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The United States has sanctioned Gazprombank, Russia’s third-largest lender, and dozens of other financial institutions as President Joe Biden seeks to further curtail the Kremlin’s ability to finance its war in Ukraine before he leaves office in two months. Gazprombank, which plays an important role in facilitating Russian energy exports, was the only remaining large Russian lender not under U.S. sanctions. Washington and Brussels had avoided sanctioning Gazprombank amid concern over possible energy export interruptions. Along with Gazprombank, the United States also announced sanctions on more than 50 other Russian banks conducting international operations, more than 40 Russian securities registrars and 15 Russian finance officials. The United States also warned financial institutions against joining Russia’s version of the international messaging system for banks known as SWIFT. Russia is seeking to attract international banks to its messaging platform to get around U.S. financial sanctions. “Today’s action reaffirms the U.S. commitment to curtail Russia’s ability to use the international financial system to conduct its war against Ukraine and disrupts Russia’s attempts to make cross-border payments for dual-use goods and military materiel,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a November 21 statement. Ukraine backers had been calling on the Biden administration for months to tighten sanctions on Russia’s banking sector, saying the Kremlin was finding ways around existing sanctions to pay for technology imports and other dual-use items. In addition to facilitating energy payments, Gazprombank had been acting as a conduit for the purchase of military goods. The Kremlin also uses Gazprombank to pay Russian soldiers and compensate families for war deaths. “I am grateful to @POTUS and his administration for today’s strong package of financial and banking sanctions targeting Russia’s economy and war chest,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a tweet . Eddie Fishman, a former State Department official and sanctions expert, called the latest announcement a “strong step” toward closing loopholes around Russia’s energy sector, which generates about half of federal budget revenues. Biden will leave office on January 20 to make way for President-elect Donald Trump, who has promised to end the war in Ukraine by getting Zelenskiy and Russian President Vladimir Putin to sit down at the negotiating table, something that experts say will be harder done than said. The financial sanctions come at a critical time for Russia’s economy as Putin’s record spending on the war effort drives up inflation and interest rates. The Russian Central Bank last month raised interest rates to 21 percent, the highest in decades, and could continue to ratchet them up with no end in sight to the war. A senior North Korean general has been wounded in Russia’s Kursk region, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing Western officials. More than 10,000 North Korean troops are supporting Russian forces in Kursk. Russian President Vladimir Putin is hoping to recover the swath of the Kursk region that Ukraine seized in August before President Donald Trump takes office early next year. The United States this week gave Ukraine the green light to use its long-range ATACMS missiles to strike Russian assets in Kursk and said North Korean troops would be fair game. It is unclear how the North Korean general was wounded, the WSJ reported . Russian President Vladimir Putin said his military fired a new intermediate-range missile into Ukraine following accusations by Kyiv that it was an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). In a November 21 video statement to the nation, Putin said the use of the new weapon was a response to the United States and United Kingdom giving permission to Kyiv to fire their long-range missiles into Russia. "In combat conditions, one of the newest Russian medium-range missile systems was tested," Putin said, adding that it was a hypersonic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. Earlier in the day, Kyiv said Russia had fired what appeared to be an ICBM into Ukraine as part of a massive missile attack on Dnipropetrovsk, home to important military-industrial plants. ICBMs, which are designed to deliver long-distance nuclear strikes, have never been used in war before. "On the morning of November 21, 2024...Russian troops attacked the city of Dnipro (facilities and critical infrastructure) with missiles of various types. In particular, an intercontinental ballistic missile was launched from the Astrakhan region of the Russian Federation," the Ukrainian Air Force said in its statement on Telegram. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Telegram that the new Russian weapon had "all characteristics -- speed, altitude -- [of an] intercontinental ballistic missile." A U.S. official speaking on the condition of anonymity told Reuters that Russia used a new intermediate weapon. The U.S. official said Washington had informed Kyiv in recent days that Russia might use it to strike Ukraine. The U.S. official said Putin was seeking to intimidate Ukraine but added that Moscow only had a few of the "experimental" missiles. The Russian attack comes just days after reports that Ukraine used British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles and U.S.-made ATACMS systems to strike military targets deeper inside Russia following the long-sought approval by President Joe Biden. Military analysts said ICBM missiles can be classified as intermediate-range weapons when their payloads are increased and ranges decreased. French Foreign Ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine said the use of an ICBM would be "extremely serious." The main target of the Russian attack was the southeastern region of Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine's most important industrial region, and its capital, the city of Dnipro. Ukraine's air force said that besides the ICBM, Russian aircraft also launched a hypersonic Kh-47M2 Kinzhal missile and seven subsonic Kh-101 cruise missiles. Ukrainian air defenses shot down six Kh-101 missiles, the air force reported. Dnipropetrovsk Governor Serhiy Lysak said his region bore the brunt of the Russian attack. "Since early in the morning, the aggressor massively attacked our region," Lysak reported on Telegram, adding that preliminary information showed that an industrial facility was damaged in the regional capital, Dnipro, where two fires were started by the attack. Explosions were also reported in Kremenchuk, in the central Poltava region. Moscow's use of a large number of sophisticated missiles as opposed to the usual drone attacks appears to be in response to Ukraine's gaining approval to use some Western-donated long-range missile systems to strike deeper into Russia. On November 20, Russian military bloggers and a source cited by Reuters reported that Ukraine had fired up to 12 Franco-British Storm Shadow missiles into Russia's Kursk region, part of which has been under Ukrainian control following a surprise incursion by Ukrainian troops in August. A spokesman for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer declined to confirm whether the missiles had been used. Previously, London had given permission to use the Storm Shadows, which have a 250-kilometer range, within Ukraine's territory. Earlier this week, Ukraine reportedly used ATACMS to strike a military facility in Russia's Bryansk region after Biden was reported as giving his OK. The White House has not officially confirmed the approval and Ukraine hasn't directly acknowledged the use of ATACMS on Russian targets. Russia has long warned that Ukraine's use Western-supplied long-range weapons to strike inside its territory would mark a serious escalation of the conflict. On November 21, Moscow said a new U.S. missile defence base in the Polish town of Redzikowo near the Baltic coast, which was opened on November 13 as part of a broader NATO missile shield, will lead to an increase in the overall level of nuclear danger. "This is another frankly provocative step in a series of deeply destabilising actions by the Americans and their allies in the North Atlantic alliance in the strategic sphere," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. "This leads to undermining strategic stability, increasing strategic risks and, as a result, to an increase in the overall level of nuclear danger," Zakharova said. Poland rejected the claim, saying there were no nuclear missiles at the base. "It is a base that serves the purpose of defense, not attack," Foreign Ministry spokesman Pawel Wronski said on November 21. At least 38 people were killed and more than 40 wounded after gunmen opened fire on a convoy of cars carrying Shi'ite Muslims in northwest Pakistan as religious tension in the region rises. Three women and a child were among those killed in the November 21 attack, police told RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal. The convoy of 200 cars was heading from Peshawar to Parachinar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province near the border with Afghanistan when the unknown gunmen attacked. No one has taken responsibility for the attack, the latest in a series of deadly confrontations in the Kurram region. Police, who were escorting the cars, said the death toll could climb. There were about 700 people in the convoy, according to law enforcement. Tension in Kurram began to heat up after 17 people were killed in an attack on a convoy on October 12. There have been about a handful of deadly attacks since then. Sunnis and Shi'a live together in Kurram and have clashed violently over land, forests, and other property as well as religion over the years, despite government and law enforcement efforts to build peace. Influential Ukrainian tycoon Dmytro Firtash is among eight people targeted by fresh British sanctions that accuse the group, which includes his wife, Lada, of large-scale, international corruption. Angolan-Russian billionaire Isabel dos Santos and Latvian politician and businessman Aivars Lembergs are also among those hit by the new sanctions announced on November 21. The British government accuses Firtash of bribing officials to secure mining licenses for his companies and profiting illegally from Ukraine's gas-transportation system. Firtash is also linked to financier Denys Horbunenko, a resident of the United Kingdom who was added to the sanctions list on November 21 for his association with Firtash. Firtash has faced legal scrutiny in Ukraine over embezzlement and money-laundering accusations involving fraudulent gas-trading schemes. The United States has been seeking his extradition from Austria on charges of bribing Indian officials. Firtash, who gained prominence in the 2000s through his joint venture RosUkrEnergo with Russian energy giant Gazprom, has denied allegations of working in Russia's interests. Dos Santos, daughter of former Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, is Africa's first female billionaire. She is accused of corruption in Angola, where she allegedly exploited her political connections for personal gain. Dos Santos claims she has held Russian citizenship since birth, as she was born in Baku, Azerbaijan, in 1973 under the former Soviet Union. Lembergs, a former populist mayor of the Latvian city of Ventspils, has been convicted in Latvia of corruption and sentenced to five years in prison. He claims the charges against him are politically motivated. The sanctions are part of a British efforts to combat international corruption and disrupt the financial networks of individuals accused of abusing their power for personal enrichment. The measures include asset freezes, travel bans, and restricting these individuals from accessing the U.K.'s financial system or entering the country. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Muhammad Deif, a military commander in the Iran-backed group Hamas, alleging they committed crimes against humanity in the ongoing Gaza war. All three are accused of committing war crimes connected to the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas, an EU- and U.S-designated terrorist organization that is part of Tehran's network of proxies in the Middle East, and Israel's subsequent military intervention in the Gaza Strip. Iran's backing of Hamas and Hezbollah, another Iran-supported militant group and political party that controls much of the southern part of Israel's neighbor, Lebanon, has sparked fears that the war in the Gaza Strip will engulf the Middle East. Hezbollah is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, while the European Union blacklists its armed wing but not its political party. Hezbollah’s political party has seats in the Lebanese parliament. The court said the warrants had been classified as "secret" to protect witnesses and to safeguard the conduct of the investigations. Israel, which claims it killed Deif in July, blasted the move as "a dark moment for the ICC." Hamas, which has never officially acknowledged Deif's death, called the warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant an "important step toward justice." The ICC said it had issued the arrest warrant for Deif as the prosecutor had not been able to determine whether he was dead. His warrant shows charges of mass killings during the October 7 attack on Israel that left some 1,200 dead, as well as charges of rape and the taking of around 240 hostages in the attack. "The Chamber considered that there are reasonable grounds to believe that both [Israeli] individuals intentionally and knowingly deprived the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity, from at least 8 October 2023 to 20 May 2024," the ICC said in a statement . "This finding is based on the role of Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Gallant in impeding humanitarian aid in violation of international humanitarian law and their failure to facilitate relief by all means at its disposal," it said. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar called the move against Netanyahu and Gallant "absurd" in a post on X, saying it was an attack of Israel's right to self-defense. "A dark moment for the ICC in The Hague, in which it lost all legitimacy for its existence and activity," Sa'ar said. Tehran has yet to comment publicly on the warrants. Neither the United States nor Israel have recognized the ICC's jurisdiction. A U.S. National Security Council spokesperson said Washington "fundamentally rejects" the issuance of the arrest warrants and "the troubling process errors that led to this decision. Meanwhile, the EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said in a post on X that ICC decisions "are binding on all states party to the Rome Statute, which includes all EU Member States." The court said Israel's acceptance of the court's jurisdiction was not required. However, the court itself has no law enforcement levers to enforce warrants and relies on cooperation from its member states. Russian police have conducted searches at the PERMM Museum of Contemporary Art in the city of Perm, as well as at the home of its current director, in connection with a case against former director Marat Gelman , REN-TV reported, citing anonymous sources. The PERMM Museum announced on social media that it would remain closed until 3 p.m. local time due to "technical reasons." Gelman, a well-known art dealer who currently lives in Montenegro, where he owns an art gallery, was placed on Russia’s federal wanted list in December 2022 under a criminal charge, though details of the accusation remain unclear. In an interview with Current Time, Gelman suggested that the charges might be in connection with him "discrediting" the Russian military, a common pretext used against critics of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Gelman has been a vocal member of the Anti-War Committee and a member of the Permanent Committee of the Free Russia Forum. He has repeatedly expressed his support for Ukraine and his opposition to Russia's war efforts. The raid in Perm is part of a broader pattern of increasing pressure on Gelman. In the past week, he was added to Russia's list of "terrorists and extremists," with a designation indicating an ongoing criminal case against him. Critics argue this move is part of a crackdown on anti-war activists and dissenting voices within and beyond Russia. The Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad announced on November 21 that 11 people were arrested after being found responsible for the deadly collapse of a concrete canopy at the railway station in Serbia's second-largest city. The huge canopy collapsed on November 1, killing 15 people and seriously injuring another two. The accident occurred after the railway station, built in 1964, had been renovated twice in recent years by a consortium of four companies -- China Railway International and China Communications Construction, France's Egis, and Hungary's Utiber. Among those arrested are former Construction, Transport, and Infrastructure Minister Goran Vesic, and the ex-director of Railway Infrastructure, Jelena Tanaskovic. They face charges of committing criminal acts against public security, endangering the public, and irregular construction work, the prosecutor said in a statement, adding that they faced up to 12 years in prison. The arrests came after public protests that turned violent demanded the punishment of those responsible amid accusations of corruption that resulted in substandard renovation work on the railway station. In a message on X, Vesic wrote that he had not been arrested, but had "voluntarily responded to the call of the police officers" and "made himself available to police authorities." Vesic, an official from the ruling Serbian Progressive Party, resigned after the accident on November 4 but said he did not accept blame for the accident. Tomislav Momirovic, who headed the Construction, Transport, and Infrastructure Ministry from 2020 to 2022, submitted his resignation as trade minister on November 20. The same day, Tanaskovic resigned as head of Serbian Railway Infrastructure. Opposition politicians have voiced scepticism about the arrests and demanded that the case be handed over to organized-crime prosecutors. The office of Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya has issued a statement condemning the recent extradition from Vietnam to Belarus of Vasil Verameychyk, who fought on the Ukrainian side against invading Russian troops. Verameychyk, who moved to Vietnam after he was denied permission to settle in Lithuania because of he had previously served in the Belarusian Army, was detained in Vietnam earlier this year. Despite international appeals, Vietnamese authorities proceeded with his extradition in late October 2024. Tsikhanouskaya's office described the extradition as a direct consequence of the repressive policies of the authoritarian ruler of Belarus, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, highlighting the regime's efforts to target opponents beyond its borders. The statement emphasizes the urgent need for stronger international mechanisms to protect human rights, not only for Belarusians fleeing repression but also for those supporting Ukraine in its efforts to repel Russia's ongoing invasion. It calls on the international community to adopt individualized approaches when reviewing cases for international protection, end cooperation with the Belarusian security forces, and suspend bilateral agreements on extradition and legal assistance with Belarus. Additionally, the statement advises Belarusians abroad to remain vigilant against potential actions by Lukashenka's security services. It recommends consulting resources like Pashpart.org to identify countries deemed unsafe for Belarusians at risk of persecution. Russian mathematician and political prisoner Azat Miftakhov has been placed in solitary confinement for seven days. According to a support group for Miftakhov, the decision came after he reported feeling endangered by his current cellmate. In a letter shared by the group, Miftakhov explained that instead of being transferred to another cell, he was put in solitary confinement. It remains unclear whether Miftakhov will be returned to the same cell after completing his time in solitary. His support group says that his cellmate appears to be mentally ill. Miftakhov said that the man had undergone treatment while in pretrial detention but was nonetheless sentenced to more than 10 years in prison and is now being held in a general cell without access to medical care. Miftakhov is currently serving his sentence in a prison in Dimitrovgrad in the Ulyanovsk region. In March 2023, he was sentenced to four years in prison for "justifying terrorism." The charges stemmed from comments Miftakhov allegedly made while serving a previous sentence expressing support for Mikhail Zhlobitsky, who carried out a suicide bombing in 2018 at a Federal Security Service building in Arkhangelsk. Only Zhlobitsky was killed in the bombing. Before this, Miftakhov served five years and nine months on charges of hooliganism for allegedly participating in an attack on a Moscow office of the ruling United Russia party in 2018. He and his supporters have maintained his innocence, stating that he was tortured during the investigation and coerced into signing a confession, which he retracted. In 2019, the Russian human rights organization Memorial recognized Miftakhov as a political prisoner. Vietnam has extradited a Belarusian national who fought as a volunteer in Ukraine on Kyiv's side to Minsk, Belarusian media reported on November 20. The opposition-led Coordination Council said Vasyl Verameychyk, who is a member of the council, was turned over to Belarus on November 14. Verameychyk served in the Belarusian Army for seven years but participated in the 2020 anti-government protests. After the threat of arrest, he fled to Ukraine, where he joined the fighting against Russian forcesand was wounded in April 2022. Nasha Niva news reported Verameychyk moved to Vietnam after he was denied permission to settle in Lithuania because of his former Belarusian Army service. To read the original story by RFE/RL’s Belarus Service, click here . European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson told RFE/RL in an interview that she is “optimistic” that Romania and Bulgaria will be fully integrated into the visa-free Schengen travel zone by the end of the year. “Romania and Bulgaria are ready, the Schengen area is ready, so I can’t see any obstacles,” she said. “It’s time to lift internal border controls now.” The interview, conducted on November 19, will be published in full on November 21. In March, both countries joined the Schengen area on a partial basis , allowing visa-free travel for those arriving and departing on flights and by boat to both countries, but not by road. To read the original story by RFE/RL’s Romanian Service, click here . Serbian Trade Minister Tomislav Momirovic on November 20 became the second government minister to resign following the collapse of a railway station overhang in Novi Sad that killed 15 people on November 1. He didn't mention the tragedy in his resignation statement. Goran Vesic, minister of construction, transport, and infrastructure, resigned on November 5, saying he was quitting for "moral" reasons, without admitting any guilt. Protests have been held in Novi Sad and Belgrade demanding those responsible for the collapse be held to account. The railway station was built in 1964 but recently underwent a renovation. Serbian Railways insisted that work didn’t include the concrete overhang, but some experts disputed that. To read the original story by RFE/RL’s Balkan Service, click here . A Ukrainian court has sentenced prominent Russian actor Vladimir Mashkov in absentia to 10 years in prison, according to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). Mashkov was found guilty of undermining Ukraine’s territorial integrity and promoting war propaganda. Additionally, the court ordered the confiscation of Mashkov’s apartment in Odesa, reportedly gifted to him by fans for his role in the TV series Liquidation, which is set in post-war Odesa. The SBU highlighted Mashkov’s participation in pro-Kremlin events, including “concert rallies” advocating aggression against Ukraine, some of which took place in Russian-occupied territories. Mashkov was a trusted ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and served as a senior member of Putin’s election campaign team this year. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here . The United States, Germany, and the Netherland -- three key Ukrainian allies -- on November 20 provided details of additional aid to Kyiv as it battles against Russia’s full-scale invasion, which passed the 1,000-day mark this week. The Dutch Defense Ministry said the Netherlands had turned over the final two of 18 promised U.S.-made F-16 fighter warplanes to a Romania training base, where Ukrainian pilots and staff are being taught to fly and maintain the jets. The Netherlands has been one of the main players in a coalition of Western partners to supply Ukraine with the sophisticated F-16s to strengthen its defenses against destructive Russian attacks on military and civilian sites. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in the past hailed the delivery of the warplanes as he pressed allies to step up aid to his country’s stretched military. Separately, the U.S. Defense Department announced an additional security assistance package worth $275 million under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) program. It said the package will provide Ukraine with “additional capabilities to meet its most urgent needs, including munitions for rocket systems and artillery and anti-tank weapons.” “The United States will continue to work together with some 50 Allies and partners through the Ukraine Defense Contact Group and its associated Capability Coalitions to meet Ukraine's urgently needed battlefield requirements and defend against Russian aggression ,” it said. President Joe Biden is scrambling to provide Ukraine with assistance in the face of increased Russian military activity ahead of the return to the White House on January 20 of Donald Trump, who has expressed opposition to the massive aid packages of the current administration. The U.S. statement said the Biden administration has provided Ukraine with $61.3 billion in security assistance, including $60.7 billion since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. The Germany government said it had sent a package of military aid to Ukraine, including armored vehicles, artillery, and drones. Four Panzerhaubitze 2000 howitzers and seven M109 howitzers were included, along with 41,000 rounds of 155-mm artillery shells. The German government noted that its military assistance is delivered in two different manners -- through federal government funds that are used to finance deliveries of military hardware from industry and, separately, from deliveries taken out of current armed forces stocks. Berlin is the second-largest foreign supplier of military aid to Ukraine since February 2022, behind only the United States. Germany in total has provided 28 billion euros ($29.5 billion) to Kyiv. Meanwhile, multiple media reports have stated the United States has given Ukraine permission to launch long-range ATACMS cruise missiles deeper inside Russia, while unconfirmed reports on November 20 said Kyiv had fired British-made Storm Shadow missiles into Russian territory for the first time. Kyiv, Washington, and London have not denied the reports but also have not officially confirmed them. Permission for such strikes had been denied in the past by Western allies amid fears of provoking a wider war. Following the ATACMS and Storm Shadow reports, Ukraine has criticized Germany for refusing to provide its down long-range weapons, the Taurus cruise missile. An Almaty court has found RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, known locally as Radio Azattyq , guilty of disseminating false information, and the court imposed a fine of 184,000 tenges ($371), it said on November 20. The case originated from a complaint filed on November 13 by Shymkent resident Alisher Turabaev. Turabaev alleged that a Kazakh-language video published on Radio Azattyq’s portal on September 13 falsely stated that a prosecutor had requested an eight-year prison sentence for journalist Daniyar Adilbekov on September 12. Turabaev pointed out that court proceedings did not reach this stage until October 16, making the prosecutor’s request impossible at the time. Radio Azattyq acknowledged the error was due to a translation mistake when adapting content from a Russian-language publication. The original Russian report stated that Adilbekov faced "up to eight years in prison" for charges of defamation based on a Telegram post. However, during translation into Kazakh, the phrase was inaccurately rendered as stating that the prosecutor had already "requested eight years." Radio Azattyq expressed readiness to correct the mistake. This marks the second time Radio Azattyq has been fined under Article 456-2 of Kazakhstan’s Administrative Offenses Code. In October 2023, Turabaev successfully filed another complaint against Radio Azattyq, alleging the phrase "Russian-led CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization)” on its Russian-language site was false information. The court fined Radio Azattyq 103,500 tenge ($220) in that case. Details of Turabaev's motives in filing the accusations are unknown. Some people have speculated that he has taken the action on the orders of the authorities. The Dissemination of False Information article was added to Kazakhstan’s Administrative Offenses Code in September 2023 and has been widely criticized by human rights organizations as a tool to restrict freedom of speech. The law does not require proof of intent to spread falsehoods, nor does it provide opportunities for corrections or warnings. It also does not require the existence of a victim. Critics have likened the law to Russia’s legislation against "fake news," warning it is being used to silence journalists, activists, and bloggers. Radio Azattyq’s challenges extend beyond legal battles. On January 3, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry denied or refused to renew accreditation for 36 of its employees, citing violations of the Dissemination of False Information law. This dispute was later resolved through mediation. The growing use of Article 456-2 to penalize media and activists has raised concerns about press freedom and the shrinking space for dissent in Kazakhstan. Alyaksandr Lukashenka, the authoritarian ruler of Belarus, has pardoned an additional 32 political prisoners, according to reports from the pro-government Pul Pervogo Telegram channel, although an estimated 1,300 opposition activists remain behind bars in the country. The identities of those pardoned were not disclosed, but the report said they had all been convicted of extremism, a charge widely used against political activists. The report further identified the pardoned individuals as 24 men and eight women, with nine of them above the age of 50. The pardons released the individuals from serving their full sentences but did not remove their criminal records. Their behavior will continue to be monitored by the Interior Ministry after their release, the report said. This marks the sixth instance of political prisoner pardons in Belarus this year, bringing the total number of individuals set free to 178. Earlier this month , 31 political prisoners were pardoned. In July, the government pardoned 18 people, including Ryhor Kastusyou , the former leader of the opposition Belarusian Popular Front party who had been serving a 10-year sentence and is reportedly in poor health. Additional pardons followed in August (30 individuals), early September (30), and mid-September (37). In mid-November, prominent opposition figure Maryya Kalesnikava , who is serving an 11-year sentence on charges of conspiring to seize power, met with her father for the first time in 21 months. A month earlier, Lukashenka had suggested he might consider pardoning Kalesnikava if she submitted a formal request. However, it remains unclear whether she has accepted the offer. Kalesnikava has previously refused to request a pardon, maintaining her innocence and rejecting the legitimacy of the charges against her. The latest pardons come in the context of a harsh crackdown on dissent following the mass protests in Belarus in 2020, sparked by contested presidential election results. Lukashenka responded to the demonstrations with widespread repression, forcing at least 13,000 people into exile. According to human rights organizations, approximately 1,300 political prisoners remain in Belarusian jails, including politicians, journalists, human rights advocates, and civic activists. Belarus has scheduled its next presidential election for January 2025, with Lukashenka widely expected to be declared the winner. PRISTINA -- European soccer's governing body ordered Kosovo to forfeit its November 15 Nations League match in Bucharest that was abandoned after Kosovar players left the field complaining of "racist" abuse. UEFA on November 20 ruled Kosovo was responsible for the match not being completed. It fined the Kosovo soccer federation 6,000 euros ($6,300). The Romanian federation was also punished for the behavior of Romanian fans. It was ordered to play its first World Cup qualifying home game next year in an empty stadium and was fined 128,000 euros ($136,000) for a variety of offenses, including what UEFA called "the racist and/or discriminatory behavior” of its supporters and "provocative political messages not fit for a sports event." The federation was also fined for its supporters' throwing objects, lighting fireworks, and causing disturbances during national anthems, among other issues, UEFA said . Kosovo’s soccer federation said the fines against the Romanian federation was confirmation of the "validity" of the Kosovo national team's decision to abandon the match. "This decision fully justifies our actions, and we are proud that our national team correctly assessed the situation when it decided to leave the field in protest against these racist chants, provocative political messages, and other discriminatory behaviors," it said of the ruling, which officially meant a 3-0 victory for Romania. It added, however, that it disagreed with the decision that Kosovo should lose points in the league table, indicating it will appeal the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland. DigiSport in Romania reported that the Romanian Soccer Federation will await further details from UEFA before deciding on its next actions. The GSP sports site, meanwhile, quoted Romanian coach Mircea Lucescu as welcoming the ruling granting his team the victory, but he said he was stunned by the fines. "Us? Fined? Such a large amount? It's absurd," he was quoted as saying. Kosovo national team manager Bajram Shala had said the decision to abandon the match was made by the Kosovar federation, coach Franco Foda, and the players after "racist calls" against their country. The captain of the Kosovo team, Amir Rrahmani, said Romanian fans chanted, "Serbia, Serbia," and "Kosovo is Serbia," and that he had informed Danish referee Morten Krogh "at least three times" that his team would leave the field. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and has been recognized by more than 100 countries, but not Romania and other four EU states -- Spain, Cyprus, Greece, and Slovakia. After Kosovar players departed, the Romanian team remained on the pitch for about an hour before the referee decided to abandon the game after the Kosovo's team refused to return. DigiSport quoted Romanian team captain Nicolae Stanciu as expressing puzzlement that his team continues to play Kosovo, even though the Romanian state does not recognize its independence. "If we as a state do not recognize [Kosovo] and considering what happened in past matches, why do we continue to play against them?" The Danish Defense Command said it is "present" in the area near the Chinese cargo ship Yi Peng 3, which is anchored off the coast of Denmark and suspected of being involved in recent damage to fiber-optic communications cables in the Baltic Sea. Suspicions have been growing in Western capitals that damage to two key Baltic Sea cables was likely the result of deliberate actions. The Chinese ship, reportedly captained by a Russian naval officer, was sailing from the Russian port of Ust-Luga. It is suspected of having traveled over the area in the Baltic Sea where the cables connecting Sweden and Lithuania are located. European governments and Washington have not tied Moscow directly to the damage, but they have accused Russia of orchestrating "hybrid attacks" on Western infrastructure to punish European countries for their assistance and support for Ukraine's military as it tries to repel invading Russian forces. Some analysts say the ship may have damaged the cables when dragging its anchor. "The Danish Defense can confirm that we are present in the area near the Chinese ship Yi Peng 3. The Danish Defense currently has no further comments," the Danish Defense Command said in a post on X on November 20. Ukraine's allies pointed to past incidents of alleged sabotage by Moscow, especially following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which has hit the 1,000-day mark this week amid devastating losses on both sides. Authorities in states bordering the Baltic Sea are investigating the cutting of the cables -- the second connects Finland to Germany -- following similar suspicious occurrences in the sea in recent years. A year ago, Finland said it couldn't exclude that a "state actor" was responsible for damage to the Balticconnector gas pipeline and a telecommunications cable in the Baltic Sea. The pipeline was damaged by an anchor dropped from the deck of the Chinese container ship Newnew Polar Bear. The ship was not detained and sailed away. Moscow has said such allegations are being fabricated by the West to discredit Russia. Chinese officials have not commented on the situation surrounding the Yi Peng 3. Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said on November 20 that its officers had detained a German citizen on suspicion of involvement in a March explosion that damaged a gas pipeline at a distribution center in Kaliningrad, the capital of Russia's western exclave of the same name. According to the FSB, Nikolaj Gajduk was detained after investigators found 0.5 liters of an unspecified "explosive substance" in his car while he was entering Kaliningrad from Poland. The statement also said that Gajduk had planned to conduct "sabotage acts" at energy facilities in the region, adding that the plan had been "masterminded" by a Ukrainian citizen residing in Germany. Gajduk was charged with terrorism and smuggling explosive substances. The Agentstvo Telegram channel said that Gajduk is a 57-year-old native of Ukraine. German authorities are yet to comment on the situation. T o read the original report by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here . Iranian authorities are using executions as "a tool of fear," particularly directed at ethnic minorities, dissidents, and foreign nationals, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on November 20. The rights watchdog highlighted a recent surge in capital punishment sentences against these groups, noting that the verdicts are handed down amid rampant violations of due process. According to Iran Human Rights group, in the first 10 months of this year, at least 651 people were executed in Iran -- 166 people in October alone. HRW noted the case of Kurdish political prisoner Varisheh Moradi, sentenced to death by Iran’s revolutionary court in Tehran on November 10 on the charge of “armed rebellion against the state." Moradi, a member of the Free Women’s Society of Eastern Kurdistan, was arrested in the city of Sanandaj in Kurdistan Province in August last year and kept for five months in solitary confinement in the infamous Evin prison where she was tortured. Her family has not been allowed to visit her since May, the group said. Moradi was not allowed to defend herself, and the judge did not permit her lawyers to present a defense, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network reported. “Iranian authorities use the death penalty as a tool of fear, particularly targeting ethnic minorities and political dissidents after unfair trials,” said HRW's Nahid Naghshbandi. “This brutal tactic aims to suppress any opposition to an autocratic government through intimidation,” she said. Five other Kurdish men were sentenced to death in recent weeks on charges of “espionage for Israel," HRW said. Four Arab prisoners from Ahvaz, Khuzestan Province, are at risk of imminent execution, after being sentenced to death by a revolutionary court with two other individuals for their alleged involvement in the killings of two Basij members, a law enforcement officer, and a soldier. The four -- Ali Majdam, Moein Khonafri, Mohammadreza Moghadam, and Adnan Gheibshavi (Musavi) -- were arrested in 2017 and 2018, according to human rights groups. Afghan citizens in Iran have been targeted, in particular, by death sentences, HRW noted, adding that according to human rights groups, at least 49 Afghan nationals have been executed in Iran this year, 13 in the past month alone. “Iran’s revolutionary courts are a tool of systematic repression that violate citizens’ fundamental rights and hand out death sentences indiscriminately, leaving legal protections meaningless,” Naghshbandi said. “The international community should categorically condemn this alarming trend and pressure Iranian authorities to halt these executions,” she added. Mai Sato, the United Nations special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran, has also voiced concern about the "alarming" increase in the number of executions. "In August 2024 alone, at least 93 people were executed, with nearly half in relation to drug offences," Sato said on November 1. At least 11 members of Pakistan's security forces were killed and at least four others were wounded in a car-bombing and shooting attack, the country's military said in a statement. The attack occurred late on November 19 in Bannu, a district in the restive northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, the statement said. Residents told RFE/RL that the sound of gunfire could be heard until late at night. A splinter faction of the Pakistani Taliban, the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement, saying that 23 members of the Pakistani security forces had been killed, a toll that could not be independently verified. The attack occurred as Pakistan's political and military leadership was meeting in Islamabad to discuss ways to tackle the current surge in militant violence. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal, click here . TBILISI -- Hundreds of Georgian police have forced demonstrators for a second night in a row out of the area near Tbilisi State University where they were protesting the results of last month's parliamentary elections and calling for a repeat of the vote. Unlike the previous day , there were no clashes early on November 20 as protesters retreated from the advancing police forces and left the university area, moving to the nearby Melikishvili Avenue in downtown Tbilisi. The protest leaders then announced that they were temporarily suspending their action in order to come up with a new plan. "We have to somehow replan and think about something different, not the same as what we have been doing here," Zurab Japaridze, one of the leaders of the Coalition for Change movement, told the demonstrators. On November 19, Georgian police violently dispersed the days-long protest at the university, detaining at least 16 people and taking down the tents where demonstrators had taken shelter from the cold during the night. The Interior Ministry told RFE/RL that the 16 people detained were held for alleged disobedience to the lawful demands of the police and petty hooliganism. Three of them were released on their own recognizance. Tbilisi has been rocked by protests since the elections, with opposition leaders demanding a repeat of parliamentary elections amid claims of widespread fraud and Russian influence during the October 26 polls that were won by the Georgian Dream party, which has been in power since 2012. The latest protests broke out after Georgia's Central Election Commission (CEC) on November 16 validated the results of last month's disputed elections, despite accusations of widespread fraud and Russian interference. According to the official results, Georgian Dream won 53.93 percent of the vote against 37.79 percent garnered by an opposition alliance. The office of pro-European President Salome Zurabishvili -- who backs the protesters and has refused to recognize the October 26 vote -- said she filed a lawsuit in the Constitutional Court on November 19, "requesting annulment of the election results as unconstitutional,” although she acknowledged little hope of success. "This is not because I believe in the Constitutional Court -- we all know that no institution in this country is independent any longer and we have received evidence of this repeatedly. Georgia's pro-European opposition has boycotted the new parliament, renouncing its mandates from the October 26 vote, alleging widespread fraud and Russian interference. EU and other Western officials have expressed serious doubts about the elections and perceived irregularities. Georgia has been a candidate for EU membership since last year, but a "foreign influence" law and anti-LGBT measures have stalled that effort. On November 20, the EU Delegation to Georgia issued a statement voicing support for young people who are fighting to protect the country's European values . "Here in Georgia, youth is safeguarding their rights, freedoms and the country's EU future. We stand firmly by them and stress the need to respect their fundamental right to freedom of expression and assembly," the EU Delegation said in a message on X on the occasion of "World Children's Day." The United States in July announced that it would pause more than $95 million in assistance to the Georgian government, warning it that it was backsliding on democracy. Dilmurod Ergashev, a Tajik opposition activist who was deported from Germany despite significant concerns about the risk of his detention and torture upon returning to Tajikistan, has been jailed for two months, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on November 20, calling on Berlin to press for his release. An administrative court in Germany ordered Ergashev's deportation on October 28. The 40-year-old is a prominent member of Group 24, an opposition movement that is banned in Tajikistan, and part of the Reforms and Development of Tajikistan movement established by exiled dissidents. His activism has included participating in demonstrations in Berlin, notably during a protest against Tajik President Emomali Rahmon's visit to Germany in September 2023. "Germany should urgently press Tajikistani authorities to release Ergashev or make clear the legal grounds and evidence justifying his detention and ensure that his due process rights are fully respected," HRW said in a statement . "This includes access to appropriate and quality medical care and ensuring that he is not mistreated. Ergashev was deported after a German court dismissed concerns, that he and human rights groups had raised, that he would be detained on arrival in Tajikistan," it said. Ergashev has been in Germany since February 2011 and first applied for asylum on political grounds that same year. Despite several applications, his asylum requests have been consistently rejected. According to his lawyer, German immigration authorities have expressed doubts about the sincerity of Ergashev's commitment to opposition causes. On November 6, The Insider investigative group reported that Ergashev had attempted to commit suicide before being deported from Germany to Tajikistan, citing self-exiled Tajik opposition activist Sharofiddin Gadoev. Germany has faced criticism for similar actions in the past. In 2023, two Tajik dissidents, Abdullohi Shamsiddin and Bilol Qurbonaliev, were deported to Tajikistan, where they were immediately detained and later sentenced to lengthy prison terms on dubious charges related to attempts to overthrow the constitutional order. Reports indicate that Shamsiddin has faced mistreatment while incarcerated. The Tajik government is known for its systematic persecution of opposition members, especially those affiliated with banned groups like Group 24. A recent report by HRW highlighted Tajikistan as a country of major concern regarding transnational repression, noting that the government actively targets critics abroad on charges of extremism and terrorism, leading to severe penalties and mistreatment upon forced return. Given Ergashev's documented activism and participation in protests, he is seen as a clear target for persecution by the Tajik authorities. KYIV -- The White House said it will provide Ukraine with antipersonnel mines to help it fend off Russia’s battlefield advances , despite widespread opposition to such weapons by international rights groups and following heavy usage of similar devices by Russia. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was quoted on November 20 by news agencies as saying during a visit to Laos that the decision to provide the controversial mines was made because of a change in Russian tactics. "They don't lead with their mechanized forces anymore," he said "They lead with dismounted forces who are able to close and do things to kind of pave the way for mechanized forces." Ukraine has a need "for things that can help slow down that effort on the part of the Russians," he added. Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Russia had used at least 13 types of antipersonnel mines in Ukraine since February 2022. "Russia has used anti-personnel land mines widely in Ukraine...causing hundreds of casualties and contaminating vast tracts of agricultural land," it said. Rights and humanitarian groups have long criticized the use of antipersonnel mines, saying they pose a danger to civilians. In a statement following the U.S. announcement, HRW said the "decision to transfer antipersonnel land mines risks civilian lives and sets back international efforts to eradicate these indiscriminate weapons.” More than 160 countries have agreed to ban the use of antipersonnel mines, although the United States and Russia are not signatories to the convention . Ukraine ratified the convention in December 2005. When asked in the past about possible use of such mines, Ukraine said it could not comment on the types of weapons utilized during the current armed conflict "before the end of the war and the restoration of our sovereignty and territorial integrity." Antipersonnel mines are hidden in the ground and are designed to detonate when enemy troops walk on or near them. Some reports have said the mines being provided by Washington are "nonpersisent," meaning that after a set period of time they no longer are operational and are rendered harmless. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hailed the decision on the mines, calling them "very important" weapons in the effort to blunt Russian assaults and saying the move would "totally strengthen" Ukraine's frontline troops. Meanwhile, U.S. officials said Washington's embassy in Kyiv will likely resume normal operations on November 21 after having closed earlier on November 20 when it received "specific information" about "a potential significant air strike." Late in the day, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told a briefing that "I can't go into the details of the threat, but we're always keeping a close eye on it. “The embassy is expected to return to normal operations tomorrow," he added. In closing, the embassy urged employees and U.S. citizens in the Ukrainian capital to take immediate shelter if an air-raid alert was announced. "Out of an abundance of caution, the Embassy will be closed, and Embassy employees are being instructed to shelter in place," it said in a statement, without giving any details about the possible strike. The embassies of Italy, Greece, and Spain said they had also shut their operations following the unusual U.S. warning. Spain later said it reopened its facility after a temporarily closing. The Ukrainian military suggested the information the U.S. Embassy was referring to was "fake." "Messengers and social networks...are spreading a message about the threat of a 'particularly massive' missile and bomb attack on Ukrainian cities today." "This message is a fake. It contains grammatical errors typical of Russian information and psychological operations,” it added. It urged residents not to ignore air-raid sirens but also "not to succumb to panic." An air-raid alert was issued for several Ukrainian regions, including Kyiv, early on November 20 due to the imminence of Russian drone strikes. The U.S. warning came one day after Moscow said Ukraine had used U.S.-made long-range missile systems to strike a weapons depot in Russia's Bryansk region following U.S. President Joe Biden's reported authorization of their use. The White House has not officially confirmed the decision. In another move by the current U.S. administration aimed at aiding Ukraine, Biden has informed Congress that he intends to cancel $4.65 billion in loans to Ukraine, a State Department spokesman said. Zelenskiy did not confirm or deny the use of ATACMS in the attack on Bryansk, saying during a news conference that "Ukraine has long-range capabilities.... We now have a long 'Neptune' (Ukrainian-made cruise missiles) and not just one. And now we have ATACMS. And we will use all of this." On November 20, Ukraine's military intelligence agency said a Russian military command post had been "successfully struck" in the town of Gubkin in Russia's Belgorod region, some 168 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. It did not say what kind of missiles had been used in the attack. Meanwhile, Bloomberg News reported the Ukrainian military had also fired a British-supplied Storm Shadow into Russia for the first time, citing an unnamed Western official. Separately, the Ukrainian Air Force said Russian troops attacked Ukraine early on November 20 with 122 drones, 56 of which were shot down over 14 regions -- Kyiv, Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Poltava, Kirovohrad, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskiy, Sumy, Mykolayiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhya, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, and Kharkiv. The mayor of Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odesa, Hennadiy Trukhanov, said the death toll after a Russian strike on the city on November 18 had risen to 11.

Both Oklahoma and Providence are hoping they'll have key pieces back in place when the two undefeated teams square off in the first round of the Battle 4 Atlantis on Wednesday in Paradise Island, Bahamas. The Friars (5-0) are expected to have Bryce Hopkins available, according to a report from Field of 68. Hopkins was averaging 15.5 points and 8.6 rebounds last season before suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament Jan. 3. He returned to full-go practices last week, and Tuesday, Providence coach Kim English said Hopkins would be a "game-time decision" against the Sooners. "It's been a process," English said. "We're not rushing it." But English praised Hopkins' progress since the Friars' last game, Nov. 19, when Hopkins went through pregame warmups. "I thought he looked better than I remembered," English said. "He's been in our system for the past year. His patience, his understanding, his versatility on offense and defense ... it's been great to see him in practice." The Sooners (4-0) are hopeful that they'll get Brycen Goodine back. Goodine played for the Friars for two seasons from 2020-22 before transferring to Fairfield for two seasons and then to Oklahoma this offseason. Goodine suffered an ankle injury in the Sooners' opener Nov. 4 and has not played since. "He's a really tough kid and trying to push through it," Oklahoma coach Porter Moser said. "It will truly be one of those game-time decisions. He hasn't gone a full practice yet, just been pieces of practices." Playing with Goodine and Jadon Jones, expected to be two of the Sooners' top outside shooters, Moser said he's learned plenty about his team's offense. "When you're down those shooters, it's really a great weapon to know that a lot of other guys can knock down the open shot," Moser said. "It's been a huge takeaway." The Sooners have been led by Jalon Moore, who is averaging 18.8 points per game, and freshman Jeremiah Fears, who is averaging 15.5. Providence has been led by senior guard Bensley Joseph, who is averaging 11.8 points and 4.0 assists per game. Oklahoma has not played a game closer than 16 points yet this season, with an average margin of victory of 24 points. Providence has won its five games by an average of nearly 17 points per game. The teams will square off against either Davidson or No. 24 Arizona in the second round Thursday, with the winners playing each other in one semifinal while the losers play in a consolation semifinal. --Field Level MediaOn this "Face the Nation" broadcast, moderated by Margaret Brennan: Sen. Rand Paul , Republican of Kentucky Sen. Tammy Duckworth , Democrat of Illinois Sen. Chris Van Hollen , Democrat of Maryland Ret. Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster Rep.-elect Sarah McBride , Democrat of Delaware Click here to browse full transcripts of "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan." MARGARET BRENNAN: I'm Margaret Brennan in Washington. And this week on Face the Nation: President-elect Trump makes a flurry of picks for top health and finance jobs. Will they pass muster with the Republican-controlled Senate? The Trump transition team unveiled almost a dozen people selected to fill key Cabinet and White House roles. And as would-be nominees are whisked through Capitol Hill to meet with senators, there's already been one major withdrawal, a quick replacement, and renewed scrutiny on some of the more controversial national security picks. We will talk with two key senators, Republican Rand Paul and Democrat Tammy Duckworth. They will be questioning the president-elect's choices on health, national security and more. One of Trump's national security advisers from his first term, retired Army Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster, will also weigh in. Plus: As the conflict between Israel-Hamas and Hezbollah continues to rage, when can we expect a cease-fire? We will ask Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, who has called President Biden's handling of Israel shameful and a policy failure. Finally, we will hear from representative-elect Sarah McBride on the challenges and opportunities facing her as she prepares to take office as the first openly transgender member of Congress. It's all just ahead on Face the Nation. Good morning, and welcome to Face the Nation. As we begin this holiday week, Americans are preparing to gather to give thanks for what has been and contemplate what's to come. Our latest CBS News poll shows that 59 percent of Americans approve of how president-elect Donald Trump is handling the presidential transition. Trump has kept up a steady drumbeat of staffing announcements from his Mar- a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. And that is where we find our Nikole Killion this morning with the latest. (Begin VT) NIKOLE KILLION (voice-over): After Saturday lunch with one of the senators who will vote on his Cabinet picks, president-elect Donald Trump announced former domestic policy adviser Brooke Rollins for agriculture secretary. One of his most highly anticipated selections was Scott Bessent for Treasury. If confirmed, the 62-year-old investor would be the first openly gay secretary to lead it and responsible for quarterbacking Mr. Trump's proposed policies on taxes and tariffs. DONALD TRUMP (Former President of the United States (R) and Current U.S. President-Elect): The most beautiful word in the dictionary is tariff. NIKOLE KILLION: A new CBS News poll shows a majority of Americans support imposing tariffs on imported goods, and more have an optimistic view of the economy since the election. Mr. Trump selected a pair of doctors to lead health agencies. Former Congressman David Weldon has promoted debunked anti-vaccine views and is being tapped to lead the Centers for Disease Control. Food and Drug Administration pick Martin Makary critiqued vaccine mandates during the COVID pandemic. And Project 2025 architect Russ Vought plans to reprise his role as White House budget director, despite Trump's disavowal of the conservative policy blueprint. PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP: I have nothing to do with Project 2025. NIKOLE KILLION: Our polling also finds many of the president-elect's well- known designees have more support than opposition, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Tulsi Gabbard, and Pete Hegseth. The former FOX News host picked to lead the Pentagon is drawing scrutiny over allegations of sexual assault in a 2017 police report. Did you sexually assault a woman in Monterey, California? PETE HEGSETH (U.S. Defense Secretary Nominee): I have – as far as the media is concerned, I will keep this very simple. The matter was fully investigated. And I was completely cleared. And that's where I'm going to leave it. (End VT) NIKOLE KILLION: While president-elect Trump has filled out most of his Cabinet, a few economic positions remain up for grabs, including U.S. trade representative and small business administrator – Margaret. MARGARET BRENNAN: That's Nikole Killion in West Palm Beach, Florida. We go now to Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul. He is set to chair the Homeland Security Committee next year, and he sits on the Health Committee. Welcome back to Face the Nation, Senator. SENATOR RAND PAUL (R-Kentucky): Good morning. Thanks for having me. MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, you are a doctor by training. I want to ask you about some of these health picks. I know that you personally said that you have vaccinated all of your children, but vaccination rates in this country, as you know, are on the decline. Are you at all concerned that elevating individuals who have been publicly critical of some particular vaccines, RFK Jr. at HHS secretary, Dave Weldon to CDC director, that any of that will erode trust in vaccination? SENATOR RAND PAUL: You know, I think all of us can agree that there's an increase of vaccine hesitancy. I think it comes from people not believing what the government is telling them. The fact that the CDC committee for vaccines and the FDA committee for vaccines said for COVID boosters that you should take a booster if you're over 65, and yet the Biden administration and Rochelle Walensky actually politicized that, didn't follow the signs and said you should boost your 6-month-old, and the American public is rejecting this. Only about 20 percent of the American public of all ages is taking the COVID booster, because the government hasn't been honest with us. That dishonesty has led to vaccine hesitancy. MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, it's vaccination rates in other – other vaccines as well, not just COVID vaccines. There's concern about measles. There are concerns about other... SENATOR RAND PAUL: Right, but people have to believe it. Exactly. But people are doubting because they're being told that. I will give you an example. Look, I think vaccines, smallpox, the story of smallpox vaccine, polio vaccine are some of the most miraculous discoveries in all of medicine. And I'm not against vaccines. But, like, when my kids were little, the hepatitis B vaccine, they still want to give it to them as a newborn. I just – my baby is new and just, you know, come into the world, and you can see how a lot of reasonable people say, why do I have to do it as a newborn? Could I come back in three months or six months? So, really, it's about choice. It's about getting rid of mandates. It's about letting people participate, but it's also about the government being honest. What are the risks and what are the benefits? And they haven't been honest on COVID, because healthy children do not die from COVID, do not get seriously sick, and there's no proof that the vaccine has any medical benefit for healthy children. MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, we want to move on to other topics, sir, but we will continue to cover vaccination in this country. I think what you said there is that you're supportive of all those health nominees, from what I heard. You – you have been – I'm sorry. Did you want to say... SENATOR RAND PAUL: I was just going to say, yes, I am supportive. MARGARET BRENNAN: OK. SENATOR RAND PAUL: But I wouldn't describe them as the problem with vaccine hesitancy. I would describe the government misinformation as the problem with vaccine hesitancy. MARGARET BRENNAN: OK. Messengers matter, though. But you have raised concerns in your role on Homeland Security about the implementation of some of the promises Donald Trump made on the campaign trail. His mass deportation vow is very popular. Our CBS polling shows 57 percent of voters like the idea, but how it is implemented matters a lot to voters. The vast majority prefer that federal law enforcement or immigration agencies carry them out. Just 40 percent say the U.S. military should be involved. The stated Trump plan is to use the military, military assets, deputize the National Guard, and have them act as immigration agents. Do you believe that is lawful? SENATOR RAND PAUL: You know, I'm 100 percent supportive of going after the 15,000 murderers, the 13,000 sexual assault perpetrators, rapists, all these people. Let's send them on their way to prison or back home to another prison. So I would say all-points bulletin, all in, but you don't do it with the Army because it's illegal. And we've – we've had a distrust of putting the Army into our streets, because the police have a difficult job, but the police understand the Fourth Amendment. They have to go to judges. They have to get warrants. It has to be specific. And so I'm for removing these people, but I would do it through the normal process of domestic policing. Now, I would say that the mayor of Denver, if he's going to resist federal law, which there's a longstanding history of the supremacy of federal law, if he's going to resist that, it will go all the way to the Supreme Court. And I would suspect that he would be removed from office. I don't know whether or not there'd be a criminal prosecution for someone resisting federal law, but he will lose. And people need to realize that what he is - - what he is offering is a form of insurrection, where the states resist the federal government. Most people objected to that and rejected that long ago. So I think the mayor of Denver is on the wrong side of history, and, really, I think, will face legal ramifications if he doesn't obey the federal law. MARGARET BRENNAN: All right, just context on those numbers you rattled off in terms of criminals, those numbers from ICE are accurate figures, but they're over a 40-year period of time. What we know now about the immigration authorities who would have to be charged with rounding these individuals up, there are just 6,000 agents, 41,000 detention beds to carry out the assignment of rounding up millions of undocumented people, potentially. How do you suggest they implement it? And if this is a red line for you in terms of using the military, would you vote no on the DHS secretary, Kristi Noem? SENATOR RAND PAUL: I will not support and will not vote to use the military in our cities. I think it's a terrible image. But I will tell you that, just in the last week, with the belief that a new administration will change things, there were four or five criminals arrested in the last week. And what would happen and I think what will happen under Donald Trump's administration is, I don't recommend to use the Army, but I would use the FBI, I would use ICE, I would use Border Patrol. And they have a list now of 15,000. I don't care if it came in over 40 years or 10 years. If you've got a list, you put these people on an all- points bulletin, these are the kind of people that are dangerous and that everybody needs to be the watch on, and they would go out and seek those people. That – we have about 30,000 very dangerous people already convicted of crimes. That should be the first priority for all of this. Let's go find those people. But it's not about detaining them. In all likelihood, they should be going to a jail, either a jail here or in the country they came from. So I think, if we did that, there will be a lot of unity. If they send the Army into New York, and you have 10,000 troops marching, carrying semiautomatic weapons, I think it's a terrible image, and I will oppose that. But it's not that I oppose removing people. I just... MARGARET BRENNAN: Right. SENATOR RAND PAUL: ... object to what has been against the law for over 100 years, and that's using the Army. MARGARET BRENNAN: But deputizing the National Guard, that specifically is the proposal. You also oppose that? SENATOR RAND PAUL: I don't think it's the best way to do it. It's less clear whether that's legal or illegal. Typically, it has to be done at the behest of the governors. I still don't like a militarization of police, whether it's National Guard or Army. I think there's a lot of FBI. MARGARET BRENNAN: OK. SENATOR RAND PAUL: There's a lot of Border Patrol agents. There's a better way to do it. And it needs to be individualized. MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes. SENATOR RAND PAUL: That doesn't mean I'm any less serious about getting it done. It just needs to be done according to the law and consistent with our traditions. MARGARET BRENNAN: Understood. You've made clear you are a fiscal conservative. I want to ask you about the choice just made to select hedge fund manager Scott Bessent as the treasury secretary. He had a long financial career. He served as the Chief Investment Officer for George Soros' funds. He's been a political donor. Elon Musk came out publicly against him, calling him business as usual. Do you favor Mr. Bessent in the role as Treasury secretary? SENATOR RAND PAUL: You know, I have heard good things about him. I haven't made a decision. I lean towards being supportive. I don't like tariffs, but, then again, I don't like the president promoting tariffs. I think tariffs are a tax on the consumer, and they ignore things like with steel. There are 80 workers working in steel-buying industry for every worker making steel. MARGARET BRENNAN: Mm-hmm. SENATOR RAND PAUL: So, yes, you can protect certain industries, but it's at the expense of other people. I don't believe that will be enough for me to want to vote against Bessent, because it's also the president's position as well. I will be vocal in saying that I think tariffs are bad and that international trade actually saves every consumer about $7,000 a year. So, everybody in our country is $7,000 richer because of international trade. MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes. SENATOR RAND PAUL: It's part of one of the booms of postwar and post- Industrial Revolution. This amazing international trade has made us all richer, and we need to talk about the statistics and facts concerning the benefits of trade. MARGARET BRENNAN: Understood on the nuances and specifics there, but that is primarily how Donald Trump is promising to pay for all the things he promised on the campaign trail. As you know, the federal debt is past $36 trillion as of this week. His proposals to lift taxes off of tips, overtime, Medicare, Social Security, give tax credits, that could add as much as $8 trillion more to the deficit, according to the Committee for a Responsible Budget. Do you actually expect Republicans to take up these proposals? SENATOR RAND PAUL: You know, in 2017, I voted for a tax reduction package that they said would add to the debt, but I also forced my colleagues to vote for pay-as-you-go. It's a policy that's in our law, and they have to waive it, which means that if a tax cut causes a reduction and causes an increase in the debt because of reduced revenue, that you have to have spending cuts. So, I have always been in favor of the tax cuts, but I have also been in favor of the spending cuts. The same will occur with this. If we do cut spend – cut taxes, which I think helps the economy, you leave money in the hands of the productive private sector, I think that's a good idea. But if you do it, I would cut spending. And there will be procedural blockade or procedural votes that I will force that says that we should also cut spending as well. MARGARET BRENNAN: Our polling shows that the vast majority of Americans, 86 percent, prefer people with experience running the agencies, and 64 percent polled by us think it's important to appoint people with that experience in Washington. Given that, for example, the Pentagon pick hasn't ever managed a large corporation or held a high rank in the military, do you think he can run the Pentagon? SENATOR RAND PAUL: Yes. And I think the vast majority of people, if you poll them, will say that they don't think people should be picked based on religion or gender or sexuality. They want people to be picked on merit. MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes. SENATOR RAND PAUL: And one of one of Pete Hegseth's criticisms of our Pentagon is that we've gone away from merit... MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes. SENATOR RAND PAUL: ... and gone more towards racial characteristics. And so I think that the people are and would be overwhelmingly in favor... MARGARET BRENNAN: OK. SENATOR RAND PAUL: ... of someone who's going to base hiring on merit, not on racial characteristics. MARGARET BRENNAN: OK. Senator Paul, thank you for your time today. Face the Nation will be back in a minute. (ANNOUNCEMENTS) MARGARET BRENNAN: We go now to Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth of the state of Illinois. She sits on the Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees. Good morning to you, Senator. SENATOR TAMMY DUCKWORTH (D-Illinois): Good morning. Thanks for having me on. MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, former Congressman Matt Gaetz took himself out of the running this week to become attorney general. This was after he had met with senators. And CBS has reported that as many as 15 Republicans opposed him. Does that suggest to you that your Republican colleagues in the Senate will hold the line, or are you still concerned they will just green-light anyone Trump nominates? SENATOR TAMMY DUCKWORTH: Well, I'm deeply concerned that they will green- light. I'm glad that they held the line on him. I'm also glad that they voted the way they did for the Republican leader, but that was in the secret ballot when they elected Senator Thune. And, you know, Mr. Trump's main choice for that position was not selected. But from what I'm hearing from my Republican colleagues on everything from defense secretary to other posts, it sounds like they are ready to roll over for Mr. Trump. MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, on that point of Defense, since you sit in this advisory role on Armed Services, I don't have to tell you, but, for our audience, there are over 200,000 American women who serve in active duty service right now, thousands of them in front-line combat roles. You were one of them in 2004, when your Black Hawk helicopter you were piloting was shot at by an RPG, and you sustained severe injuries. Here is what Mr. Trump's pick for defense secretary said about women serving: (Begin VT) PETE HEGSETH (U.S. Defense Secretary Nominee): I'm straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles. It hasn't made us more effective, hasn't made us more lethal, has made fighting more complicated. (End VT) MARGARET BRENNAN: Do your colleagues who sit with you on Armed Services believe that Mr. Hegseth's statement there is an issue that he needs to perhaps retract? SENATOR TAMMY DUCKWORTH: Well, I think they need to, because he's wrong. Our military could not go to war without the 220,000-plus women who serve in uniform. The women in our military does make us more effective, does make us more lethal. And let me just make one thing clear. The women who are in those very particular roles, whether it's in Special Forces or the SEALs or the infantry, they meet the same standards as the men. And so he's been out there saying that, you know, women are not as strong, we don't – the ones who are in those roles have met the same standards as the men and have passed the very rigorous testing. And so he's just flat-out wrong. Our military could not go to war without the women who wear this uniform. And, frankly, America's daughters are just as capable of defending liberty and freedom as her sons. MARGARET BRENNAN: Having served in combat yourself, what do you think of the idea that women make fighting more complicated? That was specifically what he focused on. SENATOR TAMMY DUCKWORTH: Well, it just shows his lack of understanding of where our military is. He was a pretty low-ranking guy in the military, and he never had a command position. He was a platoon leader, I think, once or twice, but he never even commanded a company. And so this is a man who is inordinately unqualified for the position. Remember that the Pentagon is three million servicemen and women and civilians. It is over a $900 billion budget. He's never, you know, run anything anywhere near to that size. And, frankly, women actually make our military more effective. And I have personally found that I brought many insights to my job when I was a company commander, when I was a logistics officer that came from my own personal background that made things better. I took better care of my men, for example, in my unit. I was often the only woman in an all-male unit, and my gender didn't have – wasn't a problem. I just adapted, and we continued to perform the mission. MARGARET BRENNAN: The question of character has also come up in regard to this leadership role. Mr. Hegseth has acknowledged that he paid a woman back in 2017 to quiet her accusations of sexual assault. He claims it was consensual sex. I'm sure you read that Monterey police report, as we did here. It refers to the offense code as – quote – "rape, victim unconscious of the nature of the act." It details both the accuser's and Hegseth's version of events. Here's what Senator Markwayne Mullin said it shows: "two people flirting with each other." Is the committee going to speak with the victim to ask if this was a misunderstanding? SENATOR TAMMY DUCKWORTH: Well, that's – that will be the decision of the Republican chairman of the committee next year. I hope that we will. But I suspect that they, again, will roll over for Mr. Trump. Frankly, I will make – raise those questions. Remember that we've just fought over a decade of fights and – and overhauled the military and its treatment of military sexual trauma. It's frankly an insult and really troubling that Mr. Trump would nominate someone who has admitted that he's paid off a victim who has claimed rape allegations against him. This is not the kind of person you want to lead the Department of Defense. MARGARET BRENNAN: To move to a vote you took this past week, you said you have disgust at the brutal tactics used by the Netanyahu government in Gaza, but you voted against all three resolutions of disapproval this past week that would have paused very specific offensive weapons shipments to Israel. Your colleague Senator Van Hollen said it's just about getting Israel to comply with U.S. law. How do you respond to that? Why shouldn't they be held to the same standards as other recipients of U.S. aid? SENATOR TAMMY DUCKWORTH: Well, I respect Senator Van Hollen's position. And, in fact, I have cosigned many of the letters that he's led that has called on Israel to comply with humanitarian standards across the world. My decision comes from my military experience, the fact that many of these rounds were not going to be delivered for a couple of years, the fact that, you know, these are resolutions. They don't actually have binding effect. And, frankly, for me, my decision came from the fact that we have tens of thousands of US troops in harm's way right now. And I am deeply concerned that a resolution that doesn't actually do anything might embolden the Houthis and the Iranian regime and Hamas to further target and – American troops abroad. So I respect Chris. He and I are good friends. We were freshmen in the Senate together, but we come at this from slightly different angles, mine from 23 years of military experience. But I do share his concern about the brutal way that Israel has acted in Gaza. And, you know, I have cosigned many of his letters. MARGARET BRENNAN: Our polling shows that there is a desire among the American people to see Democrats and Republicans work together in this future Trump administration. With that in mind, I'm looking at some of these nominees, including Trump's pick for labor secretary. She is drawing praise from unions because she is perceived as – as pro-union. Could you see yourself supporting her or any of the other nominees? SENATOR TAMMY DUCKWORTH: Absolutely. I – you know, what I would need to do is have a chance to sit down and talk with each one of these nominees, and listen to them and hear what they have to say. I think Congressman Collins over at VA, he's the nominee for VA, is another person I can talk with. In fact, I worked with him when I was in the House a few years back. I am going to evaluate each one of these candidates based on their ability to do the job and their willingness to put the needs of the American people first and not be on a retribution campaign and a – for Mr. Trump. So it's about, are they willing to be independent and do the job that they are being nominated to do, and are they competent and qualified for the position? MARGARET BRENNAN: Senator Duckworth, we appreciate your time this morning. SENATOR TAMMY DUCKWORTH: Thank you. MARGARET BRENNAN: And we'll be right back with a lot more Face the Nation. Stay with us. (ANNOUNCEMENTS) MARGARET BRENNAN: Welcome back to FACE THE NATION. We're now joined by Maryland Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen. Good to have you here. SENATOR CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (D-MD): It's great to be with you, Margaret. MARGARET BRENNAN: So, in these final days of Democratic control of the Senate and the White House, there's a long to-do list. Congress has to fund the government by end of December, pass the defense bill, the NDAA, an extension to the farm bill, and I know Democrats want to confirm as many judges as possible. What's top of your list? SENATOR CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: Well, all of those are on the list. Top of my list is also the disaster relief funding. Emergency relief. We had big parts of the country hit by hurricanes and other natural disasters. In my state of Maryland, we had the collapse of the Key Bridge in Baltimore. So, we've always taken the approach that the whole country will be there to help fellow Americans in need. The president has now submitted $100 billion emergency disaster relief plan that includes funding for the Key Bridge. So, I hope that we will get that done by the end of the year. People need that relief and they need it now. MARGARET BRENNAN: That's about $8 billion for the bridge alone, is that right? SENATOR CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: Not for the bridge alone. This is - that's part of the emergency relief fund that includes approximately $2 billion for the bridge. MARGARET BRENNAN: OK. And you're relatively confident that this can be delivered on? SENATOR CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: I hope that all of our colleagues, Republicans and Democrats alike, will support disaster relief. MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes. SENATOR CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: We've always had the philosophy, all for one and one for all when Americans get hit by these disasters. I hope we will stick with that position. MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, we also are looking at a new Congress very soon and, as you know, a new commander in chief. Republicans will have the majority in the Senate with 53 seats, so they don't really need Democratic votes to confirm many of the picks that Mr. Trump has been making to run agencies. But from what you've seen to date, are you in favor of any of them, your colleague, Marco Rubio, as secretary of State, for example, or this new choice to be Labor secretary? SENATOR CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: Look, my view is, this is what the vetting process is all about, the hearing process. The Senate, of course, under the Constitution, has the job of advising and consenting on nominations. And I take that responsibility very seriously. I've been troubled by some talk that President-elect Donald Trump wants to short circuit that constitutional approach using this recess appointment device, and it will be really important that the new republican leader in the Senate uphold the Senate's prerogatives under the Constitution and not try to do an end run. MARGARET BRENNAN: We'll stay tuned to see how that plays out. Let's turn to the Middle East. You said that President Biden's inaction to halt the horrific humanitarian situation inside of Gaza is a stain on his administration, that it's shameful. Is there anything in these final weeks that could be done to erase that stain? SENATOR CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: I think there are things that can be done. And I should emphasize that I supported President Biden's decision to travel to Israel in the aftermath of the brutal Hamas attacks of October 7th of last year, and stand with the people of Israel as they confront this threat. But I also wish the president had effectively used U.S. leverage to essentially assert his own positions. We've seen this pattern where President Biden makes demands of Prime Minister Netanyahu, only to be ignored or slapped down entirely. And then President Biden sends more bombs and more money. That is not an effective use of leverage. So, I do hope in these closing months the president will finally make more effective use of American leverage to, at the very least, uphold American law. MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes. SENATOR CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: To insist that the Netanyahu government allows humanitarian aid into Gaza, and that they use our weapons in a manner consistent with the laws of war. MARGARET BRENNAN: So, you take a nuanced and specific stand on that, upholding U.S. law. This is often characterized, though, as being for or against helping Israel. There were 19 senators, you were one of them, who voted this past week to pause specific shipments on three different groups of weapons, offensive weapons, to Israel. You said the State Department's reviewing 500 incidents where U.S. weapons were used and caused unnecessary civilian harm. The State Department has said Israel's doing things to fix the situation, which is why weapons continue to be green lit. Are you suggesting that's a lie? SENATOR CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: I'm suggesting that the president of the United States is not fully complying with American law on this question. If you look at the letter that was sent by Secretary Austin and Secretary Blinken to Israeli authorities in October, you look at that final paragraph, you'll see that they're complaining about the fact that there is no effective mechanism right now for getting to the bottom of claims of civilian harm. The State Department has, as I said, about 500, as you said, and we haven't gotten to the bottom of those. MARGARET BRENNAN: Why? SENATOR CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: Because the process is broken, and I would argue that there's not been the will to fix the process because a lot of people don't want the process to produce the obvious answer, which is, there have been many cases where we've seen U.S. weapons used in violation of the international humanitarian law. In fact, if you go back to the NSM 20 report earlier this year, the Biden administration said specifically that there was a high likelihood that U.S. weapons were being used in violation of international law, and yet they've done nothing in the intervening period to enforce that. MARGARET BRENNAN: When I pressed U.S. officials on this privately, they've said, what do you want us to do? Do you want us to put in a halt for a few weeks? And then Donald Trump reverses it. What's the point? How do you respond? SENATOR CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: Well, the point is, they should have been doing this for a much longer period of time. The president had ample opportunities over the last year. There are many people in the administration, senior level - at the senior level who told me that this war was going to come to an end back in January. You know, I've met with hostage families on numerous occasions who have been calling out Prime Minister Netanyahu for not agreeing to a ceasefire and a return of their loved ones. Minister Gallant, the defense minister of Israel, was fired because he wanted to prioritize the return of hostages, and yet President Biden has never called out Prime Minister Netanyahu. MARGARET BRENNAN: Why? SENATOR CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: For his obstruction on this. Even though those families I've met with are calling him out. MARGARET BRENNAN: Even post-election, why do you think he won't do that? SENATOR CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: I really don't know. I just don't know why the president of the United States has not been willing to make more effective use of American leverage to assert his own stated objectives. I mean he's been ignored on other things, too, right? He wants the PA to be the nucleus of governance in a post-war Gaza. MARGARET BRENNAN: Palestinian Authority. SENATOR CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: He wants a two-state solution. Prime Minister Netanyahu has not only ignored those, he's gone out there and bragged about how he's blocking President Biden's efforts. And yet the blank check just keeps on coming. So, what my colleagues and I are saying is, let's just pause these transfers of offensive weapons, certain ones, until Prime Minister Netanyahu and his government come into compliance with American law. These are American laws on the books. MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes. SENATOR CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: So, this is not about whether we support Israel or not. Of course we support Israel. It's about whether our support is used in a manner consistent with American law and American values. MARGARET BRENNAN: Senator Van Hollen, thank you for explaining your position. SENATOR CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: Thank you. MARGARET BRENNAN: We'll be right back. (ANNOUNCEMENTS) MARGARET BRENNAN: We turn now to retired Army Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster, who served as national security adviser in the first Trump administration. His latest book is "At War with Ourselves," which chronicles his time at the White House. Good morning, and welcome back. LIEUTENANT GENERAL H.R. MCMASTER (Retired, Former White House National Security Adviser): Good morning, Margaret. Happy Thanksgiving. MARGARET BRENNAN: Happy early Thanksgiving to you. I want to ask you about the geopolitical threat picture right now that the next commander in chief will be walking into the Oval Office and facing. In these final weeks of the Biden administration, Ukraine has started using U.S.-made ATACMS, a type of longer range missile, to strike within Russian territory. President Biden also approved anti-personnel land mines. The aim is to get them on stronger footing before Trump takes office. Can these weapons quickly make a difference? LIEUTENANT GENERAL H.R. MCMASTER: They can make a difference, Margaret. Really it made no sense to not allow the Ukrainians to fire those missiles at the bases that Russia was using to continue their onslaught against the Ukrainian people and Ukrainian infrastructure. And so, it's another one of these example how the Biden administration has taken this halting approach to providing weapons and then permissions to use weapons. And so, I think it's - it's important because both sides right now are incentivized to make as many gains on the battlefield as they can before the new Trump administration comes in. And you see Russia throwing troops into Ukrainian defenses. I mean, they're taking - you know, they're taking tens of thousands of casualties a month. I think it's really an unsustainable rate. And what the Ukrainians are doing now is trying to protect themselves from the onslaught, inflict as many casualties as they can, and they're trading some - some space for time and the opportunity to cause more attrition on Russian forces. So, the next couple of months, I think, are really critical in terms of the - you know, how - what is the next phase in the war in Ukraine. MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, you know, President Zelenskyy said just yesterday that he's sure Vladimir Putin is trying to, quote, "push us out by January 20th," and try to demonstrate that he has the upper hand. He's not saying that, you know, just as an observation. He is looking at the national security adviser, Mike Waltz. He's looking at the possible next secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who has voted against Ukraine aid. The vice president-elect is against helping Ukraine. Can Ukraine get the upper hand here, and are these top advisers going to be persuadable? LIEUTENANT GENERAL H.R. MCMASTER: Well, this is a real problem, Margaret. You know, I think what you're seeing is, this delivers a psychological blow to the Ukrainians. Ukrainians are struggling to generate the manpower that they need and to sustain their defensive efforts. And that's - it's important that they get the weapons they need and the training that they need, but also they have to have the confidence that they can prevail. And any sort of messages that we might reduce our aid are quite damaging to them from a moral perspective. I think he'll - and what I hope is that those who President Trump has nominated, and President Trump himself will begin to see the quite obvious connections between the war in Ukraine and this axis of aggressors that are doing everything they can to tear down the existing international order. I mean, heck, Margaret, I mean North Korean soldiers are fighting on European soil in the first major war in Europe since World War II. Look at what China's doing to sustain Russia's war-making machine with the cash Vladimir Putin needs but also with the equipment and the hardware necessary to build these missiles that are continuing this onslaught. Iran. Iran is providing the drones and missiles. North Korea's also providing, you know, eight million rounds of artillery. So, I think what's happened is, so many people have taken such a myopic view of Ukraine and they've misunderstood Putin's intentions and how consequential the war is to our interests across the world. MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, one of the things - and you are a historian. You've written quite a lot and looked at presidential decision making. One of the things you've written in "At War with Ourselves" was, "it is important," based on your study of the Vietnam War, "to ensure that the president gets the best analysis and multiple options so he can make informed decisions." Do you think so far that Mr. Trump's choices for director of national intelligence, for defense secretary, are these individuals who will provide the president with the best analysis and what he needs to hear, not just what he wants to hear? LIEUTENANT GENERAL H.R. MCMASTER: Well, this is what the Senate has to - has to really exercise their advice and consent role. And I think it's worth going back to Federalist 76 where John Adams said, really this advice and consent is so important to make sure the best people are in those positions. President Trump, as I wrote in the book, he does learn. He does listen to advice. He does evolve his understanding. So, who will those people be? I think for the new secretary of defense, the nominated director of national intelligence, they ought to be asked, what do you think motivates or drives and constrains Vladimir Putin? There's a fundamental misunderstanding based on - on the nominee for - for the - for DNI about what motivates him. It's not his security concerns. His security concerns don't need to be allayed. That's the mistake the Biden administration made. And I think as a result almost green lighted the invasion - the reinvasion of Ukraine in February of 2022. What are the consequences if - if Ukraine fails and Russia succeeds globally? I think, Margaret, they have got to be asked about, you know, really, how do they reconcile or help President Trump reconcile peace through strength and what you see in some elements of the Republican Party which replicate the far left oftentimes toward retrenchment and disengagement and then even blaming ourselves for the acts of our adversaries as - as - as Tulsi Gabbard has done, you know, talking about, you know, how Putin really felt aggrieved. And that's why he had to invade Ukraine. MARGARET BRENNAN: Right, that's a Russian talking point that she's repeated and in direct contradiction (ph) to what U.S. intelligence has concluded. I also want to ask you about someone you personally - LIEUTENANT GENERAL H.R. MCMASTER: And this is what - this is what I can't understand, Margaret. MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes. LIEUTENANT GENERAL H.R. MCMASTER: There's some - there's some people in the Republican Party these days who kind of tend to parrot Vladimir Putin's talking points. MARGARET BRENNAN: Why? LIEUTENANT GENERAL H.R. MCMASTER: I don't know if it's because they're drawn to him and they see him as a - kind of a defender of western civilization, just a shirtless guy on horseback, but they've got to disabuse themselves of this, you know, strange affection for Vladimir Putin. You know, who - who is - who is not going to stop in his efforts to restore Russia to national greatness at our expense. That's what he's obsessed with. He's obsessed with kind of re-establishing the Russian empire. MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes. LIEUTENANT GENERAL H.R. MCMASTER: And so he has aspirations that go far beyond anything that's in reaction to what we do. MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes. LIEUTENANT GENERAL H.R. MCMASTER: And the only thing that stops him really is strength, Margaret. MARGARET BRENNAN: And you wrote in your book that you didn't understand Donald Trump's fascination with Vladimir Putin. Quickly, Seb Gorka is going to be the senior director for counterterrorism, deputy assistant to the president. Is he a good person to advise on national security? LIEUTENANT GENERAL H.R. MCMASTER: No, no, he's not, Margaret. But I - you know, I think that - that the president and others who are working with him will probably determine that pretty quickly soon after he gets into that job. MARGARET BRENNAN: All right, timestamp on that prediction. H.R. McMaster, a lot to talk to you about. We're going to have to leave it there for today. We'll be back in a moment. (ANNOUNCEMENTS) MARGARET BRENNAN: The 2024 election was historic for several reasons. Among them, the first openly transgender person was elected to the United States Congress. She joins us now from the state she will be representing, Delaware. Democratic Representative-elect Sarah McBride. Welcome to FACE THE NATION. REPRESENTATIVE-ELECT SARAH MCBRIDE (D-DE): Thank you for having me, Margaret. MARGARET BRENNAN: You know, it's interesting given how polarized, how angry and divided this country is that people choose to serve and to run. You told my colleague, Scott MacFarlane, that it was your personal experience as a caregiver for your husband during his bout with terminal cancer that inspired you to run. Do you expect that health care policy will be the focus of your work here? REPRESENTATIVE-ELECT SARAH MCBRIDE: Well, I certainly am glad to be back here in Delaware after two weeks of orientation and to have the privilege of serving the state that I love in Congress. I ran to bring down costs facing workers, retirees, and their families. That means bringing down the cost of health care, but also housing and childcare and everyday expenses like gas and groceries. I did run for office after my experience as a caregiver to my husband, Andy, during his battle with cancer. And throughout that experience, while Andy ultimately lost his life, we both knew how lucky we were. We knew how lucky Andy was to have health insurance that would allow him to get care that would hopefully save his life. And we both knew how lucky we were to have flexibility with our employers that allowed Andy to focus on the full- time job of getting care and me to focus on the full-time job of being there by his side to care for him, to love him, to marry him, and to walk him to his passing. And I ran for office because I do not believe that in the wealthiest, most developed nation on earth, that that time and that ability to get care should be a matter of luck. I believe it should be the law of the land. And it's why during my time in the Delaware general assembly I passed paid family and medical leave and secured the largest investment in our state's Medicaid program. And I want to do that work in Congress on health care, but also on housing and childcare. MARGARET BRENNAN: Paid leave is something that Mr. Trump has - has paid lip service to. We'll see in the new Congress if it comes up. We see in our CBS polling that 86 percent of voters feel congressional Democrats should find common ground with Mr. Trump and Republicans. Do you feel you can? REPRESENTATIVE-ELECT SARAH MCBRIDE: Well, I said throughout this campaign that I will work with anyone who's willing to work with me to help Delawareans, to lower cost facing my constituents. There are opportunities for us to find common ground. But it's also clear that this administration, as it begins to fill its appointments with Project 2025 authors, that a lot of the policies that this president will pursue will likely hurt my constituents and raise prices. And so, where I need to fight back, I will. But where I can find common ground, I will certainly seek it. MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes. REPRESENTATIVE-ELECT SARAH MCBRIDE: That's when I've done during my time in the general assembly where nearly every bill I passed, passed with bipartisan support. MARGARET BRENNAN: As you mentioned, you were here for orientation. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson was asking about you coming to work and some objections by a female South Carolina Republican representative regarding what bathroom you'd be able to use. Here's what the speaker said. (BEGIN VC) REPRESENTATIVE MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): A man is a man, and a woman is a woman. And a man cannot become a woman. That said, I also believe - that's what scripture teaches, what I just said. But I also believe that we treat everybody with dignity. (END VC) MARGARET BRENNAN: Do you believe are you are being treated with dignity by your colleagues? REPRESENTATIVE-ELECT SARAH MCBRIDE: I didn't run for the United States House of Representatives to talk about what bathroom I use. I didn't run to talk about myself. I ran to deliver for Delawareans. And while Republicans in Congress seem focused on bathrooms and trans people and specifically me, I'm focused on rolling up my sleeves, diving into the details, setting up my office, and beginning the hard work of delivering for Delawareans on the issues that I know keep them up at night. And I look forward to working with any colleague who's ready to work and ready to be serious about the issues that matter because, at the end of the day, how I'm being treated does not matter. What matters is how the American people are being treated, and whether we're actually focused on the issues that matter to them. MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, some of your fellow congressional Democrats, including Tom Suozzi and Seth Moulton, have also recently spoken about their feelings, looking back at the last election, and said Democrats should be more open about saying whether they object to transgender athletes playing in girls' sports. Those were the specific examples they brought up. How would you respond to your soon-to-be Democratic colleagues on those? Do you understand why some parents, for example, feel uncomfortable or frustrated? REPRESENTATIVE-ELECT SARAH MCBRIDE: Look, I think this country is still entering into a conversation about who trans people are, the full diversity of the community. And I've had conversations with colleagues in the Democratic caucus already that span diversity of thought about how the party should engage on a whole host of issues. But I think we are all united that every single American deserves equal rights, I think we are all united that attempts to attack a vulnerable community are not only mean spirited but really an attempt to misdirect. Because every single time we hear the incoming administration or Republicans in Congress talk about any vulnerable group in this country, we have to be clear that it is an attempt to distract. It is an attempt to distract from what they are actually doing. Every single time - every single time we hear them say the word trans, look at what they're doing with their right hand. Look at what they're doing to pick the pocket of American workers, to fleece seniors while privatizing Social Security and Medicare. Look what they're doing undermining workers. MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes. REPRESENTATIVE-ELECT SARAH MCBRIDE: And here's also what we have to be clear about, because I think the last week has been a prime example of this. Every bit of time and energy that is used to divert the attention of the federal government to go after trans people is time and energy that is not focused on addressing the cost of living for our constituents. And we have clear that there is a real cost for the American worker every time they focus on this. MARGARET BRENNAN: All right, Congresswoman-elect, I'm sure we'll be seeing you here in Washington. We'll be right back. (ANNOUNCEMENTS) MARGARET BRENNAN: That's it for us today. Thank you all for watching. Until next week. For FACE THE NATION, I'm Margaret Brennan. (ANNOUNCEMENTS)None

Ex-Trump official delivers blistering warning if AOC runs for president READ MORE: Furious speculation sweeps social media that AOC could make a run Follow DailyMail.com's politics live blog for all the latest news and updates By SAMANTHA RUTT FOR DAILYMAIL.COM Published: 21:50 GMT, 30 November 2024 | Updated: 21:55 GMT, 30 November 2024 e-mail 8 View comments Former Trump official Monica Crowley has issued a warning about Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez . Ocasio-Cortez, 35, also known better as 'AOC,' has fueled speculation that she will embark on a run for president in 2028 , worrying some Republicans. On Friday, while appearing on Fox News ' The Ingraham Angle, Crowley warned Republicans not to 'underestimate' AOC's potential White House run. Crowley, who served as an assistant secretary for public affairs at the US Department of the Treasury in 2019 to 2021, cited AOC's 'tremendous grassroots support' noting her 'early adoption of social media' allowing her to constantly 'connect directly to voters.' With her support from the likes of social media and her growing accessibility, Crowley insisted on Friday not to shy away from the potential Presidential-candidate. 'Just a word of warning to the Republicans, to my party, do not underestimate AOC, she's young, she's vibrant, she's attractive,' Crowley said on Friday. 'I think she's wrong on everything, but she does have real grassroot support. And all the energy and activism in the Democrat party remains with the revolutionary left, of which she is a part.' She continued: 'So, every time the Republicans have underestimated the Democrats, we ended up with Bill Clinton , Barack Obama , and Joe Biden . So, let's not do it again in four years.' With rumors of a possible Presidential run by progressive Democrat , Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (pictured), a former Trump official issued a blistering warning not to 'underestimate' the New York congresswoman On Friday, while appearing on Fox News ' The Ingraham Angle, Monica Crowley (pictured), an ex-Trump administration official, warned Republicans not to 'underestimate' AOC's potential White House run Crowley added: 'The lesson of this last 2024 election and Donald Trump's landslide mandate victory is that the country has had enough of the radical Left, it's had enough of socialism, it's had enough of cancel culture and wokeness, and it rejected roundly all of those things. So, I don't think in four short years the country is going to say, "We need more communism."' Read More AOC for president in 2028? Furious speculation sweeps social media that Squad member could run Following the November 5 election that saw many split tickets from AOC's constituents in several New York boroughs, the congresswoman took to social media to ask why this may have happened - something her older counterparts may not have had as much success in. From her online polling, AOC received a wide array of responses, most concerned with the economy, but others touched on other policy positions and the overall attitudes of the candidates. Ingraham Angle host, Lisa Boothe, used AOC's online polling scheme to add onto Crowley's worrisome sentiment, saying that AOC's constituents 'like her accessibility' as demonstrated in her widely garnered social media response. Boothe also mentioned how the people responded well to President-elect Donald Trump's 'willingness to sit down with Joe Rogan , going on X, doing these three hour interviews,' something someone young, and well-versed in social media may use to their advantage. The leftist Congresswoman has been a polarizing figure ever since she upset powerful establishment Democrat Joe Crowley in a primary in 2018 - winning a seat in the House at just 29 years old. The 2028 election - which Donald Trump has said he will not run in, leaving both parties with open primaries - will be the first one where Ocasio-Cortez can legally run, as the Constitution states you must be 35. Another new story from The Hill suggests that AOC would be among the potential 2028 Democrat contenders, who include Harris, Pete Buttigieg, Gretchen Whitmer, JB Pritzker, Josh Shapiro and California Governor, Gavin Newsom . Former Congressman Matt Gaetz added fuel to the fire, writing: 'Alex has told people she’s running in 2028 since 2019.' The leftist Congresswoman has been a polarizing figure ever since she upset powerful establishment Democrat Joe Crowley in a primary in 2018 - winning a seat in the House at just 29 years old The 2028 election - which Donald Trump (pictured) has said he will not run in, leaving both parties with open primaries - will be the first one where Ocasio-Cortez can legally run, as the Constitution states you must be 35 Though the Congresswoman has made no public indications she will run, multiple sources told the site she would be a top candidate. 'She's somebody who can cut through the noise and doesn't talk like Washington,' said one party insider. Another, however, is skeptical that the 'Squad' penchant for rabble-rousing against fellow Democrats could play in a primary. 'She and the 'squad' started pushing too hard, too fast. D.C. doesn't work that way. And our party doesn't work that way. We need to get back to the basics.' Read More AOC's six-word breakdown of MAGA rival Marjorie Taylor Greene's 'Very Prestigious' DOGE gig On social media, several left-wing activists and pundits expressed their own skepticism that Ocasio-Cortez - who would be the furthest left Democrat to run for president since mentor Bernie Sanders' failed runs - could pull it off. 'I like AOC, but would be so much better for the Left to run, say, a labor leader with the potential for a wide, 'cross-partisan' working-class appeal than an already polarizing left-wing elected from a deep blue district,' said Bhaskar Sunkara, author of The Socialist Manifesto. Others based their skepticism about how Ocasio-Cortez operates among the powerful in DC as a member of the House. 'AOC polls around 4% rn against other potentially Democratic primary candidates which isn’t great bc she has huge name recognition,' wrote comedian Kate Willett. 'She could change that by running an anti establishment Bernie ‘16 style campaign but she’s likely too conciliatory to power to do that.' 'AOC has the skill to be a real contender,' said Oscar nominated writer and journalist David Sirota. Ocasio-Cortez has been somewhat quiet since Harris' loss, after she spent much of the year backing Joe Biden to stay in the race, even after his disaster debate performance in June . She eventually backed Harris. The leading member of the House Democrats' progressive 'Squad' said in the days after the election the U.S. is entering a political period that will have consequences 'for the rest of our lives.' 'We find ourselves I believe in a time where there are lets say peers in history of massive movements of people that mobilize to protect one another in times of fascism and authoritarianism. And this is the era that we are poised to enter,' AOC said. Joe Biden Republicans Donald Trump Democrats Share or comment on this article: Ex-Trump official delivers blistering warning if AOC runs for president e-mail Add commentA weekend homestand for the Soo Greyhounds at the GFL Memorial Gardens sees the team host the North Bay Battalion for back-to-back games. Full updates will be available throughout the gameEngland and Harlequins full-back Ellie Kildunne has been named World Rugby women’s player of the year. The 25-year-old was top try-scorer during last season’s Six Nations, when England won the Grand Slam , claiming nine tries and winning player of the championship. And her thrilling attacking style has made her a genuine box-office talent in the women’s game. She becomes the latest England player to win the award, following the likes of Marlie Packer (2023), Zoe Aldcroft (2021), Emily Scarratt (2019) and Sarah Hunter (2016). Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion “I would like to congratulate Ellie on an exceptional year and a well-deserved accolade,” the Red Roses head coach, John Mitchell, told www.englandrugby.com. “It is truly inspiring to see one of our players from such an outstanding team receive this prestigious recognition. I know Ellie would be the first to credit the incredible support and dedication of her teammates, who have been instrumental in her success this year.” The South Africa flanker Pieter-Steph Du Toit won the men’s player of the year title for a second time. He became only the fourth player to land the award more than once, following New Zealand trio Dan Carter, Richie McCaw and Beauden Barrett. The Ireland captain, Caelan Doris, was among the nominations, as were Du Toit’s Springboks teammates Cheslin Kolbe and Eben Etzebeth. Erin King, the Ireland forward, won the women’s breakthrough player award just two months after making her 15-a-side Test debut. King, 21, was also a member of the Ireland sevens squad that took part in the Paris Olympics. Kildunne, Du Toit and King were honoured at World Rugby’s annual awards ceremony, held this year in Monaco.

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USD Earns Fourth Seed In FCS PlayoffsProspera Financial Services Inc lowered its holdings in iShares U.S. Real Estate ETF ( NYSEARCA:IYR – Free Report ) by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 5,645 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 270 shares during the quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc’s holdings in iShares U.S. Real Estate ETF were worth $575,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC bought a new stake in shares of iShares U.S. Real Estate ETF in the 3rd quarter valued at about $69,000. Capstone Triton Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of iShares U.S. Real Estate ETF by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter. Capstone Triton Financial Group LLC now owns 8,097 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $710,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of iShares U.S. Real Estate ETF in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $385,000. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its position in shares of iShares U.S. Real Estate ETF by 404.7% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 31,207 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,806,000 after buying an additional 25,024 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James & Associates grew its position in shares of iShares U.S. Real Estate ETF by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 107,971 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $9,473,000 after buying an additional 2,110 shares during the last quarter. iShares U.S. Real Estate ETF Stock Up 0.7 % Shares of iShares U.S. Real Estate ETF stock opened at $100.36 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $100.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $94.49. iShares U.S. Real Estate ETF has a 52-week low of $81.25 and a 52-week high of $104.04. The company has a market cap of $3.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.05 and a beta of 0.98. iShares U.S. Real Estate ETF Profile iShares U.S. Real Estate ETF, formerly iShares Dow Jones U.S. Real Estate Index Fund (the Fund), is a non-diversified fund. The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Real Estate Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of the real estate sector of the United States equity market, and includes companies in the industry groups, such as real estate holding and development and real estate investment trusts (REITs). Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IYR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares U.S. Real Estate ETF ( NYSEARCA:IYR – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for iShares U.S. Real Estate ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares U.S. Real Estate ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .