38.5: Germany’s far right keeps rocking in Germany’s far east. The nationally surging Alternativ für Deutschland, or AfD, got 38.5% of the vote to win the mayoralty of Pirna, a town along the Czech border in former East Germany. To date, it’s the largest German city to come under the control of AfD, which campaigns on extreme anti-immigrant and anti-establishment rhetoric and has run into trouble for links to neo-Nazi groups.
55.8: For the second time in as many years, Chileans rejected a rewrite of the country’s constitution, with 55.8% of voters ticking the “No” box on Sunday. Last year, Chileans nixed a more left-leaning document meant to replace a constitution dating from the Pinochet dictatorship. This time, a more conservative drafting group had the pen, but in a deeply polarized country, the outcome was the same. This is probably the last attempt to rescript the constitution for the foreseeable future – Chileans are exhausted by the failed process and now care more about day-to-day issues like crime and the economy.
89.6: Meanwhile, in a somewhat more predictable election, Egyptian strongman Abdel Fattah el-Sissi won a third term, taking 89.6% of the vote in a contest that was not much of a contest. On the one thing that was worth watching – turnout – Sisi did well, as two-thirds of registered voters went to the polls, which was some 20 points higher than in the last election. That gives him something of a mandate as he confronts painful economic reforms that are required to keep open a crucial IMF credit lifeline.
78 million: It was a rocky year for the cryptocurrency set, with several major scandals denting the reputation of the digital coin, but the industry is looking to change hearts and minds – and votes – next year, amassing a $78 million war chest for Capitol Hill lobbying. The crypto-PACs will press lawmakers to craft “responsible regulation” that addresses the risks of crypto without choking off innovation.The Regime's viral banger "Special Military Operation" is NOW STREAMING on most platforms, including those TWO BIG ONES. #PUPPETREGIME
What is President Trump trying to achieve in Iran, and how does his strategy compare to past US interventions in the Middle East?
The US has paused Russian oil sanctions in a bid to stabilize energy markets rocked by the war with Iran. Administration officials stress that it’s a “tailored” measure, applying only to oil already loaded onto tankers, but it’s still a gift to Russia, which has already been clocking an extra $150 million daily in oil revenues since the war began.
4: The number of crew members aboard a US refuelling plane – out of six total – who died after the aircraft crashed in neighboring Iraq on Thursday, US Central Command said this morning.