National Guard shooting suspect could face death penalty

Trump criticizes late night TV shows, threatens broadcast licenses

Gas prices at lowest level this year — in time for Christmas travel

Gas prices are at their lowest level of the year — just in time for Christmas travel. With millions of Americans driving over the river and through the woods to celebrate Christmas with family and friends, the price of gasoline in December is at a five-year low. It’s currently the cheapest it’s been all this year. Triple-A says the national average for unleaded gasoline has stayed below the 3-dollar mark since December 2nd. And that’s something the Trump White House has been touting on social media the past few days.

In a holiday gift, Trump gives federal workers 2 extra days off

For most federal workers, Christmas Eve is the start of an extra-long holiday weekend. On at least two occasions this year, the president complained on social media that there are too many holidays on the calendar. But that didn’t stop him from delivering a Christmas gift to most federal workers. Last week, he signed an executive order closing most federal offices on December 24th and 26th, giving employees in federal agencies three days off for Christmas, plus the upcoming weekend.

Former GOP Senator Sasse has advanced pancreatic cancer

Former Republican Senator Ben Sasse has terminal cancer. The former lawmaker from Nebraska announced that he’s been diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer. Sasse, who is 53 years old, wrote a bleak social media post saying he is “gonna die.” But he also said, quote, “I’m not going down without a fight.” Sasse was first elected to the Senate in 2014 and won reelection in 2020 before resigning in 2023 to serve as president of the University of Florida.

New batch of documents show Trump flew on Epstein’s plane

The Justice Department has released another batch of documents about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The newly released files show that President Trump flew on Epstein’s private jet eight times during the 1990’s. According to an email from a New York prosecutor, that was “many more times than previously has been reported.” The document contradicts a 2024 social media post from Donald Trump that said he “was never on Epstein’s plane.” In a statement, the Justice Department said “some of these documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims made against President Trump.”

Trump revisits idea of U.S. taking control of Greenland

President Trump is talking again about the United States taking over Greenland, which is a territory belonging to Denmark. He says the U-S needs it and he hasn’t ruled out military force to take control of it. Over the weekend, the president announced the appointment of Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as a special envoy to Greenland. In response, the leaders of Denmark and Greenland demanded respect for their territorial integrity.

Trump delivers fresh warning to Venezuela’s Maduro

President Trump delivered a fresh warning to Venezuelan President Maduro. As the U.S. Coast Guard steps up efforts to interdict oil tankers in the Caribbean Sea, the president increased his rhetoric toward Maduro. The White House says it is targeting tankers flying under a false flag. The president also repeated his threat of U-S forces conducting land strikes in Venezuela against drug traffickers.

Trump announces plans to build new fleet of Navy battleships

President Trump has announced plans to build a new fleet of U-S battleships. Joined by the Secretaries of Defense, State, and Navy, the president said the two new battleships will be known as the “Golden Fleet.” He said production of the two ships will begin immediately and that the new cutting-edge vessels will help maintain American military supremacy and revive the shipbuilding industry.

Trump administration sues Wash. DC over its gun laws

The Trump administration is suing the local government of Washington, D.C., over its gun laws. In the lawsuit, the administration alleges that the District of Columbia’s restrictions on certain semiautomatic weapons run afoul of Second Amendment rights. The Justice Department asserts that the District is imposing unconstitutional bans on AR-15s and other semiautomatic weapons. It’s the latest clash between DC and President Trump, who dispatched troops to the nation’s capital over the summer to fight crime.

Trump pauses 5 large-scale offshore wind projects

Justice Dept defends partial release of Epstein files

The Justice Department is defending its handling of the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. The DOJ was required to release all the files by last Friday. But Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche defends the decision to release just a fraction of them. He told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that his department was obligated to act with caution and eventually will release all of the thousands of documents. But Democrats and other critics are not satisfied, accusing the Trump administration of trying to hide information.

White House cities “constructive” Russia-Ukraine talks

The Trump administration says it held “productive and constructive” weekend talks about ending the Russia Ukraine war. That was the assessment from White House envoy Steve Witkoff, who met in Florida with Ukrainian and European representatives to end the nearly four-year war. Ukraine’s president also pointed to progress, saying all sides were moving “quickly.” Although just last week, President Zelensky said he didn’t think Russia’s Vladimir Putin wants peace.

Trump recalls more than two dozen U.S. ambassadors, diplomats

President Trump is recalling more than two dozen career ambassadors and other diplomats. The chiefs of mission in at least 29 countries have been informed that their tenures would end in January. All of them had taken up their posts in the Biden administration but had survived an initial purge in the early months of Donald Trump’s second term that targeted mainly political appointees.Two State Department officials said those affected by the shake-up are not losing their foreign service jobs, but will be returning to Washington for other assignments.

Nebraska to be first state implement new Medicaid work requirements

Nebraska will become the first state to implement new work requirements for some people with Medicaid health insurance. Nebraska’s Republican governor announced that the requirement would take effect in the state May 1 and could impact about 30-thousand people who have slightly higher incomes than traditional Medicaid beneficiaries. The law, signed by President Trump earlier this year, mandates that people ages 19 to 64 who have Medicaid coverage work or perform community service at least 80 hours a month or be enrolled in school at least half-time to receive and keep coverage. GC, Wash.

The FBI’s No. 2 official will be stepping down in January

There will be a high-level leadership change at the FBI next month. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino’s planned resignation in January would be among the highest-profile departures of the Trump administration. The president suggested Bongino would return to his prior role as a popular podcast host. Bongino was an unconventional pick to be the FBI’s second-in-command. Though he had previously worked as a New York City police officer and Secret Service agent, he had no prior experience at the bureau.

Trump vows “serious retaliation” against ISIS terrorists in Syria

President Trump is putting Islamic State terrorists on notice. The president has announced, what he’s calling, a “very serious retaliation” campaign against ISIS strongholds in Syria. Writing on his social media platform, he warned terrorists who attack Americans that “you will be hit harder than you have ever been hit before.” His comments came as the Pentagon launched dozens of military strikes against the Islamic State following last weekend’s ambush killings of three Americans in Syria.

Trump skewers past presidents in expanded Walk of Fame gallery

New plaques are on display under presidential portraits that Donald Trump has installed at the White House. It’s called the Presidential Walk of Fame — a long wall facing the Rose Garden that now features framed portraits of every U-S president. Plaques describing each president are the latest addition to the display and several of them include partisan criticism. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says the descriptions were “eloquently written,” many by Donald Trump. His immediate predecessor is mocked as “Sleepy Joe Biden” and referred to as “the worst president in American history.” And President Barack Obama is described as “one of the most divisive political figures in American history.”

Trump clamps down on visa lottery program after Brown University shootings

The Trump administration is clamping down on a visa program after the deadly attack at Brown University. The Department of Homeland Security announced a pause in the processing of diversity lottery applications after the suspect in the Brown University shootings was linked to visa program. The gunman, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot, was a Portuguese national who obtained permanent residence via the diversity visa lottery program. Halting the applications was presented as keeping Americans safe, but critics said the Trump administration is using the attack to achieve a broader goal of reducing legal immigration.

U.S. military launched retaliatory strikes against ISIS fighters in Syria

The United States has launched a military operation in Syria against ISIS fighters. The military action follows the deaths of three U-S citizens in an ambush attack almost a week ago. Announcing the operation, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said “This is not the beginning of a war — it is a declaration of vengeance.” One U-S official described it as “a large-scale” strike that targeted multiple locations and concentrated areas across central Syria that had Islamic State group infrastructure and weapons. Another U.S. official said more strikes should be expected.

Stefanik ends NY Gov. campaign, won’t seek reelection to Congress

Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik is suspending her campaign for New York governor and will not seek reelection to Congress. Announcing her abrupt departure, Stefanik said she was confident of her chances in the GOP primary for governor. But she said, “It is not an effective use of our time” to stay in the race, and that she instead wants to spend more time with her young son and family. Stefanik was set to have a tough race against Bruce Blakeman, a county official in New York City’s suburbs. President Trump praised her online, saying Stefanik is a “fantastic person and congresswoman.” GC, Wash.

Trump’s board votes to add Trump’s name to DC’s Kennedy Center

Washington, DC’s performing arts center is getting a new name. On several occasions this year, President Trump joked about adding his name to the Kennedy Center. But now, the name change is happening. The president’s hand-picked board has voted to rename it the Trump Kennedy Center. Democrats say only Congress has the power to change the name and that the board, which is chaired by Donald Trump, had overstepped its legal authority. Some members of the Kennedy family call the move unacceptable.

Judge orders rehiring of feds fired during gov’t shutdown

Some fired federal workers are a step closer to getting their jobs back. A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to reinstate roughly 300 federal workers it fired during the government shutdown. But she put the ruling on hold to allow an appeal from the administration. The judge said the funding bill that ended the shutdown required the government to reinstate the employees and refrain from firing any more workers until the end of January.

FBI Deputy Director Bongino to resign next month