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台湾外交部政务次长吴志中据报本月访问以色列，中国大陆驻以色列大使馆为此向以色列提出严正交涉。
路透社引述三名匿名知情人士报道，吴志中最近几周访问以色列，访以事宜此前未对外公布。其中两名消息人士称，吴志中本月访问以色列。
消息人士拒绝透露吴志中在以色列与谁会面，以及会谈内容，其中包括是否谈及“台湾之盾”（T-Dome）防空系统。
中国大陆驻以使馆星期六（12月13日）在微信公众号回应时说，中国大陆一贯坚决反对建交国同台湾开展任何形式的官方交往。“中国驻以色列使馆已第一时间向以方提出严正交涉。”
使馆强调，一个中国原则是中国与包括以色列在内的世界各国建立和发展外交关系的前提和基础。“中以建交公报中明确指出，‘以色列国政府承认中华人民共和国政府是代表全中国的唯一合法政府，台湾是中华人民共和国领土不可分割的一部分。’”
使馆也强调，台湾问题事关中国主权和领土完整，是中国核心利益中的核心，是一条不可逾越的红线。“我们再次敦促以方切实恪守一个中国原则，纠正错误行为，停止向鼓吹‘台独’的分裂势力发出任何错误信号，以实际行动维护中以关系大局。”
针对有人“放生”大米，即向海中倾倒大米，还有人”放生“矿泉水，中国佛教协会发文称，对此深感惊讶和不解。
中国佛教协会星期五（12月12日）通过“微言宗教”微信公众号发文称，有人“放生”大米、“放生”矿泉水，对此深感惊讶和不解。
文章说，佛教所说的放生，是指把可能被宰杀、面临生命危险的动物解救出来，释放到适合它们生存的自然环境中，使其生命得以保存和延续。大米是植物的种子，并没有心识，矿泉水没有生命，两者属于无情之物，不属于有情众生。对大米和矿泉水来说，无所谓“杀生”与“放生”。
文章指，所谓“放生”大米、矿泉水，不仅不符合佛教的教理教义，而且与佛教倡导的惜福惜物理念相背离，不仅违背中华民族勤俭节约的传统美德，造成粮食和资源浪费，甚至危害环境，是折损福报的行为。佛教界对此坚决反对，更希望社会人士不要曲解滥用佛教“放生”之名，误导公众。
中国社会出现放生宠物猫、放生蟑螂、眼镜蛇，还有放生流行水果等“奇葩放生”现象。
中国佛教协会文章也提到，大规模的放生活动，催生抓捕、贩卖放生动物的利益链，导致更多野生动物被捕杀，助推了佛教商业化乱象，败坏了社会风气。针对这些问题，中国佛教协会积极倡导“合理放生”。
中国国务院国有资产监督管理委员会原副部长级干部潘良被查。
中共中央纪委国家监委网站星期五（12月12日）晚发布消息，潘良涉嫌严重违纪违法，目前正接受中央纪委国家监委纪律审查和监察调查。
公开资料显示，潘良，今年69岁，江苏南京人。曾任航天部劳动人事司、办公厅干部，国务院办公厅秘书二局副处长、处长、副局长、局长，国有重点大型企业监事会主席（副部长级），后转任国务院国有资产监督管理委员会副部长级干部。
随着潘良落马，今年中纪委网站公开通报审查调查的中管干部已有59人。
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中国解放军南部战区称，菲律宾多架小型机侵入黄岩岛（菲律宾称斯卡伯勒浅滩）空域，已被警告、驱离。
据“南部战区”微信公众号消息，南部战区新闻发言人、空军大校田军里星期五（12月12日）称，近日，菲律宾多架小型机未经中国政府批准，非法侵入黄岩岛空域。南部战区组织海空兵力，依法依规跟踪监视、强力警告、坚决驱离。
田军里说，“黄岩岛是中国固有领土”，正告菲方立即停止侵权挑衅，并强调战区部队时刻保持高度戒备，坚决捍卫国家领土主权安全和南中国海地区和平稳定。
近年来，中菲关系因南中国海主权争端摩擦不断。黄岩岛目前由中国实际控制，中菲都主张拥有主权，双方多次在黄岩岛附近发生对峙或冲突。
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King Charles has shared "good news" about his cancer, saying in a personal message that early diagnosis and "effective intervention" means his treatment can be reduced in the new year.
In a recorded video message broadcast on Channel 4 for the Stand Up To Cancer campaign, the King said: "This milestone is both a personal blessing and a testimony to the remarkable advances that have been made in cancer care."
This news that he is responding well to treatment is the biggest update on the King's health since he revealed his diagnosis in February 2024.
The type of cancer has not been identified and treatment and monitoring will continue, but he said: "Early diagnosis quite simply saves lives."
According to Buckingham Palace, the King's recovery has reached a very positive stage and he has "responded exceptionally well to treatment", so much so that doctors will now move his treatment "into a precautionary phase".
The regularity of treatment is going to be significantly reduced - but the King, 77, is not described as being in remission or "cured".
"Today I am able to share with you the good news that thanks to early diagnosis, effective intervention and adherence to 'doctors' orders', my own schedule of cancer treatment can be reduced in the new year," the King said in his speech.
The video message, recorded in Clarence House two weeks ago, was played in the Stand Up To Cancer show on Channel 4 on Friday evening, in a fundraising project run with Cancer Research UK.
The campaign encourages more people to get tested for cancer and to take advantage of national screening schemes - and the King's message emphasised the importance of checks to catch cancer at an early stage.
"I know from my own experience that a cancer diagnosis can feel overwhelming. Yet I also know that early detection is the key that can transform treatment journeys, giving invaluable time to medical teams," said the King.
Early detection could be a lifesaver, he said: "Your life, or the life of someone you love, may depend upon it."
PA MediaThe King also spoke of how much he had been "profoundly moved by what I can only call the 'community of care' that surrounds every cancer patient - the specialists, the nurses, researchers and volunteers who work tirelessly to save and improve lives".
Until now the King has said little publicly about his illness.
He didn't seem to want to be defined by the disease and his approach has been to keep working, with a busy schedule including overseas trips and hosting state visits, including last week's by the German president.
A couple of days ago he was sending a message of optimism and seasonal "hope", when he attended an atmospheric, candle-lit Advent service at Westminster Abbey.
The Stand Up To Cancer show, presented by celebrities including Davina McCall, Adam Hills and Clare Balding, has urged people not to be frightened of getting cancer checks.
In particular, the show has appealed to the estimated nine million people in the UK who Cancer Research UK says are not up to date with NHS screening schemes, offering an online checker to let people see if they are eligible for tests for breast, bowel and cervical cancer.
The King said it "troubles me deeply" that this represents nine million missed opportunities to catch cancer early - and he urged people to use the screening checker online tool.
"The statistics speak with stark clarity. To take just one example: When bowel cancer is caught at the earliest stage, around nine in 10 people survive for at least five years. When diagnosed late, that falls to just one in 10," he said.
According to royal sources, the King's reference to bowel cancer should not be seen as linked to his own condition, and prostate cancer has previously been ruled out.
In an attempt to demystify cancer checks and show the value of early diagnosis the Stand Up To Cancer show had a live broadcast from cancer clinics at Addenbrooke's and Royal Papworth hospitals in Cambridge.
"I want to take the fear out of cancer screening and show everyone that they are not on their own in this," said McCall, 58, who recently said she was recovering from breast cancer surgery.
ReutersCurrently in the UK, there are three NHS cancer screening programmes - for bowel, breast and cervical cancer - available to certain age groups.
A new lung cancer screening programme is also being slowly rolled out for anyone at high risk of developing the disease, specifically targeting people aged 55-74 years old, who currently or used to smoke.
Men may enquire about prostate cancer checks, but there is no national programme in place.
The Stand Up to Cancer project, which has raised £113m since 2012, is funding 73 clinical trials involving 13,000 cancer patients.
Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said public figures speaking openly about cancer can encourage others to have a check up.
"Spotting cancer early can make a real difference and provides the best chance for successful treatment," she said.
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The price of following a team all the way through the tournament has increased significantly since the last World Cup in Qatar
Supporters are continuing to speak of their frustration at the astronomical cost of following the 2026 World Cup.
The Football Supporters' Association has called ticket prices a "laughable insult" to fans.
For some smaller nations, the cost of group-stage tickets is going to be higher than a month's wages in that country. And that is before factoring in travel and accommodation.
One Ghana fan told the BBC of "anger and disappointment" that Black Stars supporters might now be forced to cancel their plans.
Fifa's ticket price policy was revealed on Thursday, with group-stage tickets up to three times the prices of those for Qatar in 2022. The cheapest ticket for the final will cost £3,119.
BBC Sport has contacted Fifa for comment.
Many Ghana fans are rethinking their plans to support their team at the World Cup
"It's a chance to qualify. It is a chance to participate in a big event," Fifa president Gianni Infantino declared in January 2017.
The Fifa Council had just unanimously voted to expand the World Cup to 48 teams. Nations who had never or rarely reached the finals were being given hope.
Infantino added: "Football is more than Europe and South America. Football is global.
"The football fever you have in a country that qualifies for the World Cup is the most powerful tool you can have, in those nine months before qualifying and the finals."
Yet that "football fever" is falling a little flat after the ticket prices were released.
While the players will be there, the price of tickets could outstrip wages.
Take Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the world. The average wage in the Caribbean nation is around $147 (£110) a month.
The cheapest tickets for Haiti's first game at the World Cup in 42 years, against Scotland, cost $180 (£135).
To attend all three matches - they also play Brazil and Morocco - would cost $625 (£467). That's more than four months' salary for the average Haitian, just to get into the ground.
It's a similar story for Ghana, where the average monthly salary is around $254 (£190).
Ghana supporter Jojo Quansah told BBC World Service that fans would have to cancel their plans.
"It's a bit of a disappointment for those who, for the last three-and-a-half years, have been trying to put some money away in the hope that they can have their first World Cup experience," he said.
"Fifa themselves have gone ahead to increase the number of teams so a lot more smaller football nations will get a chance to have themselves and their fans represented.
"It's been overshadowed by pricing those same fans out of a chance to watch their country play at the World Cup.
"I have a feeling that quite a number of people within the next couple of months, are going to drop out of that desire to be at the next World Cup. Sadly. So sadly."
Other nations could see their fans priced out.
Any fan wanting to follow their team from the first game to the final - if they get there - will spend a minimum of £5,200 on tickets.
There there's travel. For an England fan planning to attend the group stage, current prices show flights from London to Dallas to Boston to New York/New Jersey and then home are £1,300. Add on £526 if you get the cheapest match tickets.
It gets a lot more expensive if you want to go for the whole tournament. If they were winners of Group L, England would have to go from Atalanta to Mexico City and then to Miami. Those two flights alone would cost £800.
Flights across the tournament could cost £2,600. Add on the cheapest match tickets, and it is £7,800.
What about Scotland fans travelling from Glasgow? Flights across the group stage would cost £1,675 each, with the lowest ticket price bracket £500 on top.
If Scotland were to win Group C, flights through to the final would be £2,357. With tickets that is £7,567.
These prices are as of today. Many supporters would not want to book flights for the knockout rounds before they know they need to travel. By then, it could be a lot more expensive.
Paul Clegg (61), from Blackburn, says: "This will be my fifth World Cup. I haven't missed a game since 2014.
"I'm in contact with England fans all over the country. I'm a top capper.
"We all plan to boycott games after the group stage.
"Football is dead."
Anne-Marie Carr (54), from York, says: "I have diligently attended England matches so that I can earn the caps to get tickets for major tournaments only to then find that I, as so many others, are being priced out.
"WC 26 will be for the few, the sponsors and the glory hunters who've got the money to attend the big matches when they come along."
Katie, from Glasgow, says: "Buy a ticket, you must be joking!
"These prices are not for the real fans, these are for corporates, bigwigs, sponsors. The real fans cannot afford those glorified prices."
Ian, from Glenrothes, says: "Not sure why anyone is surprised.
"One of the reasons I'm not going, as much as I would want to see my country at a World Cup, is that there are too many practical things negating it.
"Airline and hotel greed, and now ticket prices.
"Not for me!"
Every nation that wants to host the World Cup has to present its case from stadiums, to sustainability, to ticket prices.
The world has changed a lot since the United States, Mexico and Canada set out its plan in 2017.
Covid has placed a great deal of inflationary strain across the globe. But not this much.
In fairness, the ticket prices for the group stage are not vastly higher. For games such as Scotland v Haiti ($180) the prices for the cheapest tickets are in line with the $174 in the bid document.
It's for the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final where Fifa has massively increased the prices.
Category three for the final was proposed to be $695 (£520). Adjusted for inflation, it would cost $890 (£666). Yet Fifa is now charging $4,185 (£3,119).
The biggest sporting event of the year in the United States is the Super Bowl - the finale to the NFL season.
Super Bowl tickets are not released for sale to the general public but can be bought via official resale sites.
According to Forbes,, external tickets for the 2025 Super Bowl started at around £3,500 - £5,000 each.
Basketball's NBA finals are not priced as high. Last year, tickets at Oklahoma City Thunder started at £52 in the top tier of their Paycom Center home as they won their first NBA Championship.
Away from sport, tickets for next year's WWE Wrestlemania in Las Vegas are available for between £250 and £1,000.
While musician Taylor Swift's hugely successful Eras Tour tickets at US venues were typically priced at between £37 and £335 each - although the resale market had tickets priced well above £1,000.
As the mild December continues, are our hopes of a white Christmas melting away?
It's still a little too early to confirm the details of the forecast for Christmas 2025, but there are some signs we may see the weather turning a little cooler and calmer.
Since the turn of the century, more than half of all Christmas Days in the UK have seen snow falling somewhere.
But at this early stage what do we actually know about the chances of this Christmas being "white"?
Forecasters look at data produced by several different weather supercomputers generated over different timescales.
Not all computer models are in agreement about how the finer details of the Christmas forecast will look, but there are some themes now emerging.
The first half of December has been mild and wet, dominated by rain-bearing Atlantic low pressure systems. This general set-up is expected to continue for the next week or so, but there is a chance of higher pressure building into late December, which would bring a drier spell compared to recent conditions.
Whilst temperatures are likely to drop a little, returning to more typical for the time of year, there is no especially cold weather expected at this stage. Overnight frost and fog could well become more of an issue over the Christmas period. Wintry showers cannot be ruled out, especially over high ground in the north, but there are currently no indications of widespread snow.
Forecasting snow in the UK is notoriously difficult, and it is still too early to know for certain whether we will see a white Christmas in 2025.
The festive forecast will become much clearer about five days before Christmas, so keep an eye on the BBC Weather app or website for the latest updates.
Lying snow looks beautifully festive but a Christmas is only officially 'white' if snow is recorded falling from the sky
Christmas cards often depict snow that is "deep and crisp and even", but often a "white Christmas" will be much less wintry in reality.
In fact, just a single snowflake has to be recorded falling at any point during the 24 hours of 25 December at any of the Met Office's network of around 300 observing stations.
Snow already lying on the ground on Christmas Day may make things look merry and bright, but it does not count under the official definition.
Will it be a White Christmas?
Join BBC Weather’s Carol Kirkwood, Matt Taylor and Barra Best, along with famous faces Jeremy Vine and Lucy Porter, to explore where our fascination with a white Christmas comes from.
Since 2020, every year except 2024 has officially been a white Christmas. However, in each of these years very few places reported any snow actually settling on the ground.
The last time the UK saw a widespread white Christmas was back in 2010, when snow fell at 19% of weather stations and, very unusually, 83% of stations reported snow lying on the ground.
Whilst snow is more common between January to March than in December, odds are still pretty high that somewhere in the UK will see snow on 25 December.
However, as our climate warms, winters in the UK are becoming milder and wetter. Whilst the Met Office says, "This generally reduces the chances of a white Christmas," it also recognises that, "The natural variability of the weather will not stop cold, snowy winters happening in the future".
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© Science Photo Library/Science Source
欧洲确实仍在欢迎外来务工人员，部分原因是人口老龄化和出生率下降正在削弱其劳动力。
法新社报道，特朗普的猛烈抨击忽略了一个更为复杂、更广泛的图景：欧洲加强对非法移民的打击，导致庇护申请和非法入境人数减少。
欧盟统计局（Eurostat）的数据显示，截至2024年1月1日，欧盟约有2900万第三国国民，占欧盟总人口的6.4%。 2021年，这一数字为2380万。
但根据欧盟统计局的数据，去年各国发放的首次居留许可数量比2023年减少了8%，这表明合法入境人数略有下降。
德国、西班牙、法国和意大利的外国公民占欧盟外国公民总数的近70%。
截至2024年底，欧盟统计局（Eurostat）记录显示，欧洲境内的寻求庇护者人数为100万，比2023年下降11%。2024年，约有43.8万人获得难民身份，从而享有居留权。
寻求庇护者人数再也没有达到2015年难民危机时的水平。当时，几十万逃离战火的叙利亚难民涌入欧洲，登记在册的寻求庇护者人数高达130万。
据联合国统计，2024年，欧洲海岸记录到的非法移民人数接近20万，比2015年减少了五倍。
专家认为，这一下降部分归功于与土耳其、利比亚和突尼斯等国达成的协议，旨在打击偷渡船活动。此前，偷渡船活动曾因侵犯人权而引发争议。
德国是欧盟接纳外国人最多的国家，自5月份大选上台以来，保守派总理默茨实施了更严格的庇护政策，而极右翼的德国另类选择党 (AfD) 在这次选举中取得了有史以来最好的结果。
截至11月初，德国收到的庇护申请数量比2024年减少了一半以上。
意大利已与阿尔巴尼亚签署了一项颇具争议的协议，将海上拦截的寻求庇护者的处理工作外包。但由于意大利法院面临多项法律挑战，这项措施目前处于停滞状态。
自2022年当选以来，极右翼政党“意大利兄弟党”领导人、总理乔治娅·梅洛尼一直将打击非法移民作为其工作重点之一。
与此同时，为应对人口老龄化和出生率下降带来的劳动力短缺问题，意大利政府增加了工作签证的发放数量（2023年至2025年间发放45万份，而2022年仅为7.57万份）。
匈牙利在民族主义总理维克托·欧尔班的领导下，也出现了类似的模式：2024年，匈牙利仅登记了29名寻求庇护者（不包括来自乌克兰的寻求庇护者）。
但过去十年间，通过欧尔班的“客工”政策，居住在匈牙利的外国人数量有所增加，从近14.6万人增至预计到2025年将超过25.5万人。
在欧盟以外的英国，据英国国家统计局11月底发布的报告显示，净移民数量同比下降了近69%。
这一数据证实了自2023年达到峰值以来的下降趋势，这主要归功于英国前保守党政府的政策，尽管非法穿越英吉利海峡的现象并未减少。
独立研究中心“移民协同”（Synergies Migrations）的联合主任马修·塔迪斯（Matthieu Tardis）告诉法新社，我们经济的一部分依赖于移民。他以法国为例说，工业革命正是建立在意大利和波兰劳动力的基础上的。如今，在某些行业，外国人的比例高于他们在欧洲人口中的比例，尤其是在医疗保健和建筑业。根据经济合作与发展组织（OECD）的数据，外国医生占德国医生总数的22%，外国医生占法国医生总数的18%，占英国医生总数的41%。
特朗普在其“真相社交”（Truth Social）平台上表示：“今天上午，我与泰国总理阿努廷·查恩维拉库尔和柬埔寨总理洪玛奈就两国旷日持久的战争不幸再次爆发的事进行了非常好的谈话。”
法新社报道，特朗普说，“他们已同意从今晚起停止一切枪击，并恢复到当初在马来西亚总理安瓦尔·易卜拉欣的帮助下，与我和他们共同签署的和平协议”。
特朗普指的是7月份达成的协议。 他说， “两国都已准备好实现和平，并继续与美国开展贸易”。
特朗普指出，并感谢安瓦尔的协助。 此前，阿努廷在与特朗普通话后表示：需要向全世界宣布，柬埔寨将遵守停火协议。违反协议的一方需要解决问题，而不是被违反协议的一方。
阿努廷说与特朗普的通话“进行得很顺利”。
星期四在白宫，特朗普再次吹嘘自己解决了多起冲突，但他表示，对于“泰国和柬埔寨，我想我得打几个电话……但我们会把这件事重新提上日程”。
阿努廷表示，没有迹象表明特朗普会进一步将贸易谈判与边境冲突联系起来，但他保证泰国将获得“比其他国家更好的利益”。
美国、中国和马来西亚在7月份促成了泰国和柬埔寨停火，此前双方爆发了为期五天的暴力冲突。
10月，特朗普支持泰国和柬埔寨发表后续联合声明，并大力宣传两国同意延长停火后达成的新贸易协议。但11月，泰国士兵在边境触雷受伤后，泰国暂停了这份协议。
美国总统特朗普提美国
法新社报道，莫斯科市法院裁定，“国际刑事法院检察官卡里姆·汗在海牙非法起诉俄罗斯公民”，说国际刑事法院“指示法官公然签发非法的逮捕令”。
现年55岁的卡里姆·汗被缺席判处15年监禁，而包括前国际刑事法院院长彼得·霍夫曼斯基在内的八名国际刑事法院工作人员也被判处3.5年至15年不等的刑期。
俄罗斯不是国际刑事法院成员国。
卡里姆·汗目前因性行为不检点指控正在接受内部调查，已被停职，但他否认了这些指控。
卡里姆·汗也因国际刑事法院对美国和以色列官员的调查而受到美国的制裁。美国和以色列都不在国际刑事法院125个成员国之列。
© Grant Hindsley for The New York Times
© Frans Schellekens/Redferns via Getty Images
Indiana Republicans’ redistricting rejection marks a rare ceasefire in the gerrymandering wars — and could lead to other state leaders backing off their own plans.
The result gives cover for some Democratic-leaning states to stand down, even as the party’s base is frenzied over the issue. Lawmakers in Illinois and Maryland have for months had internal debates about whether to move forward with redrawing their maps. Indiana’s outcome relieved some of the mounting pressure they anticipated facing had Republicans in Indiana further gerrymandered their maps.
Illinois Democrats have long said they would only gerrymander if the Indiana GOP bowed to Trump’s demands and redid their own map. In the wake of Hoosier Republicans’ move Thursday, their Democratic neighbors don’t seem eager to change their minds.
Meanwhile in Maryland, one Democratic leader is rebuffing entreaties from top Democrats to eliminate the state’s lone remaining GOP seat.
Maryland Democratic Senate President Bill Ferguson has exchanged phone calls with Indiana Senate Republican leader Rodric Bray, four people familiar with the two leaders, granted anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly, told POLITICO. Each resisted pressure from top officials in their party to move on redistricting. Bray’s success could now lessen the pressure on Ferguson. Bray's spokesperson, Molly Swigart, said no deal was ever made between Bray and Ferguson on redistricting in their respective states.
Officials in Virginia, where Democrats gained 13 seats in their House of Delegates in November’s statewide elections, are poised to make drastic changes to their congressional maps that could net the party upwards of four seats. But Democratic Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger sounded reluctant to the idea of making wholesale changes to congressional lines at a POLITICO event earlier this week.
There are headwinds elsewhere for Trump and his allies. In Kansas and Kentucky Republicans have so far failed to move forward with their redistricting pushes that are complicated by opposition from Democratic governors. Ohio Republicans struck a compromise with Democrats for a less aggressive gerrymander than what some national leaders wanted. And a judge picked a map in Utah that drew a safe Democratic seat; and Republicans are facing a potential setback for Missouri.
That doesn’t mean the redistricting wars are over. Lawmakers in a number of other states are still weighing their own maps, with GOP-led Florida and Democratic-controlled Virginia remaining the biggest question marks on the board. Republicans are still eyeing Kentucky and Nebraska as well.
“We’ve got a lot more states that we can do work on,” one person close to the White House, granted anonymity to speak candidly on a sensitive matter, told POLITICO on Friday, while admitting that “Indiana was definitely frustrating.”
And if the U.S. Supreme Court issues a ruling further gutting the Voting Rights Act in the coming months, a number of states are expected to rush to redraw their lines before their states’ filing deadlines, in a move that could give the GOP a huge boost and potentially put the House out of reach for Democrats.
“The truth is, I think we're still, we're in the middle of this redistricting war,” said John Bisognano, president of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. “We're all waiting to hear back from the Supreme Court as to what they're going to do and how they're going to move forward.”
Here’s what to expect in the coming weeks from states including Maryland, Florida, Illinois and a challenge to the already-passed maps passed in Missouri.
Perhaps lawmakers breathing the biggest sigh of relief from Indiana bucking Trump’s redistricting push are those in Maryland.
Ferguson has for months been facing pressure from Democratic Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and national Democrats to wade into the redistricting fight. That lobbying campaign to net Maryland Democrats an additional seat would have been kicked into hyperdrive if Indiana had drawn new maps.
Reports of Ferguson possibly losing his grip on leading the Senate Democrats evaporated this week after he was unanimously renominated as Senate leader. Then on Thursday, just hours before the Indiana Senate cast the vote dooming the redistricting effort, Ferguson put out a statement with Democratic House Delegates Speaker Pro Tem Dana Stein declaring that lawmakers in the special session Moore called for next week will definitively not take up any new maps.
While that likely closes the door on the redistricting push for this year, Moore still has an opportunity to reignite a pressure campaign aimed at Ferguson to hold a vote on the issue in January, when the legislature returns for regular session. The governor’s Redistricting Advisory Commission is meeting Friday for its final public hearing to solicit comments from Maryland residents before its members make a recommendation to the governor and the General Assembly on whether to redraw maps.
For months, Illinois Democrats have suggested they were unlikely to try to squeeze another seat out of their already-gerrymandered state unless Indiana Republicans redrew their seats.
And while state Democratic leaders didn’t completely rule out redistricting in the wake of the Indiana GOP’s vote, they don’t sound particularly eager for a new map.
“Our neighbors in Indiana have stood up to Trump’s threats and political pressure, instead choosing to do what’s right for their constituents and our democracy,” Gov. JB Pritzker said in a statement after the result, without saying what Illinois might do.
A person in Pritzker’s office, granted anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly, said the governor was less than equivocal in his statement because no one knows what Trump's next move might be.
State House and Senate Democratic leaders struck similar tones, praising their Hoosier neighbors while pledging to stay vigilant against similar efforts in other states.
Democrats’ best remaining chance for a multi-seat gerrymander is Old Dominion. But while statehouse leaders seem eager to push forward with a complicated plan for a voter referendum to approve a new gerrymander — much like California’s move — the state’s incoming Democratic governor doesn’t seem quite as eager to lend a hand.
The Democratic-dominated Virginia legislature is expected to easily pass a procedural measure before putting the issue of redistricting before voters to approve a constitutional Virginia amendment to redraw the state’s maps ahead of the midterms — a move that legislative leaders have teased could lead to a 10-1 map.
“I feel comfortable that we have an opportunity to do a number of maps here in Virginia to allow for us to level the playing field,” Virginia House Speaker Don Scott said at a POLITICO event this week.
But at the same event, Spanberger hedged when asked if she supported redrawing maps to achieve the feat.
“The calendar is tight, and for me, I want to win,” Spanberger said, pointing to Virginia’s first and second congressional districts that are currently held by Republicans. “I want to flip seats in the House of Representatives, and I know that we can because I just won those districts.”
But when asked directly if redistricting is the way to go, Spanberger said that Virginia should “leave open the option” of new maps but that ultimately voters will decide if the legislature should move forward.
Florida Republicans could deliver their party three to five more seats if they press ahead with mid-decade redistricting. But two factors complicate that effort.
First, GOP leaders aren’t on the same page. GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis has been touting the need to draw new maps since last summer, has suggested waiting until the spring of next year in case the U.S. Supreme Court weakens the Voting Rights Act and bars the consideration of race when drawing lines, a position backed by the state’s GOP Senate president, Ben Albritton.
But state GOP House Speaker Daniel Perez said this week it is “irresponsible” to wait and that the House is prepared to send a map to the Senate during its regular session that starts next month.
Second, GOP leaders may be constrained by Florida’s voter-approved constitutional ban on redistricting for partisan gain. Democrats have already asserted that drawing up any new map is “illegal’ and would violate these standards signaling that litigation is likely if state legislators pass a new map. But Florida's conservative-dominated state Supreme Court already ruled in 2022 that legislators can sidestep minority protections when it allowed a previous GOP-drawn map that was muscled into law by DeSantis, weakening its impact.
Perez insisted that he has not been under pressure from Trump or the White House to move ahead on redistricting. When asked Friday if there was added pressure on the House to act due to the outcome in Indiana he said: “No sir.”
Missouri Republicans already passed a map to flip Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s (D-Mo.) district red, but Democrats are hoping to undo the GOP-passed map in Missouri via ballot measure. Earlier this week, they submitted more than double the 107,000 signatures required to force a statewide vote for the secretary of state.
If the signatures are validated, the map may not cannot go into effect in time for the midterms, and if voters approve the ballot measure, the map gets tossed. Republicans still have a bit of time, since GOP Secretary of State Denny Hoskins doesn’t have to approve the signatures until July. Plus, it’s unclear when the Republican-controlled Legislature will actually put those signatures up for a vote.
The timing is causing a bit of chaos. Since candidates need to file by the end of March, prospective members of Congress may have to file in districts that aren’t set for the midterms.
Adam Wren, Andrew Howard, Shia Kapos, Alex Gangitano and Gary Fineout contributed to this report.
© Michael Conroy/AP
Telegram/ZelenskyA large fire broke out on a Turkish car ferry anchored at the Ukrainian port city of Odesa after it was hit in a strike on Friday.
The company that operates the Cenk T confirmed the attack occurred at 16:00 local time (14:00 GMT) shortly after it docked at the Chornomorsk port.
Ukraine's President Volodymr Zelensky has blamed the strike on Russia, which has not commented.
The attack came hours after Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told Russian President Vladimir Putin that a limited ceasefire for energy facilities and ports could be beneficial. Russia has resisted all calls for a ceasefire.
Moscow has threatened to cut "Ukraine off from the sea" in response to Kyiv's maritime drone attacks on Russia's "shadow fleet" tankers thought to be used to export oil - and a main source for funding the ongoing war.
Cenk Denizcilik, the company that owns the cargo ship that operates on the Karasu-Odesa route across the Black Sea, said on Friday that it had been carrying "essential food supplies" when it was hit shortly after anchoring at the Ukrainian port city.
Emergency response measures were immediately activated with the vessel's crew, port fire brigade and assisting tugboats after a fire broke out on the forward section of the ship, the company's statement added.
"At this stage, there are no reports of casualties or injuries among the crew," it said.
Video footage of the attack's aftermath, which was shared on Zelensky's Telegram account, shows crews attempting to extinguish a large blaze on the vessel.
While condemning a series of missile attacks that Russia had carried out on the Odesa region the night before, the Ukrainian leader blamed Moscow for targeting the civilian Turkish ship, saying it "could not have any military meaning".
Turkey's foreign ministry said an agreement should be reached that would guarantee "the security of shipping and suspending attacks against energy and port infrastructure in order to prevent escalation in the Black Sea".
"We once again underline the importance of urgently ending the war between Russia and Ukraine," the ministry said.
Turkey has sought to maintain relations with the two warring countries since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
It also controls the Bosphorus Strait, which is a key passage for transporting Ukrainian grain and Russian oil out to the Mediterranean.
House Oversight CommitteeMore images from the estate of convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein have been released by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee.
The Democrats said the 19 images came from a tranche of 95,000 photos the committee received from Epstein's estate as part of its ongoing investigation.
US President Donald Trump, former Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and former Trump adviser Steve Bannon are among the high-profile figures featured in the photos. The images, many of which have been seen before, do not imply wrongdoing.
It comes one week before a deadline for the US justice department to release all Epstein-related documents, which are separate from the images shared by the committee on Friday.
The individuals featured in the images have not yet commented. Many of them have previously denied wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.
In a statement, Representative Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the committee, said: "It is time to end this White House cover-up and bring justice to the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and his powerful friends."
"These disturbing photos raise even more questions about Epstein and his relationships with some of the most powerful men in the world. We will not rest until the American people get the truth. The Department of Justice must release all the files, NOW" he added.
Republicans, who are in the majority on the committee, have accused Democrats of "cherry-picking photos and making targeted redactions to create a false narrative about President Trump".
The White House called the release a "Democrat hoax" against Trump that has been "repeatedly debunked".
Trump appeared in three of the images released on Friday. One image showed him standing next to a woman whose face has been redacted.
Another showed Trump standing next to Epstein while talking to model Ingrid Seynhaeve at a 1997 Victoria's Secret party in New York – an image that was already publicly available.
House Oversight CommitteeA third photo showed Trump smiling with several women, whose faces have also been redacted, flanked on either side of him.
An additional photo showed an illustrated likeness of the president on red packets next to a sign that reads: "Trump Condom".
House Oversight CommitteeHouse Oversight CommitteeAmong the images released was what appeared to be cropped photo of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor next to Bill Gates. A fuller version of the photo, which was available on photo agency Getty Images, showed King Charles, the then-Prince of Wales, on the right side of the photo.
The Getty Images' caption said the picture was taken during a summit during the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in London in April 2018.
Getty ImagesFormer Trump adviser Steve Bannon was also pictured in some of the images. He was shown speaking with Epstein at a desk, and in another, standing beside him in front of a mirror.
House Oversight CommitteeA third image showed him speaking with filmmaker Woody Allen.
A photo featuring former US President Bill Clinton's showed him standing next to Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted in 2021 for her role in facilitating the disgraced financier's abuse.
Two other people the BBC has yet to identify are also in the image, which appeared to have been signed by Clinton.
Clinton has denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein. In 2019, a spokesperson said he "knows nothing about the terrible crimes" Epstein pleaded guilty to.
Other prominent figures which appear in the images include US economist Larry Summers, lawyer Alan Dershowitz and entrepreneur Richard Branson. Not all the images show those individuals in the company of Epstein.
Epstein was charged with sex trafficking in July 2019. He died in prison a month later while awaiting trail.
The president was a friend of Epstein's, but has said they fell out in the early 2000s, years before he was first arrested.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.
The justice department is required to release investigative material related to Epstein by 19 December under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was signed into law by Trump last month.
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