Early Edition: December 3, 2025

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A curated guide to major news and developments over the weekend. Here’s today’s news:

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR – INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE

A five-hour meeting yesterday between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner concluded without reaching an agreement to end the war in Ukraine. Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters after the meeting that it had been “useful, constructive, and meaningful,” but clarified that no compromise on the issue of territorial control had been reached, without which, the Kremlin sees “no resolution to the crisis.” Barak Ravid reports for Axios; Lorne Cooke and Illia Novikov report for AP News.

Ahead of yesterday’s meeting, Putin accused European leaders of trying to sabotage peace efforts, calling recent proposed changes to the U.S. peace plan for Ukraine “totally unacceptable.” “We do not plan to fight Europe…But if Europe wants to fight us, and starts it, then we’re ready now,” Putin said. Matthew Luxmoore and Robbie Garner report for the Wall Street Journal.

Ukrainian and European officials today accused Putin of faking interest in peace efforts after his meeting with U.S. envoys last night. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Putin should “stop wasting the world’s time.” U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the Russian leaders “should end the bluster and bloodshed and be ready to come to the table and to support a just and lasting peace.” Lorne Cooke and Illia Novikov report for AP News.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte yesterday brushed off concerns about Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s planned absence from the NATO meeting in Brussels today, adding “I totally accept him not being able to be here tomorrow, and I would not read anything into it.” Lorne Cook reports for AP News.

Belgium Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot today declared that the European Commission’s legal proposal on how to use Russian frozen assets held in a Belgian financial institution to channel €140 billion into Ukraine falls short of Belgium’s requirements. “We have the frustrating feeling of not having been heard. Our concerns are being downplayed,” Prevot told reporters. Julia Payne, Lili Bayer, and Andrew Gray report for Reuters.

U.S. CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC OPERATIONS

The family of Colombian fisherman Alejandro Carranza yesterday filed a petition with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights alleging that Carranza was killed by a U.S. strike on his boat in the Caribbean on Sept. 15. The family’s lawyer, Dan Kovalik, told CNN that they are seeking compensation and an end to such killings, but did not elaborate on how those demands would be met. The complaint names Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as the perpetrator, saying he “was responsible for ordering the bombing of boats like those of Alejandro Carranza Medina and the murder of all those on such boats,” adding that Hegseth’s conduct was “ratified” by President Trump. Mauricio Torres and Michael Rios report.

Hegseth said yesterday in a Cabinet meeting that he watched the first strike on an alleged drug vessel live on Sept. 2, but that he did not “personally see survivors” after the initial strike on the boat that was later hit with a subsequent strike. Hegseth said he left and only learnt hours later that Adm. Frank Bradley made the call for a second strike in order to sink the boat. Later in the meeting, Hegseth added, “we’ve only just begun striking narco-boats and putting narco-terrorists at the bottom of the ocean.” Avery Lotz and Josephine Walker report for Axios.

Adm. Bradley will face questions on the Sept. 2 strikes in the Caribbean and subsequent attacks on purported drug vessels on Thursday in closed-door sessions with bipartisan lawmakers. Helene Cooper and Josh Ismay report for the  New York Times.

The Venezuelan Transportation Ministry said yesterday that it had approved a request from the United States “to restart migrant repatriation flights” to Venezuela, days after Trump declared Venezuelan airspace as “closed in its entirety.” Simon Romero reports for the New York Times.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) yesterday announced in a joint statement that “should a strike occur [inside Venezuela], we will call up a War Powers Resolution to force a debate and a vote in Congress.” Three House lawmakers also filed their own resolution yesterday that would block the Trump administration from engaging in hostilities against Venezuela without congressional authorization. Patricia Zengerle reports for Reuters.

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – CEASEFIRE

The Rafah crossing will open in the next few days and will be coordinated with Egypt, under the supervision of the EU mission, according to COGAT, the Israeli army unit responsible for facilitating aid to Gaza. Maayan Lubell and Nidal Al-Mughrabi report for Reuters.

Israeli forensic services concluded that remains handed over by Hamas yesterday were not those of either of the last two hostages in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said. Alexander Cornwell and Maayan Lubell report for Reuters.

SUDANESE CIVIL WAR

Amnesty International yesterday published a report accusing the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces paramilitary of committing war crimes during its attack in April on the Zamzam camp, Sudan’s largest displacement camp in the Darfur region. The report says that the RSF’s multi-day attack on Zamzam involved killings of civilians, hostage taking, and the destruction of mosques, schools and health clinics. Sam Magdy reports for AP News.

OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS

Representatives from all 15 member states of the U.N. Security Council are set to travel today for a four-day trip to Syria and Lebanon. Members of the Council will meet with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus. In Lebanon, they will meet with the president, the prime minister and the Shiite speaker of Parliament, and travel south to see UNIFIL’s headquarters and the commander of the armed forces. The Security Council’s last visit to the region was in 2019, when it visited Iraq and Kuwait. Farnaz Fassihi reports for the New York Times.

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s army and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels yesterday accused each other of ceasefire violations, two days before a U.S.-hosted peace agreement is set to be signed. Both sides claim the other is trying to sabotage the Washington and Doha peace processes amid ongoing clashes in South Kivu. Reuters reports.

“In a good spirit and understanding, an agreement can be reached with the Syrians, but we will stand by our principles,” Netanyahu said yesterday. On Monday, Trump said on social media, “It is very important that Israel maintain a strong and true dialogue with Syria, and that nothing takes place that will interfere with Syria’s evolution into a prosperous State.” According to two U.S. officials, during a call between Trump and Netanyahu on Monday, Trump told Netanyahu to “take it easy” on Syria, adding “the new leadership in Syria is trying to make it a better place.” Dov Lieber reports for the Wall Street Journal; Barak Ravid and Marc Caputo report for Axios.

U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Netanyahu on Monday asked Trump for more support in his push for a pardon from Israeli President Isaac Herzog, according to two U.S. officials and an Israeli official. Trump told Netanyahu that he thinks the pardon will work out, but did not commit to any further steps, one U.S. official said. On Gaza, Trump said that Netanyahu should be “a better partner” in implementing the peace agreement, to which Netanyahu said he is doing the best he can. Barak Ravid and Marc Caputo report for Axios.

Trump yesterday signed into law the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, which requires the U.S. State Department to regularly review and update guidelines governing official U.S. interactions with Taiwan. Ben Blanchard reports for Reuters.

U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS

“I don’t want them in our country, I’ll be honest with you…their country is no good for a reason,” Trump said Tuesday in a Cabinet meeting, speaking about immigrants from Somalia. “We’re at a tipping point,” he said, adding that the country would “go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage into our country.” Trump described Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), who came to the United States from Somalia as a refugee and became a citizen 25 years ago, as “garbage.” Omar later said on social media, “[Trump’s] obsession with me is creepy,” “I hope he gets the help he desperately needs.” Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Shawn McCreesh report for the New York Times; Michelle Hackman, Natalie Andrews, and Jack Morphet report for the Wall Street Journal.

The Trump administration is launching an intensive ICE operation this week, primarily targeting undocumented Somali immigrants, in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region, according to an official and documents obtained by the New York Times. The directive came after Trump’s remarks yesterday in the Cabinet meeting and calls for the deployment of ‘strike-teams’, made up of ICE officers, agents and other federal officials. A spokesperson for the Homeland Security Department said in a statement that the department does not discuss the “future of potential operations.” Hamed Aleaziz, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, and Ernesto Londono report.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced yesterday that it has paused all immigration applications filed by individuals from 19 countries it has deemed high risk. The official memorandum outlining the new policy cites the attack on National Guard members in Washington last week and other national security risks as part of the reasoning for this move. Reuters reports; Kelly Kasulis Cho reports for the Washington Post.

The Trump administration is prioritizing the deportation of Afghan nationals who were previously ordered to leave the United States, as part of a broader crackdown since last week’s shooting in Washington, according to documents obtained by the New York Times. A Nov. 29 email from an ICE official to agency field offices said, “It has become vital to review the population of Afghanistan citizens,” tasking agents with “locating and apprehending” more than 1,860 Afghans across the country who had been given final deportation orders but were not currently in detention. Hamed Aleaziz and Nicholas Nehamas report.

U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS

The University of Alabama on Monday suspended a women’s lifestyle magazine and a Black culture and student life magazine, saying they ran afoul of guidance from the Justice Department on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Chris Hippensteel reports for the New York Times.

Trump yesterday asked a federal judge in a court filing to keep Special Counsel Jack Smith’s final report on the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case secret, urging the judge to extend her previous order blocking the Justice Department from releasing the full report. Kyle Cheney reports for POLITICO.

A redacted and unclassified version of the Defense Department’s review of the use of private messaging apps to discuss military operations will be released tomorrow, according to multiple sources. A copy of the report has already been sent to the Senate Armed Services Committee. Hans Nichols and Stephen Neukam report for Axios.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS

The Trump administration last week told Congress that it plans to close Voice of America’s six overseas bureaus and four overseas marketing offices, despite a federal court order from April requiring the broadcaster to maintain robust operations. Minho Kim reports for the New York Times.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said yesterday that the Trump administration will halt SNAP funding for Democratic-led states that refuse to provide federal officials with identifying data on food-stamp recipients, including immigration status. Rollins said her department asked all states to provide their data in February, adding that Republican-led states complied, but California, Minnesota, and New York continue to say no. Josephine Walker reports for Axios.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION

A federal judge yesterday ordered federal immigration officers to stop arresting suspected undocumented migrants in Washington without a warrant unless they could show a flight risk. The judge said that federal law only allows warrantless arrests when officers have probable cause that the person is in the country illegally and is likely to escape before a warrant can be obtained. Hassan Ali Kanu and Kyle Cheney report for POLITICO.

The plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging the tactics of federal immigration agents in the Chicago area withdrew the suit on Tuesday, saying that since the presence of Border Patrol in the city has sharply diminished, there was no need to continue in court. Julie Bosman reports for the New York Times.

Did you miss this? Stay up-to-date with our Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions