In an attempt to retaliate after months of pressure ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration, Ukraine began a surprise fresh incursion in Russia's Kursk region on Sunday. In the region where Kyiv's soldiers originally rushed across the border with a spectacular incursion last August, the attack seemed to be a significant attempt to capture additional territory. Since then, the Kremlin has reclaimed some of its own territory, but it has had difficulty driving out the invading forces—in recent weeks, thousands of North Korean soldiers have been sent in. Before officials in Kyiv and later Moscow's defense ministry confirmed Ukrainian forces had launched a major new endeavor to advance, reports of the fresh attack initially surfaced from the accounts of Russia's prominent military ...

In an effort to strengthen connections with President-elect Donald Trump prior to his inauguration on January 20, Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloniflew traveled to Florida on Saturday to meet with the president-elect. Videos posted on social media by reporters and others show that following an introduction by the president-elect, Meloni was greeted with cheers by members of Trump's Mar-a-Lago club. She is traveling just days before she will meet with President Joe Biden in Rome from Thursday until January 12. According to Italian media sources, Meloni had intended to discuss the Middle East, trade concerns, Russia's war in Ukraine, and the situation of an Italian journalist who was imprisoned in Tehran with Trump, however no specifics of their discussion have been made public. Regardin...

New York City's first-in-the-nation Congestion Relief Zone officially opened on Sunday, imposing congestion charges of up to $9 on drivers entering Manhattan's busiest districts. According to the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the zone "is fully operational" and opened at 12:01 a.m. on Sunday. The plan intends to alleviate New York's notorious traffic issues and generate funds for public transit. Despite last-minute efforts by neighboring New Jersey and local resistance, including from President-elect Donald Trump, it goes into effect. Most cars entering Manhattan's Central Business District, which runs from 60th Street to the southernmost point of the Financial District, are required to pay a peak tax of $9 between the hours of 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. and...

It has long been a subject of both fascination and embarrassment. The identities of people accused of working with the Nazis have now been made public in the Netherlands, around 80 years later, as the nation goes to unprecedented measures to prove its involvement in the atrocities committed by the Third Reich. After a law that forbade its publication expired on New Year's Day, a historical research group supported by the Dutch government has for the first time published a list of nearly half a million people suspected of collaboration during World War II in the nation where teenage diarist Anne Frankis was the most well-known Holocaust victim. A list of 425,000 people, mostly Dutch, who were investigated for collaborating with the Nazi occupiers in the Netherlands is available in a digital...

The Department of Justice said on Friday that it has concluded an investigation into the Antioch Police Department in California's biased policing, in which officers were accused of sending racist texts that provoked outrage and retaliation. According to a statement from the Justice Department, the city and the police have decided to engage a consultant to examine its policies, officer training, and use-of-force events and make recommendations for reforms. The parties agreed to a five-year data collection period on the department's interactions, a structure for federal monitoring, and a more robust accountability role for its oversight board, according to the statement. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said in an announcement on Fr...

According to the Los Angeles County medical examiner, independent director Jeff Baena, who co-wrote and directed I Heart Huckabees and Life After Beth, passed away on Friday.His age was 47. Since 2021, Baena and actor Aubrey Plaza have been wed. The pair worked together on a number of movies, including Life After Beth (2014), which featured Plaza as the lead. According to the medical examiner's reports, he committed suicide at home. According to Deadline, Baena relocated to Los Angeles to further his career after graduating from the film school at New York University. Before switching to the position of assistant editor, he was a production assistant. In this capacity, he collaborated with David O. Russell, Baena's co-writer and director of the 2004 dark comedy I Heart Huckabees, which sta...

From the Plains to the mid-Atlantic, over 60 million people were under weather alerts as a winter storm threatened to lash the areas with debilitating ice and heavy snow. Over the course of the next three days, the growing low-pressure system is expected to impact the following cities: Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Kansas City, Missouri; Omaha, Nebraska; St. Louis, and Indianapolis. As the powerful and significant storm continues to develop, 57 million people in 30 states will still be under winter alert as of Saturday afternoon. Strong winds, freezing rain, and a lot of snow will affect the central and northern Plains as well as the Rocky Mountains. Wichita, Kansas; Kansas City, Missouri; and Omaha, Nebraska are among the cities anticipated to be impacted. Strong wind gusts ...

According to two people familiar with the arrangements, President Joe Biden intends to give two significant speeches prior to his departure from office in an attempt to highlight the main aspects of his legacy from more than 50 years in public service. These insiders added that Biden's first speech, which will center on foreign policy, is anticipated to be given shortly after his return from his trip to Italy on January 12. According to them, Biden intends to give a farewell speech to the nation to conclude his last days in office. According to the people with knowledge of the president's preparations, neither speech has been completely written, but the subjects and general structure have been established. According to those with knowledge of the president's intentions, Biden is anticipate...

The chief prosecutor in Los Angeles County stated on Friday that he has not yet decided whether to lower the jail terms of Erik and Lyle Menendez, who are serving life sentences without the possibility of release for the well-publicized 1989 murders of their parents. Before the resentencing hearings on January 30 and 31, Nathan Hochman, who was elected district attorney in November, said he was still going through a lot of court and jail data. The brothers' attorneys requested that their sentences be lowered from 50 years to life, which would instantly qualify them for parole. Following what the prosecutor characterized as an hours-long conference with the siblings' family members who are in favor of their release, Hochman made the news. Hochman said the meeting was fruitful, but he would ...

NEW ORLEANS As prayer and song filled the sanctuary, Kim Alexander sat in the center of the partially filled space. Alexander didn't seem to be persuaded that the city would be safer following an automobile rampage that murdered 14 New Year's revelers on Bourbon Street, even if Bishop Lester Love preached of healing and optimism from the pulpit. After the service, the 60-year-old New Orleans resident told NBC News that there were too many abandoned places in the city, including the French Quarter. She expressed her opinion that additional cops ought to be employed. Her concerns weren't unique. Following the attack, hundreds of New Orleanians flocked to the City of Love Church on Saturday morning in search of comfort and understanding. Attendees shouted, sung, and prayed for the attacker,...