Pope Leo XIV embarks on his debut overseas trip Thursday, travelling to Turkey and Lebanon to promote Christian unity and urge peace efforts amid heightened tensions in the Middle East. The six-day trip is the first major international test for the US pope, who was elected head of the Catholic Church in May and whose understated style contrasts with that of his charismatic and impulsive predecessor, Francis. In Turkey, Leo will celebrate the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, where the Creed – a foundational declaration of the Christian faith – was written.” (11/24/25)
“The Department of War announced Monday that it has opened a formal review into allegations of misconduct against Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona over a video calling on service members to ‘refuse illegal orders.’ The Pentagon said it may even call Kelly, a retired Navy captain, back to active duty to face court-martial proceedings or other administrative actions under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. ‘This matter will be handled in compliance with military law, ensuring due process and impartiality,’ the department said, adding that further comments will be limited to protect the integrity of the proceedings. The statement also underscored that military retirees remain subject to the UCMJ and reminded [sic] servicemembers that ‘orders are presumed to be lawful’ and must be obeyed.” (11/24/25)
“A Wisconsin woman who admitted to nearly stabbing a classmate to death at age 12 to please the online horror character Slender Man has been found in Illinois after she cut off an electronic monitoring device and left a group home, authorities said. Madison police issued an alert Sunday for Morgan Geyser, now 23, saying she was last seen around 8 p.m. Saturday with an adult acquaintance. The department issued an update late Sunday that Geyser was taken into custody in Illinois. … Geyser was placed in a group home this year after being granted conditional release from the Winnebago Mental Health Institute. She was sent to the psychiatric institute in 2018 after pleading guilty to attempted first-degree intentional homicide in a deal with prosecutors to avoid prison. The stabbing happened in 2014.” (11/24/25)
“The U.S.- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, set up to distribute aid to Gaza as an alternative to the United Nations but which Palestinians said endangered the lives of civilians as they tried to get food, said Monday it would shutter operations. The company had already closed distribution sites after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire took effect six weeks ago in Gaza. It announced Monday that it was permanently shutting down, claiming it had fulfilled its mission. ‘We have succeeded in our mission of showing there’s a better way to deliver aid to Gazans,’ GHF director John Acree said in a statement. Also Monday, Israel’s defense minister clashed publicly with the military’s chief of staff over the army’s latest probes of its failures in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Palestinian militants that sparked the Israel-Hamas war. The operations of the GHF were shrouded in secrecy during its short time in operation.” (11/24/25)
“Suicide bombers on Monday attacked the Federal Constabulary’s (FC) headquarters in Pakistan’s Peshawar city in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The bombing killed at least three FC soldiers and injured 11 others, according to Dawn. A bomber blew himself up on the gate and two others tried to enter the FC’s premises but were gunned down by FC personnel, Mian Saeed Ahmad, a Peshawar police officer, told the newspaper.” (11/24/25)
“European leaders are discussing a potential peace deal between Russia and Ukraine after the White House made major ‘revisions and clarifications’ to its 28-point peace plan. However, major issues remain unresolved, Finland’s president Alexander Stubb said on Monday. Ukraine reiterated its red lines including formal recognition of occupied territories, demands on limits to Ukraine’s military capacities and restrictions on future alliances, Ruslan Stefanchuk, speaker of Ukraine’s parliament said on Monday. … Europe demanded changes proposing that Ukraine be granted a larger military than under the US plan and that talks on land swaps should start from the frontline rather than a pre-determined view of which areas should be considered Russian.” (11/24/25)
“A close ally of Bosnia’s Serb Republic separatist leader Milorad Dodik won a snap presidential election in a tight race with opposition candidate, the election commission said on Sunday, citing preliminary results. ‘According to preliminary, unofficial and incomplete results, Sinisa Karan won 50.89% of the votes,’ Jovan Kalaba, the commission’s president, said at a news conference. Kalaba said that opposition candidate Branko Blanusa of the Serb Democratic Party (SDS) won 47.81% of the votes. Turnout was low at 35.78%, compared with 53% during a general vote in 2022, he said. … Pro-Russian separatist Dodik was convicted in February of defying the constitutional court and an international peace envoy, leading to Bosnia’s biggest political crisis since the end of its devastating war 30 years ago. He repeatedly rejected the verdict but in October unexpectedly appointed a loyal ally as his temporary replacement and annulled a series of separatist laws previously adopted in parliament.” (11/24/25)
“Thanksgiving is forecast to be colder and with more snow than usual across large swathes of the U.S., threatening to snarl what the AAA is projecting to be record holiday traffic. The National Weather Service warns the ‘polar vortex,’ an area of cold air around the Arctic, could expand southwards and combine with two other factors to bring ‘cooler than normal temperatures’ from Seattle to Dallas and across to Chicago this Thanksgiving week. … nearly 82 million Americans are expected to embark on Thanksgiving holiday road trips and the TSA prepares to screen an estimated 17.8 million air travelers from this Tuesday.” (11/24/25)
“Israel on Sunday struck Lebanon’s capital for the first time since June, saying it killed Hezbollah’s chief of staff Haytham Tabtabai and warning the Iran-backed militant group not to rearm and rebuild a year after their latest war. The strike in Beirut’s southern suburbs killed five people and wounded 25 others, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said. Hezbollah confirmed Tabtabai’s death. … Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun in a statement condemned the strike and accused Israel of refusing to implement its end of the ceasefire agreement.” (11/23/25)
“Counting of votes is underway in Guinea-Bissau where voting for presidential and legislative seats took place on Sunday for President Umaro Sissoco Embaló who is seeking a second term in the nation that has endured multiple coups. The elections have come at a critical time in West Africa, where democracy has recently been challenged by disputed elections that analysts say could embolden militaries that have forcefully taken power in several countries. Analysts say the vote was a close race between Embaló and Fernando Dias da Costa, a little-known 47-year-old backed by former Prime Minister Domingos Simões Pereira, the runner-up in the 2019 presidential election. The winner needs more than 50% of the votes; otherwise, the election will head to a runoff. The incumbent president, who cast his vote in Gabu, a city located 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the capital, Bissau, urged people to come out and vote.” (11/23/25)
