President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, as Washington looks to create fresh momentum for a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza that could be in danger of stalling out before a complicated second phase.
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President Donald Trump attends a joint news conference with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy following a meeting at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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Trump and Netanyahu to meet at Mar-a-Lago at crucial moment for Gaza |
Trump could use the face-to-face at his Mar-a-Lago estate to try to leverage his strong relationship with Netanyahu and look for ways to speed up the peace process, especially as Israel's leader has been accused of not pushing his side to move fast enough.
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that Trump has championed has mostly held, but progress has slowed recently. Both sides accuse one another of violations, and divisions have emerged among the U.S., Israel and Arab countries about the path forward.
The truce's first phase began in October, and all but one of the 251 hostages taken in the initial Hamas-led attack on Israel have been released, alive or dead. Now comes the next, far more complicated part. Trump’s 20-point plan – approved by the U.N. Security Council – lays out an ambitious vision for ending Hamas’ rule of Gaza. Read more.
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Of note:
If successful, the second phase would see the rebuilding of a demilitarized Gaza under international supervision by a group chaired by Trump and known as the Board of Peace. It further calls for normalized relations between Israel and the Arab world, and a possible pathway to Palestinian independence. |
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Trump says Ukraine and Russia ‘closer than ever’ to peace after Zelenskyy talks |
Trump on Sunday insisted Ukraine and Russia are “closer than ever before” to a peace deal as he hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his Florida resort, but he acknowledged that negotiations could still break down and leave the war dragging on for years.
The president’s statements came after the two leaders met for a discussion that took place after what Trump described as an “excellent,” two-and-a-half-hour phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose invasion of Ukraine launched the war four years ago. Trump insisted he believed Putin still wants peace, even as Russia launched another round of attacks on Ukraine while Zelenskyy flew to the United States for the latest round of negotiations.
Trump and Zelenskyy both acknowledged thorny issues remain, including whether Russia can keep Ukrainian territory it controls. After their discussion they called a wide group of European leaders, including Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, and the leaders of Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain and Poland. Read more.
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Of note:
The face-to-face between Trump and Zelenskyy underscored the apparent progress made by Trump’s top negotiators in recent weeks as the sides traded draft peace plans and continued to shape a proposal to end the fighting. Zelenskyy told reporters Friday that the 20-point draft proposal negotiators have discussed is “about 90% ready” — echoing a figure, and the optimism, that U.S. officials conveyed when Trump’s chief negotiators met with Zelenskyy in Berlin earlier this month. |
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What to expect in Iowa’s state Senate special election |
Voters in a Democratic-leaning West Des Moines-area district will pick a new state senator Tuesday in a special election that could allow Iowa Republicans to regain a supermajority in the chamber and secure the party’s grip on state government.
Democrat Renee Hardman of West Des Moines and Republican Lucas Loftin of Clive are the nominees to replace three-term state Sen. Claire Celsi, an assistant Democratic Leader who died on Oct. 6. Hardman is a member of the West Des Moines City Council and serves as mayor pro tempore. Loftin works for an environmental and outdoor services company.
Republicans hold a lopsided 33-16 advantage in the state Senate, one seat shy of the 34 needed for a supermajority. Iowa Democrats broke the GOP’s lock on the chamber in an August special election. In Iowa, a two-thirds supermajority is required to override a governor’s veto, call for special sessions, authorize certain payments and confirm some gubernatorial appointees, according to the Iowa Secretary of the Senate. Republicans already hold a supermajority in the Iowa state House. Read more.
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Of note:
Iowa does not have an automatic recount law, but candidates may request and pay for a recount. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is eligible for a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome. |
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President Donald Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy walk inside his Mar-a-Lago club, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) |
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