In today’s newsletter: A new strain of flu appears. The Trump administration is freezing child care payments in the state of Minnesota. And eyewitnesses report an explosion in Venezuela that has raised concerns about U.S. military action against the South American country.
Here’s what you need to know today.
A new variant of influenza Anicknamed “super flu”, is taking off faster than usual this season.
“Just looking at the trajectory of the curve, we’re seeing a pretty steep increase, and it’s not close to peaking or stabilizing,” said Dr. Daniel Kuritzkes, senior infectious disease physician at Mass General Brigham in Boston.
The dominant, mutated H3N2 strain emerged over the summer and includes changes to a key surface protein that make it harder for the immune system to recognize the virus.
Older adults and people with chronic illnesses are more likely to need hospitalization if they contract the flu, adding even more stress to facilities that already have limited beds due to Covid and RSV cases, according to Dr. Lauren Siewny, medical director of the emergency department at Duke University Hospital. But doctors warn that young children, especially infants and toddlers up to age 4, have been hardest hit.
Symptoms mirror previous flu seasons but can start acutely, such as in people experiencing higher fever, tremors, chills, cough and shortness of breath, said Dr. Molly Fleece, associate professor in the division of infectious diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
These symptoms can be more severe, especially if a person is not vaccinated, she said.
Doctors say they expect flu cases to increase for at least the next few weeks, with illnesses not stabilizing until late January or even February.
Read the full story here.
Eyewitnesses describe mysterious explosion in northwest Venezuela
A first-hand account of an explosion along the Venezuelan coast On December 18, questions were raised about the origin of the attack and its link to the growing pressure campaign of the United States against this South American country.
Two members of Venezuela’s Wayuu indigenous community told NBC News they witnessed an unexplained explosion that destroyed a cabin that may have been used for storage.
Ana, one of the witnesses who did not want her last name used for fear of retaliation, told NBC News by phone that a few days after witnessing the explosion, she heard a strange noise that she said might be that of a drone monitoring the area.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Ana said, noting that the explosion was so loud that she and her loved ones could not hear it for hours. She suspects some of them suffered hearing damage and said her family’s boat was destroyed along with their fishing nets.
Venezuelan government officials showed up the morning after hearing the Dec. 19 explosion, Ana said. Residents asked them for help, a doctor to check their hearing problems and new fishing nets and hammocks, which also exploded, she added.
The arid coastal strip of northwest Venezuela, known as Alta Guajira, is heavily controlled by the National Liberation Army, an armed guerrilla group known for its history of drug trafficking and also active in neighboring Colombia.
NBC News reporting did not link the explosion described by Trump to the one described by eyewitnesses in northwest Venezuela, and it is not clear who is responsible for the Dec. 18 blast.
Learn more about eyewitness accounts here.
Trump administration suspends federal child care payments in Minnesota
All federal child care payments to the state of Minnesota have been frozen after a viral video alleges widespread fraud at daycares across the state. The freeze comes days after FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau had “overloaded” resources to the state as part of an ongoing fraud investigation that has largely targeted Somali immigrants.
Patel said the FBI’s work was in place before a video from a right-wing influencer purporting to show that some children’s facilities were not operational but were receiving state and federal funds gained traction online.
Nick Shirley, who describes himself as an independent journalist, has brought the issue into the conservative media spotlight in recent days. His report released in Minneapolis was quickly supported by Vice President JD Vance and Elon Musk, and the video has been viewed millions of times on YouTube and X.
Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill and Deputy Secretary Alex Adams said on X that they have halted payments and implemented additional requirements for child care payments nationwide.
Read the full story here.
Read all about it
- Three hikers found dead near a popular Southern California mountain trail that had been battered by powerful Santa Ana winds.
- Gold and silver prices are about to record their biggest annual gains since 1979rising sharply since Trump implemented global tariffs.
- Tatiana Schlossbergan author and journalist who was the granddaughter of John F. Kennedy, died Tuesday after revealing she suffered from acute myeloid leukemia. She was 35 years old.
- Stefon Diggs, New England Patriots wide receiver is accused of slapping his live-in private chef and choking her until “she had trouble breathing,” according to police reports. He is expected to be arraigned on January 23.
- President Donald Trump this week issued the first vetoes of his second termrejecting the Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act and the Miccosukee Reserved Area Amendments Act, two bills that passed Congress with bipartisan support.
- Actor Isiah Whitlock Jr.best known for his role in the 2000s HBO detective series “The Wire,” has died, his manager announced. He was 71 years old.
Staff Pick: How Japan is battling a wave of bear attacks
Northern Japan faces a problem: it now has fewer people but more bears, and the growing imbalance is sometimes life-threatening.
This year, a record 235 bear attacks killed 13 people in Japan, a country universally considered one of the safest in the world.
Most of the victims are elderly rural residents and were attacked while hiking or picking mushrooms.
Many factors are driving the increase: a shortage of food, partly due to climate change, is drawing the animals to residential areas and traditional bear hunters are outnumbering the animals.
So far, Japanese authorities have deployed riot police and the military to keep the bears at bay. But at least for now, the animals don’t seem to be going anywhere, let residents adapt to the new normal.
— Peter Guo, associate producer
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