December 12, 2024

UKRAINE | Today is day 1022 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• U.S. Department of Defense officials say intelligence indicates that Russia could be planning a second use of its new Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile against Ukraine in the near future. [more]
• Reports say Russian forces have intensified attempts to take the eastern Ukraine city of Pokrovsk, with some 40 attempts to storm Ukrainian defenses around the city having taken place in the past 24 hours. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | According to Labor Department data released this week, consumer inflation in the U.S. rose at a 2.7% annualized rate in November – up from 2.6% in October – while wholesale inflation, which measures prices before they reach consumers, were up 3% in November, compared to the year-ago-period. [more]

U.S. PRESIDENTIAL PARDONS | In the largest single-day act of presidential clemency in modern U.S. history, President Joe Biden today commuted the sentences of some 1,500 people released from prison and placed on home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic and pardoned 39 people convicted of non-violent crimes. [more]

U.S. FBI | FBI Director Christopher Wray said yesterday that he plans to resign at the end of President Joe Biden’s term in office in January. The resignation will come about three years ahead of Wray’s completion of a normal 10-year director term and follows President-elect Donald Trump’s announcement of loyalist Kash Patel as his pick to lead the Bureau. [more]

MONTANA | State Supreme Court justices in Montana unanimously agreed yesterday with a lower court ruling that found the state’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors likely violates the state constitution and said the ban would remain blocked while related court challenges play out. [more]

PERSON OF THE YEAR | Time magazine has named U.S. President-elect Donald Trump the publication’s Person of the Year, with editor-in-chief Sam Jacobs saying Trump's historic political comeback was the largest influence on U.S. news in 2024. [more]

U.S. INAUGURATION | In a move widely seen as part of CEO Mark Zuckerberg's hopes to improve relations with the incoming president, Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta confirmed yesterday that it has donated $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump's inaugural fund. [more]

U.S. AND CANADA | Following a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other provincial premiers, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said yesterday that his province’s energy exports to the U.S. will be cut off if incoming U.S. President Donald Trump follows through with threats to impose a 25% tariff on all Canadian products entering the United States. Reports note that about 60% of U.S. crude oil imports and 85% of electricity imports are provided by Canada. [more]

U.S. AND CHINA | Amidst ongoing trade tensions between the U.S. and China, the U.S. Trade Representative’s office announced today that tariffs on Chinese-made solar wafers and polysilicon will increase from 25% to 50% beginning January 1. U.S. trade officials say the move is part of efforts to protect U.S. clean energy businesses from unfair subsidy practices in China. [more]

INTERNATIONAL CRISES | The New York-based International Rescue Committee aid organization says Sudan tops its 2025 watchlist for global humanitarian crises, followed by Gaza and the West Bank, Myanmar, Syria, South Sudan, Lebanon, Burkina Faso, Haiti, Mali, and Somalia. [press release] [more]

E.U. BORDERS | The European Union today approved full membership for Romania and Bulgaria in the Union’s Schengen Area. The countries’ full incorporation into the ID-check-free travel zone will take effect January 1. [more]

CANADA | In its fifth annual report since euthanasia, or medical assistance in dying, was legalized in Canada, Health Canada says the practice accounted for 4.7% of deaths in the country in 2023. [full report] [more]

U.K. | Citing the potential of unacceptable safety risks associated with the medications, the U.K. government announced an indefinite ban yesterday on prescribing puberty blockers for minors with gender dysphoria. The decision on the ban is due to be revisited in 2027. [more]

CONGO | World Health Organization officials say a mystery disease that was detected in more than 400 people in recent weeks and was linked to at least 31 deaths may actually be malaria. Further analysis of disease samples is planned and researchers note the possibility of more than one underlying disease being involved in the cases. [more]

SOUTH KOREA | IN a televised speech today, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol defended his short-lived imposition of martial law last week and vowed to fight attempts to impeach him over the move. [more]

SOCCER | World soccer governing body FIFA formally announced the hosts of the 2030 and 2034 men's World Cups yesterday. Spain, Portugal, and Morocco will co-host the 2030 competition, with Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay each getting one of that year’s 104 games, while Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 tournament. [more]

COLLEGE FOOTBALL | The University of North Carolina has announced six-time NFL Super Bowl-winning head coach Bill Belichick as the school’s next football coach. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 2015, nearly 200 nations meeting in Paris adopted a landmark climate change agreement aimed at limiting greenhouse gas emissions. The accord effectively replaced the Kyoto Protocol. [more history]