Axios

The FBI is offering a reward over the Brown University mass shooting of up to $50,000 "for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction" of a suspect, FBI director Kash Patel said on X.

The big picture: Authorities released new images and video of a person of interest in Saturday's shooting that killed two students and injured nine others after police released a man previously detained as a "person of interest" in the case.

• With the lone person of interest released from custody after being ruled out of the investigation, authorities are conducting a large-scale search for the suspect.

Zoom in: Despite having no one in custody in the shooting, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said during a Monday briefing law enforcement was making "steady progress" in the case.

• Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez described the investigation at the briefing as "very complex," and it's "all hands on deck," as several law enforcement agencies work together on the case.
• In addition to images, the FBI released a description of the suspect, saying he's "approximately 5'8" with a stocky build."

President Trump signed an executive order on Monday declaring illicit fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction.

The big picture: The order, which classifies the narcotic as a chemical weapon, authorizes several Trump administration departments and agencies to "eliminate" the threat of "illicit" fentanyl and its precursors.

Two days of intense negotiations between Ukraine, the U.S. and European officials resulted in clear progress on security guarantees for Ukraine but left significant gaps on the issue of territory, U.S. officials told reporters on Monday.

Why it matters: The U.S. side wants to finalize a deal with Ukraine that they can turn around and present to the Russians. The two main friction points during several weeks of talks have been the security guarantees Ukraine would receive from the U.S. and its European allies, and the location of the post-war lines of control.

President Trump from the Oval Office on Monday escalated his attacks on Colorado Gov. Jared Polis over the state's continued imprisonment of former Mesa County clerk Tina Peters.

The big picture: During a Mexican Border Defense Medal ceremony at the White House, Trump tore into the Democratic governor as "incompetent" and a "weak and pathetic man."

The Food and Drug Administration sent Walmart, Target, Kroger and Albertsons warning letters last week for continuing to sell recalled baby formula after being instructed to remove it from their shelves.

Why it matters: The multi-state botulism outbreak has not only infected at least 51 infants, but it has also exposed the clear pitfalls of the FDA not requiring formula companies to test products for the bacteria that cause the illness.

President Trump on Monday stood by his comments that Rob Reiner's death was the result of "Trump derangement syndrome," issuing a new round of sharp attacks on the late director.

The big picture: Trump said he believed Reiner was "very bad for our country" and repeated his previous rhetoric describing the longtime liberal activist as a "deranged person."

The deaths of beloved Hollywood star Rob Reiner and his wife prompted an outpouring of condolences Monday, but President Trump took the opportunity to mock the couple known for their fierce Democratic advocacy.

The big picture: The Reiners fought for efforts to improve early childhood development and advocated for LGTBQ+ rights. In recent years, Rob Reiner warned that Trump's political rise was a threat to American democracy.

House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) on Monday became the latest House Democrat to draw a left-wing primary challenge.

Why it matters: Clark is one of the highest ranking Democrats to face an intra-party threat to her reelection at a time when progressives across the country are trying to unseat establishment incumbents.

Over a third of Americans think their bank accounts will look worse in 2026, the most pessimistic people have been since Bankrate began monitoring the sentiment in 2018, according to a new report.

Why it matters: Americans vote based on their pocketbooks, and if consumer outlooks don't improve, that pessimism could spell trouble for President Trump and Republicans in the 2026 midterms.

President Trump is being condemned by both right wing and centrist Republican members of Congress for posting that director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele were killed due to "Trump Derangement Syndrome."

Why it matters: It's a rare break between the president and his party in Congress, some members of which have grown more willing to call out his excesses in recent months.

President Trump torpedoed MAGA influencers' calls for compassion after the killing of director Rob Reiner, mocking the longtime liberal activist as a victim of "Trump derangement syndrome."

Why it matters: Many MAGA influencers vowed after the assassination of Charlie Kirk that they would never celebrate or mock the untimely death of a political opponent.

President Trump blamed the late Rob Reiner's death Monday on the director's political views, saying he died from a "mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME."

Why it matters: The president and MAGA allies condemned anyone who celebrated conservative activist Charlie Kirk's death earlier this year, slamming them for encouraging political violence against ideological opponents.

Data centers could be a flashpoint in a closely watched primary in Tennessee as prominent activist and state lawmaker Justin Pearson (D) challenges incumbent Rep. Steve Cohen (D).

Why it matters: Whether in primaries or general election contests, the rapid growth of AI infrastructure is quickly rising on the political radar in the 2026 midterms and beyond.

Fusion hasn't actually arrived in reality, but a bipartisan group of lawmakers is already looking to make sure it sticks around in Washington.

Why it matters: A bill being introduced that would codify a new fusion office at the Energy Department might seem like inside baseball. But it's a concrete sign it's emerging as a bipartisan energy solution in U.S. politics.

President Trump and his advisers have an almost messianic belief the economy will take off in the first quarter of next year, based largely on stimulus from the "One Big Beautiful Bill" he signed in July.

• For the White House, it's an article of faith.

Why it matters: Trump's bullish belief is key to understanding why he's so reluctant to say there's an "affordability crisis." He calls that talk a "hoax" and a "con job," advisers say, because the problem didn't start under him and the economy is growing steadily.

President Trump's advisers are furious with Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) for starting an anti-abortion group to spur new action on the issue, which the White House views as a loser for Republicans in next year's midterms.

• "Clearly, Senator Hawley and his political team learned nothing from the 2022 elections, when the SCOTUS abortion ruling [overturning Roe v. Wade] resuscitated the Democrats in the midterms," a close Trump adviser told Axios.

Why it matters: Trump's lieutenants believe the move by Hawley — a vocal populist who speaks up for the working class — is part of a plan to position himself to challenge Vice President Vance for the presidency in 2028.

A "person of interest" detained in the Brown University mass shooting was being released, officials said late Sunday

The big picture: Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez said at a Sunday night briefing on plans to release the sole person detained in connection with the attack that Brown confirmed killed two students and wounded nine others that evidence in the investigation "now points in a different direction."

Two people were killed and nine others injured in a shooting at Brown University on Saturday, per a university post.

The latest: A person of interest who was taken into custody in connection with the shooting at the Barus and Holley engineering building on Brown's Providence, Rhode Island, campus was being released, officials said late Sunday.

ICE agents pulled over Rep. Ilhan Omar's (D-Minn.) son and asked him to provide proof of citizenship, the Somalia-born Democrat said in an interview Sunday.

The big picture: Omar raised racial profiling concerns as she announced last week two congressional inquiries into ICE's immigration crackdown in Minnesota targeting undocumented Somalis after President Trump said "I don't want 'em in our country."

A Hong Kong court found pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai guilty of sedition and colluding with foreign forces in a landmark national security trial on Monday morning local time.

The big picture: The founder of Hong Kong's now-defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily and critic of China's ruling Communist Party was charged in 2020 after Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on the Asian financial hub in response to pro-democracy protests a year earlier.

Turning Point USA abruptly postponed a highly anticipated livestream meant to rebut podcaster Candace Owens' claims about Charlie Kirk's assassination.

• Erika Kirk — Charlie's widow and the conservative group's new leader — said she would instead meet with Owens privately on Monday.

Why it matters: Owens' increasingly conspiratorial claims about Kirk's killing have become one of the most radioactive flashpoints in MAGA's sprawling civil war.

The mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, prompted police in New York and Los Angeles to step up security protections for the first night of the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah on Sunday.

The big picture: While there were no known threats locally, police departments in N.Y. and L.A. announced enhanced protections during Hanukkah celebrations in the wake of the Sydney terrorist attack that killed 15 people as about 1,000 people gathered for a "Chanukah by the Sea" event.