The House voted 226-195 to pass a bill to provide additional aid for Ukraine.听Eighteen Republicans joined Democrats to pass the measure in defiance of party leadership. The bill, which also imposes new sanctions on Russia,听faces a challenging path in the Senate and could be vetoed if it reaches President Trump鈥檚 desk. A small but significant handful of Republicans in recent weeks have pushed back on the president on issues like the Iran war, White House ballroom funding, and a proposed anti-weaponization fund.
Israel and Lebanon agreed to extend a ceasefire. The U.S.-brokered deal requires 鈥渁 complete cessation of Hezbollah fire鈥� against Israel, though Hezbollah is not a party to the deal and has rejected it. The agreement requires no curbing of actions by Israel, though reports say President Donald Trump told Israel to limit its attacks in Lebanon. Israel continues daily airstrikes and has expanded a military advance into southern Lebanon, including the demolition of border towns. The deal will help satisfy a demand by Iran to include a Lebanon truce and Israeli withdrawal as part of any deal with the United States to end the war against Iran.听
Our coverage: Ceasefire in name only: Israel expands military campaign in Lebanon.
The European Union unveiled steps to wean itself from U.S. tech. Europe is increasingly worried that its heavy reliance on U.S. companies for cloud computing, AI, and semiconductors makes it critically vulnerable at a time when the transatlantic alliance is uncertain. The plan aims to encourage European companies and provide guidelines around potential security risks. The challenge is in taking meaningful steps without angering the U.S. or is mammoth tech industry.听
John Bolton is expected to plead guilty to mishandling classified documents. In October, the Justice Department charged Mr. Bolton听鈥� a former national security adviser to Mr. Trump who later became a vocal critic of the president听鈥� with 18 counts of allegedly mishandling classified information. He plans to plead guilty to one count of illegally retaining classified information and pay a fine, according to news reports, potentially avoiding decades in prison had he lost at trial. The deal requires approval from a judge.
President Donald Trump announced a $700 million investment in coal-fired power plants. By invoking a law from 1950 that grants the president broad authority to influence domestic industries in the name of national defense, Mr. Trump will distribute the investment across more than a dozen existing plants, a new coal exporting terminal in California, and to build new power plants in Alaska and West Virginia. The Trump administration鈥檚 commitment to reviving the coal industry has included emergency orders to keep dozens of plants open past their planned retirements and opening millions of acres of federal lands to coal mining.
Researchers made a breakthrough in water desalination technology.听University of Rochester scientists created solar panels that evaporate salt water to produce freshwater. But unlike existing desalination plants, which offload the ecologically harmful byproduct of brine into the ocean or inject it into land where it could seep into groundwater, the superwicking black metal panels have tiny pits that collect crystalized salts in a solid form. It can also sieve for lithium, which can be utilized in batteries. The low-maintenance, energy-efficient, self-cleaning solar panels were successfully tested with water from three oceans.
鈥� Compiled by Monitor writers around the world
