President Trump on Tuesday dismissed North Korea's threat of a "Christmas gift" for the U.S., saying the military would “deal with it very successfully," Reuters reports.
Why it matters: North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un said in October that the U.S. had until year’s end to propose new concessions in talks over his country’s nuclear arsenal and warned the U.S. to not ignore the deadline.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is promising supporters that he will convince President Trump to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Jordan Valley and all settlements on the West Bank if he wins Thursday's primary to lead the Likud Party.
Why it matters: Israel's embattled prime minister is facing his first serious challenge from within his party in over a decade. In a video published on social media accounts, he's trying to mobilize support among hardline party members from the settlements.
The world is wondering how Buckingham Palace might characterize this past year in the Queen of England's annual address.
The big picture: Queen Elizabeth II, 93, is facing a politically split nation — and perhaps physically, if the Scots walk. The prime minister is Boris Johnson. A rift between the queen's grandsons Harry and William has been covered all year, and her new granddaughter-in-law Meghan Markle bucks tradition. Her son Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein are caught in a controversial web. And so forth.
Satellite imagery now confirms the construction of a new structure this month at a factory, near Pyongyang, where North Korea manufactures military trucks used as mobile launchers for long-range missiles.
Why it matters,from AP: North Korea has warned that what “Christmas gift” it gives the U.S. depends on what action Washington takes.
