Good morning.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet the leaders of the UK, France and Germany in London today to discuss the latest US-authored peace proposal aimed at ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Days of negotiations between US and Ukrainian officials ended on Saturday without an apparent breakthrough. The Ukrainian president called the discussions “constructive, although not easy”.
Following the Trump-backed Gaza ceasefire, the US has been working to push through a peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow. US officials claim they are in the final stage of reaching an agreement but there is little sign that either Ukraine or Russia is willing to sign the framework deal drawn up by Trump’s negotiating team.
What has Trump said about the peace proposal? Last night, Donald Trump said Zelenskyy “hasn’t yet read the proposal” and claimed without evidence that “his people love it”.
Israeli surveillance targets US and allies at joint base planning Gaza aid and security, say sources
Israeli operatives are conducting widespread surveillance of US forces and allies stationed at a new US base in the country’s south, according to sources briefed on disputes about open and covert recordings of meetings and discussions.
The scale of intelligence gathering at the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) prompted the US commander of the base, Lt Gen Patrick Frank, to summon an Israeli counterpart for a meeting to tell him that “recording has to stop here”.
Staff and visitors from other countries have also raised concerns about Israel recording inside the CMCC. Some have been told to avoid sharing sensitive information because of the risk it could be collected and exploited.
What has the US military said? The US military declined to comment when asked about Israeli surveillance activities. The Israeli military declined to comment on Frank’s demand to halt recording and noted that conversations inside the CMCC are unclassified.
Republicans in Congress mocked Trump privately, Marjorie Taylor Greene says
Republicans in Congress privately made fun of Donald Trump only to come around to support him when he won their party’s 2024 White House nomination, the outgoing GOP House member Marjorie Taylor Greene said on Sunday.
“I watched many of my colleagues go from making fun of him, making fun of how he talks, making fun of me constantly for supporting him, to when he won the primary in 2024, they all started – excuse my language, Lesley – kissing his ass,” Greene, a Georgia Republican, said in a clip of an interview that is set to air on Sunday on CBS’s 60 Minutes program.
What else did she say? That Republicans don’t criticize Trump in public because they fear being targeted by him: “I think they’re terrified to step out of line and get a nasty Truth Social post on them.”
In other news …
The former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández recently thanked God and Donald Trump – in that order – for Trump’s pardon after a US drug trafficking conviction less than two years earlier.
Thailand has launched airstrikes along its disputed border with Cambodia after both countries accused each other of breaching a ceasefire deal brokered by Trump.
The diplomatic dispute between Japan and China appeared to deepen over the weekend after Chinese military planes were accused of locking their radar on to Japanese fighter jets near the Okinawa islands.
The UAE-backed military leadership in South Yemen has seized power across the south, a move that opens up the possibility that the region will declare independence and return Yemen to being two states for the first time since 1960.
Stat of the day: Trump warns Netflix’s $83bn deal for Warner Bros poses competition concerns
The US president has said there could be competition problems around Netflix’s $83bn (£62bn) deal to buy Warner Brothers’ movie studio and streaming networks. Speaking at an event in Washington DC on Sunday, Trump confirmed he would be involved personally in the decision about whether the government would approve the takeover.
Building power: ‘It becomes my whole job’ – autism advocates fight RFK Jr’s barrage of misinformation
When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) altered its website last month to reflect the belief of the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, in a causal link between vaccines and autism – a claim that has been debunked by dozens of scientific studies – autism advocates sprang into action. They want public health officials to listen to autistic voices, and have been raising money to fight misinformation.
Don’t miss this: It’s still not OK, boomer: younger Americans are flailing – and mad as hell
I am a millennial who came of age during a financial crisis, global recession and pandemic. No, most millennials and gen Zers are not starving to death. But our adult lives have been marked by stagnant wages, inflation, broken political institutions and a sense of national decline,” writes J Oliver Conroy.
Now, with millennials and Gen Z shut out of home ownership and saddled with ever-rising costs, he asks experts what can be done to help younger Americans enjoy a fraction of the economic security of previous generations.
Climate check: LA wildfire survivors rebuild holiday traditions after year of devastation
The Pacific Palisades fire was the most destructive fire in Los Angeles history, destroying 6,800 structures; another 9,400 were destroyed across Altadena and neighboring Pasadena and Sierra Madre. For the thousands of Angelenos displaced by January’s devastating wildfires – many of whom are still in temporary accommodation – this holiday season will look markedly different.
Last Thing: Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau make their relationship Instagram-official
Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau have launched their relationship on Instagram, after the singer posted a photo of the pair smiling cheek to cheek and a video of them eating sushi together while in Japan. Perry’s post appeared to confirm the months of speculation about a romance between her and the former Canadian prime minister.
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