2025.12.23

[lsanderson]

Just when the holiday travel season is upon us, flu cases have begun to surge, KSTP reports. “The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported nearly 1,900 cases and 558 hospitalizations in its latest weekly update, with the highest cases among children aged 4 and younger and adults 65 and older. Seniors accounted for most hospitalizations.” Travelers should be aware if they are sick and need to fly, and handwashing and mask-wearing can help to stave off the virus as well as protect others. Via MinnPost
https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/flu-cases-in-minnesota-spike-just-as-holiday-travel-begins/

Do you live on a property with a private well? If so, it might be worth testing it for safety. MPR News reports on a free water screening clinic that “are put on by the Minnesota Well Owners Organization, Mayo Clinic, Freshwater Society, the United State Geological Survey and the Minnesota Groundwater Association. … Recent research from Mayo Clinic shows a significant reliance on well water use in the Midwest and unanimous support for the need for further well water testing information and resources for patients and their clinicians.” Via MinnPost
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/12/22/private-well-owners-in-minnesota-encouraged-to-test-for-arsenic-other-contaminants

Number of people in ICE detention hits record high, data shows
ICE held more than 68,400 people as of 14 December, breaking previous high set at beginning of December
Will Craft and Andrew Witherspoon in New York
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/22/ice-detentions-record-immigration

US regulators approve Wegovy pill, first oral medication to treat obesity
Food and Drug Administration’s approval hands drugmaker Novo Nordisk an edge in the race to market an obesity pill
Associated Press
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/22/us-regulators-approve-wegovy-weight-loss-pill

Trump administration plans to promote loyal diplomats after recall of 30 ambassadors, sources say
Move comes as union representing US diplomats said it was ‘deeply concerned’ by the process, which could ‘politicise’ foreign service
Andrew Roth, global affairs correspondent
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/23/trump-administration-recalls-30-ambassadors-promote-loyal-diplomats

Trump’s attacks on Somali community are eroding inroads that boosted GOP in 2024
Some Somalis who voted for Trump are rethinking their alignment with the Republican Party after the president’s targeted attacks on their community.
by Atra Mohamed and Shubhanjana Das
https://sahanjournal.com/democracy-politics/somali-republicans-trump-vote-ice-target/

‘For the first time, she could tell people who she was’: Ireland’s gender recognition decade
Ireland’s 2015 Gender Recognition Act was born in an era of optimism and consensus, but as gender-critical activism grows so does debate whether it can hold
Libby Brooks
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/dec/23/ireland-gender-recognition-act-decade

Are sweet potatoes healthy?
This holiday staple is also one of the world’s oldest crops – here’s what to know about adding sweet potatoes to your diet
Adrienne Matei
https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/2025/dec/19/are-sweet-potatoes-healthy

‘I want that escape route’: Americans seek dual citizenships under Trump
Some US citizens, grappling with issues from LGBTQ+ rights to the economy, are looking to the countries their families once left behind
Jessica Furseth
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/22/us-families-dual-citizenship-under-trump