[ Local ]

• Douglas County Commissioner Lora Thomas resigns over a month ahead of the end of her term limit citing years of conflict with other commissioners which she described as “harassment.”
• Longmont City Council member Marcia Martin steps down from her position to attend to a family member struggling with mental health issues. Martin had been fulfilling her duties remotely for months until other council members filed a motion barring her from attending meetings remotely.
• Boulder City Council considers making meetings virtual after meetings are continually interrupted by protesters demanding the council pass a resolution calling for an Israeli ceasefire against Gaza. The council voted 7-2 in February against such a resolution.
• The city of Boulder appeals the decision in the lawsuit brought against them by Yellow Scene Magazine (YS). A judge ruled previously that the county could not charge for the release of body-worn camera (BWC) footage from the police shooting of 51-year-old Jeannette Alatorre under the Law Enforcement Integrity and Transparency Act.

[ National ]

• President Biden signs a full and unconditional pardon for his son, Hunter Biden, for gun charges and tax offenses, resulting in backlash and criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike.
• New York Court of Appeals rejects President-Elect Trump’s request to delay sentencing in his hush-money case. Trump appeals ruling to Supreme Court.
• More than 1,100 homes and other buildings destroyed and at least five people dead as wildfires rage across Los Angeles County, making some of the most devastating fires to hit the region in some time.
• The Federal Reserve cuts interest rates by 25 basis points in an effort to strengthen a struggling labor market, but say they expect to make fewer rate cuts in the near future.

[ International ]

• Israel reaches ceasefires with both Hezbollah and Hamas and agrees to terms for a prisoner exchange, creating a tentative and delicate peace in the region.
• The Assad regime in Syria collapses following an assault from opposition forces. Bashar al-Assad flees to Russia as a new Syrian government transitions into power.
• A 6.8 magnitude earthquake hits Tibet, killing 126 people and injuring 188 more.
• Trump bizarrely decides he wants control of Greenland and the Panama Canal for the sake of U.S. national security, making the false claim that the Panama Canal is currently being controlled by China.
• South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol declares martial law in the country after accusing the Democratic Party of anti-state activities. After backing down from martial law and apologizing, Yeol is impeached and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok is made acting president.

Quotes

“I believe we have responsibilities because we do have the authority to submit a ceasefire and we do have the authority to determine what the investment criteria is for our city. And I was hopeful that our current city council would follow in the steps of previous councils that have acted on behalf of international issues.” 
– Boulder City Council member Taishya Adams speaking in favor of a ceasefire resolution

“People that were doing some bad things weren’t prosecuted, and people that didn’t even walk into the building are in jail right now. So, we’ll be looking at the whole thing. But I’ll be making major pardons, yes.”

– President-Elect Trump on his plans to pardon those involved in the January 6 insurrection

“[In the new Syrian government] there should be participation from the entire religious spectrum within a government that includes, for example, our Druze brothers, our Alawite brothers and our Christian brothers, and includes all the geographical and demographic nature of Syria.”

– Hadi Al-Bahra, president of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, calling for a more inclusive Syrian government following the fall of Assad

“The principle of the inviolability of borders applies to every country… no matter whether it’s a very small one or a very powerful one.”

– German Chancellor Olaf Schol regarding Trump’s desire to acquire Greenland

By the Numbers

Over 100,000

The number of people evacuated due to the wildfires in the Los Angeles area

52

The number of years the Assad family ruled over Syria before the fall of Damascus on December 8, 2024

$2857.50

The amount that Boulder Police Department requested that YS pay for the “search, retrieval, and redaction” of footage of the Jeannette Alatorre shooting

Over 1,500

The number of people charged with crimes for their actions during the January 6 insurrection who could potentially be pardoned by Trump.