Around the World
N. Korean leader calls for more talks with South in new year
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sent a letter to South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Sunday calling for more peace talks between the leaders in the new year following their active engagement in 2018, South Korea's presidential office said.
Trump Hails 'Big Progress' Towards China Trade Deal
President Donald Trump reported 'big progress' in trade talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, providing an optimistic start to what could be a make-or-break year for ties between the world’s two largest economies.
Iranian cargo plane suspected of bringing arms to Hezbollah departs Tehran
A Fars Air Qeshm cargo 747 airliner left Tehran at 8 a.m. on Sunday and landed in Damascus at 10:30 a.m., returning to Tehran at 5 p.m. The 747 allegedly transported weapons to Hezbollah in September, according to a report from Fox News that was based on Western intelligence assessments. The aircraft also made suspicious flights in July and August to Damascus and Beirut.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
U.S., Israel work to block unilateral Palestinian statehood drive at U.N.
The United States and Israel are working to block a renewed Palestinian Authority drive to become a member state of the United Nations.
New US law threatens Israeli-Palestinian security cooperation
The security cooperation between the Palestinian Authority and Israel hangs in balance due to a new US legislation, which is expected to take effect next month, that threatens to bankrupt the government in Ramallah and collapse its security apparatus.

Inside the United States
Federal judge blocks Trump rule cutting drug payments to hospitals
A federal judge ruled Friday that the Trump administration must halt a policy shift that cut the money hospitals received under a program intended to provide cheaper drugs to uninsured patients.
Lindsey Graham: I 'feel a lot better' about Syria pullout after lunch with Trump
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Sunday he felt less concerned about President Trump pulling U.S. troops from Syria following a two-hour lunch with him at the White House.
'Fake news' a real problem long before Trump era, media watchdogs say
The iconic photograph of a 2-year-old Honduran girl crying as her mother is questioned by a U.S. Border Patrol agent reached the cover of Time magazine before it was revealed that the toddler wasn’t caught up in President Trump’s zero-tolerance border policy and wasn’t separated from her family.
Ohio fails to override Kasich's veto of 6 week heartbeat abortion ban
The Ohio state legislature has failed by one vote to override Gov. John Kasich's veto of a bill banning abortion as early as six weeks, which is when a baby's heartbeat can first be detected.

Christian News
Evangelical leader banned from Facebook for ‘hate speech’ over transgender bathrooms
Evangelical leader Franklin Graham, the son of the late evangelist Billy Graham, was banned from posting on Facebook for 24 hours after a 2016 post of his was flagged for 'dehumanizing language.'