In Other Brews…
Europe’s largest economy sputtered into political chaos Thursday. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz fired Finance Minister Christian Lindner after a disagreement over the 2025 budget, collapsing the coalition that has governed since 2021. Scholz scheduled a vote of confidence for January 15, hoping to keep his government alive; if it fails, snap elections could take place as soon as March.
Powerful winds fueled fast-moving wildfires in California Wednesday. Northwest of LA, the Mountain Fire remains uncontained after rapidly spreading across 14,500 acres, threatening 3,500 structures, and forcing thousands to evacuate. The same day, a 50-acre fire in Malibu briefly shut down the Pacific Coast Highway. A rare “Particularly Dangerous Situation” warning was issued amid the region’s ongoing fire-danger conditions.
The breakdancing community is spinning with news that viral Australian breakdancer Rachel Gunn—AKA Raygun—is retiring, citing backlash to her 2024 Olympic performance that famously earned 0 points. Raygunn says she’ll still dance, just not in competitions, and recently launched the #RaygunChallenge, offering $15,000 in prizes to breakdancers showing off their best moves.
A military judge upheld plea deals struck by alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two co-defendants, voiding Defense Secretary Austin’s order to discard the deals. The agreements, which spare the three men the death penalty in exchange for them pleading guilty in the long-running case, sparked political backlash this summer, especially from Republican lawmakers.
Forty-three primates are monkeying around in SC after escaping from a lab between Charleston and Savannah.Biological researchers atAlpha Genesis say the 7lb female monkeys “bolted” through an unsecured door. Police are urging South Carolinians to shut doors and windows; the “skittish” fugitives reportedly don’t pose any health risk and are probably just looking for snacky-snacks and a Netflix password.