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Weekend Briefing

From Reuters Daily Briefing

By Robert MacMillan, Reuters.com Weekend Editor

Welcome to the last Weekend Briefing of 2025. Our On Assignment podcast features my boss Alessandra Galloni talking with host Jonah Green about keeping journalists safe in warzones, artificial intelligence, the challenges of covering the Trump administration and more. We explore how AI is helping urban working Indian women, City Memo takes us to Brussels, and if you don’t believe me when I tell you libraries still matter in a digital world, listen to this guy and try saying “Bibliomotocarro” five times fast. See you in 2026.

Latest batch of Epstein files focuses on Bill Clinton

REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Redacted: The absence of references to Donald Trump was notable given that pictures and documents related to him have appeared in previous Epstein releases for years. The documents, released by the Justice Dept. under a congressional mandate, were heavily redacted, with several files of 100 pages or more entirely blacked out.
Their fault: Trump told an audience in North Carolina that his handling of the economy is sound and that any problems people are experiencing are because of the Democrats. Not everybody sees it that way. And some historians and analysts say his once unshakeable hold on Republicans is slipping. Unprecedented errors are eroding the Justice Dept.’s credibility. Is Trump’s appointee at the Federal Housing Finance Agency abusing his authority by targeting Democrats? Some say yes.

What does Putin really want?

Reports: U.S. intelligence data warn that Vladimir Putin intends to capture all of Ukraine and reclaim parts of Europe that belonged to the Soviet Union. This is a different picture than the one Donald Trump and his Ukraine peace negotiators have presented.
Borrowings: Ukraine thanked the EU for lending it more than $100 billion to keep fighting the war against Russia, though Europe failed to agree on a plan to use frozen Russian assets to secure the loan. How will all this work?

Gaza no longer in famine, situation still dire

Report: Access for humanitarian and commercial food deliveries improved after the ceasefire, but the situation in the Gaza Strip remained critical, a global hunger monitor said. The U.N. and aid groups warned that humanitarian operations in the Palestinian territories are at risk of collapse if Israel does not lift impediments.
Interesting candidate: President Trump wants Pakistan’s military chief to contribute troops to the Gaza stabilization force. This carries risks for Pakistan and any other Muslim nation that would participate. And the U.S. launched strikes against Islamic State targets in Syria in retaliation for an attack on U.S. personnel.

Four people die in ICE custody

Detainees: Four immigrants died during the past week while detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. At least 30 people have died in ICE custody this year, the highest level in more than two decades. Minneapolis’ police chief criticized immigration-enforcement tactics after video showed an officer waving his gun at a crowd during a confrontation between officers and protesters.
The story of Donald Trump: White South African children coming to the U.S. as refugees could get a biography of the president written for children. The book would portray Trump as an inspirational figure whose life “is a masterclass in determination, resilience, confidence, and dreaming big.”

French court sides with Shein over sex dolls

Appeal: The French government said it would appeal a Paris court’s ruling that rejected a three-month suspension of the Chinese online retailer after an uproar over childlike sex dolls sold on its marketplace.
Cyber: A hacking group called ShinyHunters stole data belonging to premium customers of the Pornhub sex website and threatened to publish it. At least three former customers confirmed to Reuters that the data pertaining to them was authentic.

Before I forget…

The deadliest police operation in Brazil’s history was a success, officials said. Our review reaches a different conclusion: It was a bloodbath.
Mobs torched the offices of Bangladesh’s top newspapers as the nation remains on edge following the 2024 overthrow of Sheikh Hasina’s government and the shooting death of a youth leader and election candidate.
The Trump administration said it would clamp down on a visa program to increase diversity after discovering that the late Brown University shooting suspect was linked to it.
Fourteen-year-old Chaya Dadon shielded two children during the Bondi Beach attack. She does not want to be singled out as a hero. Anthony Albanese praised Australia’s Jewish community at a memorial for the victims who were shot down at a menorah-lighting event.
The Delaware Supreme Court restored Elon Musk’s 2018 pay package.
Three coins in the fountain, 2 euros at the gate: Getting close to the Trevi Fountain is going to cost you. Writing to me to tell me how much you like the Weekend Briefing costs nothing. Thanks for reading!