3.5: Marc Fogel, a 63-year-old American teacher imprisoned in Russia since 2021, has been released following negotiations by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. Fogel, who taught at the Anglo-American School of Moscow, served 3.5 years of a 14-year sentence for bringing medical marijuana into the country. The release is being framed as a gesture of goodwill from Russia amid discussions about the Ukraine war.
70: In December 2024, 266 out of 389 US metro areas – nearly 70% – reported higher unemployment rates compared to the year before, according to Labor Department data. The largest increases occurred in southern cities like Dalton, GA, where unemployment was up 3.5%, and Asheville, NC, which was up 2.6%, as well as cities across Michigan, likely because of the 2% decrease in manufacturing jobs statewide.
86: A nationwide power outage in Sri Lanka last weekend was triggered by a monkey entering a power station near the capital Colombo. The incident left millions without electricity as temperatures hit the high 80s amid extreme humidity. While the event sparked humor online, it highlighted serious concerns about Sri Lanka’s fragile power infrastructure … and its ever-expanding monkey population.
50: A recent survey reveals that Donald Trump is more popular than Gustavo Petro in Colombia, with three-quarters of the population disapproving of Petro compared to 50% approving of the US president. The Bloomberg survey looked at Colombian attitudes following Petro’s much-publicized but brief rejection of deportation flights last month – a decision that 74% of the population disapproved of. The incident sparked widespread economic concerns, with 88% of Colombians fearing Trump would retaliate with tariffs.As AI creates new opportunities, the people who understand a community best play an important role in determining how those opportunities take shape. Across the US, Microsoft is supporting AI literacy classes as part of a new program developed in collaboration with the Public Library Association, working through trusted local institutions to help people build practical AI skills. By pairing new technology with local knowledge, the initiative is helping communities explore how AI can support their needs and open new possibilities, while putting local leaders and organizations at the center of that work. Read the full story here.
Russia is testing NATO’s red lines with escalating drone attacks and airspace violations. Can Europe defend Ukraine and itself without help from the US? Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski joins Ian Bremmer on GZERO World.
Who among us has not gotten stiffed by a superpower. #PUPPETREGIME
Is Putin's war machine starting to crack? Poland's foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski discusses Ukraine's battlefield gains and mounting economic pressure on Russia.