Axios

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had a "very good" Christmas Day call with Trump advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on ending the Russia-Ukraine war, per a post to X Thursday that Kushner reposted.

The big picture: Zelensky, President Trump's son-in-law Kushner and Witkoff discussed "new ideas in terms of formats, meetings, and, of course, timing on how to bring a real peace closer," the Ukrainian leader said in a video address to his nation later Thursday that was posted to his social media channels.

Jimmy Kimmel used his Christmas Day message to U.K. viewers Thursday to declare victory for free speech over President Trump's calls to cancel his talk show.

The big picture: British public broadcaster Channel 4 selects a high-profile figure to deliver an alternative to the British monarch's annual Christmas message — and Kimmel admitted in his that he has "no idea" what's going on in the U.K. but said "tyranny is booming" in the U.S., per a transcript published online.

Nineteen states and D.C. sued Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his health department to block the Trump administration's plan to curb young people's gender-affirming care.

Why it matters: Kennedy announced last week he would stop Medicare and Medicaid payments to any provider offering gender-affirming care to minors, a move the Oregon-led lawsuit says "exceeds the Secretary's authority and violates the Administrative Procedure Act and the Medicare and Medicaid statutes."

Over a million more potential Epstein documents have been handed over to the Department of Justice for review and possible release, the DOJ said Wednesday.

Why it matters: The announcement mid-afternoon on Christmas Eve comes as the DOJ faces scrutiny for not releasing all records related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein before a Dec. 19 congressionally mandated deadline that President Trump signed into law.

President Trump discussed with kids Wednesday Santa Claus' Christmas Eve journey being followed through the North American Aerospace Defense Command's (NORAD) tracking program during calls that were peppered with joviality and banter.

The big picture: First lady Melania Trump also took part in the calls from their home in Palm Beach, Florida, which helped kick off the NORAD Santa-tracking tradition that's now in its 70th year. Less traditional were some of the president's comments to the children during the calls.

Trump-backed Honduras conservative National Party presidential candidate Nasry "Tito" Asfura was declared winner of the country's election on Wednesday.

The big picture: Secretary of State Marco Rubio congratulated Asfura soon after the Honduran National Electoral Council (CNE) announced that he had won the Nov. 30 vote, which was beset by a series of delays that saw technical glitches and allegations of fraud.

A federal judge blocked Trump administration efforts to reallocate Department of Homeland Security counterterrorism and security grants away from states that won't cooperate on the president's immigration enforcement policies.

Why it matters: New York's attorney general called the Trump-appointed judge's ruling that was scathing of the administration a "significant win" for N.Y. and the 10 other Democratic-run states and D.C., which brought the lawsuit.

A federal judge on Tuesday blocked the Trump administration's effort to strip whistleblower attorney Mark Zaid's security clearance.

The big picture: Zaid, who represented a whistleblower whose complaint led to Trump's first impeachment, is one of dozens of people from whom the administration has yanked security clearances in a broader retribution campaign.

It's getting harder to find Rudolph playing reindeer games — and researchers say climate change may be to blame.

The big picture: The declining reindeer population isn't just worrying Santa. They're a crucial part of the life force for communities in Arctic areas, and they promote ecological diversity by feeding on some plants and influencing how others grow.

The Trump administration imposed visa restrictions Tuesday on five Europeans the State Department accused of leading "efforts to coerce American platforms to censor" or "suppress" U.S. viewpoints they oppose.

The big picture: Among those now barred from entering the U.S. is former EU Commissioner Thierry Breton, whom under secretary of state for public diplomacy Sarah Rogers on X called "a mastermind of the Digital Services Act," which imposes requirements on social media platforms, including content moderation.

The U.S. is on pace for the largest one-year drop in murders the nation has ever recorded, according to an analysis by crime stats expert Jeff Asher.

The big picture: The decline in killings is part of a broader decrease in violent crime following the COVID-era spike. Mass killings in the U.S. also fell in 2025, reaching their lowest level since 2006.

The Supreme Court declined Tuesday to let President Trump send National Guard troops to the Chicago area.

Why it matters: The 6-3 ruling in the conservative-majority high court leaves in place a lower court order temporarily barring Trump from deploying the National Guard to Illinois.

The Trump administration estimates it has about one week to go — and as many as 700,000 more pages to review — before it finishes releasing all the Jeffrey Epstein files.

• Meanwhile, they'll lose the PR war, day after day.

Why it matters: No other controversy has sandbagged President Trump and his administration like the Epstein files, the subject of a rare revolt by congressional Republicans and endless guilt-by-association news stories and social media commentary.