December 15, 2025

Good Monday evening. In this edition: Trump says a deal to end the war in Ukraine is closer than ever.

• Plus, Brown shooting, Rob Reiner, NYE plot, Syria attack and DC police chief.

Ukraine War

President Trump said an agreement to end the war in Ukraine was closer than ever following talks between American, European and Ukrainian leaders in Berlin.

• "I think we're closer now than we have been, ever, and we'll see what we can do," he told reporters in the Oval Office.

The comments followed two days of meetings in Berlin, where the president was represented by his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, who have kept him apprised of the negotiations.

• The talks reportedly yielded an agreement on security guarantees for Ukraine, which had been one of the biggest sticking points in reaching a deal.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a concession on Sunday by agreeing to drop his country's longstanding goal of joining the NATO alliance in exchange for substantial security guarantees from the west.

• Ukraine is seeking mutual defense protections from the U.S. and its allies similar to Article 5 of the NATO treaty, which states that an attack on one member nation is considered an attack against all.

President Trump this afternoon phoned into a dinner with President Zelensky and European leaders, describing the conversation as "very good."

• "Things are seemingly going well, but we've been saying that for a long time, and it's a difficult one," he told reporters, adding that he had also recently spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
  
  
• "In terms of security guarantees, we're working with Europe on it. Europe would be a big part of that."

Despite the apparent progress, the president struck a note of cautious optimism.

• "The problem is they'll want to get it ended, and then all of a sudden they won't, and Ukraine will want to get it ended, and all of a sudden they won't. So, we have to get them on the same page," he said.

A senior U.S. official told reporters the NATO–like security guarantees "will not be on the table forever," putting pressure on Ukraine to act quickly.

• President Trump, however, said the time limit is "whenever we get it done."

U.S. officials believe Russia, which has long opposed further NATO expansion, would accept the proposed security guarantees as well as Ukraine pursuing membership in the European Union.

• "We believe the Russians, in a final deal, will accept all these things which allow for a strong and free Ukraine. Russia, in a final deal, has indicated they were open to Ukraine joining the E.U.," a senior U.S. official told reporters.

The biggest remaining obstacle appears to be territorial control in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region, which borders Russia.

• Moscow is seeking the entire territory, including areas currently held by Ukrainian forces, a demand Kyiv has consistently rejected.

Watch the president's comments.

In other news…

• The manhunt continues for the gunman who killed two students and injured nine others at Brown University on Saturday. A Wisconsin man who was detained for much of Sunday was released after officials determined they could not connect him to the attack. FBI Director Kash Patel is again facing criticism after publicly touting his agency's role in detaining the man, with some drawing parallels to his premature declaration in September that "the subject" in the Charlie Kirk shooting "was in custody," when the real shooter remained at large. President Trump defended the FBI and said reporters should direct their questions to the Ivy League university. "This was a school problem. They had their own guards, they had their own police, they had their own everything," he said. "But you'd have to ask that question, really to the school, not the FBI."
  
  

• President Trump mocked Rob Reiner on social media, attributing his murder to the "anger he caused others" through "TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME." Mr. Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found stabbed to death at their home on Sunday. Their 32-year-old son, Nick Reiner, who has a history of drug addiction, was arrested and charged with their murders. The president's comments were criticized by several Republican lawmakers, including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA) and Thomas Massie (KY). President Trump doubled down when asked about the criticism. "I wasn't a fan of his at all. He was a deranged person as far as Trump is concerned," he told reporters. "I thought he was very bad for our country."
  
  

• The FBI and Justice Department announced the arrest of four alleged members of an extremist group accused of plotting a series of bombings on New Year's Eve in Los Angeles. Prosecutors said the suspects were arrested last week in Lucerne Valley, east of Los Angeles, where authorities believe they were preparing to test improvised explosive devices, or IEDs. Bill Essayli, first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, said the suspects were members of a "radical anti-government" group. The four suspects each face multiple charges, including conspiracy and possession of a destructive device.

   

• Two U.S. troops and a civilian interpreter were killed Saturday in Palmyra, Syria, after being ambushed by a suspected ISIS gunman. Three other service members were injured in the attack, which marked the first U.S. combat deaths since the start of President Trump's second term. The troops were identified as Iowa National Guardsmen Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard and Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar. "The United States of America will avenge these fallen Americans with overwhelming force," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on social media. "Their memory will live on through their families, their fellow warriors still serving our country, and in my unwavering commitment to our warfighters around the globe."
  
  

• The House Oversight Committee released a report alleging that outgoing DC Police Chief Pamela Smith pressured officers to manipulate crime data to make the nation's capital appear safer. The GOP-led panel said she "propagated an ecosystem of fear, retaliation, and toxicity" and placed "intense pressure on district commanders to produce low crime statistics by any means necessary." Ms. Smith, who was appointed by Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) in 2023, announced last week that she will step down. She has previously denied allegations that she manipulated crime data.

For your radar…

• FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford testifies Tuesday on air travel safety and modernization before a House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee. Watch LIVE on C-SPAN3 at 10am ET.
  
  

• The House Rules Committee meets Tuesday to consider House Republicans' health care plan amid debate over extending the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies. Watch LIVE on C-SPAN3 at 2pm ET.

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