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.

Washington

President Trump announced the creation of a new class of Navy ships called the Golden Fleet, which includes two battleships he claims will be significantly more powerful than existing vessels. The initial plan is to build two ships, with the possibility of expanding the fleet to 25, as part of efforts to address the Navy's declining number of active ships.

During the press conference, Trump also addressed the recent release of Epstein-related files, expressing irritation with the topic and defending former President Bill Clinton. He stated that the release of these files was driven by both Democrats and some Republicans, and suggested it could damage reputations and distract from his administration's achievements.

Trump unveils plans for new fleet of advanced Navy battleships

We've been watching President Trump alongside Secretary of Defense Pete Hexer, Secretary of State Marga Rubio, and Secretary of the Navy John Fallon speaking to reporters at Mar-a-Lago. The president announcing a new class of ships he's calling the Golden Fleet, including two battleships that he says will be 100 times stronger than the current strongest ships. Two vessels to be built in the short term, plans to expand to up to 25. The president also addressed strikes on alleged boats in, drug boats in the Caribbean, and he says land strikes in Venezuela will happen, quote, soon. CBS News White House reporter Olivia Rinaldi joins me now. So the president was asked, is this a counter to China or Venezuela? He says it's a counter to everybody. Why is he making this announcement now? What will these ships be used for? Well, it's quite notable because he did just sign the NDAA, the National Defense Authorization Act that gets signed every year. But this year is particularly critical because the Navy is at this point, especially with their shipbuilding capacity, where they are retiring more ships than they are putting into active duty. That's a problem. This year, according to a CBO report, there are only 283 active Navy ships. That is a record low since World War II. So this is certainly an issue that the Pentagon is very much aware of, this president is very much aware of. He likes to tout in his first administration that he rebuilt the military. Well, this is at a critical point where it seems like they need to be doing more building than that. So today we heard from the president announcing what the Navy secretary called the future Trump-class battleship USS Defiant. And this will be the latest and newest round of frigate battleships that will be used in the U.S. military. The president says they have anti-drone technology. They will be using robots, he says, to help build the ships. The ships will be made here in the U.S., and he made a comment that no ships have been made since 1994. There's a lot of news and information about that that CBS has done, a lot of research and reporting about how difficult it has been to make ships here in the U.S. So that is quite notable. But certainly a lot of other ground, Lindsey, that he covered as well in what became a bit of a rambling question-and-answer session at Mar-a-Lago, as the president is down there in Palm Beach for the Christmas holiday. Interesting that he said they're bringing back industry and manufacturing, but says that a majority of these ships, at least robots, will be helping in some part, not necessarily a majority. The president was asked about the release of the Epstein files. He seemed quite irritated that this was taking up part of the press conference. What did we learn? That he did. He did seem very irritated by it. He also said and came in a forceful defense of former President Bill Clinton, who he called someone who has always been nice to him. He said of the former President Bill Clinton and the photos coming out about him, President Trump said, I don't like the photos of Bill Clinton being shown, added, he's a big boy, he can handle it. But you probably have people who met Epstein several years ago and are now being part of this release of these photos. And the president said that they could ruin the reputation of people that are in these photos. And, Olivia, some of the defense of Clinton could also be because the administration is being accused of picking and choosing what documents and photos to release in that first dump on Friday. Well, certainly. And President Bill Clinton, in a statement, spoke to that, where he said, we don't know why that they were released the way that they were, but it's clear that something is going on. So now the president today is saying, in a defense, saying that he's always been nice to each other, they've been nice to each other. But the president said that this release was the result of Democrats and a few bad Republicans who wanted this information public. Of note, this is something in Trump's own base that people wanted public and had been asking for for several years. The president also made a comment about Epstein's Island, saying that he never went there, fortunately, but said that it is a nice island. And the president also added that he believes that Republicans are angry about this, the release of these files, because it deflects from the success of his first administration. And then he laid out what he believes are the top successes of this administration so far in its first year. So quite notable there, certainly forceful reaction. He also said he doesn't understand that why, when he's making this presentation and these revelations, excuse me, about these new battleships, why he's still being asked about Epstein, which just gives you a sense of how frustrated the president can be that this continues to be something he is asked about. And it's causing fractures within the Republican Party. Olivia Rinaldi, thank you.

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.

Beijing

China says U.S. ship seizures ‘serious violation' of international law

U.S. President Donald Trump named Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry on Sunday as his special envoy to Greenland, drawing renewed criticism from Denmark and Greenland over Washington's interest in the mineral-rich Arctic island.

Nuuk

Trump appoints special envoy to Greenland, stirs backlash

A Russian general was killed by an explosive device underneath his car in Moscow, according to Russian investigators, who say Ukraine's intelligence services may have orchestrated the attack. Ukraine has not commented.

Moscow

Ukraine Invasion

Russian general killed in car explosion

The U.S. Coast Guard is pursuing an oil tanker in international waters near Venezuela, officials told Reuters on Sunday (December 21), in what would be the third operation in less than two weeks if successful.

Caracas

U.S. pursuing third oil tanker near Venezuela, officials say

At least 15 documents related to Jeffrey Epstein that were initially made public have been pulled from the Justice Department website. The agency says it will keep reviewing and redacting materials to "protect victims."

Epstein files pulled down to 'protect victims'

Nine people have died and at least ten others were wounded after a group of gunmen carried out a shooting at a South African pub during the early hours of Sunday, authorities said.

Bekkersdal

At least nine people killed in South Africa pub shooting

U.S. intelligence reports continue to warn that Russian President Vladimir Putin has not abandoned his aims of capturing all of Ukraine and reclaiming parts of Europe that belonged to the former Soviet empire, six sources familiar with U.S. intelligence said.

As peace talks go on, U.S. intel says Putin's war goals unchanged

A court in Pakistan has convicted and sentenced the imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, to 17 years in prison after finding them guilty of retaining and selling state gifts, including jewelry given by Saudi Arabia in 2021.

Islamabad

Former Pakistani PM Imran Khan convicted to 17 years in prison

The U.S. seized an oil tanker off Venezuela's coast on Saturday. It's the second time in two weeks that U.S. forces have carried out such an action. This comes after President Donald Trump announced a block of "sanctioned oil vessels" entering and exiting Venezuela.

Oil tanker seized off Venezuela, second in two weeks

The Justice Department released more documents related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Saturday after failing to meet Friday's deadline to release all the documents, as required by the law signed by President Trump last month. The Justice Department said the delay was, in part, to ensure that victims' information was protected.

Justice Department releases more Epstein documents Saturday

The U.S. Department of Justice released thousands of documents, photos and files related to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Friday. But some Democrats are criticizing the partial release because the department had a deadline to release all of the files by end of Friday.

'Partial' release of Epstein files faces criticism

The United States military “hit the ISIS [ISIL] thugs in Syria”, President Donald Trump has said, a week after two US soldiers and an interpreter were killed in Syria’s Palmyra city. Trump said he “ordered a massive strike on the terrorists that killed our three great patriots last week”.

Damascus

Trump says U.S has launched large-scale attacks on ISIL in Syria

Ukraine said its drones hit a vessel from Russia's shadow fleet – the first such strike in the neutral waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Russia's shadow fleet transports sanctioned Russia oil by frequently changing flags and concealing ownership.

Ukraine strikes Russian shadow fleet tanker in Mediterranean sea

The U.S. Justice Department has released thousands of files relating to Jeffrey Epstein, including photos featuring people like former President Bill Clinton and Mick Jagger. However, survivors are concerned with how much information was redacted from the files.

Thousands of new Epstein files, photos released

The U.S. military launched large-scale strikes against dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria on Friday (December 19) in retaliation for an attack on American personnel, U.S. officials said.

U.S. hits ISIS in Syria with large retaliatory strikes

The man suspected of carrying out an attack in Taiwan with a smoke grenade and knife acted alone, police said on Saturday of the incident that killed at least four, including the attacker. This edit contains graphic images.

Taipei City

Taipei attacker acted alone, police say after three killed

The suspect in the Dec. 13 mass shooting on the campus of Brown University was found dead by suicide in a storage unit in Salem, New Hampshire, authorities said. He has been identified as 48-year-old Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, a former Brown grad student.

Providence

How a Reddit post led police to the suspected university shooter

Seven people were killed, including former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle and his wife and children, in a plane crash in North Carolina. Investigators hope to find clues about why it happened on the cockpit voice recorder. Cristian Benavides has the latest.

Plane crash kills NASCAR driver, family

President Trump announced new agreements on Friday with nine pharmaceutical companies aimed at making certain prescription drugs cheaper. CBS News reporter Karen Hua has the details.

Trump announces agreements with major drugmakers to lower prices

The U.S. Justice Department released a new trove of documents from its investigations into the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Friday, bowing to pressure from lawmakers who forced their disclosure with a new law.

Washington County

Justice Department releases new tranche of Epstein files

The Justice Department has released a new batch of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. CBS News legal reporter Katrina Kaufman has more.

Combing through newly released Epstein files

TikTok has signed a deal to sell its U.S. operations to a group of investors in America, a source familiar with the deal tells CBS News.

TikTok nears deal to avoid ban in the U.S.

Russian President Vladimir Putin reacted to the European Union's massive $108 billion loan to fund Ukraine's war against Russia.

Kyiv

European Union loans Ukraine billions as Putin boasts about war

The war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, continues to take a heavy toll on civilians, particularly in frontline areas such as Zaporizhzhia, where fighting and shelling persist.

Putin accuses Kyiv of rejecting peaceful settlement

The man believed to be responsible for carrying out the Brown University shooting and killing an MIT professor was found dead in a storage unit in New Hampshire on Thursday, officials said.

Salem

Suspect in Brown and MIT shootings found dead

Australia will launch a national gun buyback program in the aftermath of a deadly attack on a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney's Bondi Beach, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

Council of the City of Sydney

Australia announces gun buyback program after Bondi Beach shooting

TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, signed binding agreements with American investors to allow the U.S. arm of the business to continue operating.

TikTok signs deal to allow app to continue operating in the U.S.

Under a law passed by Congress and signed by President Trump, the Justice Department has until Friday to release its files on the Jeffrey Epstein case. House Democrats released more photos from the estate of the convicted sex offender. Scott MacFarlane reports.

House Democrats release more Epstein photos ahead of DOJ deadline

The European Commission announced it will delay the signing of the Mercosur trade agreement until the new year after Meloni asked for more time. No date has been set. Backers hope deal won't be further derailed.

Breakdown