Early Edition: December 11, 2025

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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the last 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:

U.S. CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC OPERATIONS

“We’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, large tanker, very large, largest one ever, actually, and other things are happening,” President Trump announced yesterday. Asked what would happen with the oil, Trump said: “We keep it, I guess.” British maritime risk management group Vanguard said the tanker, Skipper, was believed to have been seized off Venezuela early on Wednesday. A federal judge issued a seizure warrant around two weeks ago because of the ship’s past activities smuggling Iranian oil, not because of links to the Maduro government, according to a U.S. official. The U.S. imposed sanctions on the tanker in 2022 when it was called the Adisa. Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart, Steve Holland, and Marianna Parraga report for Reuters; Tyler Page, Eric Schmitt, and Nicholas Nehamas report for the New York Times.

“Colombia is producing a lot of drugs,” Trump told reporters yesterday, adding that Colombian President Gustavo Petro “better wise up or he’ll be next. I hope he’s listening, he’s going to be next.” In an interview with POLITICO earlier this week, Trump also talked about expanding his anti-drug trafficking military operation to Mexico and Colombia. Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing report for POLITICO.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR – INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE 

Ukraine’s national security adviser Rustem Umerov yesterday sent Kyiv’s 20-point peace plan response to Jared Kushner, according to Ukrainian and U.S. officials. A Ukrainian official said the response includes new ideas on how to solve sticking points like territory and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, but did not provide further details. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.

Trump yesterday held a conference call with French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to discuss the war in Ukraine, a White House official said. Trump said that they discussed proposals by phone in “pretty strong terms,” adding that Zelenskyy “has to be realistic” about Ukraine’s position on a peace plan that would cede Ukrainian territory to Russia. A spokesperson from Downing Street said, “Intensive work on the peace plan is continuing and will continue in the coming days.” Gregory Svirnovskiy reports for POLITICO; AP News reports.

The United States has set out plans for U.S. financial firms and other businesses to tap roughly $200 billion of frozen Russian assets for Ukraine’s reconstruction, according to appendix documents to the U.S. peace proposals described to the Wall Street Journal. This would involve the same frozen Russian funds that European officials want to use as a loan to Ukraine for weapons and government operations. Another appendix document suggests U.S. companies investing in Russian strategic sectors and helping to restore Russian energy flows to Western Europe. Joe Parkinson, Benoit Faucon, and Drew Hinshaw report.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said yesterday that Ukraine had agreed on points of a post-war reconstruction plan in talks with top U.S. officials, Jared Kushner, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and BlackRock CEO Larry Fink. Ron Popeski and Oleksandr Kozhukhar report for Reuters.

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – CEASEFIRE 

Aid deliveries into Gaza are falling far short of the 600 trucks a day agreed to under the current ceasefire deal, according to an AP News analysis of the Israeli military’s figures. According to COGAT, the Israeli army unit responsible for facilitating aid to Gaza, 25,700 trucks have entered Gaza, which is well under the 33,600 trucks that should have gone in between Oct. 12 and last Sunday. The Israeli figures suggest that an average of 459 trucks a day have entered Gaza since October. In response to AP analysis, COGAT yesterday insisted that the number of trucks entering daily was above the 600 mark but refused to elaborate on why the data does not reflect this. Julia Frankel reports.

Trump said yesterday that the announcement about which world leaders will serve on the Gaza Board of Peace should be made early next year. “It’ll be one of the most legendary boards ever. Everybody wants to be on it,” Trump said. Steve Holland reports for Reuters.

WEST BANK VIOLENCE

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said yesterday that the Higher Planning Council, the body responsible for settlement construction in the occupied West Bank, approved 764 more houses across three Jewish settlements. This decision puts the total of housing units approved in the West Bank since Smotrich assumed his post at 51,370, he said in the statement. Julia Frankel reports for AP News.

OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS 

Thai officials today announced four civilian deaths, as heavy fighting continues along the border with Cambodia. A Thai Army statement said Cambodia launched an attack last night with artillery and mortars against Thai positions, to which the Thai army responded, causing damage and “the destruction of enemy trucks.” A spokesperson for the Cambodian defense ministry today accused Thailand of violating international laws by the use of “all kinds of heavy weapons and the deployment of a large number of troops to encroach the Cambodian territory.” Jerry Harmer and Jintamas Saksornchai report for  AP News.

Myanmar’s military yesterday killed 34 people and injured dozens in an air strike that hit a hospital in an area controlled by the Arakan army, in Rakhine state, according to ground sources. The Arakan Army health department said the strike killed 10 patients on the spot and injured many others. Koh Ewe reports for BBC News.

Rwanda-backed M23 rebels yesterday announced that they had seized the city of Uvira in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). By capturing Uvira, M23 now controls both the North and South Kivu regions of eastern DRC. Saikou Jammeh and Ruth Maclean report for the New York Times.

Venezuela’s Bolivarian National Guard (GNB) has committed serious human rights violations and crimes against humanity since 2014 under Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in its targeting of political opponents, according to a U.N. report published today. “The torture, ill-treatment, and acts of sexual violence we have verified – including assaults and rape – were not isolated incidents. They form part of a pattern of abuse used to punish and break victims,” said Marta Valinas, head of the U.N. fact-finding mission. Olivia Le Poidevin reports for Reuters.

U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Trump administration officials are considering whether to impose terrrorism-related sanctions on the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, according to two sources. It is unclear if the discussions focused on sanctioning the entire agency or specific UNRWA officials, and U.S. officials have not agreed on the precise type of sanction they would deploy. Gram Slattery and Humeyra Pamuk report for Reuters.

The Danish Defense Intelligence Service’s (DDIS) annual threat assessment has described the United States as a potential security risk, highlighting in particular U.S. interest in Greenland. “The United States uses economic power, including threats of high tariffs, to enforce its will, and no longer rules out the use of military force, even against allies,”  the DDIS found in its 2025 report published yesterday. Sanne Wass reports for Bloomberg; Maya Tekeli and Jeffrey Gentleman report for the New York Times.

U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS 

The Trump administration yesterday launched a website that opens up applications for Trump’s “gold card,” an expedited visa that the federal government plans to provide to individuals who pay at least $1 million. According to the website, applicants have to pay a nonrefundable $15,000 processing fee. Madeleine Ngo reports for the New York Times.

ICE told the Freedom of the Press Foundation on Tuesday that it had found “no records responsive to your request” for body camera footage produced during its immigration enforcement operation in Chicago. The assertion contradicts the Trump administration’s court testimony and the fact that it had previously submitted video footage to a judge. Minho Kim reports for the New York Times.

A group of Democratic lawmakers yesterday released a report showing that the Pentagon diverted at least $2 billion from its core missions this year to support the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. John Ismay reports for the New York Times.

The Homeland Security Department recently signed a contract with Daedalus Aviation worth nearly $140 million to purchase six Boeing 737 planes for deportations, which will allow the agency to operate its own fleet, according to officials and documents reviewed by the Washington Post. Marianne LeVine and Jacob Bogage report.

U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS

The House of Representatives yesterday voted 312-112 to approve a $900 billion defense policy. Megan Mineiro reports for the New York Times.

Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) yesterday filed articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kenny Jr. Kennedy “has turned his back on science, on public health, and on the American people – spreading conspiracies and lies, driving up costs, and putting lives at risk,” Stevens said in a statement. Andrew Solender reports for  Axios.

A federal judge yesterday approved the Justice Department’s request to unseal grand jury material in the case of Jeffrey Epstein. This ruling comes after two other federal judges ordered grand jury documents concerning Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to be made public. Erica Orden reports for POLITICO.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DEVELOPMENTS

The Education Department announced on Tuesday a proposed joint settlement agreement with the state of Missouri to terminate Biden’s Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan, which covers over 7 million student loan borrowers. The department said borrowers will have a limited time to find a new payment plan. Arthur Jones II reports for ABC News.

The Trump administration yesterday announced plans to transfer 760 acres of public land in southern California to the U.S. Navy to create a new militarized zone along the U.S.-Mexico border. “By working with the Navy to close long-standing security gaps, we are strengthening national defense, protecting our public lands from unlawful use, and advancing the President’s agenda,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a press release. Rebecca Falconer reports for Axios; CBS News reports.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION 

A federal judge yesterday ordered the Trump administration to immediately end its deployment of California National Guard troops in Los Angeles, ruling that the federal government had illegally kept them in the city six months after protests erupted over immigration raids. The judge directed the federal government to return control of the troops to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), but stayed the order until Monday. The Trump administration is expected to appeal. Lauren Rosenhall reports for the New York Times.

A federal judge yesterday issued a temporary injunction that blocked the Trump administration from enforcing a new regulation that criminalizes “creating a loud or unusual noise” near the ICE detention facility in Oregon. Chris Cameron reports for the New York Times.