Evening Wire: Ukraine Peace Talks & TN Special Election Sparks | 12.1.25

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Negotiators from the U.S. and Ukraine move toward a deal.
A special election in Tennessee draws national attention and big money. And a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Oregon sparks outrage.

I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire executive editor John Bickley. It's Monday, December 1st, and this is Evening Wire.

Ukraine's President Vladimir Zelensky traveled to France today after his team of negotiators spent the weekend in Florida meeting with top U.S. officials.

Zelensky met with French President Emmanuel Macron about peace negotiations as the U.S. continues to work on a framework for a deal.
According to Ukraine and U.S.

negotiators, the Florida discussions were productive, but neither side gave a timeline for peace. Here's Secretary of State Marco Rubio after Sunday's negotiations.
There's more work to be done.

This is delicate. It's complicated.
There are a lot of moving parts, and obviously there's another party involved here that will have to be a part of the equation.

We continue to be realistic about how difficult this is, but optimistic, particularly given the fact that as we've made progress, I think there is a shared vision here that this is not just about ending the war, which is very important.

It is about securing Ukraine's future, a future that we hope will be more prosperous. Meanwhile, U.S.

Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is set to meet with Russian officials tomorrow to go over the weekend's discussions. New requirements for food stamps went into effect today.

The President's One Big Beautiful Bill Act raised the age cap for work requirements from 54 to 64, which includes at least 80 hours per month spent working, training, or volunteering.

The Congressional Budget Office projects the new requirements will cut the average monthly number of SNAP participants by about 2.4 million over the next 10 years.

The new rules will affect new SNAP recipients going forward and will apply to existing recipients at their next recertification.

President Trump says he's already chosen a new chairman of the Federal Reserve. Daily Wire Senior Editor Cabot Phillips has the details.

Current Fed Chair Jerome Powell, whom Trump appointed in 2017, will see his term end early next year.

President Trump's choice of his successor is drawing heightened scrutiny as the administration and many Americans focus on affordability.

Because the Fed sets interest rates, it can heavily influence everything from mortgage costs to credit card rates and inflation.

Trump has repeatedly criticized Powell's more hands-off approach to rising prices, calling him too late to lower rates.

While the successor has yet to be named, the pick is expected to favor a more aggressive stance on addressing costs and lowering rates.

A normally safe Republican seat in Tennessee is suddenly drawing national money and attention ahead of Tuesday's special election. Daily Wire political reporter Cameron Arkand has the latest.

Tennessee's 7th congressional district, which Donald Trump carried by roughly 20 points, is now a key battleground as Democrats attempt an unlikely flip following Representative Mark Green's retirement.

Republican Matt Van Epps, a Trump-endorsed Army pilot and longtime state official, is favored.

But Democrats Democrats are pouring more than a million dollars behind state rep Afton Bain, a progressive who has sparked controversy over past comments supporting police station burnings, following ICE agents, and saying she, quote, hates Nashville.

GOP leaders say turnout is a deciding factor, warning many Republican voters they may be unaware of the off-year election date.

Speaking of Democratic candidate Afton Bain's anti-Nashville remarks, she's facing renewed scrutiny after refusing to disavow the comments. Nashville is my home.

Do I roll my eyes at the bachelorette parties and the pedal taverns that are blocking my access to my house? Yeah, every Nashville does.

In a CNN interview on Sunday, Bain also defended several of her posts from 2020, including one appearing to justify burning police stations, claiming they were made, quote, as a private citizen.

She also appeared to sidestep questions about abolishing ICE. I've got 48 hours to flip this congressional district and have been dogged about the message of affordability.

The U.S. and the U.K.
have reached a deal to avoid tariffs on pharmaceuticals.

President Trump has previously spoken of his plan to ensure that foreign nations pay their fair share for pharmaceuticals developed in the U.S.

Americans have largely borne the brunt of drug development costs, paying on average three times more for pharmaceuticals than other comparable nations.

In a move to avoid tariffs, the U.K.'s National Health Service has now agreed to pay around 25% more for U.S. drugs.

The move is another step in the President's push push to address affordability in the U.S., including prescription costs.

The Afghan man suspected of killing one National Guardsman and shooting another in D.C. last week apparently picked up extremist views after coming to the U.S.

Homeland Security Secretary Christy Noam revealed this detail to NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday. We believe he was radicalized since he's been here in this country.

We do believe it was through connections in his home community and state, and we're going to continue to talk to those who interacted with him.

Anyone who has information on this needs to know that we will be coming after you and we will bring you to justice.

The suspect, a 29-year-old Afghan national, reportedly maintained connections to people in Afghanistan who may have helped radicalize him.

He was granted asylum after serving in a special Afghan army unit that was backed by the CIA.

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Trump pick Alina Haba must step down from serving as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey.
Daily Wire senior editor Joel Niedler has the latest.

The federal appeals court upheld a lower court's finding that the Trump administration violated federal law when they extended Haba's interim role after her 120-day appointment expired without Senate confirmation.

After district judges appointed Haba's deputy as successor, the Justice Department fired the deputy and reappointed Haba as first assistant, restoring her position.

The three-judge panel consisting of appointees from both Republican and Democratic presidents ruled that the maneuver bypassed statutory requirements for the position.

The ruling may set a precedent for similar interim appointments nationwide.

After growing speculation that he'd fled the country for fear that the U.S. was going to take him out, Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro was spotted in Caracas yesterday.

Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce reports. It was the first time he'd been seen in public in five days.
Reports over the weekend say Trump issued an ultimatum to Maduro to step down or else.

The Miami Herald reported Sunday that Trump offered Maduro and his family safe passage out of Venezuela if he agreed to resign.

But they came to an impasse when the Maduro administration offered to give up political but not military control.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has a standing offer of $50 million for information leading to the arrest of Maduro.

As the Trump administration cracks down on drug smuggling into North America, traffickers are expanding operations in Europe, and they're using Venezuelan gangs and jihadist-linked cells to do it.

Surging cocaine production in Colombia and intensified crackdowns on trafficking have strained traditional smuggling routes that's pushed networks to seek new corridors.

Venezuelan gangs have increased shipments into North Africa, where the drugs are then moved into Europe through jihadist narco-terror cells.

With public opposition to lax border policies rising across Europe, the emergence of these trafficking pipelines has added new urgency to the debate.

Russia may expand its naval reach to a new continent, Africa. Daily Wire reporter Zach Jewell has more on the story.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the military government of Sudan has offered Russia the opportunity to build a naval base.

If Moscow accepts, this would be Russia's first in Africa, giving the Eastern power a strategic outpost that overlooks the Red Sea.

Trade routes that pass through it connect Europe to Asia and facilitate 12% of global trade.

The October offer is troubling news to a United States that has sought to limit Russia and China's reach into Africa.

Under the terms of Sudan's offer, Russia would be able to station 300 troops and up to four warships at Port Sudan or another port yet to be named.

Reports of a troubling side effect are gaining traction for popular Ozimpic-like weight loss medications.

Australian regulators warn that Zepbound, Wagovi, and other GLP-1 weight loss drugs may cause an increase in depression and suicidal thoughts.

Previous research reviewed by the FDA found no connection between dark thoughts and GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, but Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration has issued new safety warnings over a World Health Organization study.

The study found suicidal thoughts were slightly more common among people who take GLP-1 drugs. The research also suggested that GLP-1s make oral birth control less effective.

And a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Portland, Oregon over the weekend has sparked blowback after it appeared to go out of its way to leave out the reason for the season.

Christmas was never once mentioned. Speakers and ads for the event seem to take great care not to mention Christmas at all, referring to the event only as a tree lighting ceremony.

Welcome again to the 41st annual tree lighting ceremony. Thank you all for coming to the tree lighting.
Tonight we will be celebrating this tree lighting season.

One of the speakers even took the opportunity to turn the community event into a political rally by donning a Palestinian flag and attempting to lead the crowd in a free Palestine chant.

So, if I could get a free, free Palestine,

other speakers trotted out members of a local Indian tribe along with a rendition of the quote strong woman song.

Community members were left wondering when the Christmas event would talk about Christmas. All right, those are your drive-home updates.
To learn more about these stories, go to dailywire.com.

And in case you missed it earlier today, we covered some major stories, including the Trump administration tightening immigration restrictions and cracking down on illegal access to federal benefits, and tensions with Venezuela approaching a boiling point.

Thanks for tuning in. We'll be back tomorrow morning with another full edition of OnlyWire.

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