US News

• Trump is using the PATRIOT Act to indefinitely detain a non-US citizen in the US. Trump is the first president to use this power. [Link]
• The Trump administration is considering adding a regulation that would require all US citizens to be photographed entering and leaving the country. [Link]
• Farm subsidies – that have been handed out in response to farmers being hurt by Trump’s trade war with China – will cost Americans $12 billion this year. [Link]
• General Dynamics will get a $20 billion contract to build Virginia class submarines. [Link]

Latin America 

• Pompeo says the US will support Latin American countries trying to suppress riots and unrest. [Link]
• Trump will place steel and aluminum tariffs on Brazil and Argentia. Trump accuses the countries of engaging in currency manipulation that is harming American farmers. [Link]

Europe

• A terrorist in London stabbed two people to death and was then killed by police. The Islamic State claims the man was a member of their group. [Link]
• Julian Assange will testify in a Spanish court about a Spanish company spying on him while he was in the Ecuadorian embassy. The Spanish company is accused of illegally spying on Assange’s privileged conversations with lawyers and passed the intelligence to the US. [Link]
• The Trump administration is 100% duties on $2.4 billion in French champagne, cheese, and other products in response to a French tax on digital products. [Link]

North Korea

• North Korea test-fired its large multi rocket launcher on Thanksgiving in a reminder to the US of Kim’s end of year deadline. The deadline calls on the US to make a realistic denuclearization proposal. [Link]
• The US has arrested a man and accused him of violating US sanctions against North Korea. The man is a crypto expert who gave a speech in North Korea. He faces 20 years in prison. [Link]

China

• Trump signs bill in support of Hong Kong protesters and could possibly sanction the Chinese government for human rights violations. Trump signed another bill that bars selling some crowd control weapons to the Hong Kong police. [Link]
• China bars the US military from visiting Hong Kong and sanctions several NGOs. [Link]

Middle East

• The US releases $105 million in military aid to Lebanon. [Link]
• A Syrian airstrike killed ten civilians at a market in Idlib. A Turkish airstrike killed ten civilians in a Kurdish region of Syria. [Link]
• Two Turkish soldiers were killed by a mortar attack in southern Turkey near the Syrian border. [Link]
• US Senators, led by Graham, send the White House a letter calling for sanctions against Turkey for buying S-400 air defense systems from Russia. [Link]
• Fighting has picked up in Idlib Syria where Assad is attempting to liberate the area for al-Qaeda. An observation group reports 69 people were killed in the fighting over two days. [Link]