CNBC's Emily Wilkins reports on news regarding Congress.

Washington

A record 53 lawmakers—44 from the House and 9 from the Senate—have announced they will not seek re-election for their current seats, marking an unprecedented number for this stage in the election cycle. The departures include notable bipartisan figures and industry influencers, such as Don Bacon, Jared Golden, Tom Tillis, and Cynthia Lummis.

While slightly more Republicans than Democrats are retiring, the overall impact on the party divide is expected to be minimal. Fourteen House members plan to run for Senate seats, and the outcome of key swing districts will be closely watched as the next Congress is projected to have a narrow party balance.

Congressional frustration fuels record exodus

Well, look, there's a lot of frustrations with Congress these days, but it's not just for people outside. Members themselves are growing frustrated. And right now, we have seen 53 lawmakers, that's 44 members of the House and nine senators, announce that they will not be running for re-election for their current seats. And this is a record for this time in the cycle. I mean, remember, we're only about halfway through the current cycle. The midterms are later in the year. We are expecting to see more retirements when it comes in January. Now, Balpedia, which has been tracking all of this, their person covering retirements, Breonna Ryan, said that part of the reason for departures is that historically, the party in the White House does not do well when it comes to the midterms. And some of the Republicans are seeing the writing on the wall. There might be some incumbents who may say, you know, I'm in a safe seat, but I don't want to be in a minority for this Congress. Or there might be some members who might say, I'm in a, I'm facing a tough election, and I don't really want to go through that again. Other lawmakers who are known for working across the aisle, like Don Bacon, Jared Golden, Tom Tillis, have also announced their retirement. And that, of course, could impact the ability to get things done in a bipartisan manner in the next Congress. Plus, you have several lawmakers who are critical to industry, like Cynthia Lummis, who's a very big heavyweight for the crypto industry, who is also announcing her retirement. Now, while we do have a higher number of folks who are looking to leave the Hill, not all of them are looking to leave it entirely. Of this number, 14 members of the House are looking to leave their House seat and see if they can run and win in the Senate. Leslie? Emily, net net, what's the expectation on how this affects the party divide? It seems like it's essentially a wash. I mean, pretty close. I mean, there are slightly more Republicans. I think you have about 30 Republicans to around, I want to say, 23 Democrats who are retiring at this point. We'll see what comes in January, of course. But usually in the past, a lot of what we're looking for here is, are those critical swing seat, swing seat, swing districts, are they able to either hold on to the current party or do they wind up flipping? So definitely again, Jared Golden up in Maine, Don Bacon in Nebraska. Those are going to be two very critical races to watch to see if the other party winds up taking those seats. But either way, we are expecting, I think, a very, very close, whatever the outcome is going to be next Congress, just because there are so few seats that are able to flip at this point.

Munitions factories are expected to expand capacity and build new plants as the regime in Pyongyang intensifies weapons development and furthers its ties with Russia.

Pyongyang

Kim Jong-un orders North Korea to boost missile production in 2026

The United States launched airstrikes on Islamic State targets in Nigeria's Sokoto State on Thursday. Nigerian authorities denied Trump's claim of mass killings of Christians amid mixed reactions to the U.S. intervention.

Abuja

Nigeria confirms cooperation with U.S. strikes on IS targets

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday (December 26) he planned to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump soon and that a lot could be decided before the New Year as Washington pushes diplomatic efforts to end the war with Russia.

Ukraine Invasion

Zelenskiy: 'A lot' can be decided before New Year ahead of Trump talk

The United States carried out airstrikes against ISIS militants in northwest Nigeria at the request of Nigeria's government, U.S. President Donald Trump and the U.S. military said on Thursday, claiming the group had been targeting Christians in the region.

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Official results show Asfura edged out his main rival Salvador Nasralla by less than one percentage point. Marred by delays and fraud claims, the Honduran election continues Latin America's shift to the right.

Tegucigalpa

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Several people were killed in Southern California when severe storms with heavy rain caused mudslides and flooding, which was made worse in areas affected by wildfires in January.

Heavy rain, flooding turns deadly in California

The U.S. Department of Justice says it has found more than a million more documents potentially tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, delaying a full release for weeks while officials redact details to protect victims.

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Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first Christmas Mass Wednesday evening where he described the celebration as a feast of "faith, charity and hope". He reminded the faithful that refusing to help the poor and vulnerable is comparable to rejecting God altogether.

Rome

Pope Leo reminds believers to help the poor in first Christmas mass

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signaled progress in a Ukraine-Russia peace plan, after he told journalists about a new draft that would include a free economic zone and demilitarization. Holly Williams has the latest.

Kyiv

Zelenskyy signals progress with Ukraine-Russia peace plan

Democrats and some Republicans are blasting the Justice Department over its handling of the release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein, which included major redactions.

U.S. lawmakers blast DOJ over Epstein files release

Bolsonaro is expected to undergo the procedure on 25 December.

Brasília

Brazil's ex-president Bolsonaro temporarily leaves prison for surgery

Two police officers have been killed in an explosion in Moscow, Russian investigators said on Wednesday. Their deaths come just two days after a car bomb killed a top general in the same area of the Russia capital.

Moscow

Three people killed in Moscow car explosion, Russian authorities say

European intelligence agencies say investigations into Russian interference now consume as much time as terrorist threats.

Paris

Pro-Russian hackers claim French postal service cyberattack

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his country and the United States have reached a consensus on several critical issues aimed at bringing an end to the conflict with Russia — but sensitivities around territorial control in Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland and the management of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant remain unresolved.

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The latest Epstein file release alleges a connection between former prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell, including emails in which an individual identified as 'A' requested 'inappropriate friends.'

London

Latest Epstein release alleges new link to ex-prince Andrew

The US and Venezuela are in a war of words at the UN Security council following America's seizure of ships off Venezuela's coast. Venezuela's ambassador strongly condemned the U.S. actions, labeling them as extrajudicial executions and a military blockade intended to destabilize the country.

New York

U.S., Venezuela in war of words at UNSC over military strikes

Two people are dead after an explosion at a nursing home in Bristol, Pennsylvania, and several are still missing, Gov. Josh Shapiro said.

Bristol

Two dead, several missing after nursing home explosion in Pennsylvania

A Delaware state trooper was killed Tuesday during a shooting at a Wilmington DMV, the Delaware State Police said. The state's governor confirmed the shooter is also dead.

Wilmington

Delaware state trooper killed in DMV shooting, officials say

The Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that President Trump cannot deploy the National Guard troops to Chicago as a legal challenge moves ahead.

Supreme Court blocks deployment of National Guard to Illinois

The Justice Department released a new trove of documents from its investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including an email from a prosecutor indicating President Donald Trump had traveled aboard his private jet "many more times than previously has been reported."

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The Libyan army's chief of staff, Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad, died in a plane crash after leaving Turkey's capital Ankara, the prime minister of Libya's internationally-recognized government said, adding that four others were on the jet as well.

Haymana

Libyan army's chief dies in plane crash in Turkey

Two men have been found guilty of plotting to kill hundreds in an Islamic State-inspired gun rampage against the Jewish community in England, a planned attack investigators say demonstrates the resurgent risk posed by the militant group.

Bolton

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The FDA has approved the pill version of the weight loss drug Wegovy, the first oral medication of its kind. The new pills are expected to be available in a few weeks.

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French Parliament has approved the Stopgap Bill two days before Christmas. The budget bill now moves to French senate.

Parijs

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Russia fired more than 650 drones and three dozen missiles at Ukraine in a large-scale attack that began during the night and stretched into daylight hours Tuesday, officials said. At least three people were killed, including a 4-year-old child, two days before Christmas.

Kiev

Russia carries out massive drone attack on Ukraine's energy sector

The U.S. Department of Justice has released another batch of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including videos, emails and documents. CBS News' Scott MacFarlane reports.

U.S. Justice Department releases new trove of Epstein files

The leaders of Denmark and Greenland insisted that the United States won't take over Greenland and demanded respect for their territorial integrity after President Donald Trump ‍​announced ​the appointment of a ‌special envoy to the semi-autonomous territory.

Nuuk

Trump's appointment of envoy to Greenland sparks tension with Denmark

Australia's most populous state is set to pass tougher gun laws, ban the display of terrorist symbols and curb protests after the state parliament's lower house cleared a bill late on Monday (December 22) in an emergency sitting following the Bondi mass shooting.

Council of the City of Sydney

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On Monday, President Trump announced a new class of Navy battleships he's calling the "Golden Fleet." The president said two vessels will be built in the short term, with plans to expand to up to 25.

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China's foreign ministry on Monday (December 22) said the United States' seizure of another country's ships was a serious violation of international law, after the U.S. intercepted a China-bound oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast.

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