Good morning. This is Hanna Lee.

Prime Minister Mark Carney will be in Washington tomorrow — but don't expect movement on a trade deal. It's FIFA-focused, officials say. (In an earlier version of this newsletter, we reported he was touching down today. Our apologies!)

Then, we'll look at what thousands of leaked files out of Syria mean for families worried about the fate of their missing loved ones, and break down some of the biggest news out of the U.S.

THE LATEST

• It's Day 2 of the public hearing on the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement in Washington. Catch up on what took place yesterday.
   
• Meta will begin deactivating the accounts of Australian teens under 16 to comply with the country's social media ban. New teen accounts won't be permitted. Here's a look at whether there could be ripple effects in Canada.
   
• Food prices could increase by four to six per cent next year, largely driven by meat prices, Dalhousie researchers forecast.
   
• Steve Cropper, the soulful guitarist and songwriter who helped anchor the Memphis backing band Booker T. and the M.G.'s and co-wrote Green Onions and (Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay, has died at 84.

Trade tensions temporarily on back burner as Carney soon heads to Washington for FIFA celebration

(Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press)

Prime Minister Mark Carney will touch down in Washington tomorrow, but don't expect any trade-related news: It's all about celebrating FIFA, officials insist.

What's happening: Carney is representing Canada at the FIFA World Cup final draw ceremony, a highly anticipated and complex event that will determine the logistics of next year's event. By his side, perhaps fittingly, will be his tournament co-hosts: Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and U.S. President Donald Trump. It's an important occasion, with the World Cup being the most-watched sporting event on the planet. But the political tensions will be hard to overlook.

Will there be trade talks?: That's unlikely. At most, expect a warm moment or two with Trump, two senior Canadian officials told my colleague Katie Simpson. The leaders may have a moment to chat privately, one source said, but nothing is guaranteed. And while Carney will likely take any opportunity to talk trade that is presented to him, the priority this time is soccer. He won't even be present at the CUSMA trade hearings in Washington today, either. (More on that below.) But he will participate in a Christmas tree lighting.

Thousands of graphic photos reveal the fate of loved ones tortured, disappeared under Assad regime

(Aref Tammawi/International Consortium of Investigative Journalists)

The killings of thousands of people by the Assad regime have been captured in a huge trove of government files and photos, known as the Damascus dossier. They have helped reveal the fate of thousands of tortured and disappeared people, previously unknown to the Syrian public.

What's happening: During Syria's 13-year civil war, the regime detained, tortured and killed thousands of citizens, looking to crush all signs of dissent. That has included more than 150,000 people, by one estimate. When the regime collapsed, thousands of people searched for their loved ones, with many finding nothing. This dossier finally tells the story of what happened to many of these people.

How we got it: The 134,000 Syrian security and intelligence records were obtained by Germany's public broadcaster NDR, and the compilation was shared with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and its global network of media partners, including CBC News.

U.S. UPDATE

There are several major stories coming out of the U.S. right now. Here, we'll break down the biggest ones.

Day 1 of the CUSMA hearing: U.S. agriculture, business and policy groups urged the Trump administration not to scrap the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement, on the first day of a crucial hearing in Washington over the deal's future. Several speakers also warned that Trump's tariff war has put lucrative access to Canada and Mexico at risk. Nearly 150 people are set to present over the three-day hearing, grouped by industry.

Trump's invective against Somalis: Trump lashed out against Somali immigrants on Tuesday, calling them "garbage" who "contribute nothing" to the country. It comes as federal authorities are reportedly preparing an immigration operation in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region focusing on Somali migrants. An estimated 260,000 Somalis lived in the U.S. as of last year, with the largest share being in the Twin Cities area. Most are American citizens.

• The context: The comments come after a report from City Journal, the conservative Manhattan Institute's publication, alleged that taxpayer dollars from defrauded Minnesota government programs flowed to the militant Islamist group Al-Shabaab, which controls parts of Somalia.

The Venezuela situation: A group of bipartisan senators filed a resolution blocking U.S. military action against Venezuela without congressional approval. It came after Trump announced a land campaign would begin shortly. Troops have carried out at least 21 strikes on alleged drug boats in the area since September, killing at least 83 people. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro denies having links to the illegal drug trade.

New Epstein photos: Democrats on the House oversight committee released never-before-seen photos of Jeffrey Epstein's private island home in the Caribbean. Though they showed bedrooms, bathrooms and other rooms and objects in his villa, they didn't provide much new insight into his activities.

In case you missed it

• For more than a year, Tim Hortons has been lobbying MPs to let in more temporary foreign workers.
   
• John Rustad has been removed as leader of the B.C. Conservatives, the party said. Confusingly, Rustad has rejected the removal, insisting he remains in his position.
   
• Nearly 70,000 federal public servants may be eligible for early retirement and will soon receive information, Ottawa said.
   
• Cuba has reconnected its power grid after a partial failure left Havana and much of the country's west in the dark.

IN LIGHTER NEWS

A British man crumpled a beer can and called it art. For that, he won a turnip

(The Turnip Prize/Facebook)

Tim Flooks was thrilled to find out that, after years of trying, he had won a coveted award: a turnip stuck to an old block of wood with a rusty nail. It's called the Turnip Prize, and it's a parody of the Turner Prize, the prestigious award for British artists. Run annually by the New Inn in Wedmore, England, the satirical contest asks contestants to create a piece of art with as little effort as possible. Flooks's