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.
The White House sent a stern private message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressing that the killing of a top Hamas military commander over the weekend constituted a violation of the ceasefire agreement brokered by President Trump, two U.S. officials tell Axios.
Why it matters: The angry message from the White House comes amid growing tensions between the Trump administration and the Netanyahu government around the next phase of the agreement to end the war in Gaza and over Israel's broader regional policy.
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.
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.
Churches across the U.S. and abroad are quietly experimenting with AI-generated Christmas content, from Nativity visuals and kids' lessons to full Christmas Eve sermons.
Why it matters: Christmas services draw some of the year's largest crowds, and churches' growing reliance on AI raises questions about authenticity, reverence, and whether algorithms can handle the faith's deepest themes.
Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza has won the Heisman Trophy, adding to his historic season.
Why it matters: Mendoza is only the third Latino player to win the coveted honor given to college football's best player, but is the first Cuban American to take it.
