Zelenskyy Thanks Canada

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday confirmed that Canada will give his country a new assistance package after he spoke with European leaders amid peace talks. Bernie Bennett has this report.

VERBATIM:
Zelenskyy stopped in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and thanked Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney for joining him in “speaking with our friends from Europe” about bringing the war between Ukraine and Russia to an end.

Carney told reporters that “a just and lasting peace” needs a “willing Russia.” He condemned Russia’s strikes on Kyiv on Saturday, which killed at least one person and left over 20 people hurt.

Carney announced a further “2.5 billion dollars worth of economic assistance that helps unlock financing from the IMF, World Bank and the Euriopean Bank fro reconstruction and development.”

Bernie Bennett in Washington.

Musk Slams Mamdani for Fire Chief Choice

Tech billionaire Elon Musk slams New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani for appointing a non-firefighter to lead the city’s fire department. Reporter Bernie Bennett has more.

VERBATIM:
The former White House adviser wrote in a post on the social platform X, which he controls, “People will die because of this. Proven experience matters when lives are at stake.”

Despite White House opposition, Mamdani is set to take office in January and has appointed Lillian Bonsignore, a veteran emergency medical services leader, to lead the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY).

Bonsignore, who came out of retirement to accept the post, would be New York’s first openly gay fire commissioner and the second woman to lead the department.

Bernie Bennett reporting.

Christmas Shopping was Different This Year

NEW YORK (AP) – The shopping rush leading up to Christmas is over and in its place, like every year, another has begun as millions of people hunt for post-holiday deals and get in line to return gifts that didn’t fit, or didn’t hit quite right. More from Reporter Bernie Bennett.

VERBATIM:
Holiday spending using cash or cards through Sunday has topped last year’s haul, according to data released this week by Visa’s Consulting & Analytics division and Mastercard SpendingPulse.

But growing unease over the U.S. economy and higher prices have altered the behavior of some Americans. More are hitting thrift stores or other discounters in place of malls, according to data from Placer.ai. The firm tracks people’s movements based on cellphone usage.

And they’re sticking more closely to shopping lists and doing more research before buying.

I’m Bernie Bennett.

California Bullet Train Lawsuit

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – California this week dropped a lawsuit officials filed against the Trump administration over the federal government’s withdrawing of $4 billion for the state’s long-delayed high-speed rail project. Correspondent Bernie Bennett has details.

VERBATIM:
The U.S. Transportation Department slashed funds for the bullet train aimed at connecting San Francisco to Los Angeles in July. The Trump administration has said the California High-Speed Rail Authority had “ no viable plan ” to complete a large segment of the project in the farm-rich Central Valley.

The authority quickly filed a lawsuit, with Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom calling the federal government’s decision “a political stunt to punish California.”

The authority said this week that it would focus on other funding sources to complete the project, which is estimated to cost more than $100 billion.

Bernie Bennett reporting.

Winter Storm Flight Delays

Winter storms caused thousands of flight delays and hundreds of cancellations around the United States Saturday, with travelers warned to expect a second storm ahead of one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
Reporter Bernie Bennett has this story.

VERBATIM:
Friday’s storm is wrapping up in the Northeast, where the National Weather Service issued winter warnings throughout New York and Connecticut. Light snow and wind may persist across the region throughout Saturday, with near or below freezing temperatures in areas like Washington D.C., Pittsburgh, and across the Northeast.

Nearly 800 domestic and international flights in the U.S. had been canceled just before noon on Saturday, with just under 4,000 delays. On Friday, more than 1,700 flights were canceled, with more than 9,000 delays, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware.

Bernie Bennett reporting.

Offshore Wind Project Lawsuit

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) – The developers of a Virginia offshore wind project are asking a federal judge to block a Trump administration order that halted construction of their project, along with four others, over national security concerns.

VERBATIM:
Dominion Energy Virginia said in its lawsuit filed late Tuesday that the government’s order is arbitrary and unconstitutional. The Richmond-based company is developing Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, a project it says is essential to meet dramatically growing energy needs driven by dozens of new data centers. A hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. Monday on Dominion’s request for a temporary restraining order.

California Winter Storm Warning

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Southern California braced Thursday for another powerful storm system that could cause more flooding and mudslides a day after heavy rain and gusty winds were blamed for at least two deaths.

VERBATIM: Forecasters said the region could see its wettest Christmas in years, increasing the risk of debris flows in areas scorched by wildfires in January. Those burn scar zones have been stripped of vegetation by fire and are less able to absorb water.

On Wednesday, a falling tree killed a San Diego man. Farther north, a Sacramento sheriff’s deputy died in what appeared to be a weather-related crash.

San Bernardino County firefighters said they rescued people trapped in cars when mud and debris rushed down a road leading into Wrightwood, a resort town in the San Gabriel Mountains about 80 miles northeast of Los Angeles.

Bernie Bennett reporting.

EU Censorship

BRUSSELS (AP) – The European Union on Wednesday warned that it would take action against any “unjustified measures” after the U.S. State Department barred five Europeans it accuses of pressuring U.S. technology firms to censor or suppress American viewpoints. Details from Correspondent Bernie Bennett.

VERBATIM:
The Europeans were characterized by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as “radical” activists and “weaponized” nongovernmental organizations. They include the former EU commissioner responsible for supervising social media rules, Thierry Breton (TEER-ee breh-TONE).

The European Commission said that it “strongly condemns the U.S. decision to impose travel restrictions” and that it has requested clarification about the move.

Rubio wrote in an X post on Tuesday that “The Trump Administration will no longer tolerate these egregious acts of extraterritorial censorship.”

Bernie Bennett, Washington.

Greta Thunberg Arrested in London

LONDON (AP) – Activist Greta Thunberg was arrested in central London Tuesday while supporting pro-Palestinian activists who are staging a hunger strike. Correspondent Bernie Bennett has detials.

VERBATIM:
The protest group Prisoners for Palestine shared a video showing the 22-year-old Swede holding a sign supporting the hunger strikers and their organization, known as Palestine Action. The British government earlier this year banned Palestine Action as a terrorist organization.

The activists were protesting their imprisonment while awaiting trial on charges related to a series of earlier demonstrations.

Thunberg has repeatedly been fined in Sweden and the U.K. for civil disobedience in connection with protests.

Bernie Bennett reporting.

Bondi Beach Hero

SYDNEY (AP) – A bystander seen in a widely circulated video disarming a gunman during a deadly shooting rampage at a popular Australian beach is being heralded as a hero who saved lives. Reporter Bernie Bennett explains.

VERBATIM:
Video footage posted to social media shows a passerby dressed in a white T-shirt and dark pants crouching behind a parked car before sneaking up behind a gunman, grabbing him and wrestling away his firearm. The bystander then points the weapon at the gunman, who falls to the ground.

The intervention drew wide praise, including from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. New South Wales Premier Chris Minns called it the “most unbelievable scene.”

Minns said in a statement, “A man walking up to a gunman who had fired on the community and single-handedly disarming him, that man is a genuine hero.”

Bernie Bennett reporting.

Hamas Leader Killed

JERUSALEM (AP) – Hamas on Sunday confirmed the death of a top commander in Gaza, a day after Israel said it had killed Raed Saad in a strike outside Gaza City. Reporter Bernie Bennett has detials.

VERBATIM:
The Hamas statement described Saad as the commander of its military manufacturing unit.

Israel had described him as an architect of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war in Gaza, and asserted that he had been “engaged in rebuilding the terrorist organization” in a violation of the ceasefire that took effect two months ago.

Israel said it killed Saad after an explosive device detonated and wounded two soldiers in the territory’s south.

Hamas also said it had named a new commander but did not give details, adding that it had the right to “respond to the occupation’s aggression.”

Bernie Bennett reporting.

Conservative Wins in Chile Election

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) – Chile’s governing coalition candidate concedes defeat to ultra-conservative José Antonio Kast in their presidential election. Bernie Bennett has this report.
VERBATIM:
Chile’s conservative opposition candidate, José Antonio Kast, has secured a thumping victory in the presidential runoff election. He defeated the candidate of the left-wing governing coalition by over 15 percentage points on Sunday.

According to electoral results with over 95% of the vote counted, Kast won more than 58% of the vote as Chilean voters overwhelmingly embraced his pledge to crack down on increased crime, deport hundreds of thousands of immigrants without legal status and revive the sluggish economy of one of Latin America’s most stable and prosperous nations.

Bernie Bennett reporting.

House Republicans Vote on Health Care

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Senate failed to get anywhere on the health care issue this week. Now it’s the House’s turn to show what it can do. Correspondent Bernie Bennet has details.

VERBATIM:
Speaker Mike Johnson unveiled a Republican alternative late Friday, a last-minute sprint as his party refuses to extend the enhanced tax subsidies for those who buy policies through the Affordable Care Act, also called Obamacare, which are expiring at the end of the year. Democrats say those subsidies help lower the cost of coverage.

Johnson said in a statement announcing the package, “House Republicans are tackling the real drivers of health care costs to provide affordable care.” The Speaker said it would be voted on this week.

Bernie Bennett, Washington.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – A shooter dressed in black killed at least two people and wounded eight others at Brown University on Saturday during final exams on the Ivy League campus, authorities said, as police searched for the suspect. Reporter Bernie Bennett has this developing story.

(POSSIBLE OUTCUE:
President Donald Trump told reporters that he had been briefed on the shooting and “all we can do right now is pray for the victims.”)

VERBATIM:
The Ivy League school in Providence, Rhode Island, issued an active shooter alert and urged students and staff to take shelter Saturday, the second day of final exams.

Police say the suspect is a male in dark clothing who was last seen leaving the building. Police did not immediately release details about the victims’ conditions.

Mayor Brett Smiley agencies across the region are helping with the investigation.

BROWN UPDATE-smiey-a1-SATpm (:15)

Bernie Bennett reporting.

White House Brokers Ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand

President Donald Trump said Friday that Thai and Cambodian leaders have agreed to renew a truce after days of deadly clashes had threatened to undo a ceasefire the U.S. administration had helped broker earlier this year.

VERBATIM:
President Trump announced the agreement to restart the ceasefire in a social media posting following calls with the Prime Ministers of Thaliand and Cambodia.

The Republican President said that Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim played an important role in helping him push Thailand and Cambodia to once again agree to cease fighting.

The original ceasefire in July was brokered by Malaysia and pushed through by pressure from Mr. Trump, who threatened to withhold trade privileges unless Thailand and Cambodia agreed. It was formalized in more detail in October at a regional meeting in Malaysia that Trump attended.

Bernie Bennett, Washington.

Treasury Department Looks into Fraud in Minnesota

WASHINGTON (AP) – Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Friday his Department is targeting businesses that people use to wire money to family members abroad as the Trump administration rachets up investigations into fraud within Minnesota’s Somali community. Details from Correspondent Bernie Bennett.

VERBATIM:
President Donald Trump has targeted the Somalian diaspora in Minnesota with immigration enforcement actions and has made a series of disparaging comments about the community. He has said the state is “a hub of fraudulent money laundering activity.”

The new action was prompted in part by a series of fraud cases, including a nonprofit called Feeding Our Future accused of stealing pandemic aid meant for school meals. Prosecutors have put the losses from that case at $300 million.

Bessent has pointed to a report by conservative news outlet City Journal, which claimed that taxpayer dollars from defrauded government programs flowed to al-Shabab, an al-Qaida-linked militant group that controls parts of Somalia.

Bernie Bennett, Washington.

ACLU Sues Trump Administration on Venezuela Boat Strikes

The Trump administration is facing a lawsuit seeking the immediate release of a memo providing the legal justification for U.S. military strikes on drug boats. Reporter Bernie Bennett has more.

VERBATIM:
The lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation and the Center for Constitutional Rights. The Department of Justice, including its Office of Legal Counsel, Department of State and the Department of Defense, now named the Department of War, are listed as defendants.

In the lawsuit, the ACLU said it was “seeking the immediate release of a legal opinion authored by the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), a component of the Department of Justice (DOJ), concerning the U.S. military’s authority to carry out lethal strikes on civilians in boats that the U.S. government asserts are carrying drugs.”

Bernie Bennett in Washington.

Supreme Court May Expand Presidential Control

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court seems likely to expand presidential control over independent federal agencies, signaling support for President Donald Trump’s firing of board members. Bernie Bennett has details.

VERBATIM: The court’s conservative majority suggested it would overturn a unanimous 90-year-old decision that has limited when presidents can fire agencies’ board members, or leave it with only its shell intact.

Chief Justice John Roberts referred to the decision known as Humphrey’s Executor as “a dry husk.”

Liberal justices warned that the decision sought by the administration would concentrate vast power in the president’s hands, robbing the agencies of expertise.

Solicitor General D. John Sauer defended Trump’s decision to fire Federal Trade Commission member Rebecca Slaughter without cause and called on the court to jettison Humphrey’s Executor.

Bernie Bennett in Washington.

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Texas Democrat Jasmine Crockett Runs for Senate

Democrat Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett launched a campaign Monday for the U.S. Senate in Texas, bringing national attention to a race that may be critical to Democrats’ hopes of reclaiming a Senate majority in next year’s midterm elections. More on this from Correspndent Bernie Bennett.

VERBATIM:
Crockett, one of Congress’ most outspoken Democrats and a frequent target of GOP attacks, jumped into the race on the final day of qualifying in Texas. She is seeking the Senate seat held by Republican John Cornyn, who is running for reelection in the GOP-dominated state.

Democrats need a net gain of four Senate seats to wrest control from Republicans next November, when most of the seats up for reelection are in states like Texas that President Donald Trump won last year. Democrats have long hoped to make Texas more competitive after decades of Republican dominance.

Bernie Bennett reporting.

President Trump Invites National Guard Parents to White House

President Donald Trump on Sunday said he’s invited the family of a National Guard member fatally shot last week to the White House, saying he spoke to her parents and they were “devastated.” Reporter Bernie Bennett has details.

VERBATIM:
U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom died after the shooting on Wednesday in Washington, D.C., while her seriously injured colleague, U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, remained in critical condition.

The president said Sunday he’s discussed a White House visit for the parents of both members of the West Virginia National Guard. Both were deployed as part of Mr. Trump’s crime-fighting mission that federalized D.C. police.

In recent days, local vigils in West Virginia have honored the soldiers, including one Saturday evening at Webster County High School, where Beckstrom attended classes.

Bernie Bennett, Washington.

Republican Troy Nehls Retiring from Congress

Republican U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas announced Saturday that he will retire from Congress after his term ends in 2026 to focus on family. Reporter Bernie Bennett has details.

VERBATIM:
The Texas Republican is a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump. He said on the social platform X that he called the President to inform him of his plans. Nehls added that he was endorsing his twin brother to succeed him in Congress.

Trever Nehls said on Facebook that he would run for the seat and “stand shoulder-to-shoulder with President Trump.” Troy Nehls entered Congress in 2021 after about three decades in law enforcement and more than two decades in the Army Reserve.

Bernie Bennett reporting.

Netanyahu Asks for a Pardon

TEL AVIV (AP) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday asked the country’s president to grant him a pardon from corruption charges, seeking to end a long-running trial that has bitterly divided the nation. Details from Correspondent Bernie Bennett.

VERBATIM:
Netanyahu said the request would help unify the country at a time of momentous change in the region. But it immediately triggered denunciations from opponents, who said a pardon would weaken democratic institutions and send a dangerous message that he’s above the rule of law.

The prime minister’s office said in a statement that Netanyahu had submitted a request for a pardon to the legal department of the Office of the President, His office called it an “extraordinary request,” carrying with it “significant implications.”

The request comes weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump publicly urged Israel to pardon Netanyahu, turning to President Isaac Herzog during his speech to Israel’s parliament last month.

Bernie Bennett reporting.

Trump Wants Normalized Relations Between Israel and Saudi Arabia

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump has not been subtle about how badly he wants to see Saudi Arabia and Israel normalize relations. Correspondent Bernie Bennett has details.

VERBATIM:
The President has talked up his push to extend his first term Abraham Accords – the project that formalized commercial and diplomatic ties between Israel and a trio of Arab nations – as key to his plan for bringing long-term stability to the Middle East as the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza continues to hold.

The normalization push is expected to be high on the agenda when Mr. Trump hosts Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday for talks during a pomp-filled White House visit.

Bernie Bennett, Washington.

Border Patrol Arrests in North Carolina

A top Border Patrol commander touted dozens of arrests in North Carolina’s largest city on Sunday as Charlotte residents reported encounters with federal immigration agents near churches, apartment complexes and stores. Reporter Bernie Bennett has details.

VERBATIM:
The Trump administration has made the Democratic city of about 950,000 people its latest target for an immigration enforcement surge it says will combat crime, despite fierce objections from local leaders and downtrending crime rates.

Gregory Bovino, who led hundreds of U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents in a similar effort in Chicago, took to X to document a few of the more than 80 arrests he said agents had made.

Bovino, head of a Border Patrol sector in El Centro, California, and other Trump administration officials have called their actions appropriate for growing threats on enforcement agents.

Bernie Bennett reporting.