TREE HOUSE NEWS 🏡

NEWS AGGREGATION & COMMENTARY

May Great Spirit bless 🙏

It is 27° F, with an expected high of 40° F, and cloudy with on-and-off rain throughout the day. They're calling for this type of weather right up until December 31, a green Christmas. That doesn't matter on Christmas Eve, we set up the Laser Projector Lights and aim them into the woods below across the driveway. My partner and I stay right here at home for the holidays. There is no sense in going out there, fighting the weather, and then coming back home all exhausted.

As for my health, I'm feeling reasonably well this morning; the only problem is I don't know what to take in the morning, since I don't have any teeth and my stomach is finicky due to GERD and the extraction of my teeth. It's hard to say what I can ingest in the morning, so my morning meds have been pushed to lunchtime meds, because I can't handle just pills on an empty stomach. Believe me, it's better to leave it empty in the morning. I wouldn't wish this 💩 -show even on Trumpo the Typo, either. Hmmm. How about a busted mouth by somebody's fist? 👊 💥 🥴

A Positive Human Interest Story To Begin The Day, I believe we all need a little shot of that now and again.

Passengers leave a Delta Airlines CRJ 900 jet after it crashed on landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport on February 17, 2025

He walked away from the fiery crash of an overturned plane. Here's how his life has changed

It was like any other business trip for Minnesota frequent flyer Pete Carleton: walk through TSA, fill up the water bottle past security and chat with colleagues at the gate.

On that cold February day, just before noon, he boarded Delta Connection flight 4819 to Toronto with ease. He found his seat, 9D, by the window and put his Beats earbuds in and played one of his favorite Canadian rock bands, The Tragically Hip. "(I) got on the plane, and I did as I always did, you know, sit down, put my ear buds in, tuned out," he said. "(I) didn't talk to the dude next to me. He didn't talk to me, you know, just typical travel."

Things went smoothly until the plane was preparing to land and the unthinkable happened. The airplane's main landing gear support failed, and the body of the jet went sliding down the runway. A wing broke off on impact...

• It 'just didn't feel right':
• 'They were all just looking at us':
• 'Humanity kicked in for a little while':
• 'I'm not the same guy':

Carleton realizes the horrifying event in Toronto will likely loom over him for the rest of his life.

Read More:

PUBLISHED December 20, 2025, 6:00 AM ET - 2 hr ago

- CNN -

"My Thoughts!"

Nothing as awful as that can be swept under the carpet. Sooner or later, it will pop up to bite you on the leg. I myself have seen and experienced some pretty nasty or close shaves kind of stuff, like going off a fifty-foot cliff with a Skidoo with only a small pine tree to break my fall. And some pretty harrowing experiences with my spouse. As they say, stuff that could have cost me my life? Yes.

It Was Finding Sobriety that changed my life. It made me aware of just how precious life is and how quickly it can be taken away. The best you can do is to do your best while you're here, in whatever endeavor you take on. Mine was being a social worker. When it's time to move on to something else, be honest with yourself, change your plans, but don't quit.

- Google Search -

Trauma Reenactment, or *Repetition Compulsion,* is the unconscious tendency to recreate past traumatic situations or dynamics in current life, often a core feature of PTSD

- Google Search -

• Is alcoholism a trauma response?

In general, the onset of trauma precedes the onset of alcohol dependence. Although it is impossible to establish a direct causal relationship, this temporal relationship suggests a robust and positive relationship between exposure to early-life trauma and alcohol-related problems later in life.

BREAKING NEWS:

Trump talks about neuroses, selecting chairs and his wife’s underwear drawer in latest affordability speech

President Donald Trump came to North Carolina on Friday to talk about the economy.

He ended up explaining how his wife organizes her lingerie drawer. “I think she steams them,” he offered at one point, hoping to underscore the violation Melania Trump felt when, in his telling, FBI agents rummaged through the pristine undergarments — “sometimes referred to as panties” — during their 2022 search of Mar-a-Lago.

In the realm of Trump tangents, it wasn’t the wildest, or angriest, or most bizarre. Yet as the president hopes to refocus the nation’s attention on his economic record ahead of next year’s critical midterm elections...

Read More:

PUBLISHED Dec 20, 2025, 12:21 AM ET - 10 hr ago

- CNN -

She just became the first wheelchair user to travel to space

Michaela Benthaus, a 33-year-old German aerospace and mechatronics engineer at the European Space Agency, just became the first wheelchair user ever to travel past the Kármán Line — a common demarcation for outer space that lies 100 kilometers (62 miles) above sea level.

Her history-making trip aboard a Blue Origin New Shepard capsule took flight on Saturday morning, lifting off from the company’s launch facilities near Van Horn, Texas. The mission, known as NS-37, is the 16th suborbital space tourism launch carried out by Blue Origin, the Jeff Bezos-funded rocket venture founded in 2000 with the aim of expanding access to space — even for enthusiasts who don’t fit the typical mold of an astronaut...

• Making space accessible:

Read More:

Updated Dec 20, 2025, 10:57 AM ET - Updated 21 min ago

- CNN -

Trump talks about neuroses, selecting chairs and his wife’s underwear drawer in latest affordability speech

President Donald Trump came to North Carolina on Friday to talk about the economy.

He ended up explaining how his wife organizes her lingerie drawer.

“I think she steams them,” he offered at one point, hoping to underscore the violation Melania Trump felt when, in his telling, FBI agents rummaged through the pristine undergarments — “sometimes referred to as panties” — during their 2022 search of Mar-a-Lago. In the realm of Trump tangents, it wasn’t the wildest, or angriest, or most bizarre.

Yet as the president hopes to refocus the nation’s attention on his economic record ahead of next year’s critical midterm elections...

Read More:

PUBLISHED Dec 20, 2025, 12:21 AM ET - 11 hr ago

- CNN -

CANADIAN NEWS

‘The Nazis were right': What the leaders of Canada’s biggest ‘nationalist’ group really want

Sanitized official posts are ‘deliberate strategy’ to appeal to recruits, expert says

WARNING: This story contains distressing content, including RACIST, VIOLENT, ANTISEMITIC LANGUAGE

The leaders of the country’s biggest white nationalist group believe that “the Nazis were right,” that a violent “race war” for Canada’s future is underway and that non-white people should be deported en masse “at gunpoint,” according to an analysis by the CBC’s visual investigations unit.

Second Sons Canada calls itself a “men’s nationalist club” dedicated to “health and fitness, camaraderie, activism and friendly support for those who share our values.” Official posts on Instagram, Facebook, Telegram and X show men gathering to train or to demonstrate, promoting the slogan “remigration now” and celebrating veterans and Canadian history...

• ‘Race war’ already here, SSC leaders say:
• Group includes neo-Nazis, leader says:
• Strategic ‘propaganda’:
• Platforms remove some episodes:

Posted: Dec 20, 2025 4:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

- CBC -

So, I see the poison from south of the border is seeping through to our free and democratic country with laws and regulations; without them, we will have the same chaos from south of the border. WHY WOULD ANY SANE PERSON WANT TO GO BACK TO NAZIISM, WHEN EVEN TODAY'S GERMANS ARE REVOLTED BY THEIR PAST DEEDS?

WHY, IF YOU ARE OF A SANE MIND, WOULD YOU WANT TO LIVE IN A NAZI REGIME? Selling your soul to the company store and kissing that jackass's butt and living like a slave, anyone who wishes to live like that, I solemnly pray you live to a very slow and long torturous ending.

YOU 🫵 Go right on ahead, why don't you go south, eh? I'm sure they'll find a nice mine or drilling rig for you to work at, and then get to owe your soul to the company store, with the opportunity to be put in labor camps and or concentration camps, then when you get useless, it's the extermination camps. YA BUNCH OF SLIME BALL DUM-DUM WANNABE DUNCE CADET BUTT KISSING HEIL HITLER FOOLS!

- Google Search -

Today's Germans are generally repulsed and horrified by the Nazi era atrocities and maintain a strong sense of national responsibility to ensure such events never happen again.

Carney lays out security 'guardrails' for China as Canada looks to build up relationship

Prime minister says AI, critical minerals are areas of concern

Prime Minister Mark Carney has begun to lay out publicly what he sees as boundaries when dealing with China, as his government wades into a new relationship with the economic giant.

Carney, who earlier this year called China one of Canada's biggest security threats, has more recently spoken openly about resetting the relationship with Beijing as the Liberal government seeks more trading partners in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war.

In a year-end interview with CBC News, he was asked by chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton if he sees risks in Canada aligning economically with China. "The question is how deep is the relationship and how clear are the guardrails around that relationship," he said....

WATCH | Carney calls Xi meeting a 'turning point':

• Carney needs to raise sensitive issues: diplomat:

Read More:

Posted: Dec 20, 2025 4:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 8 hours ago

- CBC -

2 MINS AGO: Carney SHUTS DOWN Reporters With Fiery Replies Over Trump

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUrFepqFHBg

 

TREE HOUSE NEWS 🏡

NEWS AGGREGATION & COMMENTARY

May Great Spirit bless 🙏

I do pray a good Friday morning, everyone. It's 35°F and raining out there with an expected high of 37°F. I am thankful to awaken in what is still a free country. My state of health this morning appears to be stable, thus far, and I pray it stays that way. I feel like I'm flying an old aircraft, and I just reached 5,000 ft., and do the checklist list, ya know, like, "Props, check!, Flaps, check! Rudder, check! Engine ... I said engine? Er, no engine, sir!"

What makes this recovery a little more difficult than just a tooth extraction is that the bad teeth really played a number on my stomach, which had not yet fully recovered from the appendix removal last year. The GERD was irritated by the flu and the rotten teeth, along with the fact that I had no teeth to chew food properly and get the nutrients I should have.

TODAY'S DISCUSSION:

AXING OBAMACARE

Congress leaves town until 2026, letting enhanced Obamacare tax credits expire in two weeks

There you go, Trumpo the Typo has done it. He has graduated to be like his beloved and highly adored idol, Hitler. He lives to emulate a mass murderer. You see, Trumpo doesn't need gas chambers, just let the people die like flies on the street. Without medical aid, no support for the elderly, or war veterans, government employees who have lost their jobs and homes, living in tents, no soup kitchens, no food banks, living in squalor, garbage, and disease running rampant, and no vaccine or any medical help to protect them from it. Then the civil disorder and confusion will begin, driven by displacement, desperation, and starvation. Then, there are the break-ins for food, clothing, or any other necessities.

REMEMBER NEW ORLEANS Hurricane Katrina was a mighty and catastrophic tropical cyclone that killed 1,392 people and caused damage estimated at $125 billion, particularly in and around the city of New Orleans, in late August 2005. Afterwards, the looting and shooting. New Orleans experienced a breakdown in law and order characterized by widespread looting and exaggerated reports of violence.

As with most breakdowns in the system, by this coming spring, there won't be any system left. Trumpo the Typo killed it. No amount of Dunce Cadets will be able to stop the millions of people on the move, and they will be prepared for the inevitable fight.

🫷 VIVE LA RESISTANCE!🫸

BREAKING NEWS:

Exclusive: Top lawyer for military joint chiefs told chairman that officers should retire if faced with an unlawful order

How should a military commander respond if they determine they have received an unlawful order?

Request to retire — and refrain from resigning in protest, which could be seen as a political act, or picking a fight to get fired. That was the previously unreported guidance that Brig. Gen. Eric Widmar, the top lawyer for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, gave to the country's top general, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, in November, according to sources familiar with the discussion.

Caine had just seen a video that included six Democratic lawmakers publicly urging US troops to disobey illegal orders. He asked Widmar, according to the sources, what the latest guidance was on how to determine whether an order was lawful and how a commander should reply if it is not...

Experts on civil-military relations have previously pointed to retirement as a reasonable option for officers who object to a particular policy, while noting that it comes with its own costs.

Read More:

PUBLISHED Dec 19, 2025, 5:00 AM ET - 1 hr 49 min ago

- CNN -

EU secures funding deal on Ukraine as Putin delivers end-of-year news conference

What We're Covering

• EU leaders announced a multi-billion dollar funding plan for Ukraine's economy and military for the next two years – with the package funded by borrowing cash, rather than tapping into frozen Russian assets held in the bloc. The deal, struck early Friday, offered a lifeline to Ukraine, which was rapidly running out of money.

• Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin is hosting his end-of-year news conference where the Russian president signaled there'd be no compromise on Ukraine. He said the EU's plan to funnel frozen Russian assets to Ukraine was "robbery."

• Russia's top economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev is expected to travel to Miami for a briefing on the results of peace talks between the US, Ukraine and Europe held in Berlin this week, a Russian source with knowledge of the trip told CNN.

Read More:

4 min ago

Putin says cooling of Russian economy in 2025 resulted from "conscious" decision to tame inflation

Read More:

27 min ago

Putin claims Russia has made compromises in Ukraine peace talks

• More To Read:

Updated 6:58 AM EST, Fri December 19, 2025

• Read more:

The big wrinkle in the multitrillion-dollar AI buildout

New York

—

There’s a giant question hanging over the tech industry: How long will its massive investments in AI infrastructure really last?

Tech giants are shelling out hundreds of billions of dollars on artificial intelligence infrastructure — mainly, data centers and the chips that power them. It’s an investment they say will set the stage for AI to overhaul our economy, our jobs and even our personal relationships. This year alone, tech firms are expected to pour $400 billion into AI-related capital expenditures. A portion of that will almost certainly put a recurring strain on companies’ balance sheets...

Sarah Friar, OpenAI's CFO, sparked backlash this week with a comment about government support for building AI infrastructure.

Why OpenAI went into crisis PR mode Thursday

• Chip lifecycles:
• What does this have to do with the AI bubble?:

Read More:

PUBLISHED Dec 19, 2025, 5:00 AM ET - 2 hr ago

- CNN -

CANADIAN NEWS:

Ryan Wedding’s image as alleged drug kingpin inflated by U.S., says Sinaloa cartel operative

Cartel has done business in Canada for decades, operative tells CBC News

The U.S. is “inflating” the image of Ryan Wedding to create a major news event the moment the alleged cocaine kingpin is finally taken down, says an operative with the Mexican cartel that law enforcement believes is protecting the former Canadian Olympian. In an interview with CBC News in northwestern Mexico, the operative with the Sinaloa cartel said that his organization has dealt with Canadian narcotics customers for more than two decades, but he’s only recently heard of Wedding’s name from news reports and social media posts.

“His name has gone viral in these last few months, they say he’s the new Chapo,” said the operative, referring to the nickname of Joaquín (El Chapo) Guzmán Loera, one of the former leaders of the Sinaloa cartel...

• Ontario trucker sentenced to more than 6 years for cocaine smuggling linked to Ryan Wedding
• *VideoWhat we know about Ryan Wedding's alleged Canadian associates
• Search for information:
• Not on National Guard's Sinaloa radar:

Posted: Dec 19, 2025 4:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

- CBC -

N.S. man inspires health-care system change while waiting for surgery in Toronto

Halifax kidney transplant doctor says Samuel Provo-Benoit's challenges have eased path for other patients

Even if Samuel Provo-Benoit doesn’t get the present he dearly wants in time for Christmas — a kidney and pancreas transplant to beat the Type 1 diabetes that’s steadily destroying his body — he has something else to celebrate. The North Preston, N.S., man’s story is helping to ease the path for transplant patients coming after him.

“It’s making me feel like my purpose [in] life is being fulfilled to help someone else along this journey called life,” Provo-Benoit, 35, said in an interview about going public to CBC in September.

• 'It was really valuable to bring it to the headlines':

Posted: Dec 19, 2025 5:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 1 hour ago

- CBC -

HEALTH CARE ONTARIO

Ontario is facing a complex healthcare crisis: while trying to attract U.S. doctors by cutting red tape, the system struggles with chronic underfunding, leading to clinic closures, staff cuts, and privatization, creating service gaps that new recruits can't immediately fix due to systemic issues like low pay, high workloads, and fragmented funding, even with some new hires. It's a push-pull: trying to solve staffing shortages with foreign recruitment while simultaneously dealing with the fallout from past cuts and funding models that drive doctors away or limit services.

Reasons for Closures & Cuts (Despite Hiring Efforts)

WHY THE SHORTAGE OF FUNDS, MR. FORD?

- Google Search -

During the Trudeau government's time in office, a $30-million healthcare allocation in Ontario was an annual commitment from the Ontario government, made in February 2023, as part of a larger healthcare plan that was later incorporated into a bilateral agreement with the federal government.

This is part of a broader pattern of substantial health-care spending announcements by the Trudeau government, which often involve much larger figures, such as:

$196.1 billion over 10 years in a health funding proposal to provinces and territories.

$3.1 billion in health-care funding deals were signed with individual provinces like Ontario to hire more health workers and reduce wait times.

$354 million over five years to increase the number of medical professionals in remote and isolated First Nations communities.

- Google Search -

Allegations that the Ford government in Ontario is "stealing" health care money refer to accusations by critics, such as the Ontario Health Coalition, that the government is intentionally underfunding public hospitals to facilitate the growth of private, for-profit clinics.

These accusations are often framed in the context of specific concerns:

• Diverting Funds and Staff:
• Higher Costs:
• Privatization:
• Wasted Funds/Mismanagement:

The Ford government has defended its actions by stating it is committed to improving access to care and reducing wait times through its "Your Health" plan, which includes licensing new clinics.

COCKROACH 🪳 THIEF FORD IS DOING THE OPPOSITE.

Bugs, bugs, bugs, 🪳🪳 🪳I think they're all in Parliament, Tom!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4vceDiMqxU

 

TREE HOUSE NEWS 🏡

NEWS AGGREGATION & COMMENTARY

May Great Spirit bless 🙏

I pray you all have a prosperous and productive day. Well, at least I got up this morning feeling more like normal, about where I should be. I pray that this is a sign of recovery. I would like to finish my mission unimpeded by this albatross I had hanging around my neck. So now here I sit, 6:00 AM, still dark out. It's supposed to be 50°F and partly sunny 🌥️ today, then turn colder tomorrow, then back above freezing all the rest of Christmas week. I can see the green, green grass of home. 😉

I have a telephone meeting with my specialist from Toronto this afternoon, so I may hopefully find out more about this screwed up stomach of mine and what to do with it. I am functioning at a higher energy level. The stomach seems to be stuck at the level of heartburn, just a different, annoying pain in the butt, just not as intrusive as the nausea. The anti-acid I took feels more like I drank battery acid; hopefully it will pass. Oh well, couch time again, it feels nice under the blanket.

TODAY'S COMMENT:

I do not have much to comment on today. At least the stomach has settled a bit now so that I can continue this news report.

Let us begin with Trumpo The Typo's primetime address. What did you all think of Trumpo The Typo's Prime Time Address last night?

4 takeaways from Trump's primetime address

President Donald Trump delivered a rare, 20-minute primetime speech from the White House on Wednesday night. The address included relatively little news but did frame up how the White House would like to sell its record on the economy and other issues amid increasingly dire political indicators.

• 1. It's all Biden, all the time, from here on out
• 2. It was closer to what his advisers seemed to want, but it was hardly compelling
• 3. It was a characteristic factual mess
• 4. Trump's speech about nothing betrayed White House concerns

________________

• 5. Must have flushed what was left of his brain down that gold White House Toilet 💩 🧠 🚽

What a Disgusting Slime Ball 🫟 ⚾️

Read More:

Updated Dec 18, 2025, 7:11 AM ET - Updated 3 hr ago

- CNN -

WINTER WEATHER WARNING CANADA

Drivers urged to stay off roads in Alberta and Saskatchewan as winter storm blasts through Prairies

• Blizzard conditions expected to hit Manitoba next
• The Latest
• A nasty winter storm has led to treacherous driving conditions on a number of major highways in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
• Police in both provinces have warned drivers to stay off the roads tonight, with one officer in Saskatchewan saying the roads are too icy even to stand.
• Freezing rain and heavy snow are heading for the vast majority of southern Manitoba, including Winnipeg.

Read More:

- CBC -

CANADIAN NEWS:

Zelenskyy urges EU leaders to agree on handing over Russian assets

Ukraine expected to run out of money next year without Europe's help

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged EU leaders to reach a deal at a fraught summit on Thursday, where European Union leaders were trying to overcome differences on whether to use frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine's war effort.

Zelenskyy, who took part in the Brussels summit, said reaching a deal was the right thing to do and would allow Ukraine to keep fighting.

"Just like authorities confiscate money from drug traffickers and seize weapons from terrorists, Russian assets must be used to defend against Russian aggression and rebuild what was destroyed by Russian attacks. It's moral. It's fair. It's legal," he said.

WATCH | Russia 'ready' if Europe wants war, Putin says:

• Keen to show strength:

WATCH | Trump calls EU leaders' weak':

• ' The only game in town':

Posted: Dec 18, 2025 12:05 PM EST | Last Updated: 19 minutes ago

- CBC -

If I commented on this, it would be negative, with one of my homemade adjectives added.

Trump hasn't threatened ripping up the North American trade deal in private talks, Carney says

Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement is up for review in 2026

China, Russia pulling ahead of NATO in Arctic drone capabilities: report

Report notes Russian fleet expected to grow by 'order of magnitude' in coming years

A new study by the Center for European Policy Analysis suggests Russia and China are pulling ahead of NATO nations, including Canada, in the race to develop and field drones capable of operating in harsh Arctic conditions. The report, released this week, identified infrastructure gaps, questioned the adequacy of investment and pointed to procurement obstacles that hinder the integration of uncrewed systems into Western militaries.

"Procurement of Arctic-capable drones across NATO remains fragmented, slow and risk-averse, as most allies prioritize systems designed for temperate climates and only later adapt them for Arctic use, thus resulting in few NATO-certified Arctic-ready platforms," said the report authored by research fellow Federico Borsari and retired U.S. major-general...

• As China explores the Arctic, Canada's military is preparing for confrontation
• Defence minister says 'we're good' to meet 2% NATO spending target by March
• Zelenskyy offers to drop NATO aspirations, remains against ceding territory to Russia
• The Canadian drone industry is spinning up — with lessons from Ukraine
• Canadian military buying armed drones for $2.49B

WATCH | More about Canada's drone industry:

• Canada is strengthening defence ties with Finland and Sweden. What can they teach us?

Prime Minister Mark Carney says U.S. President Donald Trump hasn't given him any indication that he's willing to walk away from the North American free trade deal that was struck during his first term at the White House.

Carney met privately with Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum in Washington during the FIFA World Cup draw earlier this month. Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), which is up for review in 2026.

Dec 18, 2025 4:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

- CBC -

Trump’s dark Christmas story doubles down on a political error

It was the nightmare before Christmas.

Donald Trump put a dark new spin on the tradition of national presidential addresses Wednesday, conjuring a hellscape of a “dead” nation he claims he was handed by former President Joe Biden.

His goal was obvious — to distract from his own political slump. Presidents often ask television networks for airtime for a prime-time address at epochal moments — when they are about to take the nation to war, or after tragedies...

• Where Trump’s skills may be failing him:
• All is not lost for Republicans — but things need to change:

Read More:

Updated Dec 18, 2025, 9:31 AM ET - 1 hr 42 min ago

- CNN -

The Kremlin’s brazen tactics: Russia’s shadow fleet is doubling as a spy asset, intelligence sources say

Russian personnel with links to the country’s military and security services have engaged in spying in European waters while working covertly on ships carrying Russian oil, Western and Ukrainian intelligence sources exclusively told -CNN-.

Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moscow has built up a so-called shadow fleet of hundreds of tankers. These vessels carry Russia’s oil from its Baltic and Black Sea ports despite Western sanctions, earning the Kremlin hundreds of millions of dollars every year.

In recent months, some of these ships – often registered to unrelated countries – have acquired extra crew members shortly before leaving port, according to Ukrainian intelligence. -CNN- has seen two crew lists for these vessels in which the staff is predominantly non-Russian – but the documents also feature a pair of Russian names, and their Russian passport details, at the bottom of the roster.

• The only Russians on board:
• ‘It seems they run the ship’:
• Moran’s deep ties with Wagner:

Read More:

PUBLISHED Dec 18, 2025, 8:09 AM ET - 3 hr ago

- CNN -

Warner Bros. chose Netflix over Paramount — again. Now what?

Warner Bros. Discovery has officially rejected Paramount’s hostile takeover bid, advising its shareholders to do the same.

But the battle is far from over. Let’s break down what just happened and what to expect next.

So, what just happened?:

Early Wednesday morning, Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN’s parent company, published a letter to shareholders and an SEC filing, formally rejecting Paramount’s latest offer for the entire company, deeming the hostile takeover bid “illusory.”

The current deal to sell Warner’s studios and streaming assets to Netflix, the board said, is still better for WBD shareholders.

• Why did WBD reject Paramount?:
• What is Paramount saying?:
• What does Paramount do next?:
• Does Netflix need to do anything?:
• What are regulators doing?:

Read More:

Updated Dec 17, 2025, 4:07 PM ET - Updated 19 hr ago

- CNN -

🫷 ~ VIVE LA RESISTANCE ~ 🫸

☮️🗽THE MARCH TO PEACE AND LIBERTY HAS ONLY BEGUN!🗽☮️

 

TREE HOUSE NEWS 🏡

NEWS AGGREGATION & COMMENTARY

May Great Spirit bless 🙏

In memory of Rob Reiner,

Again, let us pray 🙏 for Rob Reiner, who passed away on December 14, 2025.

ROB REINER, THE DIRECTOR OF ICONIC FILMS, HAS DIED

His big break came as Michael "Meathead" Stivic in the sitcom "All in the Family." Also, the director of "Stand By Me!"

I dedicate playing the song, "Stand By Me" by Ben. E. King to his memory. It's one of my favorite tear-jerkers. 🥲

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwZNL7QVJjE

On a cheerier note, I would like to begin the day with a little about Purgatory.

In The Bible it says, "all her sins, 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 (fire testing works) and Catholic in, Revelation 21:27

Catholic teaching, Purgatory is a place or condition of temporal punishment for those who, departing this life in God's grace, are not entirely free from venial faults, or have not fully paid the satisfaction due to their transgressions.

Protestants; Hebrews 10:10-14 (Christ's one sacrifice perfects believers) and Colossians 2:13

But Purgatory can mean the process, event, or place of purging of sins. The literal meaning is any purging of sins. Even when those alive are repenting. Protestants don't actually argue Purgatory on Earth. Rather, Purgatory is when you die or on judgment day.

"All her sins were forgiven, and she would not need to go to Purgatory.

I don't know about that or what, when, and where Purgatory is; in a different dimension? Parallel universe? Part of the evolutionary process is transforming or EVOLVING human beings from physical beings into spirit or energy beings? Whatever the hypothesis, I love the song, "500 Miles," and it lights a world of hope in my heart.

YES, I WALKED THE FIVE HUNDRED MILES, AND I M DAMNED HAPPY I DID.

Who is Cynthia a-k-a, The Fairy Lady?

I guess to the world, probably just another old bag, one of those that made this world the mess it is in. That's what the younger generation thinks. We left them with a broken-down mess to fix. Well, not I, says the cat. I'm French, Metis, and an old Hippie, Baby Boomer, Peace Child, born in 1945, but I had nothing to do with dumping waste, chemicals, toxins, and other garbage all over the place.

I DON'T GO FOR THAT NAZIISM 💩 If you are thinking about flying the crooked cross flag, ya better learn the history about what atrocious things these beasts did during the Second World War. Learn the history, then when you're done, I believe you will be looking for a deal on rope, a cord of wood, and a cauldron to boil us some Trumpo the Typo Stew.

The Gate To Heaven

I know the gate will be open when I get there

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbNlMtqrYS0

Let's say, using my sick stomach as an example, lately it's been a constant pain in the butt; it sucks up too much energy from me, so it is beginning to affect all my daily activities. But if that's part of my ticket past Purgatory, straight to heaven, it's worth it. Done enough suffering here. I certainly don't want to suffer anymore after I leave this place of pain.

That will be about it from me here in the Newsroom. Thank you for reading the News.

BREAKING NEWS

‘Buy Canadian’ policy takes effect, changing rules for federal procurement

VIDEO Included:

The federal government’s ‘Buy Canadian’ policy took effect Tuesday and Ottawa says it will fundamentally change the way it purchases goods and services. Announced earlier in the fall, the strategy is meant to ensure Canadian products and workers are prioritized in federal procurement decisions to help protect Canadian industries.

It applies to the government’s new major projects and housing offices, defence procurement, and community infrastructure projects funded by the federal government. The first stage of the policy, which came into effect Tuesday, requires that contracts valued at $25 million or more prioritize Canadian businesses and materials. It’s expected to expand to cover all contracts valued at $5 million and more by the spring.

The policy also requires that Canadian steel, aluminum and wood products manufactured or processed in Canada be used in construction and defence projects requiring at least $250,000 in materials. It’s a measure to support industries hit hard by U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war. Procurement Minister Joël Lightbound said the federal government is “putting Canadian workers and industries first” and will help to ensure Canadian supply chains remain strong.

“This policy creates demand across the country, from steelworkers in Hamilton to aluminum producers in Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean and lumber mills in La Tuque and Prince George, while giving clear advantages to suppliers who invest, innovate and produce here at home,” Lightbound said in a media statement. “It’s a major step toward stronger supply chains, good jobs and a more resilient Canadian economy.”

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Updated: December 16, 2025 at 3:30PM EST

- thestar - com -

Mark Carney Just Did Something in Washington That Left Trump SPEECHLESS

Mark Carney just walked into a room full of Washington's political elite and did something that nobody saw coming. Within minutes, people who were ready to write him off as weak were giving him a standing ovation.

This is the story of how Canada's new prime minister turned what could have been a complete humiliation into one of the smartest diplomatic moves we've seen in years. And honestly, the way he pulled this off should have every politician in Washington taking notes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENZMR8J3p3w

THIS IS THE BEST NEWS FOR CANADA SINCE THE INVENTION OF THE MODEL T FORD

AMERICAN NEWS:

GOP centrists choose nuclear option in fight with Mike Johnson over Obamacare

In a stunning blow to Speaker Mike Johnson, four GOP lawmakers on Wednesday agreed to back a Democratic push to extend pandemic-era Obamacare subsidies.

Those four GOP centrists — New York Rep. Mike Lawler and Pennsylvania Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, Ryan Mackenzie and Rob Bresnahan — have officially opted for what they have been describing as the nuclear option. By signing onto Democrats’ procedural maneuver to force a floor vote on their proposed three-year extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries now has the 218 signatures needed guarantee a vote under discharge petition rules. That floor vote cannot be forced until January, however, under those same rules.

Those same four centrists have criticized Democrat’ plan as flawed. But in a sign of desperation, the typically leadership-aligned centrists chose to defy Johnson and sign onto Democrats’ push rather than allow the enhanced subsidies to expire at year’s end...

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PUBLISHED Dec 17, 2025, 10:21 AM ET - 17 min ago

Trump expected to sign executive order reclassifying marijuana, easing restrictions on the drug

President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order Thursday that would reschedule marijuana to a lower drug classification — a move that would ease federal restrictions, though it would not mean full legalization, according to a source familiar with the planning and a senior White House official.

The order would reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I drug, which the Drug Enforcement Administration defines as having “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse,” to a Schedule III drug, which the DEA defines as having “a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence,” sources said. That reclassification could have implications for research of marijuana or use for medical purposes.

The White House official warned that while the signing was planned for Thursday, that timing could shift. Trump himself previewed that the issue was on his radar Monday, telling reporters he was considering reclassification “very strongly.” “We are considering that because a lot of people want to see it — the reclassification, because it leads to tremendous amounts of research that can’t be done unless you reclassify. So, we are looking at that very strongly,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office...

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PUBLISHED Dec 16, 2025, 7:37 PM ET - 15 hr ago

- CNN -

With American alcohol back on NSLC shelves, what are the top sellers?

Liquor corporation's U.S. product inventory mostly consists of spirits and wine

In the first week that American alcohol was back on shelves in the province, the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation sold about $3 million worth of the products, representing about 20 per cent of the remaining U.S. inventory. About $14 million of American product was pulled from the shelves back in March as part of Nova Scotia's response to the ongoing trade war with the United States.

U.S. President Donald Trump has also infuriated many Canadians with his talk of Canada becoming the 51st American state...

The NSLC announced earlier this month that it would resume selling American products, with an expected $4 million in proceeds going to charity, although that amount is contingent on all of the American stock being sold.

• Bestselling American products:
• Impact on American alcohol producers:

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Posted: Dec 17, 2025 5:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

- CBC -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENZMR8J3p3w