CNBC's Steve Liesman doesn't mince words about the way the White House calculated its tariff rates: "Nobody ever heard of this formula. Nobody has ever used this formula. So I’m sorry, but the conclusion seems to be the president kind of made this up as he went along... these are off the charts."

A gift to Russian war criminals: “The Trump administration, through either its incompetence or its intent, has now cast doubt on the validity of three years and $26 million of taxpayer-funded war crimes evidence"

Lots going on lately, but if this breaks through the noise that would be great—Former Daily Beast journalist Allison Quinn’s 8-year-old son Aedrik is in a fight for his life. If you can help, GoFundMe is here. Any sharing here or elsewhere appreciated. www.gofundme.com/f/help-allis...

NEW: Hackers broke into a news service and spread a fake story of an assassination plot against the incoming pro-Russia president of Slovakia. An intelligence agency official tells me the op is likely Russian or done at Russia's behest. www.thedailybeast.com/news-agency-...

New: A pro-Russia American that went to fight for Russia against Ukraine has been killed, according to his battalion, a local official, and other Russian reports. Russell Bentley, AKA "Texas," went missing earlier this month, his wife said. www.thedailybeast.com/pro-putin-am...

Iran says it might revise its nuclear doctrine, threatening a break from the publicly stated peaceful objectives of its nuclear program. Note: U.S. intelligence has warned that in the face of attacks Iran could enrich uranium up to 90%. www.thedailybeast.com/iran-issues-...

Chaos erupted in Georgian parliament when a lawmaker punched an MP over a “foreign influence” bill—which critics say is part of a Russian "destabilization" op in Georgia. Thousands are protesting, with the cops using pepper spray, I'm told. www.thedailybeast.com/the-russian-...

Latest: A top US military commander, Kurilla, is in Israel as fears mount that the region could be on the brink of all-out war and Biden warns of a possible “significant” Iranian attack on Israel. Israel has promised to respond in kind. www.thedailybeast.com/iran-israel-...

New: Top Ukrainian officials hate Trump's reported plan for ending the war—it would have Kyiv cede land to Russia. Zelensky calls it a "primitive" idea. The official in charge of Crimea tells me it would only encourage Putin's aggression: www.thedailybeast.com/volodymyr-ze...

Israel is on “heightened” alert and boosting defenses after Tehran threatened retaliation for the strike that killed a top Iranian commander. It's canceling leave for IDF soldiers in combat units, drafting reservists, GPS jamming, and more. www.thedailybeast.com/irans-retali...

NEW: Biden just told Netanyahu US policy on Gaza will depend on an assessment of Israel taking immediate action on "a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers." www.thedailybeast.com/joe-biden-th...

Vucic's cryptic comment about a threat to Serbia/Repulika Srpska (“We will fight. Serbia will win”) comes as he meets with Republika Srpska's leader Dodik, who has called for unification with Serbia/secession from Bosnia and Herzegovina. www.thedailybeast.com/serbian-pres...

France has raised its terror alert level to its highest level after the suspected ISIS attack in Moscow, warning that the group has attempted two attacks in France just this year. Italy has raised security measures as well, as has Serbia. www.thedailybeast.com/isis-group-a...

The Moscow shooting attack has killed 40 people and injured 100, according to the FSB. Authorities are reportedly looking for several men in camouflage, as 2 helicopters try to extinguish the fire, according to authorities. www.thedailybeast.com/moscow-roiled-by-mass-shooting-in-packed-concert-hall

New: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requested to speak with the Senate Democratic Caucus—but Schumer, who called for Israeli elections, denied him (noting he thinks the discussion shouldn't be partisan), a spox confirms to me. www.thedailybeast.com/israeli-pres...

Yesterday the Rachel Maddow Show featured my scoop on a Russian disinformation op: Fake news sites meant to look legitimate sharing allegedly "leaked" audio of 2 US officials discussing backing Russian opposition. Watch and read: www.thedailybeast.com/victoria-nul... mstdn.social/@shanvav/112...

Scoop: A Russian disinformation op is peddling a story alleging audio leaked of two US officials (Victoria Nuland & Jim O’Brien) choosing a Russian opposition leader to back after Navalny—and the campaign it's tied to is sweeping. Dig in: www.thedailybeast.com/victoria-nul...

NEW: US and UK struck 36 Houthi targets today, aiming at an underground weapons storage site, air defense systems and radars—comes as the Biden admin's effort to deter and dampen Iranian proxies' capability has expanded in recent hours. www.thedailybeast.com/us-hits-more...

So far, the response to US strikes on Iran-backed targets in Iraq and Syria: -Iran warned this could only lead to escalation -Iraq summoned the US chargé in protest -Iraq claims US didn't coordinate with Baghdad -Reports of civilians killed www.thedailybeast.com/iran-warns-u...

I'm thrilled to share today that I'm a 2024 Center for a New American Security (CNAS) Next Generation National Security Fellow! Looking forward to meeting the other fellows, and honored to be included. Read about the program and the other standout fellows here: www.cnas.org/press/press-...

In other news, I obtained a copy of Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant's "day after" plan for post-war Gaza. It's scant on details... www.thedailybeast.com/israels-day-...

News: I obtained audio of SecDef’s 911 Jan 1 call. It has some info on his medical condition at the time and reveals info on just how secretive his team was trying to be: His aide outright requests the ambulance try to fly under the radar. www.thedailybeast.com/secretary-of...

The US and UK conducted strikes against several Houthi targets in Yemen after the Iran-backed proxies ignored warnings to stop attacking vessels in the Red Sea, a serious response from Biden after weeks of growing calls to respond. Latest www.thedailybeast.com/us-and-brita...

4-5 armed men in black masks seized an oil tanker at the center of an Iran-US dispute and rerouted it to Iranian territorial waters today, per Iranian state news and UKMTO. The US is urging Iran to release the ship and crew "immediately." www.thedailybeast.com/iran-capture...

Pope Francis spoke out against the Israel-Hamas war in a Christmas Eve Mass: “Tonight, our hearts are in Bethlehem, where the Prince of Peace is once more rejected by the futile logic of war...” www.thedailybeast.com/pope-laments...

New: Israel's military says it mistakenly killed three Israeli hostages in Gaza—including Yotam Haim, who was kidnapped from Kfar Gaza, and Samer Talalka, who was kidnapped from Nir Am. "This is a combat zone where there have been many incidents in recent days," the IDF says.

Wow. This delves into IDF's use of AI in target identification in Israel's early stage of war/airstrikes on non-military targets/growing civilian casualties: "It really is like a factory. We work quickly and there is no time to delve deep into the target" www.972mag.com/mass-assassi...

News: An American, Liat Beinin Atzili, 49, has been freed from Hamas captivity as part of the latest group of hostages to be released from Gaza, the Hostage Family Forum told me. Story here: www.thedailybeast.com/fresh-hope-f...

News: Hostages Yelena Trupanob, 50, and Irena Tati, 73, who emigrated from Russia, were released from captivity today, a hostage family spokesperson tells me. They were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz—but Yelena’s son, Sasha, 28, and his girlfriend Sapir Cohen, 29, remain captive.

NEW: Hamas has released 12 hostages (10 Israelis and 2 foreigners), to the Red Cross, the IDF said in a statement shared with me. They are in process of transferring to Israeli territory. The hostages were first released to Egypt, Daniel Hagari says. Story coming up shortly

NEW: The Israel-Hamas truce will be extended for 2 days, Qatar says. White House National Security Council confirms the extension in a brief with reporters now—noting "Hamas has committed" to releasing 20 hostages over 2 days. Latest www.thedailybeast.com/nine-child-h...

Spoke with @shanvav.bsky.social of @thedailybeast.bsky.social about the recent attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria by Iran-backed groups and the risk of further escalation. www.thedailybeast.com/us-enters-da....

New: Israeli forces have entered Gaza City in full force to eliminate Hamas after encircling the city, marking a new stage of war. "IDF forces...stormed it in full coordination between land, air and sea forces," Yoav Gallant said. Latest: www.thedailybeast.com/israeli-defe...

As Israel says no ceasefire until hostages released, the US continues to push for "humanitarian pauses"—and despite no budging from Israel, NSC's Kirby says on call now the Biden admin considers it the beginning of the conversation not the end, and will still advocate for pauses moving forward.

New: Hamas claimed ~50 hostages in Gaza have been killed in Israeli attacks, claims the White House couldn't confirm. The claim is part of a "manipulative" pressure campaign to stop Israeli attacks on Hamas, an Israeli official tells me. www.thedailybeast.com/hamas-claims...

White House National Security Council's John Kirby clarifies that the Biden administration does not mean to dispute that thousands of Palestinians Gaza have been killed in Israel's strikes in Gaza, but means to say the Hamas-run health ministry's count should not be relied on.

NEWS: Two more hostages have been released from Hamas, an Israeli official tells me, adding they are two elderly women. They are not yet in Israeli custody, the Israeli source told me. www.thedailybeast.com/two-israeli-...

Officials have assessed Hezbollah doesn't want all-out war with Israel—but the ongoing clashing between them lends itself to misinterpretation and possible escalation by accident, raising fear the Israel-Hamas war may ripple into wider war. Details: www.thedailybeast.com/how-hezbolla...

NEW: Per a US intelligence memo I obtained, the potential for violence in the US is “heightened” in response to the Israel-Hamas war, with lone wolf attackers posing the “greatest threat,” either inspired by or reacting to the war. www.thedailybeast.com/us-intellige...

NEW: Per a US intelligence memo I obtained, the potential for violence in the US is “heightened” in response to the Israel-Hamas war, with lone wolf attackers posing the “greatest threat,” either inspired by or reacting to the war. www.thedailybeast.com/us-intellige...

New: Fresh satellite imagery Maxar shared with me shows the damage unleashed in the deadly blast at the al-Ahli hospital in Gaza that has upended diplomacy and further stoked tensions in the region. Shows discolored area in parking lot. www.thedailybeast.com/new-satellit...

Biden’s summit on Gaza in Jordan is off. A Jordanian official told me the deadly attack on a hospital in Gaza sealed the deal: It “really tipped the scale and changed the dynamic…It was a very last minute thing.” www.thedailybeast.com/jordan-cance...

Inside the mission to rescue hostages from Hamas: “This happened so quickly. It’s been all hands on deck” a State Dept official told me. Officials are trying to verify who's held, tapping diplomats/contacts in the area to get any in. Latest www.thedailybeast.com/inside-the-m...

“I remember the day of Mr. Nijjar’s killing. We’re...saying...it looks like Nijjar’s life is in danger...And by that evening we found out that he indeed had been shot.” An inside look at explosive claims India may have killed a Sikh activist in Canada.

Exclusive from me: Prigozhin's propaganda arm's fate has been unclear for weeks after his revolt and reported death. But a Russian troll army with telltale signs of an IRA op emerged this month on Twitter—and while I'm told X killed it, some accounts are still active even after Prigozhin's death.

New: Ukrainian officials said Ukraine's military has conducted a landing on Crimea in recent hours, in what looks to be possible early stages of an attempt to take back Crimea from Russia, a step officials have been hinting at for months.

The question of the hour: What's Wagner's future with Prigozhin suspected dead? It's unclear but it may not be curtains just yet for some of Wagner, as it may take on pro-Putin forms. And the warning to Lukashenko is clear: Be loyal or else

LATEST from me: Wagner boss Yevgeniy Prigozhin was listed aboard a plane that just crashed in Russia, Rosaviatsiya confirmed, weeks after his failed revolt in Russia—in what many suspect is a carefully orchestrated assassination by Putin.

Poland is sending combat helicopters and more troops at its border with Belarus in response to an alleged violation of its airspace—and it’s not just Poland. Lithuania and Latvia are on edge as well about Belarus/Wagner provocations.

Two US Navy sailors were arrested yday for allegedly giving sensitive US military info to China—including info on opsec at a naval base, a Navy exercise (including location/timing of force movements), locations of ships, a weapons control systems manual, per DOJ/court docs...