Missiles target Kyiv and injure 5 as Ukraine prepares for talks with Russia and the US
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Missile explosions have struck Kyiv, injuring at least five people, as Ukraine prepares for new talks with Russia and the United States. Negotiators from the three countries are set to meet Tuesday in Abu Dhabi to discuss ending the war. This will be the fourth round of negotiations brokered by the Trump administration. Western governments are seeking a new formula to break the impasse, though territorial and security issues remain unresolved. The missile also closed traffic on a Kyiv bridge and caused power and water outages. Meanwhile, recovery efforts continue in Komyshuvakha after a deadly attack there killed at least 55 people.
Stephen Miller replaces Susie Wiles as Trump's White House chief of staff after GOP's midterm defeat
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles, is stepping down and will be replaced by Stephen Miller, a key member of Trump’s inner circle. Wiles' departure comes after midterm elections that saw major Republican losses. She is Trump’s longest-serving chief of staff and the first woman ever to hold the position. Miller, long a key member of Trump’s inner circle, is a key architect of the administration’s hard-line immigration policies. He is one of Trump’s closest and longest-serving advisers, jumping on board during his long-shot 2016 presidential campaign as a speechwriter.
Trump’s arch is blocked for now, but a glitzy new website highlights the plans
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal court has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump from breaking ground for his towering memorial arch. But that hasn’t stopped his administration from pushing forward with the plans for building it, starting with a glitzy new website launched Friday. The site showcases what it's calling the "Military Triumphal Arch," a 250-foot structure planned between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. The arch is intended to have an event space, storage for munitions and areas for snipers. Trump's renovation projects face more scrutiny now as Democrats take control of Congress in January.
2 Justice Department officials resign, including US attorney who oversaw 'grand conspiracy' probe
WASHINGTON (AP) — The top federal prosecutor in Miami who had been tasked with overseeing an investigation into foes of President Donald Trump has resigned. Jason Reding Quiñones is the latest high-profile Justice Department official to depart in the wake of the midterm elections. Attorney General Todd Blanche said that the Justice Department’s top national security official, John Eisenberg, also resigned on Friday. Their departures follow Thursday’s announcement of the resignation of Harmeet Dhillon, who led a radical overhaul of the department’s Civil Rights Division.
US continues to generate jobs, yet inflation is eroding the spending power of millions of Americans
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers created a surprising 165,000 new jobs last month, and the unemployment rate dipped to 4.1%. The hiring beat the 65,000 new jobs forecasters had expected. The jobs report comes three days after voters delivered stunning defeat to President Donald Trump and his Republican Party in midterm elections. Frustrated with the state of the economy — and especially the high cost of living – Americans handed full control of Congress to the Democrats.
European flights and broadcasters are targeted with another wave of bomb threats
PRAGUE (AP) — European officials say more bomb threats were made against flights, following a series of hoaxes that have caused flight diversions this week. Three broadcasters also received security threats. No suspicious items have been found, but the threats have raised concern amid other recent disruptions. Denisa Hejtmánková, a spokesperson for Václav Havel Airport in Prague, says nine of the affected flights Friday were coming or going from the Czech capital. French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s office says four bomb threats targeted aircraft over French territory. Hungary's defense minister says military fighter jets escorted three passenger planes through the country's airspace. There were several other threats to flights. It's unclear who is behind the threats.
Ousted Paraguayan president placed under house arrest after bank collapse
ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay (AP) — Paraguay’s ousted president, Santiago Peña, was placed under house arrest on suspicion of breach of trust as prosecutors investigate the collapse of Ueno Bank. On Friday, the Senate removed Peña in a unanimous vote by the 44 senators present, and Vice President Pedro Alliana was sworn in to serve out the term through August 2028. Lawmakers accused Peña of using his influence to direct public funds to Ueno while regulators overlooked risky lending; he denies wrongdoing. Prosecutors also ordered the arrest of former central bank chief Carlos Carvallo, whom Peña appointed. Alliana, too, is under investigation. Public outrage over the scandal has triggered mass protests in recent days.
Houston will limit ICE cooperation in response to Democrats taking power in Texas, mayor says
HOUSTON (AP) — The mayor of Houston says the city will limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities, heralding “a new model” of immigration enforcement after Democrats won power in Texas for the first time in decades.. Mayor John Whitmire said the city would go after immigrants “that pose a danger, not those that are going about their family business, work and education.” Details of the change were to be spelled out in an executive order, but the move by the nation’s fourth-largest city is one of the first steps to curb ICE’s powers since Tuesday’s election.
Cornell faculty vote ‘no confidence’ in university leadership after alleged fraternity gang rape
Cornell University’s Faculty Senate has voted “no confidence” in the school’s leadership over its handling of sexual assault allegations on campus. The move Friday follows a former student’s lawsuit saying she was gang raped at a fraternity house in 2024. The vote followed weeks of debate among professors over whether Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff or other administrators handled the allegations properly and have done enough to combat campus sexual misconduct. The vote of no confidence is largely symbolic, but supporters of the resolution said they hope it will pressure university trustees to address longstanding institutional failures.
Jay Rockefeller, former West Virginia governor and US senator who was part of a dynasty, dies at 89
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Jay Rockefeller, the last member of his family’s political dynasty who served as West Virginia’s governor and later a longtime U.S. senator, has died. He was 89. Rockefeller died Thursday night at his home in Washington. Rockefeller came from one of the nation’s richest families to spend a half century in public service in one of the poorest states. He arrived in 1964 as a worker in an anti-poverty program, was elected governor a dozen years later and served two terms, then spent 30 years as a U.S. senator.
