Monday morning news: November 24, 2025

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Ukraine » Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he is feeling very optimistic about the prospects for peace in Ukraine after meeting with Ukrainian diplomats in Geneva Sunday.

RUBIO: Because this continues to be, uh, a working process. Um, you know, the, the, I don't want to declare victory or finality here. There's still some work to be done, but we are much further ahead today at this time than we were when we began this morning and where we were a week ago for certain.

 Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky did not go into detail over the weekend about a U.S.-led 28-point peace plan. But it would reportedly require Ukraine to give up more territory in the east of their country and limit the size of their military.

Officials in Kyiv definitely have concerns about the proposal. But the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andrii Yermak said:

YERMAK:  Ukrainian people deserve and want this peace more than anymore anyone in this, uh, planet.

Some U.S. senators say that Secretary Rubio told them the plan was a Russian wishlist and not the actual plan. But the State Department says that is false. And Rubio himself stated on social media that the US drew up the plan as a framework for negotiations after input from both Russia and Ukraine.

The secretary said discussions would continue today and perhaps deeper into the week.

Bessent on Inflation » Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says consumer prices are heading in the right direction heading into the Christmas shopping season.

BESSENT: Some are gonna come down in weeks, some are gonna come down in months. We just had the, in terms of affordability, we just had the best month in the housing market due to affordability, due to increased supply in October.

And he says the cost of a Thanksgiving dinner this year will be the lowest it’s been in four years.

The government did not produce inflation numbers for October due to the govt shutdown. But inflation in September ticked up slightly, from 2.9 to 3%.

Some analysts say President Trump’s sweeping tariffs are likely keeping inflation from falling to the Federal Reserve’s 2% target.

But the president insists the tariffs are good for the nation and the economy. And the White House is exploring a plan to cut $2,000 checks to most Americans, funded by tariff revenues.

Some critics say that might just further fuel inflation, but US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer counters:

GREER: I’m not too worried about inflation, right? This is not some kind of ongoing new welfare program or something like that that would exacerbate any inflation. You know, if it's a one time, uh, check or something like that, uh, you know, I think American families would probably welcome that.

But many Republicans say that money should go toward paying down the $38 trillion national debt.

Barrasso on avoiding another government shutdown » Lawmakers have plenty of work to do over the holiday season to prevent another government shutdown. That’s the word from Republican Sen. John Barrasso:

BARRASSO: We need to get these appropriation bills done by the deadline date. We have five more to go, which will fund 88% of the government. Again. We need to get America back on track. We got more work to do. We're heading in the right direction.

The longest-ever government shutdown ended nearly two weeks ago, but it could happen again if new funding isn’t passed by the end of January.

At the same time, lawmakers are once again debating healthcare, with Obamacare subsidies are set to expire at the end of 2025.

Democratic held out for six weeks, insisting no funding bill would pass until Republicans agreed to extend those subsidies before eight Senate Democrats crossed the aisle to reopen the government.

Operation Charlotte’s Web » Immigration authorities say they’ve taken a lot of criminals off the streets lately in Charlotte, North Carolina.

But Mecklenburg County Sheriff Gary McFadden is pushing back, questioning the need for the operation.

MCFADDEN: How many have a violent past? How many were productive citizens? How many were contributing - to this community?

But Border Patrol commander-at-large Gregory Bovino says federal authorities are prioritizing hardened criminals, and that they’ve arrested nearly 400 people so far in what they’re calling Operation Charlotte’s Web.

BOVINO: So that operation continues. It's going to continue. Uh, there's a lot of bad people and bad things in Charlotte.

Protests broke out recently in response to the operation. Around 30-thousand students were absent from school at the start of last week.

Nigeria » The Trump administration is expanding its push to counter violence against Christians in Nigeria.

The president had warned the U.S. could go after Islamic militants with “guns-a-blazing.” But the State Department says beyond possible military action, the administration is enacting a broader strategy, both carrot and stick.

That includes potential sanctions if the Nigerian government doesn't step up counterterrorism efforts. But it also includes intelligence sharing, and new assistance programs for Nigeria.

That comes as schools and churches in Nigeria continue to face deadly attacks.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: a few Supreme Court cases that answer the same fundamental question on Legal Docket. Plus, the Monday Moneybeat and the WORLD History Book.

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