Congress now has less that 24 hours to avert the government shutdown as the deadline to pass a new spending bill ends today midnight. President-elect Donald Trump said the pressure is on "whoever is President" while Joe Biden canceled his Christmas trip to Delaware and returned to White House. Vice President Kamala Harris too canceled her Los Angeles trip and will now be in DC.
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Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar warned on Sunday that the Middle East would remain unstable if the Palestinian militant group Hamas remained in power in the Gaza Strip. If the international community wanted a permanent ceasefire, he added, then it must include the dismantling of Hamas as a military power and ruling entity in Gaza.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem experienced a theft in Washington D.C., where her purse was stolen from a restaurant. The purse contained critical items like her driver's license, passport, DHS access badge, and a significant amount of cash. The Secret Service is investigating the incident, reviewing security footage that shows an unidentified man taking the bag.
Russia has intensified its missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, launching 43 missiles and 74 drones targeting western Ukraine. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy condemned the strikes and called for more international security assistance. Meanwhile, Russian forces reportedly captured a village in the Donetsk region amid ongoing conflict.
On his return to the White House, Donald Trump signed orders rolling back climate policies, targeting wind energy, and cutting clean power funding. Despite economic growth in the renewable sector, the EPA revoked $20 billion in green grants, citing alleged fraud. Federal court challenges and economic analyses question the sustainability of Trump's actions.
Former US president Jimmy Carter, who passed away at 100, was noted for his candidness about his 1969 UFO sighting. Despite witnessing an unidentifiable flying object, Carter remained skeptical of extraterrestrial origins and dismissed conspiracy theories. His presidency involved extraordinary instances, including a CIA operation utilizing a psychic.
President Donald Trump has threatened to increase tariffs on Canadian goods after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced 25% duties on US products. Trudeau emphasized Canada as a close ally but issued retaliatory tariffs totaling $155 billion in response to what he described as an unjustified trade war initiated by the US.
Joshua Riibe, a college senior, has returned home after being questioned in the Dominican Republic about the disappearance of University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki, who is believed to have drowned. Authorities cleared Riibe of any wrongdoing, and Konanki's parents have accepted her tragic fate.
China conducted its largest military drills in 30 years from December 6-12, 2024, aiming to blockade Taiwan and deter US intervention. The exercises involved 18 warships east of the first island chain and over 60 PLA-Navy vessels, 30 China Coast guard ships, and 134 aircraft. Using anti-access/area denial (A2AD) tactics, China practiced restricting US forces, intercepting commercial vessels, and asserting dominance over the region.
Ahead of the much-awaited release of the 80,000 files related to the assassination of John F Kennedy, White House deputy press secretary Harrison Fields teased that Americans are truly going to be shocked by what they see in those files. Without revealing about the content, he said "there will be a story to tell" once the documents become public.
A United Airlines flight, en route from Denver to Edmonton, was compelled to make an emergency return to Denver due to an engine fire shortly after takeoff. Preliminary reports suggest the fire was triggered by the engine ingesting an animal, possibly a rabbit.