Hard Numbers: Three Stripes and Ye out, Chinese yuan hits low, Russia rejects Griner appeal, no answers on Nord Stream

Rapper Kanye West smiles during a meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House.
Rapper Kanye West smiles during a meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

10: Adidas on Tuesday officially cut ties with Ye – né Kanye West – over the star musician/designer's recent antisemitic tirades. While Ye’s other business partners left him quickly, the German sportswear giant held out for weeks, likely because Yeezy-branded apparel accounts for $2 billion in sales, or nearly 10% of the three-stripe brand’s annual revenue.

15: The Chinese yuan fell to its lowest level in 15 years on Tuesday in onshore trading, as investors continued to worry about the intentions of Xi Jinping. After securing an unprecedented third term as Communist Party boss, Xi has ousted technocrats in favor of hardline loyalists.

9: A Russian court rejected WNBA star Brittney Griner’s appeal of her 9-year sentence for illegal possession of cannabis. It is unclear whether Griner’s lawyers will pursue a further legal path, but the ball is now in the White House’s court, so to speak, as the Biden administration has signaled it would take “tough decisions” to bring Americans home from foreign captivity.

0 for 3: It’s been a month since someone blew up three of the four Nord Stream natural gas pipelines that link Russia to Germany under the Baltic sea. Theories abound about who did it. The Russians? The Americans? The Ukrainians? But of the three serious investigations under way — Danish, Swedish, German — there are still zero definitive conclusions.


This comes to you from the Signal newsletter team of GZERO Media. Sign up today.

More from GZERO Media

As you start checking off everyone on your holiday shopping list, it’s important to remember that more online shopping means more opportunities for cyber scams. But don’t let the Grinch steal your holiday cheer! It’s time to make a list of essential cybersecurity tips — and check it twice — to ensure a safe and merry shopping experience. Unwrap some festive tips to keep your holiday season jolly and scam-free.

Listen: Donald Trump has promised to fix what he calls a broken economy and usher in a “golden age of America.” He’s vowed to implement record tariffs, slash regulation, and deport millions of undocumented immigrants. But what will that mean practically for America’s economic future? On the GZERO World Podcast, Ian Bremmer is joined by Oren Cass, founder and chief economist at the conservative think tank American Compass, to discuss Trump’s economic agenda and why Cass believes it will help American workers and businesses in the long run.

- YouTube

For almost as long as Donald Trump has been in the public eye, his economic worldview has been remarkably consistent: unfair trade deals and globalization have pumped millions into foreign economies while hurting US workers and businesses. That message resonated with voters who feel left behind by the global economy. Trump’s solution? Also very consistent: tariffs. Big ones. On Ian Explains, Ian Bremmer breaks down Donald Trump’s tariff plan and what it could mean for US consumers.

Protesters hold placards during a candlelight vigil to condemn South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's surprise declarations of the failed martial law and to call for his resignation in Seoul, South Korea, December 5, 2024.
REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

On Thursday, Han Dong-hoon, the leader of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s party, said he was opposed to impeaching Yoon because it would add to national confusion. By Friday, however, he had changed his mind.

A flag is left at the event held by Democratic presidential nominee U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris during Election Night, at Howard University, in Washington, U.S., November 6, 2024.
REUTERS/Daniel Cole
Romanian independent far-right presidential candidate Calin Georgescu poses for a portrait in Bucharest Romania, on Dec. 4, 2024.
REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

Romanians head to the polls Sunday for a presidential runoff that could lead to significant foreign policy changes for the country – and profound implications for the war in Ukraine.

President-elect Donald Trump attends the 2024 Senior Club Championship award ceremony at his Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, back in March.
REUTERS/Marco Bello

Amid all the geopolitical chaos, the best advice of the year: Don’t panic.