Trump Praises Zelenskiy After Talks That Yielded No Breakthrough  —  President Donald Trump said he made “a lot of progress” in talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy over a possible peace deal, but that it might take a few weeks to get it done and there's no set timeline.

Brigitte Bardot, Movie Idol Who Renounced Stardom, Dies at 91  —  “And God Created Woman” made her a world-famous sex symbol in the 1950s.  She later gave up acting to devote her life to animal welfare.  —  Brigitte Bardot, the pouty, tousle-haired French actress who redefined mid-20th …

The NYT Recruiting Brochure for New College  —  The takeover of New College in Florida by Ron DeSantis and his appointees has been viewed, within higher education, as a failure.  The goal was to convert what was seen as a liberal institution into a conservative one using government money and purges.

JD's 2028 plotting: Vance's next moves  —  Vice President JD Vance plans to literally fly above MAGA's rising civil war — campaigning coast to coast in the midterms and sticking close to President Trump, while building support for an expected presidential run in 2028.

Utah's redistricting long game  —  Presented by With help from Eli Okun and Ali Bianco  —  Good Sunday morning.  I'm Samuel Benson, guest-writing today's Playbook from Salt Lake City, where we're basking in Pop Tarts glory.  Get in touch.  —  DRIVING THE DAY

Justice Department says Jan. 6 pipe bomb suspect believed election conspiracy theories … The new details came to light as the DOJ asked a judge to have Cole detained pending trial, arguing there is an “intolerable risk that he will again resort to violence to express his frustration with the world around him.”

One person is dead and another is injured in midair helicopter crash in New Jersey, officials say  —  Two helicopters crashed in New Jersey in what federal authorities say was a midair collision that killed one person and critically injured another.  Hammonton Police Chief Kevin Friel …

What America Might Look Like With Zero Immigration  —  The Trump administration's efforts to reduce the foreign-born population are being felt in hospitals and soccer leagues and on Main Streets across the country, with hints of what's to come.  —  Across the United States, someone is missing.

64 days in Chicago: The story of Operation Midway Blitz  —  After 64 days, they celebrated.  —  They gathered at one of Chicago's most beloved landmarks, in the middle of a city where they'd wrought so much fear and pain, and they celebrated.  It was the second Monday in November and early in the morning …

House Republican: ‘You cannot be America first and pro-Russia’  —  Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) said on Sunday that Russia's strikes on civilian homes — including on Christmas — are a reminder to Americans that the war against Ukraine is at odds with America's values.

FBI surges resources to Minnesota as Patel calls $250M fraud scheme ‘tip of iceberg’  —  FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency has surged additional personnel and investigative resources to Minnesota as part of an ongoing effort “to dismantle large-scale fraud schemes exploiting federal programs.”