Category: News
Warner Bros. Board Urges Shareholders To Reject Paramount Hostile Takeover Bid
Warner Bros. Board Urges Shareholders To Reject Paramount Hostile Takeover Bid
Authored by Andrew Moran via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
Warner Bros. Discovery’s board of directors said on Dec. 17 that it is advising shareholders to reject Paramount Skydance’s hostile takeover bid and support Netflix’s offer.
Last week, Paramount put forward an all-cash $30‑per‑share bid valuing Warner Bros. at $108.4 billion, matching the offer it made a week earlier. CEO David Ellison argued that the proposal is superior to Netflix’s and said a Paramount–Warner Bros. merger would have better odds of clearing regulatory review.
But Samuel Di Piazza Jr., chair of the Warner Bros. Discovery board of directors, says Paramount has never presented a proposition that is superior to the Netflix offer, adding that the current offer is “inadequate, with significant risks and costs imposed on our shareholders.”
“This offer once again fails to address key concerns that we have consistently communicated to Paramount throughout our extensive engagement and review of their six previous proposals,” Di Piazza said in a news release.
“We are confident that our merger with Netflix represents superior, more certain value for our shareholders and we look forward to delivering on the compelling benefits of our combination.”
The board added that Paramount’s offer leans on more than $40 billion in non‑Ellison financing, contrary to the studio’s assurances of a “full backstop” from the family.
“Despite their own ample resources, as well as multiple assurances by PSKY [Paramount Skydance] during our strategic review process that such a commitment was forthcoming – the Ellison family has chosen not to backstop the PSKY offer,” the board told shareholders.
Shortly after the board’s remarks, Paramount affirmed its commitment to buying the company, accusing the company of misleading “its shareholders into believing this is a complicated question about legal documents.”
“WBD’s [Warner Bros. Discovery’s] own narrative of the actions that led to its inferior transaction with Netflix reveals a process which was not run to secure the best offer for WBD shareholders,” Paramount said in a statement.
“In reality, it is all quite simple: $30 in cash fully backstopped by a well-capitalized trust (in existence for approximately 40 years) of one of the most well-known founders and entrepreneurs in the world, Larry Ellison.”
In an interview with CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Dec. 17, Di Piazza said that the board would have preferred more involvement from Larry Ellison, the billionaire co-founder of Oracle.
“We were not confident that one of the richest people in the world would be there at closing,” Di Piazza said. “Doing a deal is great, closing a deal is better.”
Streaming titan Netflix announced earlier this month that it will buy the entertainment empire in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $27.75, with a total equity value of $72 billion.
Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s co‑CEO, said in a Dec. 17 statement that he welcomed the Warner Bros. board’s endorsement, reiterating that the company’s offer is “superior” and in the best interests of stockholders.
“This was a competitive process that delivered the best outcome for consumers, creators, stockholders and the broader entertainment industry,” Sarandos said.
Regulatory Hurdles
If regulators confirm the blockbuster agreement, Warner Bros.’ film studio and streaming service would fall into the Netflix ecosystem.
Netflix’s offer “was not a hard choice,” Di Piazza told the network.
Since Netflix emerged as the victor in the dramatic bidding process, there have been growing antitrust concerns surrounding the Netflix–Warner Bros. deal.
President Donald Trump and U.S. lawmakers have criticized the proposal.
“[Netflix has] a very big market share, and when they have Warner Bros., you know, that share goes up a lot. But it is a big market share. There’s no question. It could be a problem,” Trump told reporters on Dec. 7.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) described it as an “anti-monopoly nightmare.”
Di Piazza believes a merger with either company would face considerable regulatory scrutiny.
“Either of these deals can get done. Both of these deals will have to fight their way through the [Department of Justice],” he told CNBC.
Even if federal regulators take them to court, Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters says the company would defend the merger.
Still, Netflix thinks the regulatory process will be determined on the facts that “really support the approval of the deal,” Peters told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Dec. 17, adding that it is an agreement “that is good for consumers at the end of the day.”
Paramount’s Ellison, however, told the program last week that Netflix would face a difficult regulatory path because merging the top streaming service with the third-largest platform would be “anticompetitive.”
Shares of Paramount fell by more than 2 percent in premarket trading. Warner Bros. stock declined by about 1 percent, while Netflix shares climbed to almost 2 percent.
Tyler Durden
Wed, 12/17/2025 – 11:15
Gobernadora de Nueva York anuncia acuerdo para legalizar el suicidio asistido
Por ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE y MICHAEL HILL
ALBANY, Nueva York, EE.UU. (AP) — La gobernadora de Nueva York, Kathy Hochul, afirmó el miércoles que ha llegado a un acuerdo con los líderes legislativos estatales para aprobar una ley que otorgue a las personas con enfermedades terminales la capacidad legal de terminar sus vidas mediante medicamentos recetados.
En un artículo de opinión en el Albany Times Union, Hochul expresó su apoyo a la propuesta, aunque aclaró que el acuerdo incluirá “salvaguardias” a la ley.
Hochul, quien es católica, manifestó que llegó a esta decisión después de escuchar a neoyorquinos en “medio del dolor y el sufrimiento”, así como a sus hijos, mientras también consideraba la oposición de “individuos de muchas creencias que creen que acortar deliberadamente la vida de uno viola la santidad de la vida”.
“Me enseñaron que Dios es misericordioso y compasivo, y nosotros también debemos serlo”, escribió. “Esto incluye permitir una opción misericordiosa a aquellos que enfrentan lo inimaginable y buscan consuelo en sus últimos meses en esta vida”.
Una docena de otros estados y el Distrito de Columbia permiten el suicidio asistido médicamente, según los defensores. El gobernador de Illinois, JB Pritzker, firmó el viernes una legislación que permitirá a los residentes con enfermedades terminales de ese estado elegir terminar con sus vidas.
La Ley de Ayuda Médica para Morir de Nueva York requiere que una persona con enfermedad terminal y con un pronóstico de seis meses más de vida haga una solicitud por escrito para recibir medicamentos para la muerte. Dos testigos tendrían que firmar la solicitud para asegurar que el paciente no está siendo coaccionado. La solicitud luego tendría que ser aprobada por el médico tratante de la persona, así como por un médico consultor.
La gobernadora declaró que los patrocinadores del proyecto y los líderes legislativos han acordado agregar disposiciones para requerir la confirmación de un médico de que la persona “realmente tiene menos de seis meses de vida”, junto con la confirmación de un psicólogo o psiquiatra de que el paciente es capaz de tomar la decisión y no está bajo coacción.
Hochul también indicó que el proyecto incluirá un período de espera obligatorio de cinco días, así como una solicitud oral escrita y grabada para “confirmar que hay el libre albedrío”. Las instalaciones ambulatorias asociadas con hospitales religiosos pueden optar por no ofrecer la opción.
Agregó que “este es un derecho otorgado solo a los neoyorquinos”.
Un portavoz de Hochul dijo que la gobernadora firmará la ley el próximo año, con sus cambios incorporados en la propuesta.
La legislación se presentó por primera vez en 2016, pero se estancó durante años debido a la oposición de la Conferencia Católica del Estado de Nueva York y otros grupos. La organización católica argumentó que la medida devaluaría la vida humana y socavaría el papel del médico como sanador.
En una declaración después del anuncio de la gobernadora, el cardenal Timothy Dolan y los obispos de Nueva York indicaron que la posición de Hochul “señala el abandono por parte de nuestro gobierno de sus ciudadanos más vulnerables, diciéndoles a las personas que están enfermas o discapacitadas que el suicidio en su caso no solo es aceptable, sino que es alentado por nuestros líderes electos”.
Los legisladores de Nueva York aprobaron la legislación durante su sesión reguladora a principios de este año. Los partidarios dijeron que reduciría el sufrimiento de las personas con enfermedades terminales y les permitiría morir en sus propios términos.
___________________________________
Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
Review: Brat Summer is over. Welcome to Cameron Winter.
The last person on Earth I would want to be right now is Cameron Winter.
He’s 23, he’s from Brooklyn, and the people who really love Cameron Winter and his band Geese — undoubtedly the most argued over musical act of the moment — really love Cameron Winter and Geese. And the people who hate Cameron Winter and Geese (the guys over at Sound Opinions on WBEZ, for starters) really hate Cameron Winter and Geese. I really like them. I really like Winter. So sue me. I’m in. They excite me, they seem new yet old, feral one moment and pleading a second later. Maybe I have a limited imagination, maybe this sounds defensive, but it’s nice to swoon once in a while, to open yourself to ridicule, to walk around feeling like a cult member.
It’s a fun feeling.
Haven’t felt that in a while — certainly not for a new record or a new performer.
On Tuesday night at Rockefeller Memorial Chapel in Hyde Park, beneath vaulting 80-foot ceilings and organ pipes reaching high over sculpted trumpeters and stone reliefs, Cameron Winter played one of just five shows on a small national tour, a lovely, riveting and very sold-out capper to a remarkable year (New Yorker rave, Atlantic rave, top of Pitchfork’s 2025 lists, “artist of a generation” bombast, et al). He sat on the altar at a piano, without supporting musicians, flanked by ornate carvings and with the audience in pews. He played with his back to the room, for the entire show. You’d play like that too if every other social media hosanna tagged you the next Dylan — cryptic, sardonic, genius. Self-care comes first, folks. He played Carnegie Hall last week in much the same way, while being followed by filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson and a camera, further recalling the breathlessness that shaped Dylan 60-odd years ago. In fact, depending on where you stand on the Great Winter-Geese Debate, even the guy’s posture — so hunched he seems to be crawling into his Steinway — may be compelling or eye-rolling.
Winter is tall and handsome and looks exhausted. He wore a blue untucked shirt and black pants, as if he had just gotten off his shift waiting tables. He has sad eyes and a strange, deep and trembling voice that mumbles like a shy high school senior — which he was only five years ago, during the pandemic. It’s hard listening to him without hearing artists he reminds you of — Laura Nyro, Thom Yorke, Van Morrison, Jeff Buckley — but it’s equally hard to listen without thinking you’re hearing someone still developing, raw and unpredictable. The Rockefeller Chapel show was so intimate, if there were fewer people, I might have thought Winter was rehearsing, toying with the phrasing of lines, allowing a stray plink to lead him into digressions. He pounded and caressed keys. He plunked at one key repeatedly, as if in a trance, gradually finding the humor in pushing the audience’s patience — and so plunked that same key once more.
He’s accomplished enough at the piano to know how to whiplash a listener with grace, wrapping a mouthful of intensity around a gentle melody, the lyrics intriguingly confusing though certainly heartfelt, grinding sweetly against a plaintive piano. Whenever pretense looms, in walk some terrific one-liners. “The serious world is gone.” “Like Brian Jones, I was born to swim.” “I’m getting killed by a pretty good life.” “I feel loneliest when I’m with you.” “Today I met who I am going to be from now on, and he’s a piece of (expletive).”
The effect — especially at Rockefeller Chapel, beneath soft yellow lights, the audience strikingly silent, the room overstuffed — was a kind of drama without earnestness. You get a sense Winter himself doesn’t always know what the hell he’s singing about and yet sometimes feeling transcends words and careens straight to ache, lonesomeness. You get a sense the audience feels it too. A guy one pew away was weeping openly. A woman beside me giggled to herself at Winter’s every line, as if hearing an inside joke.
I heard someone tell their friend the show was “legendary,” albeit before it even started.
Cameron Winter, so far, has a nice response to the hubbub around Cameron Winter. He burrows into his songs and his feelings, and when it all seems too much, he undercuts. At one point on Tuesday night, he fiddled for an absurdly long time with his microphone, saying nothing, letting every scrape and bump of the mic resound loudly through the chapel — like some slapstick John Cage.
He also reacts the way many an iconoclast before him has reacted — by biting the hand that feeds, by cringing at the gold rush. He ended the night sounding more vulnerable and alienated than any moment before, singing “(Expletive) these people / I’m not here / You’re making me feel like a dollar in your hand.” If you were to play tourist here and poke your head into his solo album, “Heavy Metal,” or maybe listen to the abrasive opening of “Getting Killed,” Geese’s third album, released in October, you might assume the music is too meandering and shapeless to generate more than a dollar in a hand. But then elegance shows up, and warmth, and something human and too real to ignore.
Winter is coming. Let it snow.
cborrelli@chicagotribune.com
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/17/review-brat-summer-is-over-welcome-to-cameron-winter/
Producciones religiosas viven un renacimiento en Hollywood, pero definirlas es un desafío
Por KRYSTA FAURIA
LOS ÁNGELES (AP) — En el cine este otoño, Josh O’Connor interpreta a un sacerdote atractivo con un pasado complicado, Keanu Reeves es un ángel que perdió sus alas y Elizabeth Olsen tiene un dilema romántico en el más allá.
Parece que Hollywood ha encontrado a Dios.
Pero no son solo las películas de gran presupuesto de Netflix o las producciones independientes de A24 las que están lidiando con la religión y su lugar en el entretenimiento. En los últimos años, ha habido una explosión de películas y programas de televisión realizados desde una perspectiva confesional que evangelizan o retratan una fe particular, a menudo el cristianismo, que han tenido un desempeño particularmente bueno entre el público.
Hay películas bíblicas animadas de Angel, como el próximo musical “David”, que la compañía dijo ya ha superado los 14 millones de dólares en preventa de entradas antes de su estreno este viernes, hasta docudramas como “The Saints” de Martin Scorsese. Aunque los episodios de la segunda temporada aún se están estrenando, la primera temporada de la serie de Fox Nation, que debutó el año pasado, fue la más vista en la plataforma.
Traci Blackwell, jefa de contenido dirigido de Prime Video y Amazon MGM Studios, proclamó en un reciente evento de Variety en Beverly Hills sobre fe y espiritualidad en el entretenimiento: “Ha habido un renacimiento, una especie de revolución, del contenido de espiritualidad y fe”. A principios de este año, Amazon estrenó la primera temporada de su propio drama bíblico, “House of David”, y obtuvo los derechos exclusivos de transmisión en Estados Unidos de “The Chosen”, una serie dramática enormemente popular sobre la vida de Jesús.
El efecto “The Chosen”
Históricamente, algunos contenidos basados en la fe han tenido un buen desempeño en taquilla: la épica de 2004 de Mel Gibson “The Passion of the Christ” (“La Pasión de Cristo”) fue notoriamente la película clasificada R más taquillera en Estados Unidos y Canadá durante dos décadas. Pero los éxitos basados en la fe han sido pocos y distantes entre sí durante la mayor parte de este siglo.
“Hollywood ha recibido muchas críticas por parte de la comunidad religiosa por no proporcionar películas que hablen a ellos, que reflejen sus valores”, dijo Paul Dergarabedian, analista senior de medios de Comscore, al enfatizar el potencial de taquilla de las películas basadas en la fe.
Los estudios se están dándo cuenta de que las películas y la televisión basadas en la fe son una inversión que vale la pena, al menos en parte debido al éxito de “The Chosen”, que Angel ayudó a estrenar en 2017, incluso si inicialmente tomó tiempo ver esos resultados.
“Fue bastante difícil que la gente lo viera”, recordó Neal Harmon, CEO y cofundador de Angel. “La gente tiene esa idea de que la fe significa cursi o sermoneador. Y tuvimos que romper esa barrera”.
Una vez que lo hicieron, valió la pena. Desde que Fathom Entertainment comenzó a distribuir “The Chosen” en cines en 2023, la serie ha recaudado más de 116 millones de dólares a nivel nacional.
Aunque no es una empresa cristiana, Angel tiene como objetivo distribuir y comercializar “entretenimiento basado en valores” que incluye, pero no se limita a, historias de fe. Han lanzado una serie de películas religiosas, con “Zero A.D.”, una épica bíblica sobre la Masacre de los Inocentes relatada en el Evangelio de Mateo, en la agenda para 2026.
Mientras tanto, Lionsgate está lista para estrenar “I Can Only Imagine 2” en cines en febrero, una secuela de la biografía de 2018 protagonizada por Dennis Quaid, que fue una de las películas cristianas más taquilleras de todos los tiempos en Estados Unidos.
El codirector Andrew Erwin dijo que notó un “cambio masivo” que ocurrió hace unos cinco años, después de años de desconexión entre la demanda de este tipo de películas y la disposición de Hollywood para hacerlas.
“Por primera vez, los estudios de cine realmente nos están dando una oportunidad justa”, dijo, aunque cree que la calidad del contenido también fue un factor. “No teníamos el conocimiento de cómo hacer el lado cinematográfico de las cosas. Y así, creo que la narración ha mejorado mucho”.
Lionsgate también está lista para distribuir la primera de las dos partes de la secuela de Gibson de “The Passion of the Christ” en 2027.
Definir “basado en la fe”
Intentar definir qué cuenta como programación basada en la fe es un poco como intentar definir qué cuenta como pornografía.
Los temas de creencia, culpa y “gracia insensata” abundan en “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” (“Puñales por la espalda 3”) de O’Connor, la tercera de la exitosa franquicia de Netflix del cineasta Rian Johnson. Pero pocos la llamarían una película religiosa.
Amanda Seyfried predica el celibato y soporta la persecución en “The Testament of Ann Lee” (“El testimonio de Anne Lee”), la biografía musical sobre la fundadora de la secta Shakers, en cines en Navidad. Pero en medio de todo el reconocimiento y el rumor de los Oscar que rodean la película, hay poca conversación sobre su compromiso con la fe.
Incluso “The Last Temptation of Christ” (“La última tentación de Cristo”) de Scorsese de 1988 o “First Reformed” (“El reverendo”) del cineasta Paul Schrader, nominada al Oscar, que también protagoniza Seyfried, difícilmente se consideran ampliamente como películas cristianas, a pesar de que ambos hombres han sido francos sobre sus respectivas tradiciones.
Francesca Scorsese, quien dirigió uno de los episodios de “The Saints”, dijo sobre “La última tentación de Cristo”: “Esta película fue su manera de explorar su fe y explorar quién es su Dios”.
Por el contrario, las personas detrás de algunos de estos proyectos recientes resisten que se les llame explícitamente religiosos, incluso cuando el público los percibe como tales.
Jonathan Roumie, quien interpreta a Jesús en “The Chosen”, dijo a The Associated Press el año pasado: “No lo caracterizaría tanto como abiertamente cristiano. Es un drama histórico que se centra en Jesús”.
Para los estudios y cineastas, reconocer que un proyecto se cuenta desde una perspectiva religiosa puede ser un arma de doble filo.
“Si estás comprando la idea de ir al cine para ver una película basada en la fe, sabes que tendrás personas a tu alrededor que realmente están en la experiencia”, dijo Dergarabedian. “En el momento en que dices basado en la fe, sin embargo, de alguna manera pone una película en una caja”.
¿Una moda o llegó para quedarse?
Muchos cristianos celebran la tendencia más allá de su potencial monetario. Phil Wickham, un artista cristiano nominado al Grammy que da voz al personaje de David en la próxima película de Angel, dijo que ha sido gratificante ver el éxito de programas como “The Chosen” y “House of David”.
“Al crecer cualquier cosa que fuera medios cristianos se sentía tan sermoneador”, expresó Wickham. “Incluso como hijo de pastor, era algo que no entusiasmaba. Pero ahora creo que hay más oportunidades para contar historias más grandes a lo largo de una serie y más personas dispuestas a realmente profundizar y contar algo con excelencia y belleza”.
Aunque es demasiado pronto para decir si ha habido un cambio radical en Hollywood o si es una moda pasajera, el éxito de algunos de estos proyectos ha destacado en un momento por lo demás peligroso en el negocio.
“Hollywood generalmente sigue el dinero”, dijo Jason Klarman, director de marketing y digital de Fox News Media, durante la promoción de la apretada agenda de contenido basado en la fe de Fox Nation, que incluye el docudrama “David: King of Israel” de Zachary Levi. “Incluso cuando la tendencia termine, seguiremos haciéndolo”.
___
La cobertura de religión de The Associated Press recibe apoyo a través de la colaboración de AP con The Conversation US, con financiamiento de Lilly Endowment Inc. AP es la única responsable de este contenido.
___
Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
Ecuador y EEUU anuncian operaciones conjuntas para fortalecer lucha contra el narcotráfico
Associated Press
QUITO (AP) — Ecuador y Estados Unidos anunciaron el miércoles que realizarán operaciones temporales conjuntas en una ciudad portuaria considerada estratégica en la ruta del tráfico internacional de drogas, para fortalecer la capacidad de respuesta del país andino.
El personal de la Fuerza Aérea de Estados Unidos arribó al país sudamericano para la acción que se realizará en la ciudad de Manta y que “mejorará la capacidad de las fuerzas militares ecuatorianas para combatir a los narcoterroristas”, señaló la embajada estadounidense en un mensaje de X.
Las tareas, agregó la sede diplomática en Quito, incluyen “el fortalecimiento de la recopilación de información y las capacidades de lucha contra el narcotráfico”, con lo cual se busca proteger a ambos países de las amenazas compartidas.
Manta, una ciudad portuaria de la provincia de Manabí, ubicada 260 kilómetros al suroeste de Quito, es un punto estratégico en la ruta del Pacífico utilizada por organizaciones criminales dedicadas al narcotráfico desde donde, según las autoridades, salen cargamentos de drogas con destino a Centroamérica y Estados Unidos.
El Ministerio de Defensa de Ecuador indicó en un mensaje a periodistas que la misión “estará enfocada en aportar información y fortalecer las capacidades del Ecuador en la lucha contra el narcotráfico” y añadió que en días pasados arribaron aviones estadounidenses con material “de índole militar”.
Esa secretaría de Estado declinó precisar detalles sobre las acciones que se realizarán alegando que “la información de operaciones de seguridad es reservada”.
Ambos países mantienen acuerdos para operaciones marítimas conjuntas contra actividades transnacionales ilícitas.
El anuncio se produce mientras fuerzas militares estadounidenses se han desplegado en el Caribe argumentando la lucha contra el narcotráfico en la región y donde han ejecutado —al igual que en el Pacífico— al menos 25 ataques a pequeñas embarcaciones que dejaron más de 90 muertos.
Países como Venezuela y Colombia acusan a la administración estadounidense de perpetrar ejecuciones extrajudiciales.
Ecuador y Estados Unidos buscaban establecer en Manta una base militar estadounidense para el control del narcotráfico y cuyas instalaciones fueron visitadas en noviembre por la secretaria Nacional de Seguridad de esa nación, Kristi Noem.
Pero la intención se vio truncada luego que la población rechazara en una consulta popular la eliminación de una prohibición constitucional vigente desde 2008 que impide el establecimiento de bases militares extranjeras en territorio ecuatoriano.
Entre 1999 y 2009 funcionó en Manta un puesto de avanzada desde donde aviones estadounidenses despegaban para el control marítimo y aéreo de la zona y que fue desactivado por el gobierno del entonces presidente de izquierda Rafael Correa (2007-2017).
Republicanos desafían a Johnson y se unen a demócratas para forzar voto sobre ley de salud
Por KEVIN FREKING
WASHINGTON (AP) — Cuatro republicanos centristas se apartaron el miércoles del presidente de la Cámara de Representantes Mike Johnson y firmaron una petición liderada por los demócratas que obligará a la Cámara a votar sobre la extensión por tres años de un subsidio que reduce los costos del seguro de salud para millones de estadounidenses.
La medida se produce después de que los líderes republicanos de la Cámara avanzaran con un proyecto de ley que no aborda las crecientes primas mensuales que millones de personas pronto enfrentarán, ya que los créditos fiscales para quienes compran seguros a través de la Ley de Cuidado de Salud Asequible expiran a fin de año.
Los demócratas necesitaban 218 firmas para forzar una votación en el pleno sobre su proyecto, que extendería los subsidios por tres años.
Los representantes republicanos Brian Fitzpatrick, Robert Bresnahan y Ryan Mackenzie, todos de Pensilvania, y Mike Lawler de Nueva York firmaron el miércoles por la mañana, alcanzando el umbral de los 218.
___________________________________
Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
The EU’s New Policy Towards Russia’s Seized Assets Isn’t About Helping Ukraine
The EU’s New Policy Towards Russia’s Seized Assets Isn’t About Helping Ukraine
Authored by Andrew Korybko via Substack,
Russia condemned the EU’s recent decision to indefinitely immobilize its seized assets, the special procedure for which scandalously circumvented member states’ veto power in an effort to prevent Hungary and Slovakia from stopping them. This move might precede the bloc either confiscating some of these funds and giving them to Ukraine and/or using them as collateral for a loan to that country. The official purpose would be to fund more arms purchases and/or assist with post-conflict reconstruction.
The first goal won’t lead Ukraine inflicting the EU’s desired strategic defeat of Russia while the second requires much more than just Russia’s seized assets to complete.
Regardless of the official purpose, confiscating Russia’s assets or using them as collateral for a loan to Ukraine would inflict irreparable harm to the EU’s financial reputation.
Foreign investors might be spooked into fearing that their assets are no longer safe and could thus pull them from EU banks and not deposit future ones there either.
The bloc might therefore ultimately lose hundreds of billions of dollars, perhaps upwards of a trillion or even more with time, all ostensibly for Ukraine’s sake even though it’s impossible for that country to strategically defeat Russia or be reconstructed entirely with its foe’s stolen funds.
There are accordingly reasonable grounds for suspecting that the EU has ulterior motives in mind for seriously contemplating this and that its new policy towards Russia’s seized assets isn’t about helping Ukraine.
The real purpose might be to prevent the US from reaching a deal with Russia per point 14 of its leaked 28-point Russian-Ukrainian peace deal framework to invest a significant sum of its (by-then former) adversary’s EU-seized assets into joint projects, likely energy and rare earths, after the conflict ends.
Such an arrangement could set those two on the path to revolutionize the global economic architecture as explained here and consequently accelerate the EU’s growing irrelevance therein.
With a view towards averting that scenario, the EU might have thus decided to indefinitely immobilize Russia’s seized assets as the first step towards “legally” asserting quasi-ownership over them, after which it might then either confiscate them and/or use them as collateral for a loan to Ukraine. The special procedure that was employed for circumventing member states’ veto power bodes ill for Hungary, Slovakia, and others concerned countries’ ability to veto the aforesaid moves that might soon follow.
The abovementioned plot could be preempted by Russia transferring legal ownership of its EU-seized assets to the US as was proposed here in April, but this is only possible if Russia and the US reach a deal on using these funds for financing joint projects, which requires rock-solid trust that doesn’t yet exist. Tangible progress on reaching a NATO-Russian Non-Aggression Pact, or at least the US managing Turkish-Russian tensions in Central Asia, could bring this about and thus ensure that these funds aren’t all stolen.
If the US obtains legal ownership of Russia’s seized assets, then Trump would have the pretext for demanding their transfer to the US under pain of sanctions, which is the only way to guarantee that they’re not given to Ukraine or remain indefinitely immobilized. The EU must therefore decide whether it’s worth the gargantuan cost of destroying its financial reputation just to impede a Russian-US rapprochement, but if it goes through with this, then those two might team up against it afterwards.
Tyler Durden
Wed, 12/17/2025 – 10:45
Las Vegas and Seattle are the front-runners if NBA expansion to 32 teams happens
LAS VEGAS — The NBA plans to make a decision regarding domestic expansion in the coming year, Commissioner Adam Silver said Tuesday, offering the most definitive timeline since the league began exploring the possibility of moving from 30 to 32 teams.
And if there are favorites, as has long been expected, Las Vegas and Seattle are at the top of the list.
“Not a secret, we’re looking at this market in Las Vegas. We are looking at Seattle,” Silver said before the NBA Cup final between San Antonio and New York. “We’ve looked at other markets as well. I’d say I want to be sensitive there about this notion that we’re somehow teasing these markets, because I know we’ve been talking about it for a while.”
Expansion has been a topic for years in the NBA, and it’s no secret that Seattle — which had a team until the SuperSonics were moved to Oklahoma City in 2008 — and Las Vegas have long been clamoring for franchises.
“I think Seattle and Las Vegas are two incredible cities,” Silver said. “Obviously we had a team in Seattle that had great success. We have a WNBA team here in Las Vegas in the Aces. … I don’t have any doubt that Las Vegas, despite all of the other major league teams that are here now, the other entertainment properties, that this city could support an NBA team.
“I think now we’re in the process of working with our teams and gauging the level of interest and having a better understanding of what the economics would be on the ground for those particular teams and what a pro forma would look like for them, and then sometime in 2026 we’ll make a determination.”
Cup future
Silver revealed on Amazon Prime Video’s pregame show for the NBA Cup final that the title game of the tournament may move away from Las Vegas.
Among the sites under consideration: “Some storied college arenas,” Silver said. “We’re looking at other ways we can do this.”
Semifinal games in the Cup will be played at No. 1 seed home sites starting next season, so the concept of a final four in Las Vegas was going to change in 2026 anyway.
Cup viewership increases
Going to a streaming service hasn’t prevented fans from watching the NBA Cup.
NBA Cup: New York Knicks win tournament after rallying to beat San Antonio Spurs
Saturday night’s semifinals on Prime Video — in its first season as a league broadcast partner — averaged 1.67 million viewers, a 14% increase over last season’s semifinals.
And Saturday’s doubleheader — San Antonio vs. Oklahoma City and New York vs. Toronto — saw a 126% year-over-year increase in social media views, the league said, with more than 400 million views across all platforms.
NBA Europe plans
Silver hinted that there might be some news next month on the plans for the NBA’s project with FIBA to start a league in Europe.
That makes sense, with the league set to play regular-season games in Berlin and London next month when Orlando and Memphis go over for a pair of matchups.
“I would say we’re casting a very, very wide net right now and essentially saying to anyone who’s interested, come see our bankers, explain to us why you’re interested, how you view the opportunity, what resources you would put behind opening a team, and then we’re taking all that information back,” Silver said. “And then I think sometime in late January, or in January, we’ll be in a position to have more serious conversations with those interested parties.”
Chris Paul’s future
Silver said he got the news on Chris Paul being sent home by the Los Angeles Clippers the same way basically everyone else did: He checked his phone in the middle of the night.
“I will say I was dismayed just for everyone involved,” Silver said. “As you know, I’m particularly close to Chris because he was president of the Players Association many years. … I would love to see him finish off the season on another team. He’s already announced this is his last season, so I’d love to see him finish strong.”
Silver said it’s not his role “to cross-examine the participants” and added that he hasn’t talked to Clippers owner Steve Ballmer about what happened.
“It’s an unfortunate situation that it ended the way it did,” Silver said. “So, I’m focused, and I hope Chris is now, on the future.”
Silver says WNBA talks are progressing
Silver said he and NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum are available to help the WNBA and its players strike a new labor deal, if needed.
Silver said he’s “optimistic” a deal will get done.
“I’m tracking things very closely,” Silver said. “We’re integrated at the league office. I talk to the people who are at the negotiating table on a daily basis. As I’ve said before, we, the NBA-WNBA collective, acknowledged that our players deserve to be paid significantly more than they have so far based on the increased success of the league. It’s just a question now of finding a meeting of the minds in terms of what is a fair deal. It’s going to require compromise on both sides.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/17/nba-expansion-las-vegas-seattle/
Republicans defy Speaker Johnson to force House vote on extending ACA subsidies
WASHINGTON — Four centrist Republicans broke with Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday and signed onto a Democratic-led petition that will force a House vole on extending for three years an enhanced pandemic-era subsidy that lowers health insurance costs for millions of Americans.
The move comes after House Republican leaders pushed ahead with a GOP health care bill that does not address the soaring monthly premiums that millions of people will soon endure as the tax credits for those who buy insurance through the Affordable Care Act expire at year’s end.
Democrats needed 218 signatures to force a floor vote on their bill, which would extend the subsides for three years.
Republican Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, Robert Bresnahan and Ryan Mackenzie, all from Pennsylvania, and Mike Lawler of New York signed on Wednesday morning, pushing it to the magic number of 218.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/17/republicans-speaker-johnson-aca/
WTI Holds ‘Venezuela Blockade’ Gains After Small Crude Draw, Record US Production
WTI Holds ‘Venezuela Blockade’ Gains After Small Crude Draw, Record US Production
Oil prices surged overnight, jumping off multi-year lows after President Trump ordered a “total and complete blockade” of oil tankers into and out of Venezuela.
That was amid hopes of a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, among other factors including record domestic production and weakening demand in China.
But as one geopolitical risk looks set to ease, another one is ramping up. Trump said Venezuela was “completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America,” in a post on Truth Social late Tuesday.
However, the rally in oil prices may end up being short-lived unless other catalysts start to emerge.
“Ultimately, the trend is lower for oil, with it likely to persist unless there’s a pick-up in global industrial activity, a bigger supply shock, or — most likely — intervention from OPEC to support prices,” Capital.com analyst Kyle Rodda said in a note Wednesday.
But if the official data confirms API’s big crude draw, we could see prices extend gains given how increasingly short crude positioning has become.
API
Crude -9.3mm
Cushing -510k
Gasoline +4.8mm
Distillates +2.5mm
DOE
Crude -1.27mm (-3.1mm exp)
Cushing -742k
Gasoline +4.81mm
Distillates +1.71mm
US crude inventories drew down modestly last week (dramatically less than API reported) while products saw stocks build for the fifth straight week…
Source: Bloomberg
US Crude production remains near record highs as rig counts continue to trend lower…
Source: Bloomberg
WTI is holding gains for now after the data…
Source: Bloomberg
Over the past few weeks, Brent crude positioning grew increasingly short. The last Commitment of Traders report, covering through December 9th, exhibited Managed Money shorts at a 98% 2-year rank.
However for the moment, Goldman Sachs traders say that a larger recovery appears warranted to cause a significant short unwind.
After incorporating the drop on December 16th, price needs to recoup ~6% before momentum signals become positive, per GS Futures Strategists’ framework.
Moreover, curve tightening is modest thus far, posing a limited threat to term structure shorts.
Tyler Durden
Wed, 12/17/2025 – 10:36
