Jane Harman, Fmr. US Representative (D-CA) and House Intelligence Committee Fmr. Ranking Member, says she is pessimist because I don’t see that Putin will be satisfied with this deal. She speaks with Joe Mathieu on “Balance of Power.” (Source: Bloomberg)
John Herbst, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine and senior director at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, says negotiations between the U.S. and Ukraine have made progress, but notes that Vladimir Putin has rejected every proposal so far. Speaking with Joe Mathieu on "Balance of Power," Herbst adds that China is closely watching the war and does not want Putin to lose. (Source: Bloomberg)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he expects to meet with US President Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday in pursuit of a deal to end Russia’s nearly four-year invasion, though the latest comments from Moscow raise doubts about how close a final agreement really is.
After the US warned that more strikes may follow its surprise Christmas Day attack on suspected terrorist targets in Nigeria, officials in the West African nation suggested they’d be open to continued intervention.
The former head of Brazil’s federal highway police under Jair Bolsonaro was arrested Friday in Paraguay while attempting to board a flight to El Salvador, after breaking the court-ordered electronic ankle monitor he was wearing, according to the Federal Police.
Donald Trump’s pardon of Juan Orlando Hernández, the former president of Honduras, toppled the capstone of one of the most ambitious narcotics investigations in the history of the Department of Justice.
Israel became the first country to recognize Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, giving it a new partner on the strategic Red Sea coast.
Lebanon’s cabinet approved a proposed law allowing some depositors to recover funds trapped in the banking system for years, a key step toward untangling the financial troubles immersing the Middle East’s most-indebted nation.
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, already jailed for his role in the 1MDB scandal, faces another 15 years in prison and a fine of 11.4 billion ringgit ($2.8 billion) after being convicted of abuse of power and money laundering in connection with the failed state-run fund.
Turkey is planning modest tax increases on key goods and services, including motor fuel, in 2026, the latest step in the government’s efforts to help the central bank rein in inflation.
