U.S

Dec. 1 (UPI) — Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the son of Mexican drug kingpin “El Chapo,” pleaded guilty on Monday in Chicago to U.S. drug trafficking charges, after his brother entered a plea deal in July.

And for the first time, he admitted during the hearing to leading the kidnapping of elusive Sinaloa Cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada in 2024. In an effort for leniency, he surrendered with Zambada in New Mexico after a private plane trip from Mexico.

Known in Mexico as the “Chapitos,” or “little Chapos,” Joaquin Guzman Lopez and brother Ovidio Guzman Lopez were among four sons charged in a 2023 indictment in Chicago that accuses them of controlling their father’s empire, including through violence. The two brothers were arrested in July 2024.

The other brothers are Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar and Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar, who are fugitives. A reward of $10 million has been offered by the U.S. State Department for information leading to the arrest of each of Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar and Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar.

Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman is serving a life sentence after being convicted in 2019 for his role as the former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel for over 25 years. The brothers allegedly assumed their father’s former role as leaders of the cartel when he was arrested in 2016.

Joaquin Guzman Lopez, 39, pleaded guilty to two counts of drug trafficking and continuing criminal enterprise during a hearing in the U.S. District Court for Northern Illinois. He acknowledged his role in overseeing the tens of thousands of pounds of drugs transported to the United States, mostly through underground tunnels.

That includes methamphetamine, marijuana and fentanyl. These drugs have led to tens of thousands of overdose deaths annually.

During the hearing, U.S. District Judge Sharon Coleman asked him what he did for work.

“Drug trafficking,” he said in English.

“Oh, that’s your job,” Coleman said with a chuckle. “There you go.”

His defense attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman, told reporters after the hearing: “The government has been very fair with Joaquin thus far. I do appreciate the fact that the Mexican government didn’t interfere.”

Lichtman said he likely will avoid life in prison in the deal, which includes cooperating with prosecutors. He faces at least 10 years in prison and no chance for an appeal, prosecutor Andrew Erskine said.

He also agreed to forfeit $80 million.

The judge didn’t set a sentencing date.

“She takes all the recommendations, she listens and she makes up her own decision because that’s why she’s the judge and why none of us are the judge because she’s not partisan,” Lichtman said.

Besides the trafficking of drugs, Guzman Lopez also admitted to kidnapping an unnamed person purported to be Zambada.

The prosecutors said men working for Guzman Lopez handcuffed “El Mayo” and placed a bag over his head.

He was given a sedative during a flight to New Mexico in hopes of a sentencing break. By then, the brothers were already indicted.

“El Mayo,” the co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, pleaded guilty this summer in New York to drug charges. Zambada is set to be sentenced Jan. 12 in Brooklyn.

In his 35-page plea agreement, Guzman Lopez admitted he and his brothers bribed public officials and used guns and other dangerous weapons to commit violence, including murder, kidnapping and assault “against law enforcement, rival drug traffickers and members of their own trafficking organization.”

In July, Ovidio Guzman Lopez pleaded guilty to drug trafficking, money laundering and firearms charges tied to his leadership role in the cartel.

He faces up to life in prison and forfeiture of $80 million. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for later this year.

The four brothers led the Sinaloa Cartel’s violent Chapitos faction in Chicago and accounted for an estimated 80% of narcotics sold in the city.

The Sinaloa Cartel used jumbo jets, submarines and tunnels to smuggle the drugs into the United States. They then laundered billions of dollars in proceeds back to Mexico.

The cartels worked with street gangs, who helped them break down the product and deliver it to the streets.

Dec. 1 (UPI) — Apple’s artificial intelligence chief is stepping down, the company announced Monday in an AI leadership shakeup over Siri delays, as the iPhone maker vowed to “strengthen its commitment to shaping the future of AI for users everywhere.”

John Giannandrea, who has served as Apple’s senior vice president for Machine Learning and AI Strategy since 2018, will serve as an adviser to the company before retiring next spring.

“We are thankful for the role John played in building and advancing our AI work, helping Apple continue to innovate and enrich the lives of our users,” Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive officer, said Monday in a statement.

Cook also announced “renowned AI researcher” Amar Subramanya has joined Apple as vice president of AI and will report to Craig Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering.

“AI has long been central to Apple’s strategy, and we are pleased to welcome Amar to Craig’s leadership team and to bring his extraordinary AI expertise to Apple,” Cook added. “Craig has been instrumental in driving our AI efforts, including overseeing our work to bring a more personalized Siri to users next year.”

Subramanya is a former vice president at Microsoft, and spent 16 years at Google, where he worked for Google’s DeepMind AI unit.

Since OpenAI launched ChatGPT in 2022, Apple Intelligence has received critical reviews from tech experts, accusing the iPhone maker of falling behind its AI peers.

Last year, Apple introduced a smarter, “Apple Intelligence” version of Siri. This year, the company announced the updated Siri would be delayed until spring 2026. Many on Apple’s AI team left after failing to deliver on key features, including improved app integration and personal context.

In Monday’s letter, Apple promised its new AI team is “poised to accelerate its work in delivering intelligent, trusted and profoundly personal experiences.”

Dec. 1 (UPI) — The United States and the United Kingdom have agreed on a zero-tariffs deal for medications manufactured in the U.K.

In the agreement, the U.K. will pay more for medications through the National Health Service and the United States will keep import tariffs on U.K. pharmaceuticals at zero for three years.

It’s the first time the NHS will pay more for medicine in more than 20 years.

Medications are one of the U.K.’s biggest exports to the United States, and in September, President Donald Trump threatened to raise the tariffs to 100%.

Trump is also adding a 25% tariff on all heavy-duty trucks and 50% on kitchen and bathroom cabinets.

“The reason for this is the large-scale ‘FLOODING’ of these products into the United States by other outside Countries,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Thursday.

Neil Shearing, chief economist at Capital Economics, told the BBC that the announcement wasn’t as big of a deal as it appears.

“Many of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies either already have some production in the U.S. or have announced plans to build production in the near future,” he said.

A press release from the U.K. government said, “Tens of thousands of NHS patients will benefit from a landmark trade deal between the U.K. and the U.S., which will secure and expand access to vital drugs, safeguard our medicines supply chain, and drive crucial investment while supporting U.K. patients and industries.”

The deal also includes investment from the U.K. government of about 25% more in “innovative, safe, and effective treatments — the first major increase in over two decades. It means the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence will be able to approve medicines that deliver significant health improvements but might have previously been declined purely on cost-effectiveness grounds — this could include breakthrough cancer treatments, therapies for rare diseases, and innovative approaches to conditions that have long been difficult to treat. These changes will ensure that NICE is able to continue its world-leading approach to assessing drugs and treatments and keep pace with the commercial and economic environment in which pharmaceutical companies are operating in today.”

“This will support thousands of skilled jobs, boost our economy and ensure that the breakthroughs that happen in our labs turn into treatments that benefit families across the country,” said Science and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall in a statement.

“This deal guarantees that UK pharmaceutical exports — worth at least $6.6 billion a year — will enter the U.S. tariff free, protecting jobs, boosting investment and paving the way for the U.K. to become a global hub for life sciences,” said Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle in a statement.

WASHINGTON — R.V. had already spent six months detained at a facility in California when he won his case in immigration court in June.

He testified that he had fled his native Cuba in 2024 after protesting against the government, for which he was jailed, surveilled and persecuted. So, after being kidnapped in Mexico, he entered the U.S. illegally and told border agents he was afraid for his life.

An immigration court judge granted him protection against deportation to Cuba, and R.V., 21, was looking forward to reuniting with family in Florida.

But R.V., who asked that his full name not be used for fear of retaliation from the government, hasn’t been released. At the detention center, he said, agents have told him they’ll still find a way to deport him — if not to Cuba, then maybe Panama or Costa Rica.

“The wait is so hard,” he said in an interview. “It’s as if they don’t want to accept that I won.”

R.V. is among what immigration attorneys describe as an escalating trend: some immigrants who win protection from deportation to their home countries are being detained indefinitely.

Often, the person has been held while the federal government appealed their win or sought another country willing to take them in.

The government has long had the ability to make such appeals or to seek another country where it could deport someone; the Department of Homeland Security generally has 90 days to find somewhere else to send them.

But, in practice, such third-country removals were rare, so the person was typically released and allowed to remain in the U.S.

That practice has changed under the Trump administration. Recent instructions to Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel favor keeping people detained. A June 24 memo, for instance, states that “field offices no longer have the option to discretionarily release aliens.”

At issue are cases involving immigrants who, rather than winning asylum, are granted one of two kinds of immigration relief, known as orders of “withholding of removal” and protection under the international Convention Against Torture. Both have higher burdens of proof than asylum but don’t provide a pathway to citizenship.

These forms of relief differ from asylum in a key way: while asylum protects against deportation anywhere, the others only protect against deportation to a country where the person risks harm or torture.

Jennifer Norris, an attorney at the Immigrant Defenders Law Center, said the government’s actions now effectively render withholding of removal and protection under the anti-torture convention meaningless.

“We have entered a dangerous era,” Norris, said. “These are clients who did everything right. They won their cases before an immigration judge and now they’re treated like criminals and remain in detention even after an immigration judge rules in their favor.”

Laura Lunn, advocacy and litigation director with the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network in Colorado, noted that rules against double jeopardy do not apply in these cases, so the government has the ability to appeal when it loses.

“Here, they have so much control over whether someone remains detained because, if they just file an appeal, that person can just sit in detention for at least six months or what could be years,” Lunn said.

Homeland Security did not respond to specific questions and declined to comment.

Lawyers representing immigrants in prolonged detention say the government is keeping people locked up in hopes of wearing down their clients so they abandon their fight to remain in the U.S.

Ngựa, a Vietnamese man who asked to be identified by his family nickname, meaning horse, has been detained in California since he crossed the southern border illegally in March.

Ngựa fled Vietnam last year after being tortured by police officers who tried to extort him for a “protection tax,” according to his asylum application. When he refused, the officers beat and jailed him, and threatened to kill him and his family.

An immigration judge recently denied Ngựa asylum but granted him protection under the anti-torture convention. His pro bono lawyers have appealed the asylum denial.

In an interview through an interpreter, he said he chose to seek safety in the U.S. because he believed that the government of any other country would deport him back to Vietnam. He said he didn’t anticipate that U.S. officials would try to get rid of him.

Ngựa said ICE officers told him they know they can’t send him back to Vietnam, but will find another country willing to take him in. Every morning, he said, an officer goes from dormitory to dormitory asking whether anyone wants to self-deport.

The thought of being sent away keeps him up at night, but the alternative is nearly just as bad: “I’m afraid that I will be detained here for years,” he said.

DHS regulations allow continued detention when “there is a significant likelihood of removing a detained alien in the reasonably foreseeable future.”

Such scenarios are increasingly possible since a Supreme Court ruling in June broadened the ability for immigration authorities to quickly deport people to countries where they have no personal connection.

After the ruling, ICE released guidance directing agents to generally give migrants slated for removal to a third country “at least 24 hours” notice, but as little as six hours in “exigent circumstances.”

The guidance also said the U.S. needs to receive credible diplomatic assurances that the deported people will not be persecuted or tortured.

This year, the Trump administration has brokered deals with several countries, including Ghana, El Salvador, and South Sudan — which is on the brink of civil war — to accept deportees.

“It has just become more of a regular practice for the government to hold onto people who win protection because they are actively looking, in most cases, for a third country to accept them,” said Trina Realmuto, executive director of the National Immigration Litigation Alliance.

Realmuto is one of the lead attorneys in the case challenging Homeland Security’s practice of third-country removals.

Federal law states that Homeland Security should first seek out alternative countries to which the person being deported has some personal connection, and then, if that’s “impracticable, inadvisable, or impossible,” find a country whose government is willing to accept them.

Realmuto said the Trump administration is skipping straight to that last resort. As a result, she said, several people who were deported to a third country have been sent by officials there back to the country they originally fled.

Among them is Rabbiatu Kuyateh, a 58-year-old woman who fled Sierra Leone’s civil war 30 years ago and settled in Maryland until ICE agents detained her this summer during her annual check-in.

NBC News reported that because a judge had banned ICE from sending her back to Sierra Leone, where she had been tortured, the agency deported her to Ghana. But Ghanaian officials forcibly put her on a bus to Sierra Leone.

In fiscal year 2024, 2,506 people were granted withholding of removal or protection under the anti-torture convention, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Realmuto said that, like Kuyateh, tens of thousands of immigrants have been granted withholding or deferral relief over the course of several decades. Such people could now be at risk of being detained again while the government works to remove them to another country, she said.

The case of F.B., a 27-year-old Colombian woman who entered the U.S. at the San Ysidro port of entry in 2024, further illustrates the government’s approach toward the anti-torture convention. F.B. asked to be identified by her initials out of fear of retaliation by the U.S. government.

In February, F.B. won protection under the anti-torture convention. But instead of releasing her, Homeland Security said it was attempting to remove her to Honduras, Guatemala or Brazil.

In September, lawyers for F.B. filed a petition in federal court for her release.

“It’s kind of hard to argue somebody’s removal is imminent when they’ve been detained for eight months,” said her attorney, Kristen Coffey.

Court records show the judge initially denied the petition after ICE officials claimed they had booked a flight for her to Bolivia that would leave three days later.

But a month after that, she was still in U.S. custody.

In an order granting F.B.’s release last month, U.S. district court judge Tanya Walton Pratt in Indiana said the government’s claim that F.B. would be imminently deported had “proven false,” and that keeping her detained was “contrary to the Constitution and laws of the United States.”

She was released the same day.

Nov. 30 (UPI) — Sen. Cory Booker married his fiancee, Alexis Lewis, on Sunday in two ceremonies — one in his hometown of Newark, N.J., and one in hers, Washington, D.C.

The newlyweds announced their nuptials in a joint statement on Instagram that included photos from the ceremonies.

“Overflowing with gratitude,” the statement said. “We said ‘I do’ in two places that shaped us — Cory’s beloved Newark and Alexis’ hometown of Washington, D.C. — first at the courthouse, then with our families.

“Hearts full and so grateful,” the pair said.

Cory, 59, was the mayor of Newark from 2006 to 2013. He was then elected to the U.S. Senate for the state of New Jersey, a seat he has held since.

He announced his engagement to Lewis in September.

In the post to Facebook, he said Lewis “transformed me, helping me to ground and center my inner life, and discover the joys of building a nurturing home with someone you love.”

Dec. 1 (UPI) — President Donald Trump said he has invited the families of two National Guard members who were shot last week to the White House.

Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, said he has spoken with the Guardsmen’s families and extended them a formal invitation.

“I have spoken to both families,” he said. “They’re devastated.”

U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, both National Guard members from West Virginia, were shot while patrolling Wednesday in support of Trump’s crime and immigration crackdown in Washington, D.C.

Beckstrom died from her injuries Thursday, and Wolfe was in critical condition.

Trump told reporters Wolfe was “fighting for his life.”

He said he extended the invitation to the victims’ families to visit the White House “when you’re ready.”

“We’re going to honor Sarah,” he said. “And likewise with Andrew, recover or not, we’re going to honor him.”

Trump described Wolfe’s parents as “great” and “highly religious people.”

“And they are praying, and they want everyone to pray for Andrew, and he has a chance to make it,” he said.

Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan national who U.S. officials say worked with the CIA to track down high-value Taliban targets in his native country, is accused of being the shooter.

Trump has referred to Lakanwal as an “animal” and blames the previous Biden administration for allowing him to enter the United States.

Following the shooting, Trump said he would order an indefinite pause on migration from all “third-world countries,” a Cold War-era term that is largely considered outdated to refer to low- and middle-income countries.

On Friday, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services told its staff that it will pause all applications for asylum filed by immigrants within the United States.

Nov. 30 (UPI) — Three children and one adult were killed Saturday evening in a shooting that erupted at a Stockton, Calif., banquet hall, authorities said Sunday.

The shooting occurred shortly before 6 p.m. PST at a child’s birthday party near the 1900 block of Lucile Avenue, in Stockton, a city of roughly 322,000 people located about 83 miles northeast of San Francisco.

Fifteen people were confirmed shot, including the four deceased, identified only by age: an 8-year-old, a 9-year-old, a 14-year-old and a 21-year-old. As least one of the other 11 victims was in critical condition, according to authorities.

“We’ve had our team on the scene processing it for the past 21 hours, and while that was going on, we were actively following all the leads that we have, looking for witness statements, asking anyone to give us any video that they might have of this incident and following every lead that we have at this time,” San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow told reporters Sunday afternoon at a press conference.

“We will find these animals that did this and bring them to justice.”

Withrow said authorities believe multiple shooters entered the banquet hall and opened fire, though they are still investigating if there was more than one shooter involved.

He said while the shooting began inside the hall, it continued outside.

As of Sunday evening, no arrests have been made in the shooting.

On Saturday, Stockton Mayor Christina Fugazi suggested it was gang-related.

In the Sunday press conference, Withrow explained that while Fugazi’s comments were “well intentioned” they were premature.

“At this time, our investigation, as you know, is very early on, so we are not going to say one thing or specifically another thing until we’ve gone through all our evidence,” he said.

“We’re confident this is not a random act. They walked into this area and was probably looking for somebody in particular. Why they did that, what they’re part of, who they are, we don’t know,” he said.

Crime Stoppers is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those involved.

Fugazi said she is matching the reward with another $10,000 and Councilwoman Mariela Ponce contributed $5,000, for a total reward of $25,000.

“Let me be very clear to anyone who hides, shields or harbors these terrorists: you are putting yourself at risk of having your door kicked in, your home raided and being arrested for aiding and abetting,” she said in a Sunday statement. “If you protect them, you become part of this. And you will face the consequences.”

According to The Gun Violence Archive, there have been 380 mass shootings involving four or more gunshot victims so far this year.

Nov. 30 (UPI) — President Donald Trump said peace talks between Ukrainian and U.S. delegations held Sunday in Florida were “going along well,” while his top diplomat, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, cautioned that while the talks were productive, more work needs to be done.

Delegations from the two allies met in Hallandale, Fla., on Sunday to discuss details of the U.S.-backed plan to bring an end to the war that began in February 2022 with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Speaking to reporters following the talks in Florida, Rubio said they were seeking not only to end the war and ensure Ukraine’s safety from further Russian aggression, but “we want them to enter an age of true prosperity.”

The talks on Sunday were building from those they’ve previously had, Rubio said adding that had “started laying the groundwork” on a deal in Geneva, and were continuing that initiative throughout this week.

“I think we’ve built on that again today, but there’s more work to be done. This is delicate, it’s complicated, there are a lot of moving parts, and, obviously, there’s another party involved here that’ll have to be a part of that equation,” Rubio said, referring to Russia, where Witkoff is to visit next week.

“So much work remains, but today was, again, a very productive and useful session where, I think, additional progress was made.”

Rubio was speaking beside Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s secretary of national security and member of its defense council, who said he was “grateful” to the American people and leadership.

“Our objective is a prosperous, strong Ukraine,” Umerov said. “We discussed all the important matters that are important for Ukraine, for Ukrainian people, and U.S. was supportive.”

He agreed that Sunday’s meetings “was productive and successful.”

Aboard Air Force One, Trump told reporters that he had spoken with Rubio and that the talks went well, but that “Ukraine’s got some difficult little problems.”

“We have a corruption situation going on, which is not helpful,” Trump said, without explaining how it was impacting the negotiations.

“But I think there’s a good chance we can make a deal.”

Ukraine seeks international security guarantees as part of the agreement, as well as a cease-fire based on the existing frontlines, and has refused to cede any Ukrainian territory that is not already under Russian control.

Russian President Vladimir Putin does not appear set to offer any concessions, instead telling reporters during a press conference in Kyrgyzstan on Thursday that “when the Ukrainian troops leave the territories they occupy then the hostilities will cease.”

“If they do not leave, we will achieve it militarily,” Putin said. “That’s that.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X Sunday that he was updated on the talks by Umerov.

“It’s important that the talks have a constructive dynamic and that all issues were discussed openly and with a clear focus on ensuring Ukraine’s sovereignty and national interests,” he said in the statement.

“We will continue working.”

Rubio met with the Ukrainian delegation in Geneva last week to discuss a 28-point plan to end the war, which included demands by Putin that Russia regain its standing on the international stage and that Ukraine be forbidden from joining NATO, a group to which it has long sought membership.

Ukraine said then that the plan was highly favorable to Russia, and that it required “additional work.” The plan ultimately fell by the wayside, prompting the need for the Sunday meeting between the U.S. and Ukrainian delegations.

Russian officials have said they have received some details of the new plan, but have not disclosed them.

“This isn’t an official one, but we do have the document,” Putin aide Yuri Ushakov said. “We haven’t discussed it with anyone yet because the points in it require truly serious analysis and discussion.”

Trump suggested a Thanksgiving Day deadline for a deal to be signed, but later backed away from that, or any, timeline for the war to end.

“You know what the deadline is for me? When it’s over,” Trump said.

The negotiations amid Russian missile and drone attacks on key infrastructure in cities across Ukraine.

Zelensky said Sunday that over the last week, Russia has launched at least 1,400 drone attacks, 1,100 guided aerial bomb strikes and carried out 66 missile attacks on Ukraine.

Ukraine has responded by targeting Russian energy and military infrastructure outposts, striking them with long-range drones and missiles. It also launched drone attacks over the weekend on two tankers shipping oil to Russia in the Black Sea.

Republican U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas announced Saturday that he will retire from Congress after his term ends following next year’s elections.

Nehls, a staunch supporter of President Trump who has sported his mug shot on a T-shirt, said he called Trump to inform him of his plans.

“President Trump has always been a strong ally for our district and a true friend, and I wanted him to hear it from me first,” Nehls said on the social platform X.

Nehls added via social media that he was endorsing his twin brother to succeed him in Congress. Trever Nehls said on Facebook that he would run for the seat and “stand shoulder-to-shoulder with President Trump.”

The White House did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Troy Nehls entered Congress in 2021 after about three decades in law enforcement and more than two decades in the Army Reserve.

Nehls voted to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 election win and was tapped by then-House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy to sit on a select committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol — before McCarthy pulled his picks after then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected two others.

Nehls serves on the Judiciary Committee and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Nehls represents the heavily Republican 22nd District southwest of Houston. He won reelection last year by more than 24 percentage points.

Govindarao writes for the Associated Press.

Nov. 30 (UPI) — Sen. Cory Booker married his fiancee, Alexis Lewis, on Sunday in two ceremonies — one in his hometown of Newark, N.J., and one in hers, Washington, D.C.

The newlyweds announced their nuptials in a joint statement on Instagram that included photos from the ceremonies.

“Overflowing with gratitude,” the statement said. “We said ‘I do’ in two places that shaped us — Cory’s beloved Newark and Alexis’ hometown of Washington, D.C. — first at the courthouse, then with our families.

“Hearts full and so grateful,” the pair said.

Cory, 59, was the mayor of Newark from 2006 to 2013. He was then elected to the U.S. Senate for the state of New Jersey, a seat he has held since.

He announced his engagement to Lewis in September.

In the post to Facebook, he said Lewis “transformed me, helping me to ground and center my inner life, and discover the joys of building a nurturing home with someone you love.”

Nov. 30 (UPI) — Top Ukrainian and American leaders are scheduled to meet late Sunday to renew talks about a plan to end the latest chapter in the decades-long battle between Russia and Ukraine.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Donald Trump‘s special envoy Steve Witkof are set to meet with a Ukrainian delegation to discuss details of the U.S. backed plan to bring the violence to an end.

Ukraine seeks international security guarantees as part of the agreement, as well as a ceasefire based on the existing frontlines, and has refused to cede any Ukrainian territory that is not already under Russian control.

Russian President Vladimir Putin does not appear set to offer any concessions, instead demanding that any military aggression will end “once Ukrainian troops withdraw from the territories they occupy,” according to CNN.

Rubio met with the Ukrainian delegation in Geneva last week to discuss a 28-point plan to end the war, which included demands by Putin that Russia regain its standing on the international stage and that Ukraine be forbidden from joining NATO, a group to which it has long sought membership.

Ukraine said then that the plan was highly favorable to Russia, and that it required “additional work.” The plan ultimately fell by the wayside, prompting the need for the Sunday meeting between the U.S. and Ukrainian delegations.

Russian officials have said they have received some details of the new plan, but have not disclosed them.

“This isn’t an official one, but we do have the document,” Putin aide Yuri Ushakov said. “We haven’t discussed it with anyone yet because the points in it require truly serious analysis and discussion.”

Trump suggested a Thanksgiving Day deadline for a deal to be signed, but later backed away from that, or any, timeline for the war to end.

“You know what the deadline is for me? When it’s over,” Trump said.

The negotiations are happening amidst Russian missile and drone attacks on key infrastructure in cities across Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed Sunday that over the last week, Russia has launched at least 1,400 drone attacks, 1,100 guided aerial bomb strikes and carried out 66 missile attacks on Ukraine.

Ukraine has responded by targeting Russian energy and military infrastructure outposts, striking them with long-range drones and missiles. It also launched drone attacks over the weekend on two tankers shipping oil to Russia in the Black Sea.

Nov. 30 (UPI) — The Afghan national accused of shooting a two National Guard troops while they were deployed in Washington, D.C., was part of an elite CIA unit in Afghanistan, members of which have struggled to adjust to life in the United States.

The alleged shooter, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, worked with the CIA in Afghanistan as part of a “zero unit,” or national strike unit, who worked with the American military to track down high value Taliban targets in Afghanistan.

Many members of these units, whom NBC News reports are among the most vetted Afghans who worked with the U.S. military, were evacuated in 2021 when the United States pulled out of Afghanistan because they were expected to targeted for retribution by the Taliban after it retook power.

“He was brought into the country by the Biden administration through Operation Allies Welcome. And then, maybe vetted after that, but not done well, based on what the guidelines were put forward by President Biden,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Sunday on ABC News’ “This Week.”

“And now, since he’s been here, we believe he could have been radicalized in his home community and in his home state,” Noem said.

Lakanwal arrived in the United States in 2021, after having been vetted regularly while he was working with U.S. forces in Afghanistan, and was granted asylum in April by the Trump administration after another round of vetting, officials have said.

In the aftermath of the shooting, the Trump administration ordered that visa holders from “every country of concern” would be required to undergo reviews to determine if they will be permitted to stay in the U.S.

The administration also said it would pause all applications for asylum, in addition to “permanently pausing migration from all third world countries.”

Members of the zero units took part in intense combat, which has left them with wartime trauma similar to the special operations forces they worked with, as well legal challenges related to their status in the U.S., and have suffered intense mental health challenges, experts have said.

“If you bring people here and you don’t let them feel like there is any hope, you’re leaving them in a very troubling situation,” a spokesperson for the 1208 Foundation, which helps Afghans who worked with the U.S. during the war, told ABC News, suggesting that treating these people like “pariahs” is going to make for a worse situation.

Although the Trump administration agreed to a deal bringing Afghans who worked with the zero units to the U.S., many have struggled to find work, let alone clarity on their asylum or visa status.

“Without your help, we are trapped,” Mohammad Shah, an Afghan in the U.S. who commanded a zero unit, wrote in a letter to members of Congress.

“Recently, there have been cases of suicide within our community driven by the overwhelming sentiment of helplessness we feel as our requests for immigration assistance go ignored by the U.S. government,” Shah wrote.

Nov. 29 (UPI) — Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials might be readying to deploy agents in New Orleans amid the enforcement of federal immigration laws.

At least 200 ICE agents are bound for New Orleans in December, but the deployment plans might change, ABC News, NBC News and Nola.com reported based on information allegedly provided by anonymous sources.

The deployment comes as ICE wraps up its deployment in Charlotte, N.C., where it made more than 250 arrests.

Customs and Border Protection Commander-at-Large Greg Bovino led the Charlotte action and is to lead the New Orleans deployment, according to ABC News.

The pending deployment has local officials and others in New Orleans and nearby preparing for it.

Many public school officials are messaging parents and others to reassure them that all students are safe while on respective school campuses, Nola.com reported.

New Orleans and adjacent Jefferson Parish have significant numbers of “immigrant communities” that likely would be among those impacted by ICE activities.

Many schools also are informing parents and students of their legal rights and advising them on how to communicate with federal agents as needed.

ICE agents generally avoid schools, but the Trump administration has provided federal law enforcement with guidance on how to operate on school campuses.

The guidance so far has not been needed, but many arrests and immigration law enforcement activities have occurred near schools.

Department of Homeland Security officials have said arrests only would be made on school campuses to protect the public.

Despite assurances from federal and local officials, many parents of students remain concerned, which spurred some schools to offer free rides for students while immigration law enforcement activities are underway.

Nov. 29 (UPI) — Rep. Troy Hehls, R-Texas, on Saturday announced he will not seek re-election in 2026 and will retire from Congress and focus on his family.

Nehls, 57, since 2021 has represented Texas’ 22nd Congressional District, which is situated southwest of Houston and includes parts of Sugar Land, Richmond and Rosenberg, among other Texas communities.

“I have made the decision, after conversations with my beautiful bride and my girls over the Thanksgiving holiday, to focus on my family and return home after this Congress,” he said Saturday in a post on X.

“Before making this decision, I called President Trump personally to let him know of my plans,” he continued.

“President Trump has always been a strong ally for our district and a true friend, and I wanted him to hear it from me first,” Nehls added.

“Serving this country in the military, serving our community in law enforcement and serving this district in Congress has been the honor of my life.”

Nehls enlisted in the Army Reserve in 1988 and earned two Bronze Stars while serving in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan.

He joined the Richmond (Texas) Police Department in 1994 and was elected sheriff of Fort Bend County in 2012, before winning the 2020 House election.

His announced retirement is among several made recently by Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb. and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

Nehls’ twin brother, Trever Nehls, already announced his candidacy for the seat and has been endorsed by Troy.

Nov. 29 (UPI) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth denied ordering the U.S. military to “kill everybody” and said news reports claiming such are “fake news.”

Hegseth was responding to a report by the Washington Post on Friday that accused Hegseth of verbally ordering military personnel to kill all 11 crew members by carrying out a second strike on an alleged drug-smuggling vessel on Sept. 2.

That strike was the first of many targeting drug vessels in international waters, but the Washington Post only cited anonymous sources to back its claim, which the Defense Department has called fabricated and “fake news,” according to The Guardian.

“We told the Washington Post that this entire narrative was false yesterday,” Defense Department spokesman Sean Parnell said in a social media post on Friday.

“These people just fabricate anonymously sourced stories out of the whole cloth,” Parnell continued.

“Fake news is the enemy of the people,” he added.

Hegseth went further, calling the Washington Post report “fabricated, inflammatory and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland.”

The Washington Post said Hegseth’s alleged verbal order resulted in a second strike on the vessel as two surviving crew members clung to the wreckage, which killed them.

The report on Friday prompted Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and ranking member Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., to order inquiries into the matter to determine the facts.

Hegseth said every strike carried out against alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean has been legal and only targeted members of designated foreign terrorist organizations.

A group of “former military attorneys” on Saturday released a report saying international law prohibits the targeting of attack survivors and requires the attacking force to “protect, rescue and, if applicable, treat them as prisoners of war,” the Washington Post reported.

The U.S. military has struck 21 vessels whose crews were alleged to be smuggling drugs to the United States and killed 83, according to USA Today.