Trump’s Letter to Norway – Anne Applebaum: “Donald Trump now genuinely lives in a different reality, one in which neither grammar nor history nor the normal rules of human interaction now affect him. Also, he really is maniacally, unhealthily obsessive about the Nobel Prize.” politicalwire.com

3 Federal Prosecutors in Minnesota Quit After Push to Investigate ICE Shooting Victim’s Widow (including the prosecutor that oversaw the Minnesota fraud investigation) (NYT gift link) nytimes.com

In 1987 we lived 5 blocks from this location. "Minnesota woman fatally shot by ICE agent during raid, video shows" | Minneapolis theguardian.com

The Venezuelan crisis of 1902–1903 was a naval blockade imposed against Venezuela by Great Britain, Germany, and Italy. wikipedia.org

Roomba Maker iRobot Declares Bankruptcy, Falls Into Chinese Hands wsj.com

Germany's train service is one of Europe's worst. How did it get so bad? (Spoiler: chronic underinvestment) npr.org

U.S. Wants to Persuade Four Nations to Leave EU (Spoiler: Austria, Italy, Hungary, Poland) politicalwire.com

Traveling to the US with an ESTA in 2026. herve.bzh

‘Ruined my Christmas spirit’: McDonald’s removes AI-generated ad after backlash theguardian.com

How the dollar-store industry overcharges cash-strapped customers while promising low prices theguardian.com