Yuri Ushakov, senior adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, told reporters after today’s five-hour meeting at the Kremlin with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner that the talks were “useful, constructive, and meaningful.” However, he noted that no compromise plan for Ukraine has been reached, saying some U.S. proposals remain unacceptable to Russia. Ushakov also stated that there are currently no plans for a second meeting between Presidents Putin and Donald J. Trump.

Photos taken yesterday by a resident of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands show the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) arriving off the coast of Frenchman’s Cove. The visit marks the carrier’s first official port stop during Carrier Strike Group Twelve’s unscheduled deployment to the Caribbean Sea as part of Operation Southern Spear.

These videos showing Iranian command centers being destroyed by the Israelis during the 12-Day War make it clear that the damage inflicted by Israel was far greater than the Iranian regime officially admits.

Russian state media reported earlier today that the M/T MIDVOLGA 2—a Russian-flagged chemical tanker carrying sunflower oil and traveling between Russia and Georgia—was hit this morning by a Ukrainian one-way attack drone while sailing roughly 80 miles off the Turkish coast. However, unlike the recent series of SBU-linked strikes on Russian oil tankers over the past week, Ukraine has denied involvement in this incident.

Despite appeals from senior officials in both Israel and the United States — including a direct request from U.S. President Donald J. Trump — Polymarket bettors remain doubtful that Israeli President Isaac Herzog will grant Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a pardon anytime soon. The market currently gives just a 28% chance that a pardon will be issued before the end of February. In the past 24 hours, Netanyahu formally requested a pardon for the first time, submitting a public letter to Herzog addressing three separate investigations involving bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.

The White House today confirmed reporting last week from The Washington Post, that a second - previously unconfirmed - strike was carried out on a suspected drug trafficking vessel in the Southern Caribbean Sea on September 2, stating that the strike was ordered under the legal authority of Adm. Frank M. Bradley, who at the time was the Commander of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). However, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt denied that a “kill order” was given to military leaders by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Michigan Democratic Rep. Shri Thanedar told Axios he is considering introducing articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth following reports that Hegseth authorized a second strike on survivors of a suspected narco-terrorist vessel in the southern Caribbean in early September. The White House has since partially confirmed the incident but claims the order did not come from Hegseth, asserting instead that it was issued by Adm. Frank M. Bradley, who at the time was the Commander of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC).

Scott Bessent: “The U.S. Treasury is investigating claims that, due to the feckless mismanagement of the Biden Administration and Governor Tim Walz, hardworking Minnesotans’ tax dollars may have been diverted to the terrorist group Al-Shabaab.”

In a 3–0 decision today, the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s ruling that President Donald J. Trump’s July appointment of his former personal lawyer, Alina Habba, as Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey was unlawful. The ruling not only bars Habba from serving even in an acting capacity, but also declares several other Trump-era appointments invalid — including that of Lindsey Halligan. Halligan had previously been named Interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; a judge ruled last month that her appointment was illegal, invalidating cases she had filed against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

ALMA: Lebanon’s institutions are in freefall, and the Lebanese Armed Forces are barely holding together. The military is surviving only through financial support from the United States, Qatar, and France — assistance that pays for salaries, fuel, food, and essential supplies. However, with a predominantly Muslim rank-and-file and significant Hezbollah influence within its structures, the LAF lacks both autonomy and the ability to confront the organization. Foreign funding keeps the army on its feet, but it does not produce a force capable — or willing — to challenge Hezbollah’s power.

NATO may take a more proactive approach in countering Russia’s hybrid warfare, with NATO Military Committee Chair Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone telling the Financial Times that a “pre-emptive strike” could qualify as a “defensive action.”

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has warned OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais that the United States is attempting to seize Venezuela’s oil reserves, alleging that Washington is willing to use lethal military force against the country's territory, citizens, and government.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has warned OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais that the United States is attempting to seize Venezuela’s oil reserves, alleging that Washington is willing to use lethal military force against the country's territory, citizens, and government.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described today’s peace negotiations in Miami between American and Ukrainian officials as “quite productive,” noting that progress was made toward a potential settlement. However, he cautioned that “we still have work to do,” emphasizing that Russia remains the other crucial party in the process. This was the first meeting since the forced resignation of Andriy Yermak — formerly Ukraine’s chief presidential adviser and primary negotiator with the United States — after corruption allegations within the Ukrainian government. In his place, the Ukrainian delegation was headed by Rustem Umerov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council. The team also included: • Olga Stefanishyna, Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States • Oleg Ivashchenko, Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine • Andrii Hnatov, Chief of the General Staff of Ukraine • Vadym Skibitskyi, Deputy Chief of Defense Intelligence • Sergiy Kyslytsia, First Deputy Foreign Minister • Oleksandr Bevz, Adviser to the Presidential Office Representing the United States were Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law.

The Panamanian-flagged, Turkish-owned oil tanker M/T MERSIN — believed to be connected to the Russian Shadow Fleet — is now sinking off the coast of Dakar, Senegal, after reportedly being struck overnight by multiple uncrewed surface vessels. If confirmed, this would mark the third Ukrainian Intelligence–linked attack on a Russia-associated tanker within the past week.

Despite the poor weather, thousands of people lined the streets of Beirut tonight — many holding Lebanese and Vatican flags — to welcome Pope Leo XIV. This marks his first foreign trip, as well as his first visit to Lebanon since becoming pope in May.

Two oil tankers — the M/T KAIROS and M/T VIRAT — reportedly linked to the so-called “Russian Shadow Fleet,” exploded and caught fire earlier today in the southern Black Sea, shortly after traveling north through the Bosphorus Strait in Turkey. The vessels, bound for the Russian port of Novorossiysk from Egypt, are believed to have been struck by Ukrainian uncrewed surface drones and/or naval mines. According to the Turkish Transport Ministry, all crew members were safely evacuated, and both tankers are expected to sink soon.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday defended U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff against claims that he favors Moscow over Kyiv, describing him as “an intelligent man” who accurately represents his nation and president. Putin added that Witkoff is “not overly pro-Russian.”

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in a televised speech: “The resistance movement in the region will continue to grow and must continue generation after generation. Iran stands strong against bullying powers across the world. Such resistance elements are necessary.”

Senior Trump Administration officials believe that the leaked October call between U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Yuri Ushakov—Russian President Vladimir Putin’s top foreign policy adviser—which surfaced yesterday in a Bloomberg report, was likely recorded and passed to the press by a foreign intelligence service. According to the Wall Street Journal, they suspect a European agency intercepted the call by monitoring a phone used by Ushakov.