Happy Thursday Everyone! Today’s newsletter: 845 words… 3.2 mins
🗞 Today’s Edition: Farmers Revolt, US Clears $11B Arms Deal With Taiwan, Will & Kate’s New Christmas Card, Trump Media Bets Big on Fusion, YouTube To Stream Oscars … & much more!
📜THE HIGHLIGHT
One killer insight to stash in your back pocket
Clashes in Brussels
🧑🌾 Europe's Farmers vs. Brussels: Tractors, Tear Gas, and Trade Wars
Thousands of farmers from all 27 EU countries descended on Brussels, blocking roads with tractors during an EU leaders' summit.
Chaos meets agriculture—potatoes, eggs, and fireworks flying at police, who responded with tear gas and water cannons.
The spark: The EU-Mercosur trade deal. Farmers fear cheap beef, sugar, and poultry from Brazil and Argentina will flood markets under lower environmental and labor standards. Translation: "We follow strict rules; they don't. How is this fair?"
It's not just Brussels:
France: Mass cattle culls for lumpy skin disease triggered highway blockades. Unions want compensation.
UK: "Family farm tax" protests hit Westminster. New inheritance tax rules (£1m cap) could force farm sales.
The pattern: Subsidy cuts + green regulations + global trade deals = farmers feeling squeezed from all sides.
The tactics: Tractor convoys, port disruptions, manure-dumping (classic Brussels move from 2024).
💡Bottom line: Governments face mounting pressure but haven't reversed course. The Mercosur deal could still pass, and farmers aren't backing down.
♟️THE CHESSBOARD
Geopolitics Decoded In 3 Moves
The official photograph released for the Christmas Card by the Prince and Princess of Wales
🪖 U.S. Clears Record $11B Arms Sale to Taiwan
The U.S. approved an $11B arms package for Taiwan, the largest sale on record, as cross-strait tensions continue to rise.
The package includes HIMARS launchers with ATACMS missiles, self-propelled howitzers, Altius autonomous drones, plus antitank weapons and helicopter components.
Taipei says the systems strengthen asymmetric defense and deterrence, aligning with President Lai Ching-te’s $40B defense budget.
Beijing condemned the sale as a violation of the one-China principle.
💡Bottom line: The deal, the second under Trump, has bipartisan backing and now moves to final congressional approval.
👑 William & Catherine’s Christmas Card Signals a Softer Crown
The Prince and Princess of Wales released their 2025 Christmas card, featuring a relaxed family portrait shot in Norfolk in April by photographer Josh Shinner.
The image shows William and Catherine seated casually with George, Charlotte, and Louis, framed by spring daffodils.
Posted with a simple holiday message, the photo reinforces an informal, modern presentation of the monarchy—no regalia, no stiffness.
💡Why it matters: The release also marks another step in Catherine’s gradual return to public life following cancer treatment, underscoring family stability as a central pillar of the Waleses’ public image heading into 2026.
🇬🇧 Sainsbury’s Pulls Grinch Card After Transphobia Backlash
UK supermarket Sainsbury’s removed a £2.75 Christmas card featuring the Grinch after criticism from trans activists.
The card read, “This Christmas, I’m identifying as a Grinch,” which critics argued mocked transgender identities by trivializing the phrase “identifying as.”
The issue gained traction after being flagged on Bluesky by journalist Sophie Molly.
Publisher Emotional Rescue and illustrator Paper Salad apologized and withdrew the design, while Sainsbury’s reiterated its inclusivity stance.
💡Bottom line: The episode underscores ongoing UK tensions over language, humor, and gender identity in mainstream culture.
🗽THE EMPIRE FILES
Political Drama From DC To NYC
🇺🇸 Kennedy Center Renamed Trump-Kennedy Center
The Kennedy Center’s board voted unanimously to rename the venue the Trump-Kennedy Center, honoring President Donald Trump and John F. Kennedy.
The White House cited Trump’s role in renovations, financial stabilization, and governance changes after a board overhaul.
Trump, who chairs the board, has referenced the name publicly.
⚡Some Kennedy family members have criticized similar ideas in the past. No legal challenges have been announced.
👶 Elvis’s Granddaughter Could Be Linked To Travolta Fam
A new lawsuit filing alleges actress Riley Keough - granddaughter of American icon Elvis Presley - is the biological mother of John Travolta’s youngest son, Benjamin.
Cites an alleged egg donation arrangement around 2010.
The claims appear in a broader contract dispute involving former Presley family associates and are unproven.
No court findings have been made, and neither Keough nor Travolta has publicly responded.
⚡Attorneys for the plaintiffs say the allegations emerged amid a contentious family and business fallout.
🤖 CODES & POWER
Tech Wars, Crypto Chaos, and AI’s Black Mirror Moments
💰 Trump Media Bets Big on Fusion
Trump Media & Technology Group announced a $6B all-stock merger with fusion startup TAE Technologies, sending DJT shares up 33%.
The deal, expected to close in mid-2026, would split ownership roughly 50/50 and create one of the first publicly traded fusion companies.
Trump Media will commit up to $300M at signing and filing.
⚡The pivot comes as AI-driven energy demand reshapes tech strategy—despite no commercial fusion plants operating today.
📺 YouTube Wins Exclusive Oscars Stream Starting 2029
YouTube will become the exclusive streaming home of the Oscars beginning in 2029, ending ABC’s broadcast run dating back to 1961.
The deal runs through 2033, with ABC airing the ceremony through 2028. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The move puts the 101st Oscars live and free on YouTube for 2B+ global users.
⚡This reflects Hollywood’s push to reach younger audiences as ratings slid from 55M (1998) to about 20M in recent years.
📺 FUN FACTS & TRIVIA
No Volcanoes
The only continent on Earth without an active volcano, is Australia