• School shooting in Wisconsin: A 15-year-old girl opened fire at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison Dec. 16, killing a student and a teacher, wounding six other people, and then killing herself, police said.
• Russian general killed: The general was killed by a bomb hidden in a scooter outside his apartment building in Moscow. Ukraine claimed responsibility.
• Trump targets Des Moines Register: The president-elect filed a lawsuit against the publication, seeking “accountability for brazen election interference” concerning a poll published Nov. 2 that showed Kamala Harris leading Donald Trump by 13% in Iowa. 
• Ceasefire hopes rise: Israel and Hamas appear to be moving closer toward a phased agreement that would include a halt in fighting, an exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, and increased Gaza aid.
• Trust at record low: Americans’ confidence in the U.S. judicial system and courts dropped to 35% in 2024, a new Gallup poll indicates.

Read these news briefs.

A variety of people, from port staff to IRS agents, are tracing how the synthetic opioid gets into the country – and tracking it down once it’s inside.

For two decades, Zimbabweans have lived through relentless financial crises. A recent fire in the country's largest market spotlights how difficult life has become for the average person here. 

Donald Trump continues to challenge conventions, including in the courts. But a Manhattan judge has ruled that presidential immunity for “official acts” does not cover his felony convictions of falsifying business records.

What better way to tell a true holiday story than with singing – and knitting? In Sweden, an island choir comes together to celebrate community.

France’s support of free speech has made it a refuge for writers. But the country’s colonial history often stands in the way of protecting those writers from persecution by authoritarian governments.

Cookbooks reflect broader societal trends, which explains why culinary tomes that prized “authentic” cuisines are now giving way to books that include a sprinkle of one culture and a dash of another.

Earlier this week, various Christian denominations in Jerusalem joined in an appeal for their congregations to “testify to the sacred light of Christ” during this Christmas season. At a time of violent conflict in the Holy Land, their shared message marks something of a course correction.

Last year, these church leaders urged a muted celebration of Christmas in support of “the multitudes suffering from the newly erupted war” in Gaza. The message of Christmas – one of a light coming to the world – was “diminished,” they stated, especially among people in the region where Jesus was born.

This year’s call for illumined thought has several echoes. In a Christmas message from the White House, President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, called on Americans to observe a “Season of Peace and Light.” Pope Francis, in an address on St. Peter’s Square on Dec. 1, said “the quest for peace” requires “a light heart, a wakeful heart, a free heart.” Perhaps he also meant a heart alighted.

In September, photographers and artists in Iraq gathered works that depicted the word “peace” in various forms of light. The Peace Against War project was meant to express a “desire for a society free from conflict – one where everyone enjoys equal rights and opportunities,” the United Nations reported.

In March, the annual Women’s World Day of Prayer focused on forgiveness and forbearance toward others. That theme resonated deeply among Palestinian women, according to the Rev. Sally Azar, the first female Palestinian pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church.

“They were asking, Is it now our Christian brothers and sisters here in this land? Is it our literal neighbor? Is it the Israelis? Is it the Jews? Is it the Muslims? So all these questions arose when talking about bearing one another in love,” she told Deutsche Welle.

In their message, the clergy in Jerusalem evoked the full healing import of the Christian message that culminated in the “holy light of Christ’s resurrection.”

“This ancient path of redemption,” they wrote, “sparked a spiritual revolution that continues to transform countless hearts and minds towards the ways of justice, mercy, and peace.”

The war in Gaza continues, now into its second year. Some see a faint light for peace in the latest talks between Israel and Hamas. Others, meanwhile, find peace already lit in their hearts, a testimony to the Christmas message.