NEW: Colombia says it would support a plan for Venezuela’s Maduro to step down and hand power to a transitional government that would organize new elections.

Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio said Maduro might agree if he’s guaranteed he won’t face prison.

The U.S. Justice Department will release its Jeffrey Epstein investigation files within 30 days, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced.

Q: Ahmed al-Sharaa came in, and Trump sprayed perfume all over him. Did he smell?

Karoline Leavitt: No. That happens all the time. Trump is just showing off.

A longtime FBI employee, David Maltinsky, is suing the FBI, Director Kash Patel, the DOJ, and Attorney General Pam Bondi, claiming he was fired for displaying a Pride flag at his former workstation.

He argues his dismissal—issued while he was training to become a special agent—violated his First Amendment and equal-protection rights.

Niger: EIGS militants stormed the Garbougna gendarmerie post on the Terra–Niamey axis, killing 17 soldiers in a coordinated assault.

Sudan: Army and joint forces hit UAE-backed RSF hard west of El-Obeid, inflicting heavy losses around Jebel Abu Sunun, El-Tine, El-Numeyr, Abu Qud and Abu Haraz.

Trump signed a bill forcing the DOJ to release its Jeffrey Epstein investigation files within 30 days.

President Trump and NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani will meet at the White House on Friday.

Trump has approved a 28-point peace plan aimed at ending the war between Russia and Ukraine.

The proposal was developed by top administration figures — including Steve Witkoff, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Jared Kushner — in discussions with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, though Ukraine was not involved in shaping it.

U.S. officials say the plan focuses on security guarantees for both sides, but details remain undisclosed and still negotiable.

Source: NBC News

The U.S. has approved a $93 million sale to India of Javelin anti-tank missile systems and Excalibur guided artillery shells.

The deal includes up to 100 Javelin units and 216 Excalibur projectiles.

Source: Reuters

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam says Lebanon is ready to negotiate with Israel and will seek US help to push Israel into talks.

Source: Bloomberg

Marco Rubio:

Ending a complex and deadly war such as the one in Ukraine requires an extensive exchange of serious and realistic ideas.

And achieving a durable peace will require both sides to agree to difficult but necessary concessions.

That is why we are and will continue to develop a list of potential ideas for ending this war based on input from both sides of this conflict.

Japan is preparing a ¥21.3 trillion ($135B) stimulus—the biggest since the pandemic—to ease the impact of persistent inflation.

The plan includes tax cuts, child payments, and gasoline tax reductions, plus major funding for price relief, consumption boosts, and economic security sectors.

Source: Reuters

Trump on Jimmy Kimmel:

Get the bum off the air!!!

Sudan: The Sovereignty Council said it is ready to work with the U.S. and Saudi Arabia to advance peace efforts in the country.

The U.S. will sell F-35s to Saudi Arabia, but they’ll be downgraded compared to Israel’s aircraft due to a U.S. law that ensures Israel’s “qualitative military edge.”

Saudi jets will lack Israel’s advanced weapons, electronic warfare systems, and next-gen AIM-260 missiles.

Israel—already operating F-35s for eight years and with more jets in service—still opposes the sale.

Source: Reuters

Kenya: Two border patrol officers were killed in an al-Shabaab IED blast near the Somalia frontier.

Elon Musk:

AI and humanoid robots will actually eliminate poverty.

In 10-20 years work will be optional.

Money will stop being relevant.

The EU is preparing a unified request asking the U.S. to exempt several key exports — including medical devices, alcohol (wine, spirits, beer), and pasta — from President Trump’s broad tariffs.

Source: POLITICO