Morning coverage focused on Trump's attempts to block US budget compromise and Habeck's failed negotiations with Merz. By mid-morning, the Avignon trial concluded with Dominique Pelicot receiving 20 years imprisonment for orchestrating his wife's systematic rape, marking a milestone in French judicial history.
Putin's annual press conference dominated afternoon coverage, featuring staged questions and technical "failures" during critical inquiries. He mocked Germany's economic decline while proposing meetings with Trump and suggesting military experiments over Kyiv. Reports emerged of North Korean casualties in Kursk, continuing revelations from previous days.
Evening brought revelations about US government payments to journalists affecting German media coverage, while the Centro Oberhausen fire caused Christmas market evacuation. US troop numbers in Syria were revealed to be double previous estimates, suggesting deeper involvement following Assad's fall.