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The Supreme Court has scheduled Friday as an opinion day - offering the first chance for a ruling on President Donald Trump’s global tariffs. The justices take the bench at 10:00 a.m. Bloomberg says a tariff decision is a possibility given the court’s expedited handling of the case to date. “We have a big Supreme Court case,” Trump told House Republicans Tuesday. “I hope they do what’s good for our country. I hope they do the right thing. The president has to be able to wheel and deal with tariffs.”

 

Bloomberg

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U.S. airstrikes on Venezuela and the seizure of president Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores in the early hours of Saturday clearly “undermined a fundamental principle of international law,” the United Nations argued Tuesday. “States must not threaten or use force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state,” Ravina Shamdasani, spokeswoman for the UN rights office, told reporters. “And this is what we are seeing,” she said, as she urged the international community to “come together with one voice . . . to make clear that this is an action that is in contravention of the international law that was set up by member states.”

 

The Times of Israel

President Donald Trump has asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to lead the process to implement economic and political reforms in Venezuela, including the direction of officials working on energy, financial, and military policy. Trump requested Rubio “under the president’s close guidance and direction, to be the lead on this process,” White House senior adviser Stephen Miller said, adding “It’s a big team, a group of people - everybody’s working great and closely together.”

 

Bloomberg

Reuters reports on how a Trump administration-supported lowering of banks' capital requirements is worrying some observers that the U.S. is precipitating a global rowback from rules designed to keep financial systems safer, at precisely the time when concerns about market bubbles and financial stability risks are intensifying. Enrico Perotti, an economist at the University of Amsterdam, says the latent message from the White House is “to get regulators off the backs of banks.”

 

Reuters

Chinese officials are reviewing Meta’s $2bn purchase of artificial intelligence platform Manus for possible technology export control violations. Meta bought Manus after the Chinese group relocated to Singapore. Manus gained attention for launching an AI agent capable of autonomous decision-making, prompting interest from Beijing and establishing collaborations with major firms including Alibaba.

 

Financial Times

Reuters

Amazon has been accused of listing products from independent retailers without their consent. The Financial Times reports that the retailer's Shop Direct feature allows consumers to browse items from other brands' sites, with selected items including a button labelled “Buy for Me”, an AI agent that can purchase products from other websites on a shopper’s behalf. Several of the independent retailers said Amazon’s move had led to poor experiences for customers, or hurt their businesses, due to sudden surges in orders beyond their capacity to fulfill. 

 

Bloomberg

Bloomberg

CNBC

Financial Times

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced plans to propose a drinking water limit for perchlorate, a chemical found in explosives. However, the agency noted that the regulation may not significantly improve public health and is a response to a court order. The EPA will seek public input on potential limits of 20, 40, and 80 parts per billion. While perchlorate can harm thyroid function, particularly in infants, the agency claims it is not widespread in drinking water. Sarah Fort from the Natural Resources Defense Council said: "Members of the public deserve to know whether there's rocket fuel in their tap water."

 

U.S. News

U.S. services activity slowed in December, with the S&P Global Services PMI falling to 52.5 – its weakest reading since April, but above the 50-mark separating expansion from contraction – as new business inflows and hiring momentum faded. Export demand contracted sharply, and employment growth stalled for the first time in nine months. Rising input costs and tariffs drove the fastest increase in service prices since August, while business confidence softened amid growing concerns over policy, affordability, and economic resilience heading into 2026.

 

Trading View

Bayer has launched legal action against Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna, claiming the companies misused its messenger RNA (mRNA) technology. The lawsuits allege that the companies copied technology developed by Bayer's subsidiary, Monsanto. Bayer also filed a similar lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson, asserting that its DNA-based vaccine process infringes on Bayer's patent. Bayer is seeking unspecified monetary damages but does not aim to halt vaccine production.

 

Reuters

CV Advisors chief executive officer Elliot Dornbusch has ridiculed the rush to invest in Venezuela after the removal of Nicolas Maduro. Dornbusch - who was raised in Venezuela - said in an interview: “Everybody and their mother is calling their financial adviser, is calling their family office on ‘where do we invest? How do we take advantage of this? You’re from Venezuela, can you look for assets there? . . . I’m like, are you nuts?” He said a "political transition must come first." 

 

Bloomberg

Chevron and private equity firm Quantum Capital Group are teaming up on a bid to buy the international assets - valued at $22bn - of sanctioned Russian oil company Lukoil.

 

Financial Times

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he would meet with representatives from every health insurance company soon. "I'm going to meet with them in a few days, I'm meeting with them all: 14 companies," Trump told U.S. House Republicans in Washington. Last month, Trump said he wanted to talk to health insurers about lowering their prices. 

 

Reuters

Australia's BlueScope Steel has confirmed a bid worth A$13.2bn ($8.8bn) from a consortium led by SGH Ltd and Steel Dynamics. The offer includes a cash premium over BlueScope's recent stock price and aims to acquire the company’s North American operations while retaining its other global businesses. The proposal is subject to regulatory approvals.

 

Reuters

Nearly 3,000 pounds of raw ground beef are being recalled across six states due to potential E. coli O26 contamination, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). The affected product, labeled “Forward Farms Grass-Fed Ground Beef,” was processed on December 16th 2025, and has a “use or freeze by” date of January 13th 2026. Although no illnesses have been reported, consumers are advised to discard the product or return it to the retailer.

 

US News and World Report