Washington’s national security machinery is being asked to do more than at any point in a decade, with an active war in the Gulf, a Russia policy pulling in two directions and a Taiwan question that won’t sit still. It’s being asked to do it with fewer people, fewer allies sharing in full, and less money from Congress. CrossGov.com, a site that covers US government with a federal focus, has been documenting that gap piece by piece.

I’ve spent years arguing that Spain gets written off too cheaply. The declinist take on Madrid — permanent stagnation, a country that never recovered from 2008 — has been wrong for most of a decade, and the people repeating it now are still wrong. The economy is growing at more than twice the eurozone rate. Employment keeps setting records. Tourism receipts are absurd. The public deficit is under control in a way France would envy.

Every year, TIME releases a list that tries to answer a slippery question: who actually shapes the world right now. The 2026 edition of the TIME100 leans into that ambiguity, mixing heads of state with YouTubers, AI architects with fashion designers, and activists with entertainers. It feels less like a ranking and more like a cross-section of influence in motion. Rather than offering a strict hierarchy, the list works as a snapshot of the people who, in very different ways, are helping define the mood, direction, and priorities of the current moment.

The posts, moments, and memes that dominated feeds this week — across X, Instagram, TikTok, and Truth Social. Trump re-posts the “King Trump” fighter jet AI video on Truth Social — the same day millions marched against him. On Saturday, as the third No Kings protests swept across 3,300+ cities, Trump responded by re-sharing an AI-generated video depicting himself piloting a fighter jet labeled “KING TRUMP” and dropping what appears to be sewage on crowds of demonstrators.

“In Rome 476, author David Parker awakens readers to the wisdom of 5th century Athens, 1st century Rome and 18th century Age of Enlightenment. Gleaning wisdom from the great thinkers and statesmen of the past, Parker’s mission is to educate fellow Americans in the historical, cultural, and founding principles of our country.” — Jeffrey Sikkenga, Executive Director, The Ashbrook Center SAN FRANCISCO — With the publication of his third book, Rome 476, author David Parker’s influence as a thought leader continues to grow.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 30, 2023 - Following is a statement from Eileen O’Reilly, president of the National Press Club, and Gil Klein, president of the National Press Club Journalism Institute, on the extended detention of Chinese journalist Yuyu Dong. “We have learned through the family of Chinese journalist Yuyu Dong that his unjust detention has been extended two months. We had expected a verdict Dec. 27. This extension will now push Yuyu’s detention beyond the anniversary date of his arrest in 2022.

Iran has proposed amendments to a draft resolution on dark shipping that is due to be discussed at the upcoming meeting of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Assembly. The proposed amendments would strip out all mention of illicit operations, dark fleets, and maritime fraud, and would instead only refer to “substandard ship-to-ship transfers.” Iran relies on a so-called “dark fleet” of tankers that operate outside of mainstream tanker markets because of US sanctions.