U.S.-mediated Ukraine-Russia peace talks open in Abu Dhabi
U.S.-mediated trilateral peace talks involving American, Ukrainian and Russian negotiators opened Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, the first substantive round since February and the first since the United States launched joint strikes.
The two-day session is expected to focus on security guarantees and a broader long-term security architecture for Europe, although a cease-fire is not on the agenda, the White House said ahead of the discussions.
European representatives are also attending, while U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are leading the American delegation; President Donald Trump has said the war could end soon.
Republicans pick Jim Jordan as House minority leader
House Republicans elected hardline Trump ally Jim Jordan as their minority leader for the next Congress on Tuesday, replacing Mike Johnson after the party lost both chambers in last week’s midterm elections.
Jordan, a co-founder of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, defeated Majority Leader Steve Scalise 106–73 in a secret ballot.
Democrats are set to take control of both the House and Senate in January, leaving Jordan to lead the GOP in opposition.
House Republicans block impeachment bid against Pete Hegseth
The House voted 211–204 on Tuesday to defeat a resolution brought by Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, giving Hegseth a reprieve before Democrats take control of Congress in January.
Massie had introduced eight articles accusing Hegseth of illegally waging war against Iran without congressional authorization, violating the 1973 War Powers Resolution, and of misconduct involving civilian casualties and operations in Yemen and Venezuela.
President Trump praised the outcome and backed Hegseth, who defended the operations and called the impeachment effort a “farce,” a “stunt” and “sabotage.”
Eleven Democrats were absent for the vote, and Massie said afterward he would not bring up another resolution; Democrats could revive the effort next year.
Nvidia and Jensen Huang sued over alleged spy affair
Nvidia and chief executive Jensen Huang have been sued by shareholders who accuse the company and Huang of defrauding investors over his affair with a business executive U.S. intelligence believes was gathering information for Beijing.
Nvidia’s board is investigating whether Huang was targeted by a foreign intelligence operation; Huang has acknowledged the affair and pledged cooperation, and Trump said the FBI is looking into the matter.
Huang has received public support from Trump, Elon Musk and other finance figures, while the allegations have raised succession questions at the $4.3 trillion chipmaker.
Anthropic targets up to $1.4 trillion in market debut
Anthropic, the artificial-intelligence company behind the Claude chatbot, is targeting a valuation of up to $1.4 trillion in its imminent initial public offering, with shares priced between $70 and $78.
The offering could raise up to $64.4 billion, making it one of the largest IPOs in history, though the valuation is below the roughly $2 trillion that had been expected before investors began questioning the durability of the AI boom.
The debut comes amid internal warnings about potentially catastrophic AI risks.
France blames Iran's Revolutionary Guards for supermarket cyberattacks
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Tuesday that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps carried out last month’s cyberattacks on supermarket refrigeration systems and vowed to seek European action against Tehran.
The sabotage hit hundreds of retail sites—around 700 according to French officials, with some reports citing more than 1,000 stores—spoiling millions of dollars’ worth of food after hackers raised temperatures overnight.
France has summoned the Iranian ambassador, and an investigation is continuing; Iran had not immediately responded to the accusation.
California voters reject billionaire wealth tax measure
California voters rejected Proposition 40, a proposed one-time 5 percent tax on the net worth of state residents whose wealth exceeds $1 billion, in a victory for tech industry opponents who spent heavily to defeat the measure.
The campaign was the most expensive in state history, and the outcome is seen as a setback for progressive efforts to tax the ultra-rich and could hinder the broader wealth-tax movement.
Thomas Markle's release revoked after ankle monitor removed
A federal judge in Florida revoked the house arrest of Thomas Markle Sr., the estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, after prosecutors said he cut off his ankle monitor early Tuesday.
Markle, 82, was charged with possession of child sexual abuse material in storage units in California and placed under house detention in Florida; First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli asked that bail be revoked and that Markle be detained pending trial.
He was arrested shortly after removing the device around 1:45 a.m. and is now in custody awaiting a federal court hearing.
David Walliams accused of sexual misconduct; he denies claims
British comedian and children’s author David Walliams faces multiple accusations of sexual misconduct, including an allegation that he sexually assaulted a 15-year-old, after a joint investigation by The Guardian and ITV News.
The publications said the accusations followed a court decision rejecting Walliams’ bid for an injunction to keep the claims private; Walliams has denied wrongdoing, saying, “I am not a sexual predator.”
Trump says Dana White press secretary offer was 'only kidding'
President Trump said Sunday that he was “only kidding” when he offered the job of White House press secretary to UFC chief executive Dana White, calling the public offer “just a little fun.”
The post came after the departure of press secretary Katie Zacharia, who left the job after five days, leaving Trump currently without a press secretary; White had said he would meet with Trump on Monday.