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After Australia passes social media ban, lawmakers probed on why Congress hasn’t done more to protect kids

After Australia passes social media ban, lawmakers probed on why Congress hasn’t done more to protect kids

After Australian teens were kicked off of social media this week following a nationwide social media ban for anyone in the country under the age of 16, several lawmakers and other political figures called on the United States to do something similar.  Congress has passed some general online safety laws, such as limits on the collection of minors’ information by social media platforms, but thus far, Congress has not enacted any laws that would change who can use social media platforms, or how the apps are designed for minors. “I imagine it’s the opposition from the tech industry,” said Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y. “I see social media as a catastrophe for the mental health of the next generation, and I feel like society is conducting an unprecedented experiment on the psyche of young Americans.” TEXAS FAMILY SUES CHARACTER.AI AFTER CHATBOT ALLEGEDLY ENCOURAGED AUTISTIC SON TO HARM PARENTS AND HIMSELF Torres added that he believes there is a need for reform but also conceded that it is a “complicated area” in light of the First Amendment. “I do think more congressional action would be wise,” Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., told Fox News Digital when asked why he thought Congress had not passed laws that will better protect kids on social media. “Obviously, we’re a country that values freedom, and so a lot of people feel like that would be either power better exercised by the state, or power better exercised by parents.” However, Johnson said, he does think “we need to hold some of these platforms accountable,” noting that “they have technological tools that they could very easily use to keep kids safe.” After Australia passed its social media ban on kids under the age of 16, Republicans and Democrats came out to urge the United States to enact better safety measures for kids on social media. These figures included former President Barack Obama’s chief of staff while he was in office, Rahm Emanuel, Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii. PROTECTING KIDS FROM AI CHATBOTS: WHAT THE GUARD ACT MEANS Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital that one of the reasons Congress has potentially stalled on passing legislation to protect kids on social media was because “a lot of people don’t know” about the dangers.  “I think it’s gotten worse,” Norman said, in regard to the dangers of social media for kids. “Got to have an age and got to track down something that is destroying our children.” However, some Republicans have also been weary of the push to regulate social media for kids, particularly efforts to create an age limit for the platforms. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., told Fox News Digital that she would likely not be in favor of “an all-out ban.” “I’m still a capitalist, and there’s federalism and we have freedom here,” Boeert said. “But we have a lot of good legislation for solutions but, unfortunately, leadership prioritizes things that the American people don’t, and I think it’s time to read the room of America so we can pass good legislation.”

DHS to focus on arresting illegal immigrants with serious offenses amid negative polling on ICE raids: report

DHS to focus on arresting illegal immigrants with serious offenses amid negative polling on ICE raids: report

The Department of Homeland Security is amending its immigration enforcement operations by moving away from raids targeting all illegal immigrants in the U.S. and focusing more on the ones who have committed serious offenses, according to a report. Teams under U.S. Border Patrol Commander at Large Gregory Bovino will shift their focus to specific targets, including illegal immigrants who have been convicted of serious crimes, NewsNation reported. The change means federal agents will put a smaller emphasis on carrying out large raids that have happened at Home Depot stores and other locations, according to the outlet. JUDGE BLOCKS ICE FROM MAKING WARRANTLESS ARRESTS IN DC WITHOUT FLIGHT-RISK PROOF Illegal immigrants have been targeted based on characteristics such as ethnicity, accent, language or location, such as being at a Home Depot or a car wash. Agents will still conduct traffic stop enforcement, but Border Patrol is unlikely to continue grabbing people off the streets, the outlet reported. The reported change in immigration enforcement comes as support for President Donald Trump‘s mass deportation policies has tanked in the polls. 250 BORDER AGENTS TO DEPLOY TO LOUISIANA FOR ‘SWAMP SWEEP,’ REPORT SAYS A Public Religion Research Institute survey released earlier this week found that approval of Trump’s handling of immigration dipped from 42% in March to 33%. A YouGov poll last month found that a majority of Americans oppose Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations tied to Trump’s immigration crackdown. In a survey last month by the health policy research group KFF and The New York Times, about half of the immigrants polled said they — and their family members — “feel less safe” with Trump as president. Border Patrol has carried out migrant raids this year in various cities, including in Los Angeles, Chicago and Charlotte. The raids have prompted several protests and lawsuits, as the operations have been scrutinized for going too far. A new operation in New Orleans, dubbed “Catahoula Crunch,” will continue despite the updated tactics. Agents have already arrested more than 250 people, and DHS said it aims to reach 5,000, according to NewsNation.

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,388

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,388

These are the key developments from day 1,388 of Russia’s war on Ukraine. By News Agencies Published On 13 Dec 202513 Dec 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Here’s where things stand on Saturday, December 13: Fighting Ukrainian forces said they had retaken parts of the northeastern town of Kupiansk and encircled Russian troops there, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the area and praised the operation, saying it strengthened Ukraine diplomatically. In a video clip, President Zelenskyy, wearing a bulletproof vest, is seen standing in front of a sign bearing the town’s name at the entrance to Kupiansk. “Today it is extremely important to achieve results on the front lines so that Ukraine can achieve results in diplomacy,” he said. Ukrainian drones struck two Russian oil rigs in the Caspian Sea, an official in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said. The SBU drones hit the Filanovsky and Korchagin oil rigs, which both belong to Russia’s Lukoil. The Filanovsky rig – part of Russia’s largest Caspian oilfield – came under attack earlier this week as Ukraine steps up its campaign to disrupt Russian oil and gas output. Ukraine said it conducted an operation alongside a local resistance movement to hit two Russian ships transporting weapons and military equipment in the Caspian Sea. They did not specify when the strike took place. Ukraine’s military also said it attacked a major Russian oil refinery in Yaroslavl, northeast of Moscow, and industry sources said the facility had suspended output. Russia attacked Ukraine’s Chornomorsk and Odesa ports, damaging three Turkish-owned vessels, including a civilian ship carrying food supplies, Ukrainian officials said. Moscow previously threatened to cut “Ukraine off from the sea” in retaliation for Kyiv’s maritime drone attacks on its “shadow fleet” tankers thought to be used to export oil. Russia also attacked energy facilities in the southern Ukrainian Odesa region overnight, causing fires and leaving several settlements in the region without electricity, the local governor and emergency service said. Russia’s Ministry of Defence said it had destroyed 90 Ukrainian drones over the country and the Black Sea overnight. Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport said it suspended departures amid the overnight drone attacks, while in the city of Tver, 181km (112 miles) northwest of Moscow, authorities said seven people were injured. Peace deal Advertisement Turkiye has called for an urgent end to the war in Ukraine after Turkish-owned vessels were damaged in an attack on Ukraine’s Chornomorsk port by Russia, saying the incident underscored risks to Black Sea maritime security. Ankara called for an arrangement to suspend attacks targeting navigation safety, energy and port infrastructure “to prevent escalation”. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, telling him that a limited ceasefire around energy facilities and ports in particular could be beneficial. Ukrainian, European and United States national security advisers met and discussed coordination of their positions on proposals for a settlement to the conflict in Ukraine, the head of the Ukrainian negotiating team, Rustem Umerov, said. Ukraine’s Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said the meeting was attended from the US side by Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, as well as World Bank chief Ajay Banga and BlackRock CEO Larry Fink. We continue our joint work with our American partners and the leadership of international financial institutions on the economic track within the broader effort to secure a just and lasting peace for Ukraine. Today, we held a meeting with representatives of the U.S. President,… pic.twitter.com/QNJzBQ0GD6 — Yulia Svyrydenko (@Svyrydenko_Y) December 12, 2025 President Donald Trump said a US-proposed free economic zone in the Ukraine-controlled parts of the eastern Donbas would work after Washington suggested creating such an economic zone as a compromise between Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine, the US and European powers are still working to find a joint position that would outline the contours of a peace deal, including security guarantees for Kyiv, in a ceasefire deal that “American negotiators are willing to bring to the Russians”, a French presidency official said. Kremlin foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov said a ceasefire is only possible after Ukrainian forces withdraw from the entire Donbas region, and the area Kyiv currently controls is taken over by the Russian National Guard. “If not by negotiation, then by military means, this territory will come under the full control of the Russian Federation. Everything else will depend entirely on that,” Ushakov said. Sanctions The European Union agreed to indefinitely freeze 210 billion euros ($246bn) worth of Russian sovereign assets held in Europe, removing a big obstacle to using the cash to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia. The agreement removes the risk that Hungary and Slovakia, which have better relations with Moscow than other EU states, could refuse to roll over the freeze at some point and force the EU to return the money to Russia. Russia’s central bank said the EU plans to use its assets to support Ukraine were illegal and it reserved the right to employ all available means to protect its interests. The bank said separately it was suing Brussels-based financial institution Euroclear – which holds many of the assets – in a Moscow court over what it said were damaging and “illegal” actions. In advance of the vote to freeze the funds, Hungary lodged a protest against what it called an “unlawful” step by the EU to hold Russian assets indefinitely. Prime Minister Viktor Orban said the decision would “cause irreparable damage to the Union”. “Hungary protests the decision and will do its best to restore a lawful situation,” Orban said. International affairs Advertisement North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended a welcoming ceremony for the 528th Regiment of Engineers of the Korean People’s Army that returned home after carrying out duties in Russia, praising the officers and soldiers for their “heroic” conduct and “mass heroism” during a 120-day overseas deployment. Berlin has summoned Russia’s ambassador over what it said was a huge increase in threatening hybrid activities, including disinformation campaigns, espionage, cyberattacks and attempted sabotage. “[We]

Russia damages Turkish-owned vessels in attack on Ukrainian ports

Russia damages Turkish-owned vessels in attack on Ukrainian ports

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Russian attacks ‘had no … military purpose whatsoever’. Russian forces have attacked two Ukrainian ports, damaging three Turkish-owned vessels, including a ship carrying food supplies, according to Ukrainian officials and a shipowner. Friday’s attacks by Russian forces targeted Chornomorsk and Odesa ports in Ukraine’s southwestern Odesa region on the Black Sea. A Ukrainian navy spokesperson told the Reuters news agency that three Turkish-owned vessels were damaged in total, but did not provide additional details. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Posting video footage on social media of firefighters tackling a blaze on board what he described as a “civilian vessel” in Chornomorsk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Russian attacks “had no … military purpose whatsoever”. “This proves once again that Russians not only fail to take the current opportunity for diplomacy seriously enough, but also continue the war precisely to destroy normal life in Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said. “It is crucial that … the world maintains the proper moral compass: who is dragging out this war and who is working to end it with peace, who is using ballistic missiles against civilian life, and who is striking the targets that influence the functioning of Russia’s war machine,” he said. Today, the Russian army carried out a missile strike on our Odesa region, and last night there was also a Russian attack on Odesa’s energy infrastructure. At one point we talked about the situation in this city and the people of Odesa with President Trump. Today’s Russian… pic.twitter.com/gIgXUlc4AJ — Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 12, 2025 Advertisement Zelenskyy did not name the vessel, but it was identified as the Panama-flagged and Turkish-owned Cenk T by Reuters, which matched cranes and buildings to satellite imagery of Chornomorsk port. The ship’s owners, Cenk Shipping, confirmed it was attacked at about 4pm local time (14:00 GMT). There were no casualties among the crew, and damage to the ship was limited, it added. An employee of a private company was also injured in a separate attack on Odesa port, where a cargo loader was also damaged, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba confirmed. He added that Russia had used drones and ballistic missiles in the port strikes, which were “aimed at civilian logistics and commercial shipping”. Ukraine’s three large Black Sea ports in the Odesa region are a key economic artery for Kyiv. Late on Friday, Turkiye’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the vessel had been attacked in Chornomorsk port. It added that there were no reports of injured Turkish citizens. The ministry said in a statement that the attack “validates our previously stated concerns regarding the spread of the ongoing war in the region to the Black Sea, and its impact on maritime security and freedom of navigation”. “We reiterate the need for an arrangement whereby, in order to prevent escalation in the Black Sea, attacks targeting navigational safety as well as the parties’ energy and port infrastructure are suspended,” it added. Hours earlier, in talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Turkmenistan’s capital of Ashgabat, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for calm in the Black Sea and suggested that a limited ceasefire for energy facilities and ports could be beneficial for regional security. Turkiye, which has the longest Black Sea coastline at approximately 1,329km (826 miles), has grown increasingly alarmed at the escalating attacks in its back yard and has offered to mediate between Kyiv and Moscow. The attacks come just days after Putin promised retaliation and threatened to cut “Ukraine off from the sea” for Kyiv’s maritime drone attacks on Moscow’s “shadow fleet” – unmarked tankers thought to be used to circumvent oil sanctions – in the Black Sea. Kyiv says the tankers are Moscow’s main source of funding for its almost four-year-old war. It has also tried to squeeze Russian revenues by expanding attacks to the Caspian Sea, where it struck a major oil rig this week. Adblock test (Why?)

Thailand says attacks on Cambodia to continue despite Trump ceasefire claim

Thailand says attacks on Cambodia to continue despite Trump ceasefire claim

DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY, Cambodia’s Defence Ministry said Thai F-16 fighter jets continue to bomb targets inside country after US President Trump announced truce. Published On 13 Dec 202513 Dec 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has said military action against Cambodia will continue despite an earlier claim by United States President Donald Trump that he had successfully brokered a ceasefire between the neighbouring countries. “Thailand will continue to perform military actions until we feel no more harm and threats to our land and people. I want to make it clear. Our actions this morning already spoke,” Anutin said in a Facebook post on Saturday morning. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list The Thai leader’s announcement followed after Cambodia had earlier accused Thailand of continuing to drop bombs in its territory hours after President Trump said Bangkok and Phnom Penh had agreed to stop fighting. “On December 13, 2025, the Thai military used two F-16 fighter jets to drop seven bombs” on a number of targets, the Cambodian Ministry of Defence said in a post on social media. “Thai forces have not stopped the bombing yet and are still continuing the bombing,” the ministry said, listing numerous aerial and ground attacks on villages and settlements up until 8am local time (01:00 GMT) on Saturday morning. Local news outlet Khmer Times cited the Cambodian Ministry of Information as saying that two hotels were bombed in the Thmor Da area of Pursat province, on the border with Thailand. The news outlet published a series of photos showing badly bombed hotel and casino buildings. People stand on a bombed out bridge in Cambodia’s Pursat province on December 13, 2025, amid clashes along the Cambodia-Thailand border [AFP] In another attack, the Thai navy reportedly opened fire from a vessel off the coast, launching 20 artillery shells into Cambodia’s Koh Kong province, striking hotels and beaches. Advertisement Cambodian authorities have not reported any casualties as a result of these most recent attacks. At least 20 people have been killed across both countries, with nearly 200 more wounded, since a peace agreement brokered by Trump in October broke down on Monday. An estimated 600,000 people have also been displaced on both sides of the Thai-Cambodia border this week. Late on Friday night, Trump took to social media to announce he had brokered what he said was an agreement between the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia “to cease all shooting”. “I had a very good conversation this morning with the Prime Minister of Thailand, Anutin Charnvirakul, and the Prime Minister of Cambodia, Hun Manet, concerning the very unfortunate reawakening of their long-running War,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform on Friday. “They have agreed to CEASE all shooting effective this evening, and go back to the original Peace Accord made with me, and them, with the help of the Great Prime Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim,” Trump said. A boy stands among people waiting to collect supplies at Batthkav refugee camp in Oddar Meanchey province, Cambodia, on December 12, 2025 [Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters] Trump also claimed in his post that a roadside bomb that had “killed and wounded numerous Thai soldiers was an accident”. Thai Prime Minister Anutin refuted this claim on Facebook too, saying it was “definitely not a roadside accident”. The continued attacks on Saturday mark the sixth consecutive day of fighting between the two Southeast Asian neighbours since cross-border clashes broke out on Monday along the 800-kilometre-long (500-mile) Thai-Cambodia border, where the conflict centres on disputed ownership of centuries-old temples. Adblock test (Why?)