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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
U.S. and Arab mediators have made some progress on Gaza ceasefire talks but not enough to seal a deal, Palestinian sources said yesterday. Nidal Al-Mughrabi reports for Reuters.
Israel today confirmed it found the body of a second hostage in Gaza yesterday, adding that neither death appeared to be recent. Maytaal Angel reports for Reuters.
The Israeli military this week released a video of the interrogation of an alleged Kamal Adwan Hospital staff member it claimed provided evidence that Hamas uses medical facilities as cover for military activity. Mick Krever reports for CNN.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
The Gaza death toll is likely significantly higher than the figure reported by the territory’s authorities, a study by researchers from a leading U.K. health university found. Sophie Tanno reports for CNN.
Pope Francis yesterday described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as “very serious and shameful” in an annual address to diplomats, stepping up his criticism of Israel’s military campaign there. Joshua McElwee reports for Reuters.
SYRIA — REGIONAL RESPONSE
Arab states and Turkey are jockeying for influence with Syria’s government despite holding misgivings about its Islamist roots, analysts say. Benoit Faucon and Summer Said report for the Wall Street Journal.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
The Biden administration is expected to unveil new sanctions targeting Russia’s economy to bolster Ukraine’s war effort this week, a U.S. official said. Trevor Hunnicutt reports for Reuters.
NATO took over air defenses in Poland from the United States yesterday, the alliance’s spokesperson said, adding that the move is part of a broader effort to shift the responsibility for helping Ukraine to European countries. Oren Liebermann and Natasha Bertrand report for CNN.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
The Lebanese parliament yesterday elected Gen. Joseph Aoun, Beirut’s chief military commander, as president, ending a years-long leadership vacuum. A U.S. official told Axios that the Biden administration and President-elect Trump’s team closely coordinated to push for Aoun’s election. Mohamad El Chamaa and Suzan Haidamous report for the Washington Post; Barak Ravid reports.
Netanyahu will be afforded safe passage to the event marking the 80th anniversary of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp liberation in Poland despite the ICC’s arrest warrant, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said yesterday. In a statement, Tusk’s office said that Warsaw treats “the safe participation of the leaders of Israel” in the ceremony “as part of paying tribute to the Jewish nation.” Seb Starcevic reports for POLITICO.
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was briefly detained yesterday while leaving a protest in Caracas ahead of President Nicolas Maduro’s third inauguration, her first public appearance in months. Machado was forced to record several videos while detained, her Vente Venezuela movement said. Reuters reports.
The chief of South Korea’s presidential security service resigned today, the office of acting President Choi Sang-mok said. Hyunjoo Jin and Jack Kim report for Reuters.
German officials are investigating whether Elon Musk’s hosting of the co-leader of the far-right German Alternative for Germany party on his social media platform could constitute an illegal party donation, a deputy Bundestag spokesperson said. Kate Brady reports for the Washington Post.
Mozambican opposition leader Venâncio Mondlane returned to the country yesterday after a self-imposed exile, greeted by crowds supporting his claim to having won October’s presidential election. John Eligon and Tavares Cebola report for the New York Times.
Médecins Sans Frontières today said it has been forced to suspend its activities at one of the few remaining hospitals in the south of Sudan’s capital due to repeated attacks. Nafisa Eltahir and Emma Farge report for Reuters.
Myanmar’s army airstrike on a village under the control of an armed ethnic minority group killed about 40 people and injured 20 others, officials of the group and a local charity said yesterday. AP News reports.
Guyana yesterday said it would ask the International Court of Justice for provisional measures if Venezuela attempts to elect a governor to rule Guyana’s western Essequibo region, a territory long claimed by Caracas. Bert Wilkinson reports for AP News.
TRUMP LEGAL MATTERS
In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court last night denied Trump’s emergency bid to halt his criminal sentencing in the hush money case scheduled for today, explaining, in a one-page order, that the trial judge stated his intent not to impose jail time or a fine and that Trump could appeal his conviction “in the ordinary course.” Ben Protess, Kate Christobek, and Adam Liptak report for the New York Times.
An appeals court yesterday allowed the Justice Department to release Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report on Trump’s 2020 election interference efforts but left in place the district court injunction barring Attorney General Merrick Garland from releasing the report until at least Sunday, because the government had not yet appealed that injunction. The Justice Department subsequently appealed the injunction late last night. Jeremy Roebuck and Perry Stein report for the Washington Post; Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein report for POLITICO.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and some judicial ethics experts said Justice Samuel Alito should have recused himself from the Supreme Court’s decision on Trump’s sentencing following the phone call between the two men earlier this week. Justin Jouvenal reports for the Washington Post.
PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION AND NEW CONGRESS
Russian President Vladimir Putin “wants to meet” with Trump, the President-elect said yesterday, adding that efforts are underway to set up a meeting. Brett Samuels reports for The Hill.
Trump previewed his plans for 100 executive orders during a Wednesday meeting with Senate Republicans, sources say. Stef W. Kight reports for Axios.
Google donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund on Monday, the company announced yesterday. Steven Overly reports for POLITICO.
OTHER U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
The House yesterday passed legislation to sanction International Criminal Court officials over the court’s decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister. Laura Kelly and Brad Dress report for The Hill.
A federal court yesterday temporarily halted the guilty plea hearings of men accused of masterminding the 9/11 attacks, the first of which was due to take place today, while it considers whether Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin successfully withdrew from the settlement. Carol Rosenberg reports for the New York Times.
The Senate yesterday voted to begin debate on the Laken Riley Act, a Republican-led bill aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration that has garnered significant Democrat support. Sahil Kapur, Ryan Nobles, Julie Tsirkin, and Frank Thorp V report for NBC News.
Asset management firm BlackRock is leaving the Net Zero Asset Managers initiative, the climate group confirmed. A client letter seen by Reuters cited the group’s membership prompting “legal inquiries from various public officials” as one of its reasons for withdrawal. Ross Kerber reports for Reuters.
Vice President-elect JD Vance resigned from the Senate effective today, citing the preparation to assume his duties in the new administration. Julie Carr Smyth reports for AP News.