Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration diverted more than $35 million in taxpayer funds — an amount far greater than previously known — as part of a brazen agenda last year to defeat two ballot amendments he staunchly opposed, a Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times investigation has found.

Much of the state money was intended to assist needy Floridians, including children. Instead, it paid for political consultants, lawyers and thousands of advertisements that helped DeSantis and his supporters win at the ballot box.

The ads purchased with the diverted money blanketed TV, social media and radio stations in the weeks before the election. They defended Florida’s six-week abortion ban and made exaggerated claims about the dangers of marijuana without mentioning that both were the subject of ballot amendments last fall.

Along the way, the governor’s administration bent state spending laws and obscured millions in government spending, records and interviews show.

Last year's winner joins the protest wave following the decision to include Israel in the 2026 event. Five countries will also boycott Eurovision 2026.

Archived version: archive.is/newest/dw.com/en/eu…

Disclaimer: The article linked is from a single source with a single perspective. Make sure to cross-check information against multiple sources to get a comprehensive view on the situation.

Eurovision winner Nemo returns trophy as Israel participates

^{Louis Oelofse (Deutsche Welle)}

Neurodivergent individuals – particularly autistic people and those with ADHD – are overrepresented within prison populations, according to research

Archived version: archive.is/20251212121921/inde…

Disclaimer: The article linked is from a single source with a single perspective. Make sure to cross-check information against multiple sources to get a comprehensive view on the situation.

Half of people arrested in London could have undiagnosed ADHD, study finds

^{Rebecca Whittaker (The Independent)}

Australian accident investigators have released dramatic images showing a skydiver's parachute entangled on an airplane's tail, leaving him dangling at 15,000 feet.

https://apnews.com/article/australia-parachute-entangled-ff6a37bbeb8af80718114a9b379b7b49

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/12/us/politics/trumps-corporate-tax-cuts-economy.html?unlocked_article_code=1.8E8.1sBw.3SfRVooqMk8V

Harold Hamm, an Oklahoma oil tycoon, has played a central role in reshaping energy policy by allying himself with President Trump.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/12/business/energy-environment/trump-harold-hamm-oil-gas.html?unlocked_article_code=1.8E8.XpDw.VGI5PjR7O1Mc

Lubna Masarwa
11 December 2025 22:50 GMT
Last update: ~1000 EST

Storm Byron began lashing Gaza on Wednesday with torrential rain and flooding continuing into Thursday, and is expected to last through the week.

Hundreds of thousands of people displaced by Israel's ongoing genocidal war were huddling in tent camps that offer no protection from the elements, with many already swamped due to the mass bombing of sewage and drainage systems.

Two months into the so-called "ceasefire", this vulnerable population faces the worst of winter and the rapid spread of disease, with literally nowhere dry to shelter.

Moreover, Israel is still blocking aid. More than 6,500 trucks are waiting at the crossings to be let into Gaza with essential winter supplies, including tents, blankets, warm clothing and hygiene materials. As they wait, children are going barefoot and wearing summer clothes in the freezing cold.

Storm Byron brings a new catastrophic chapter to Gaza- while Israel is safe and dry

As relief convoys remain stalled and basic infrastructure is decimated, Palestinians are left unequipped to withstand freezing conditions after years of siege and global indifference

^{Middle East Eye}

cross-posted from: lemmy.ml/post/40232725

Lubna Masarwa
11 December 2025 22:50 GMT
Last update: ~1000 EST

Storm Byron began lashing Gaza on Wednesday with torrential rain and flooding continuing into Thursday, and is expected to last through the week.

Hundreds of thousands of people displaced by Israel's ongoing genocidal war were huddling in tent camps that offer no protection from the elements, with many already swamped due to the mass bombing of sewage and drainage systems.

Two months into the so-called "ceasefire", this vulnerable population faces the worst of winter and the rapid spread of disease, with literally nowhere dry to shelter.

Moreover, Israel is still blocking aid. More than 6,500 trucks are waiting at the crossings to be let into Gaza with essential winter supplies, including tents, blankets, warm clothing and hygiene materials. As they wait, children are going barefoot and wearing summer clothes in the freezing cold.

Peter Link

2025-12-12 17:28:44

Storm Byron brings a new catastrophic chapter to Gaza - while Israel is safe and dry

Lubna Masarwa
11 December 2025 22:50 GMT
Last update: ~1000 EST

Storm Byron began lashing Gaza on Wednesday with torrential rain and flooding continuing into Thursday, and is expected to last through the week.

Hundreds of thousands of people displaced by Israel's ongoing genocidal war were huddling in tent camps that offer no protection from the elements, with many already swamped due to the mass bombing of sewage and drainage systems.

Two months into the so-called "ceasefire", this vulnerable population faces the worst of winter and the rapid spread of disease, with literally nowhere dry to shelter.

Moreover, Israel is still blocking aid. More than 6,500 trucks are waiting at the crossings to be let into Gaza with essential winter supplies, including tents, blankets, warm clothing and hygiene materials. As they wait, children are going barefoot and wearing summer clothes in the freezing cold.

Storm Byron brings a new catastrophic chapter to Gaza- while Israel is safe and dry

As relief convoys remain stalled and basic infrastructure is decimated, Palestinians are left unequipped to withstand freezing conditions after years of siege and global indifference

^{Middle East Eye}

As we struggle through the Trump catastrophes, and worsening worldwide conditions, it seems to me it's more than difficult to convince people of the obvious.

😕

jimostby.com

Thu 11 Dec 2025 00.00 EST

I had not planned to write anything about my trip to the West Bank last month. But I changed my mind when I witnessed how much daily life for Palestinians had deteriorated, how dispirited they have become and how much control Israel and its settlers now exercise over the Palestinian population. I had expected conditions for Palestinians would be worse, but not this much worse.

At the end of the second intifada, there were, according to the UN, 376 checkpoints and barriers in the West Bank. Today there are an estimated 849, many of them erected in the last two years.

I used to report from the West Bank. Twenty years after my last visit, I was shocked by how much worse it is today

The long read: Among the many people I met, there was a pervasive feeling of hopelessness and a sense that resistance is slowly becoming a memory

^{Ewen MacAskill (The Guardian)}

cross-posted from: lemmy.ml/post/40232005

Thu 11 Dec 2025 00.00 EST

I had not planned to write anything about my trip to the West Bank last month. But I changed my mind when I witnessed how much daily life for Palestinians had deteriorated, how dispirited they have become and how much control Israel and its settlers now exercise over the Palestinian population. I had expected conditions for Palestinians would be worse, but not this much worse.

At the end of the second intifada, there were, according to the UN, 376 checkpoints and barriers in the West Bank. Today there are an estimated 849, many of them erected in the last two years.

Peter Link

2025-12-12 17:13:48

I used to report from the West Bank. Twenty years after my last visit, I was shocked by how much worse it is today

Thu 11 Dec 2025 00.00 EST

I had not planned to write anything about my trip to the West Bank last month. But I changed my mind when I witnessed how much daily life for Palestinians had deteriorated, how dispirited they have become and how much control Israel and its settlers now exercise over the Palestinian population. I had expected conditions for Palestinians would be worse, but not this much worse.

At the end of the second intifada, there were, according to the UN, 376 checkpoints and barriers in the West Bank. Today there are an estimated 849, many of them erected in the last two years.

I used to report from the West Bank. Twenty years after my last visit, I was shocked by how much worse it is today

The long read: Among the many people I met, there was a pervasive feeling of hopelessness and a sense that resistance is slowly becoming a memory

^{Ewen MacAskill (The Guardian)}

The US has imposed fresh sanctions on six more ships said to be carrying Venezuelan oil, a day after seizing a tanker off the country's coast.

Sanctions have also been placed on some of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's relatives and businesses associated with what Washington calls his illegitimate regime.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters the seized vessel, called the Skipper, had been involved in "illicit oil shipping" and would be taken to an American port.

Caracas has described it as an act of "international piracy".

US sanctions six more ships after seizing oil tanker off Venezuela

The White House plans to move the tanker to a US port and seize the oil on board, a move Caracas has labelled as an act of "international piracy".

^{Maia Davies (BBC News)}

At least 14 Palestinians have died in the last 24 hours from plummeting temperatures and collapsing buildings amid Storm Byron in Gaza, Wafa news agency is reporting.

The figure includes at least three children who died from hypothermia.

Civil defence services reported that six people died when a house collapsed in the Bir al-Naaja area in northern Gaza. They added that two others had died after a wall collapsed in Gaza City's al-Rimal neighbourhood, while another died in Shati refugee camp- also from a wall collapse.

They added that around 15 houses have collapsed across Gaza, leaving rescue teams scrambling to recover people from the rubble.

Live: 14 killed in Gaza storm, including three children

Emergency teams scramble to recover victims from rubble as 15 houses collapse

^{MEE staff (Middle East Eye)}

So, I’m using Reeder Classic on iPhone. However, I can’t use it on my PC and it seems the developer has fully abandoned the Classic version and barely updates his newest ReederPlus app (which misses a lot of features I like).

So I’m searching for a new RSS. I was looking on InoReader but it’s a bit expensive (either €80/yearly or €8,99/monthly) and it seems that many old users are not fond of InoReader’s decision making.

What are you using?

cross-posted from: lemmy.ml/post/40229624

At least 12 Palestinians killed as torrential rains, high winds, and flash floods batter Gaza. 13 homes have collapsed and more than 27,000 tents have been destroyed. Israeli artillery strikes kill one and wound seven in the Jabilya refugee camp. A new report from Mada Masr finds a network of businessmen reaped $1 billion “coordinating” the entry of goods into Gaza. Israel denies cancer treatment to a five-year-old Palestinian. Israel’s Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir again threatens to demolish al-Qassam’s grave. President Donald Trump signs executive order blocking state laws on AI. Released Palestinian-American prisoner Mohammed Zaher Ibrahim returns to the U.S.; a new report claims Jared Kushner intervened to free the American teen, though Ibrahim’s family was unaware of any such intervention. Judge orders the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is confronted with a veteran she deported. The House of Representatives votes down Trump’s union-busting executive order. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee dismisses the connection between Israel and Epstein. President Trump’s redistricting plan is rejected by Indiana Republicans. House Republicans are nearing a deal to extend Obamacare subsidies. Trump considers revoking the visas of two of Elon Musk’s critics, including Imran Ahmed—a key opponent of UK politician Jeremy Corbyn and a figure who targeted opposition media in the UK. 33 killed in an airstrike in Myanmar. The South Sudanese army moves toward the Heglig oil field, with the approval of both Sudanese factions. The civilian death toll in South Kivu exceeds 400. Bulgaria’s government falls.

Peter Link

2025-12-12 16:08:48

12 dead and 27,000 tents destroyed in Gaza storms; Report finds $1 billion in revenue from Gaza aid extortion; Trump signs order blocking state laws on AI

At least 12 Palestinians killed as torrential rains, high winds, and flash floods batter Gaza. 13 homes have collapsed and more than 27,000 tents have been destroyed. Israeli artillery strikes kill one and wound seven in the Jabilya refugee camp. A new report from Mada Masr finds a network of businessmen reaped $1 billion “coordinating” the entry of goods into Gaza. Israel denies cancer treatment to a five-year-old Palestinian. Israel’s Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir again threatens to demolish al-Qassam’s grave. President Donald Trump signs executive order blocking state laws on AI. Released Palestinian-American prisoner Mohammed Zaher Ibrahim returns to the U.S.; a new report claims Jared Kushner intervened to free the American teen, though Ibrahim’s family was unaware of any such intervention. Judge orders the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is confronted with a veteran she deported. The House of Representatives votes down Trump’s union-busting executive order. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee dismisses the connection between Israel and Epstein. President Trump’s redistricting plan is rejected by Indiana Republicans. House Republicans are nearing a deal to extend Obamacare subsidies. Trump considers revoking the visas of two of Elon Musk’s critics, including Imran Ahmed—a key opponent of UK politician Jeremy Corbyn and a figure who targeted opposition media in the UK. 33 killed in an airstrike in Myanmar. The South Sudanese army moves toward the Heglig oil field, with the approval of both Sudanese factions. The civilian death toll in South Kivu exceeds 400. Bulgaria’s government falls.

12 dead and 27,000 tents destroyed in Gaza storms; Report finds $1 billion in revenue from Gaza aid extortion; Trump signs order blocking state laws on AI

Drop Site Daily: December 12, 2025

^{Drop Site News}

https://venturebeat.com/ai/quilters-ai-just-designed-an-843-part-linux-computer-that-booted-on-the

First-of-its-kind analysis of hundreds of climate-related advertisements from BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil and Shell suggests that oil companies are continuing to mislead the public on climate.

No paywall; you do need to scroll down to go past the request for a donation.

Big Oil’s Climate Ads Have Propped Up Fake Promises and False Solutions for Past 25 Years, Report Finds - Inside Climate News

^{Inside Climate News}

https://kentuckylantern.com/2025/12/11/kentuckians-could-save-billions-if-utilities-moved-beyond-fossil-fuels-study-finds/