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As the year winds down, unresolved fights are shaping the start of 2026. A Supreme Court order slowed a major federal move without settling the larger legal questions behind it. Abroad, ceasefires in Southeast Asia and the Middle East held unevenly, underscoring how quickly calm can give way to renewed conflict.

In markets, a leading chipmaker’s strategy shift highlighted how the race to scale artificial intelligence is entering a more complex phase just as governments, businesses, and investors look ahead to January.

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The Supreme Court kept in place a lower-court order blocking a federal effort to deploy National Guard troops in the Chicago area, preserving the status quo while the legal fight continues in lower courts. The decision came through an emergency posture, meaning the underlying case can still move forward on the merits as it develops.

The dispute centered on federal authority, state objections, and how courts weigh executive power against limits set by statutes and the Constitution. The ruling did not settle the broader questions, but it clarified what can happen immediately while litigation continues.

Thailand and Cambodia signed a new ceasefire agreement aimed at stopping weeks of fighting along their border that killed civilians and displaced large numbers of people. The deal included provisions on halting hostilities, limiting troop movements, and establishing measures meant to test compliance over a short initial window.

The truce follows repeated attempts to de-escalate a conflict fueled by long-running territorial disputes and periodic flare-ups. Regional diplomacy and monitoring efforts will matter because earlier understandings collapsed, and both sides have accused the other of violations.

The immediate priority is keeping the ceasefire intact long enough for civilians to return and for talks to shift from crisis management to durable mechanisms.

The first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire ended with no reported breakthrough on talks for the next phase, leaving key issues unresolved, including governance, security arrangements, and withdrawals. Negotiations remain stalled as the timeline moves into a more uncertain period.

Meanwhile, winter weather intensified humanitarian pressure in Gaza, where many displaced families remain in makeshift shelters and face shortages of basic supplies. A Gaza update described worsening conditions as negotiators weigh next steps that could determine whether the truce holds, expands, or frays.

Nvidia said it would license technology from Groq and hire executives, outlining a strategy aimed at expanding its ability to meet demand for AI computing without relying solely on building every component in-house. The move comes as companies race to add capacity for training and deploying large models.

The announcement landed in a market already focused on supply bottlenecks, power constraints, and the pace of enterprise adoption. The near-term question is how quickly partnerships and talent moves translate into deployable capacity, and whether this approach becomes a template for other firms trying to speed up AI infrastructure buildouts.

College football bowl season pushed deeper into the holiday window, adding more results and storylines as teams tried to finish strong and set up offseason decisions. Bowl games captured the mix of close finishes and blowouts that shape narratives heading into the new year.

In the NBA, Christmas-week games delivered marquee matchups and a few statement performances, including another win by San Antonio over Oklahoma City in the same stretch. However, late-December results can shift standings and expectations before the season’s midpoint.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to meet with President Donald Trump in Florida, as Kyiv faces renewed Russian missile and drone attacks that hit residential areas and infrastructure. The backdrop, including the scale of the assault and the diplomatic stakes.

The near-term focus is whether talks produce a clearer pathway for negotiations, security guarantees, and sustained support, or whether positions harden. Any signals out of the meeting are likely to ripple through European diplomacy and defense planning in early January.

The ceasefire agreement includes short-term benchmarks meant to demonstrate compliance and reduce the risk of rapid escalation. Officials have also signaled additional diplomacy, including regional monitoring and follow-on talks.

The immediate question is whether the truce holds long enough for displaced residents to return and for negotiators to move from halting violence to addressing the political and security triggers behind repeated clashes.

The sports calendar tightens this week as the College Football Playoff moves into quarterfinals on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, with winners advancing toward the semifinals on Jan. 8-9 and the title game on Jan. 19. The schedule sets up a high-stakes bridge from bowl season into the postseason’s final stretch.

One of the marquee quarterfinals is the Rose Bowl, where the playoff bracket sends Alabama against Indiana on Jan. 1 in Pasadena. With the field narrowing, coaching decisions, injuries, and special-teams swings tend to matter more as the margin for error disappears.

Hockey also gets a national stage on Jan. 2 when the Rangers face the Panthers in the outdoor 2026 Winter Classic at loanDepot park in Miami. The event has become a winter anchor for the NHL, and this year’s setting adds a spotlight on how the league markets marquee games beyond traditional cold-weather venues.

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This week underscored how quickly the end of a year can turn into a runway for January risks. Court decisions that pause major federal actions can reshape policy timelines, even without resolving the underlying legal questions.

Abroad, ceasefires remain less like endpoints and more like stress tests that determine whether diplomacy has enough traction to prevent a return to violence.

In markets, the AI buildout is evolving from a single-company supply story into a broader ecosystem problem: capacity, talent, and partnerships are becoming as important as chips.

And as holiday sports and box office headlines fill the calendar, the biggest near-term signals are still likely to come from negotiations — whether in Southeast Asia, Ukraine, or the Middle East — that will set the tone for early 2026.

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—The Five Minute Daily Team