Happy New Year! Despite the new year, this week saw several developments in old, ongoing stories. After a highly criticized release of the DOJ’s Epstein files, the government now says they’ve found more than five million additional files. On New Year’s Eve, the Justice Department released Jack Smith’s testimony to Congress about President Trump’s involvement in the 2021 Capitol insurrection, and Trump himself declared that he would pull National Guard troops out of Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland (and, oddly, take over all of the public golf courses in Washington, DC).
Internationally, tensions around the world increased as well. On January 1, Israel forbade many international aid groups from helping Palestinians suffering from the Gazan genocide, including Doctors Without Borders and Oxfam. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu announced that Trump would be given the Israel Prize, the country’s top service honor and one that has never gone to a non-citizen of Israel before. Russia claimed that Ukraine attempted a drone attack on President Putin’s home (which the CIA determined was a lie) while Ukrainian President Zelenskyy met with Trump in Florida. The US has increased its naval presence off the Venezuelan coast despite Venezuelan President Maduro wanting a diplomatic meeting, and Iran has seen a week-long anti-government protest with 10 people confirmed dead so far.
Speaking of protests, a union strike by ski patrol shut down the slopes at Telluride for the entire week, with neither side looking to budge any time soon. Colorado also had some heartache this week as a mountain lion killed a woman for the first time in over 25 years, and a former powerhouse in Colorado politics, Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, died at the age of 92. The state saw more friction with the federal government as well after Trump used his first veto of his term to block a key Colorado infrastructure project spearheaded by Trump ally Lauren Boebert. Around two dozen state laws also went into effect on January 1: everyone in the state has more access to mental health insurance coverage and the right to repair most items in their home. Plus, you can now hunt a bison (though if you want to pick up a rifle at a gun show, teens now must be accompanied by a parent, grandparent, or legal guardian).
With their Christmas Day game, the Broncos didn’t play this week, but football fans had lots of college games to enjoy. As far as the playoff quarterfinals, Miami pulled off an upset over no. 2 Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl, 24-14; Oregon shut out Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl, 23-0; at the Rose Bowl, Indiana overwhelmed Alabama, 38-3; and Ole Miss got away with a nail-biting victory against Georgia at the Sugar Bowl, 39-34. Next week are the semifinals: Ole Miss will face Miami in the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday, and Indiana will face Oregon at the Peach Bowl on Friday.
The bad luck for the Denver Nuggets continues this week with three more losses—they are now fourth in the league with a 23-11 record. The Colorado Avalanche, meanwhile, have expanded their winning streak to 30-2.
Avatar: Fire and Ash won the weekend box office again with a $64m haul and a slight drop of -28.2%. However, the best hold (just a 19% drop) was The Housemaid once again at no. 4. While Spongebob rebounded to no. 7 after a dismal Christmas Day, it still dropped from week 1, while Zootopia 2 and Wicked: For Good actually sold more tickets this weekend than last.
The best day for theaters, however, was December 31 with the special event for the finale of Stranger Things. The single day of Stranger Things made theaters over $25m, which would put it at least at no. 60 on the list of 2025 grosses (but it won’t—due to acting contracts, no one actually bought tickets for the event but instead bought a $20 “concessions voucher” to reserve their seat).
2025 ended on New Year’s Eve, which fell on a Wednesday. The following day was both New Year’s Day and the end of Kwanzaa. As we are just two days into 2026, only 0.55% of the new year is over.
News You Should Know: Dec 27, 2025 to Jan 2, 2026
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10 Total Questions
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Question 1/10
On December 31, Trump ended policing by the National Guard in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Portland after the Supreme Court ordered him to do so. However, National Guard troops will continue policing actions in Washington, DC and this American city.
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Question 1/10
On December 31, Trump ended policing by the National Guard in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Portland after the Supreme Court ordered him to do so. However, National Guard troops will continue policing actions in Washington, DC and this American city.
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Baltimore, MD
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St. Louis, MO
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Detroit, MI
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Memphis, TN
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Question 2/10
On December 30, former Colorado Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell dies at the age of 92. Campbell was the first Native American elected to Congress, and was a member of this tribe.
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Question 2/10
On December 30, former Colorado Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell dies at the age of 92. Campbell was the first Native American elected to Congress, and was a member of this tribe.
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Cheyenne
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Lakota
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Arapahoe
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Ute
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Question 3/10
At midnight on December 31, Zohran Mamdami took the oath of office to become the first Muslim mayor of New York City. He took his oath on two copies of the Quran: one was his grandfather's, and the other he got from...
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Question 3/10
At midnight on December 31, Zohran Mamdami took the oath of office to become the first Muslim mayor of New York City. He took his oath on two copies of the Quran: one was his grandfather's, and the other he got from...
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Barrack Obama
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The Smithsonian Museum
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The New York Public Library
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Congresswoman Ilhan Omar
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Question 4/10
On January 1, a mountain lion killed a Colorado hiker for the first time since...
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Question 4/10
On January 1, a mountain lion killed a Colorado hiker for the first time since...
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1983
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1999
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2007
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2017
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Question 5/10
Cinemas reportedly made over $25m in concessions on the New Year's Eve screenings of the Stranger Things series finale. How much did they make in ticket sales?
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Question 5/10
Cinemas reportedly made over $25m in concessions on the New Year's Eve screenings of the Stranger Things series finale. How much did they make in ticket sales?
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$30m
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$20m
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$10m
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$0
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Question 6/10
On January 1, all sorts of Colorado laws went into effect, including a new law that says bison in the state...
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Question 6/10
On January 1, all sorts of Colorado laws went into effect, including a new law that says bison in the state...
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Can be legally hunted in the state without restriction
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Can be legally hunted in the state with a permit
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Can be legally hunted but can be slaughtered as livestock
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Cannot be legally hunted or slaughtered in the state
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Question 7/10
January 1 also saw several works of media enter the public domain for the first time, including this well-known cartoon character
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Question 7/10
January 1 also saw several works of media enter the public domain for the first time, including this well-known cartoon character
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Goofy (Disney Animation)
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Betty Boop (Fleischer Studios)
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Porky Pig (Looney Tunes/WB)
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Jerry the mouse (Tom and Jerry/MGM)
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Question 8/10
On December 29, citizens of Iran began what has the largest anti-government protest in years. Why?
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Question 8/10
On December 29, citizens of Iran began what has the largest anti-government protest in years. Why?
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The country's currency had a historically dramatic drop in value
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The Supreme Leader is threatening war against Israel and the US
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Police beat a 22-year-old woman to death for not wearing a hijab
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A Ukrainian plane that crashed over the country turned out to have been shot down by the Iranian military
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Question 9/10
In the word of business and climate, Tesla just lost its title of biggest electric vehicle producer to this company.
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Question 9/10
In the word of business and climate, Tesla just lost its title of biggest electric vehicle producer to this company.
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BYD
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Rivian
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ZGH (Volvo/Lotus/Polestar)
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GM (Chevrolet/Buick/GMC/Cadillac)
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Question 10/10
On December 29, Trump used the first veto of his second term to block a bill by ally Lauren Boebert. That bill would have helped Coloradans by providing a tax-free loan to the state to...
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Question 10/10
On December 29, Trump used the first veto of his second term to block a bill by ally Lauren Boebert. That bill would have helped Coloradans by providing a tax-free loan to the state to...
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create new firebreaks and wildfire response teams in the mountain
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rebuild the electrical grid to prevent high wind shutdowns along the Front Range
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finish a freshwater pipeline to counties on the eastern plains
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replace coal-burning plants with 80% solar generation in southern counties
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You can learn more about these topics here:
- Question 1: Trump says he’s withdrawing troops from some US cities
- Question 2: Former Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell dies
- Question 3: Mamdani sworn in as NYC mayor
- Question 4: Mountain lion kills woman in Larimer County
- Question 5: Stranger Things finale earns $25m+ for cinemas
- Question 6: New Year, New Laws: Colorado 2026
- Question 7: 2026 inductions into the public domain
- Question 8: Iranians hold largest anti-government protest in three years
- Question 9: Tesla tumbles to no. 2 EV manufacturer
- Question 10: Trump uses first veto against Boebert bill
