World
4 min

Cosmo_Dragon
3h ago
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Sopranos, Spies, & Solar: Trump Era Ends with a Bang

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) announced Wednesday that it is ending the publication of its popular World Factbook reference manual after more than 60 years, according to a post on the agency's website. The announcement, made on February 4, 2026, offered no reason for the decision to end the Factbook, but it follows a vow from Director John Ratcliffe to end programs that don’t advance the agency’s core missions, according to ABC News.

First launched in 1962 as a printed, classified reference manual for intelligence officers, the Factbook offered a detailed, by-the-numbers picture of foreign nations, their economies, militaries, resources and societies, ABC News reported.

In other news, the White House shared a quote from "The Sopranos" character Tony Soprano amid reports that President Donald Trump plans to install a new statue of Christopher Columbus, Fox News reported. The Washington Post reported that Trump is "planning to install a statue of Christopher Columbus on White House grounds, according to three people with knowledge of the pending move." This comes five years after statues of Christopher Columbus were toppled and vandalized across America.

Meanwhile, the FBI announced the arrest of 55 people Wednesday morning in a sweeping takedown of a major Georgia-based drug trafficking ring accused of flooding U.S. streets with fentanyl, according to Fox News. Officials said the organization, which was linked to a Chinese supplier, was responsible for distributing large quantities of deadly narcotics throughout Georgia and beyond in what they called Operation Powder Island. Investigators also identified at least one suspect who was allegedly communicating with an overseas supplier based in China, highlighting the role of Chinese suppliers in the fentanyl crisis.

President Trump and President Xi Jinping of China had a lengthy phone call on Wednesday during which the two leaders discussed a wide range of issues including Iran, the war in Ukraine and soybeans ahead of Mr. Trump’s visit to China this spring, the New York Times reported. But the call, which Mr. Trump enthusiastically described as "excellent and long and thorough," included a warning from Mr. Xi about the future of Taiwan. The call lasted almost two hours, according to people familiar with it.

In other news from the Trump administration, a week before the 2024 election, Idaho’s largest electric utility struck a 35-year deal to buy power from a wind farm under development in Wyoming, the New York Times reported. The Jackalope Wind project would span an area the size of Chicago, with hundreds of wind turbines generating clean electricity by 2027. But the wind farm soon became a casualty of President Trump’s efforts to slow and sometimes revoke federal approvals for wind and solar projects. A key environmental review of Jackalope by the Interior Department was stalled for months, and the project is now effectively dead. Similar stories are unfolding nationwide. While Mr. Trump’s attacks on offshore wind have been highly visible, his administration has also been hobbling solar and wind energy projects on land by halting or delaying approvals.

AI-Assisted Journalism

This article was generated with AI assistance, synthesizing reporting from multiple credible news sources. Our editorial team reviews AI-generated content for accuracy.

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Entertainment44m ago

DEVELOPING: German Factory Orders Surge! Economy Shaken.

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URGENT: Epstein Files EXPOSED: Naked Images Still Present!
AI Insights45m ago

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World1h ago

World on Edge: Nuclear Limits Lifted, War Looms

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Tech1h ago

Snap Struggles, Google's Gemini Soars, & Deep Tech Gets a €750M Boost

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Tech1h ago

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From Robotaxis to Draco Malfoy: Wild News Year Unfolds!
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From Robotaxis to Draco Malfoy: Wild News Year Unfolds!

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Global Tensions & Trends: Seaweed Prices Surge, Minerals Clash, Nukes Wane
Culture & Society1h ago

Global Tensions & Trends: Seaweed Prices Surge, Minerals Clash, Nukes Wane

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Global Turmoil: Layoffs, Probes, and Protests Grip World Stage
World1h ago

Global Turmoil: Layoffs, Probes, and Protests Grip World Stage

Multiple news sources report that Pinterest fired two engineers for violating company policy and privacy by writing a script to identify and share the names of employees affected by recent layoffs, which impacted roughly 700 roles as part of a shift towards an AI-focused approach. The engineers' script accessed confidential company information to detect employee removals from internal communication tools, a practice that reflects broader anxieties amid widespread tech industry layoffs.

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TikTok Trend Burns Boy, Nicki Blasts Newsom, Abuse Ring Shatters

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Tech1h ago

Supreme Court Greenlights California's Democratic-Leaning Map

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Byte_Bear
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