are meeting with Ukrainian negotiators in Florida this weekend in a push to broker an end to the war Russia began with its 2022 invasion, while setting the stage for talks between Washington and Moscow planned later this week.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner plan to meet with the Ukrainian delegation to discuss portions of a proposed peace deal.

The team is gathering in Hallandale Beach, Florida, on Nov. 30, where Rubio said he expects the Trump administration to “make even more progress.”

“The end goal, obviously, is not just the end of the war,” he said.
(NATO)

Three key Trump administration officials are meeting with Ukrainian negotiators in Florida this weekend in a push to broker an end to the war Russia began with its 2022 invasion,…

30/11/2025

By John Fredricks

Kiryat G*t, ISRAEL—At a multilevel building originally used for rental storage spaces, soldiers of both the U.S. Army and Israel Defense Forces walked through the front entry point to join their teammates at the Civil-Military Coordination Center, a multinational hub for providing humanitarian assistance to civilians caught in the embattled Gaza Strip.

Opening soon after world leaders signed a U.S.-brokered plan to end the war between Israel and the Hamas terrorist group, the center began humanitarian aid operations on Oct. 17, 2025.

The skyline of the city of Beit Lahia, Gaza is seen from over the Israeli border wall, on Nov. 19, 2025. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

US Takes the Lead

U.S. military officials describe the center as “essential for a peaceful transition” in Gaza. The center is monitoring the implementation of the ceasefire agreement.
(Gaza)

Kiryat G*t, ISRAEL—At a multilevel building originally used for rental storage spaces, soldiers of both the U.S. Army and Israel Defense Forces walked through the front entry point to join…

30/11/2025

By Allan Stein

PHOENIX—For years, Jakob stacked silver coins and bullion, building his treasure and waiting for the perfect moment to let it go, if that moment ever came.

With prices in late 2025 rapidly rising, money running low, and the holidays approaching, he decided to sell them on Nov. 18 at the spot market price of $50.13 per ounce.

He received more than $1,400 from a coin dealer in Phoenix. Enough to cover this year’s gifts.

“I wasn’t really wanting to sell, but everything is expensive,” Jakob, who didn’t want his last name used, told The Epoch Times.

“Christmas kind of made the decision for me,” he said. “I’ve got little kids. They’ve been wanting to go to Disneyland.”

As economic conditions worsen for many Americans, more precious metals investors are selling assets to take advantage of higher prices and bolster their finances, according to several coin and bullion dealers and customers who spoke with The Epoch Times.
(CPI) (GDP) (LEI) (economy)

PHOENIX—For years, Jakob stacked silver coins and bullion, building his treasure and waiting for the perfect moment to let it go, if that moment ever came. With prices in late…

30/11/2025

By Tom Ozimek

President Donald Trump said on Nov. 29 that the airspace above and around Venezuela should be considered “closed in its entirety,” marking the latest development as the United States intensifies military and diplomatic pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s socialist regime.

In a Nov. 29 post on Truth Social, Trump addressed “all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers,” telling them to “consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.”

Trump offered no additional details, but the warning follows a series of U.S. military actions and escalating tensions with Caracas over narcotics trafficking and security operations in the Caribbean.

The United States has carried out at least 21 lethal strikes on suspected drug-smuggling vessels since September, killing more than 80 alleged traffickers aboard boats that U.S. officials say were ferrying narcotics northward. The USS Gerald R.
(DEA)

President Donald Trump said on Nov. 29 that the airspace above and around Venezuela should be considered “closed in its entirety,” marking the latest development as the United States intensifies…

30/11/2025

By Jacki Thrapp

The Trump administration is working on a plan to stop illegal immigrants from receiving federal benefits.

“We are working to cut off federal benefits to illegal aliens and preserve them for U.S. citizens,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed in a X post on Nov. 28.

Bessent stated there was “no place” for anybody in America illegally in the nation’s financial system.

He added that the Treasury Department, “announced that it will issue proposed regulations clarifying that the refunded portions of certain individual income tax benefits are no longer available to illegal and other non-qualified aliens, covering the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Additional Child Tax Credit, the American Opportunity Tax Credit, and the Saver’s Match Credit.”

Friday’s announcement followed President Donald Trump’s criticism of the United States’ immigration system in his Thanksgiving message on Nov. 27.

30/11/2025

By Reuters

U.S. shoppers spent $8.6 billion online on Black Friday, an Adobe Analytics report showed, as more consumers turned to laptops and phones instead of braving brisk weather to snap up deals during the holiday shopping weekend.

Online spending rose 9.4 percent through 6:30 p.m. ET on Black Friday compared with last year, according to Adobe Inc’s data and insights arm, which vets e-commerce transactions, covering more than 1 trillion visits to U.S. retail sites.

Consumers were expected to flock to stores, but the bargain-chasing was subdued on post-Thanksgiving morning as shoppers fear overspending amid persistent inflation, trade policy-driven uncertainty, and a soft labor market.

However, the data firm expects consumers will spend between $11.7 billion and $11.9 billion on Friday, following a final tally, and said it will set a new record for online sales on Black Friday.

U.S. shoppers spent $8.6 billion online on Black Friday, an Adobe Analytics report showed, as more consumers turned to laptops and phones instead of braving brisk weather to snap up…

29/11/2025

By Kimberly Hayek

Airbus, the Netherlands-based aerospace giant headquartered in France, must conduct a mandatory software update for its A320 passenger jets after information has come to light that solar radiation can corrupt key flight control data, potentially causing pilots to lose control of their aircraft.

The FAA joined the European Union Aviation Safety Agency in requiring airlines to address the issue with a new software update.

The directive comes following a JetBlue Airways flight that experienced a swift drop in altitude in October, injuring at least 15 passengers, some of whom were taken to the hospital.

The incident happened on Oct. 30 during a flight from Cancun, Mexico, to Newark, New Jersey, leading to a diversion to Tampa, Florida.

An investigation determined intense solar radiation as a contributing factor, revealing a vulnerability in the A320’s systems.
(FAA)

Airbus, the Netherlands-based aerospace giant headquartered in France, must conduct a mandatory software update for its A320 passenger jets after information has come to light that solar radiation can corrupt…