The U.S.-led coalition airstrikes against ISIS in Syria are continuing, and the coalition announced that attacks Dec. 16-22 "severely degraded" the group's facilities and "removed several hundred ISIS fighters from the battlefield," per CNN.
Why it matters: It's a sign that the coalition's military strategy hasn't changed since President Trump announced last week that the U.S. would withdraw from Syria. There's also an unspoken message: the coalition doesn't consider the terrorist group to be defeated.
In a short question and answer session with reporters this morning, President Trump said "I can’t tell you when the government is going to reopen," and that the partial government shutdown won't end until "we have a wall, a fence, whatever they’d like to call it."
Between the lines: His comments, per the White House pool report, didn't suggest any real progress in ending the standoff with Democratic leaders. But he may have signaled some flexibility on what would satisfy his promises on the border wall. And when asked whether the $5 billion he wants is nonnegotiable: "It’s complicated … We want the wall money to be increased."
The body of the 7-year-old Guatemalan girl Jakelin Caal, who died while in U.S. custody, was brought home to white balloons and handwritten messages such as “We love you Jakelin” Tuesday, AP's Sonia Pérez D. reports.
"The child's tragic journey began and ended in the village of about 420 people with no paved streets, running water or electricity. Its residents say declining crop yields and lack of work have pushed many in the community to emigrate."
Pope Francis encouraged people in his Christmas message to see differences as a "source of richness" rather than a reason for fear, Reuters reports.
The big picture: The message seemed to reference the rise in populism and political unrest with immigration across the world. He called for reconciliation in places torn apart by conflict and for “fraternity among people with different ideas, yet capable of respecting and listening to one another."
A Virginia post office is to be named for fallen U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan after President Trump signed a bill into law, the Associated Press reports.
Why it matters: Trump fought with Khan's parents, Khizr and Ghazala, during the 2016 campaign after Khizr Khan criticized him at the Democratic National Convention.
The UN’s special rapporteur on the human rights of migrants has submitted a formal request for an investigation into the death of Jakelin Caal Maquin, a seven-year-old Guatemalan migrant who died of dehydration and shock while in the custody of U.S. Customs and Border Protection earlier this month, The Guardian reports.
The big picture: The UN watchdog, Felipe González Morales, told The Guardian that the Trump administration must abide by international obligations to protect the rights of migrants who arrive at the border, especially children. Part of what led Morales to call for an independent, "in-depth" inquiry is that key facts of the case — including the state of Maquin's health when she was taken into custody and whether she and her father were offered water — have been disputed by CBP.
