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Ex-CIA station chief warns Putin using talks to gain leverage as Ukraine delegation meets top Trump officials
Russian President Vladimir Putin may be using negotiations over the war in Ukraine to gain more favorable positioning on the battlefield and among global leaders, but a former high-ranking CIA official doubts whether Russia is really interested in peace.
"Russia's going to continue this war, and their strategic objectives — which is to topple the government of Ukraine — those haven't changed much," said Dan Hoffman on "Fox & Friends Weekend." Hoffman used to serve as the CIA station chief of Moscow, making him the highest-ranking CIA official in Russia at the time.
"Putin likes to talk, he likes to negotiate because he feels like he could influence the United States not to pursue sanctions, further sanctions on Russia, and to hold on giving Ukraine military equipment like Tomahawk missiles," Hoffman said. "But I don't see Russia very interested in negotiating. However, it's still worth pursuing, and good on the Trump administration for trying."
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Despite his skepticism, Hoffman emphasized the importance of the meeting between a Ukrainian delegation and United States representatives, including Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, happening in Florida on Sunday.
"I think these meetings are really important, not just for the United States and Ukraine to discuss the peace process and the upcoming trip from Special Envoy Witkoff to Russia, but also for the Ukrainians to share battlefield updates, what they're seeing on the ground, how they see the war going and the potential for a future deal in the making," Hoffman said.
The meeting follows the resignation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, on Friday, and precedes Witkoff's planned visit to Russia. Hoffman said it would be a chance for Ukraine to assuage U.S. fears after the shakeup.
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On the battlefield, tensions continue to rise after Ukraine's drone strike on Russian forces in the Black Sea and Russia's deadly missile attack on Kyiv.
One sticking point in the peace process has been whether Ukraine will cede territory to Russia, which Hoffman said "would be extremely dangerous for Ukraine."
"The last thing Ukraine wants to do is give [heavily fortified positions in Donetsk] up and present Putin an opportunity down the road to launch another invasion of Ukraine when Ukraine would be vulnerable," he said.
"Putin has violated every agreement he's ever signed, going back to the one that his predecessors signed at the Budapest memorandum, which promised Ukraine's territorial integrity and independence," Hoffman continued. "And so Ukraine needs to be prepared, with Europe's backing, to deter any future Russian attack. That's critical."
Hoffman acknowledged that, in light of Yermak's resignation and the surrounding corruption scandal, Ukraine makes an imperfect ally. However, "they also happen to be the strongest army in Europe, and they have the most sophisticated drone and counter drone technology. They're the bulwark of Europe's defense," he said.
"And look, it's worth remembering we enjoy a trillion dollars worth of trade with Europe and the last thing we want is the specter of Russian aggression on Europe," Hoffman stated.
In Hoffman's estimation, "the best way to deter [Russia] is for Ukraine to either to win or to have a good solid peace there that protects their territorial integrity."
Trump makes 11th-hour plea for Matt Van Epps over Aftyn Behn, whom he claims 'hates Christianity'
President Donald Trump called on Tennesseans to vote for Matt Van Epps, the Republican nominee in the special election for the Volunteer State's 7th Congressional District, in a Truth Social post on Sunday.
Just two days ahead of the election on Dec. 2, Trump urged "all America First Patriots in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, who haven’t voted yet, to please GET OUT AND VOTE."
The president claimed that Van Epps' Democratic opponent, state Rep. Aftyn Behn, "hates Christianity, will take away your guns, wants Open Borders, Transgender for everybody, men in women’s sports, and openly disdains Country music."
"She said all of these things precisely, and without question — IT’S ON TAPE!" Trump claimed. "Do not take this Race for granted."
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"The Radical Left Democrats are spending a fortune to beat one of the best Candidates we’ve ever had, Matt Van Epps!"
Trump concluded that Van Epps has his "Complete and Total Endorsement" and "WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!"
Van Epps, a lieutenant colonel in the Tennessee Army National Guard and a former Army helicopter pilot, was formally endorsed by Trump earlier this year and called his support "an incredible honor."
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Trump's post comes as Behn draws national attention for her past comments, ranging from anti-police rhetoric to her dislike of country music and Nashville's drinking culture.
The Democrat was also once a frequent advocate for cutting police funding, even suggesting that the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department should be defunded.
Last week, Behn was asked to clarify her previous remarks during an episode of MS NOW's "The Weekend."
"In 2020, you made some tweets that have since been deleted that were very critical of police… 2020 was obviously a very fraught year. Do you still stand by those comments? And if not, is there anything you want to clarify?" host Catherine Rampell asked.
"I’m not going to engage in cable news talking points, but what I will say is that, you know, our communities need solutions," Behn responded. "We need local people deciding, solving local problems with local solutions. And that’s not the overreach of a federal government or state government of which we are dealing with in Nashville and our cities across the state of Tennessee."
Fox News Digital's Paul Steinhauser, Alec Schemmel and Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.
NFL fans debate whether Texans kicker made crucial extra point in win over Colts
The Houston Texans pulled off a four-point win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, 20-16, as fans debated whether kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn successfully made an extra point.
The debate started after Texans wide receiver Nico Collins ran the ball seven yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Fairbairn came into the game to attempt the extra point. He kicked the ball and appeared as though he may have missed it wide left.
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However, NFL officials said the kick was good. It sparked a debate on social media over whether the officials made the correct call.
CBS’ rules analyst Gene Steratore explained that Fairbairn’s kick went over the outside edge of the upright. The kick couldn’t be reviewed, according to NFL rules.
Houston picked up the crucial point and was able to hold off the Colts the rest of the way for the win.
C.J. Stroud made his first start since being taken out with a concussion. He was 22-of-35 with 276 passing yards, an interception and two sacks.
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Texans running back Nick Chubb had a touchdown to go along with 34 rushing yards. Woody Marks led Houston with 64 rushing yards.
Collins had five catches for 98 yards to go along with his rushing touchdown.
Colts quarterback Daniel Jones, who was playing with a broken fibula, was 14-of-27 with 201 passing yards and two touchdown passes. His touchdown passes went to Alec Pierce and Tyler Warren.
Pierce led Indianapolis with four catches for 78 yards. Warren had three catches for 22 yards.
Houston’s win tightened the AFC South divisional race. The Jacksonville Jaguars jumped the Colts for first place in the division after a win over the Tennessee Titans and the Texans sit right behind both Jacksonville and Indianapolis.
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Mark Kelly pressed on whether he would refuse orders if he was still in uniform
Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., was pressed on whether he would refuse orders if he was still in uniform on Sunday after the senator – along with five other Democratic lawmakers – encouraged service members to "refuse illegal orders" from the Trump administration.
"You were a pilot yourself, you flew 39 combat missions over Iraq and Kuwait. You are asking officers in the field to make really tough calls about the legality of what they are being asked to do. So I want to put the question to you, if you were still in uniform, if you received an order to strike suspected drug boats overseas and kill everybody on board, would you refuse that order in real time?" NBC host Kristen Welker asked Kelly during "Meet the Press."
Kelly, Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., and Reps. Chris Deluzio, D-Pa., Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H., Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., and Jason Crow, D-Colo., all appeared in a video encouraging members of the military to refuse "illegal orders" earlier this month. The video was called out by President Donald Trump, who accused the lawmakers of seditious behavior.
Kelly said he sank two ships during his service and added, "Never once did I question whether those orders were legal or illegal."
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"People can tell the difference, should be able to tell the difference, between something that is unlawful and something that is lawful. And if I was ever given an unlawful order, I would refuse, if you have time, you can certainly go to the judge, advocate generals, the lawyers and have a discussion about it. If you don’t have time, you just say simply, I’m not going to do that. That’s against the law," Kelly said.
Welker said it put a lot of burden on military officers to make those decisions in real time.
"It’s a tremendous amount of burden on officers in the military, but that is their responsibility and they can figure out, a reasonable person can tell something that is legal and something that is illegal," Kelly said.
Welker asked Kelly again if he would refuse the orders to strike drug boats if he was still in uniform.
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"The difference between the initial strike, and what’s being reported as a second strike, and those things are different. I think the administration has tied themselves in knots, the explanations that we’ve received on how this is all legal, and I was saying weeks ago, my concern is with the service members, that we are going to put these individuals in a really tough place," he responded.
Kelly said the members of the military might find out down the road that they did something "illegal."
"It is not fair to them. That’s why we need president and secretary of defense who understand the Constitution, who understand the rule of law and have more respect for the Constitution and the country and service members, than the whims of the president," he added.
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Kelly has doubled down on his stance, telling late-night host Jimmy Kimmel that he wasn't backing down.
"You can’t keep track of this guy and what he says. I'll tell you this though, I'm not backing down. We said something very simple. Members of the military need to follow the law. We wanted to say that we have their backs. His response, kill them," Kelly told the late-night host, referring to the president.
Rams star makes incredible one-handed catch vs Panthers
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua made a highlight-reel catch on Sunday in the team’s Week 13 loss to the Carolina Panthers.
Matthew Stafford and the Rams were driving down the field, trailing the Panthers by three points in the fourth quarter. The NFL MVP favorite found Nacua streaking down the sideline and being covered by cornerback Mike Jackson.
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Nacua got to the inside of Jackson and threw up his right hand. The ball appeared to stick to Nacua’s hand, and he came down with the one-handed catch. The Rams star’s grab went viral across social media as fans were hyped.
The Rams finished the drive with a touchdown from running back Kyren Williams from seven yards out. Los Angeles took the lead for a brief moment, but the Panthers answered back on their next drive and took the lead back.
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Stafford had two touchdown passes to Davante Adams at that moment. However, his streak of 28 consecutive touchdown passes without throwing an interception came to a screeching halt. He was intercepted twice in the game through three and a half quarters, including a Pick Six from Jackson.
Nacua finished with six catches for 72 yards.
Carolina won the game, 31-28.
Nacua came into the game leading the NFL in targets with 98. He had 80 catches for 947 yards as he eyed 1,000 yards receiving for the second time in his career.
Los Angeles was hoping to keep a stranglehold on the NFC, while Carolina hoped to take a step forward in the NFC South.
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LeBron James praises Shedeur Sanders for TD pass against 49ers
LeBron James praised Cleveland Browns rookie Shedeur Sanders for his touchdown pass in the first half against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
Sanders found Harold Fannin Jr. with no 49ers defenders around him, and he took the pass and ran for a touchdown. The 34-yard touchdown pass set up a successful 2-point conversion attempt. The Browns had a brief lead.
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"Helluva read and pass 12! Keep going!" the Los Angeles Lakers star wrote on X.
It was Sanders’ second touchdown pass of the season. He was making the second start of his career after he was named QB1 earlier in the week over Dillon Gabriel, who cleared concussion protocol. He won last week against the Las Vegas Raiders.
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Cleveland hasn’t had a great season despite Myles Garrett putting together a career year with his sack totals. Sanders is the third quarterback Cleveland has used this season after initially going with Joe Flacco to begin the 2025 season.
The Browns selected Sanders in the fifth round of the draft, and he had to work hard to move up the depth chart after starting the year at QB3.
With all the noise and rumors around him, Sanders said earlier in the week he was just focused on the 49ers.
"What people do outside the building isn’t really in my control. It’s not in my power. It’s not like I can go out there and tell ’em to do whatever," Sanders said. "Coach Stefanski, he’s been coaching since I got here, and we’ve been doing a very great job with everything that’s going on. He tells me what I need to do on and off the field. We’ve definitely grown, our relationship and everything has grown."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Dick Van Dyke says living longer linked to his lack of hate and anger
Dick Van Dyke turns 100 this year, and he says he feels "really good."
In a recent conversation with People, he credits his attitude for both his age and the fact that he has "no pain, no discomfort."
"I’ve always thought that anger is one thing that eats up a person’s insides – and hate," Van Dyke said, explaining how people often ask what he did right.
He added that he’s "rather lazy" and never felt driven by the kind of resentment that can harden over time.
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"Sometimes I have more energy than others – but I never wake up in a bad mood," he told People.
The actor explained that while there were always things and people he didn’t like or approve of, he "never really was able to work up a feeling of hate," and certainly not "a white-heat kind of hate."
He contrasted himself with his father, who was "constantly upset by the state of things in his life," noting to People that his father died at 73.
Van Dyke believes avoiding that emotional pattern is one of the chief things that kept him going.
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Modern research appears to back up this idea that emotional states play a meaningful role in long-term health.
Studies on aging adults show that anger can heighten inflammation in the body, raising levels of markers like IL-6 and increasing risk of illness.
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These effects can accelerate the wear-and-tear process associated with aging.
The broader scientific picture suggests that patterns of hostility or persistent irritation function like a physiological tax, straining the systems that keep the body resilient.
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Van Dyke explained in the interview his belief that "people are born with an outlook."
"I just think I was born with a brighter outlook," while others, he says, are born having to fight against downward spirals.
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"And after 100 years, I think I’m right."
"When you expire, you expire," he told People. "I don’t have any fear of death for some reason. I can’t explain that but I don’t. I’ve had such a wonderfully full and exciting life… I can’t complain."
Van Dyke’s 100th birthday falls on Dec. 13.
Lane Kiffin leaves Ole Miss for LSU in college football coaching shakeup
The Lane Kiffin drama came to an end on Sunday as the Ole Miss Rebels head football coach announced he was leaving the school to take the LSU Tigers’ job.
Kiffin came off a win against Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl rivalry game on Friday afternoon. He said he had a lot of praying to do before making the decision, which was initially expected to be made on Saturday. But Kiffin reportedly had meetings with athletic director Keith Carter and school chancellor Glenn Boyce through the night.
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He met with the team in the afternoon before the decision was officially announced, according to multiple reports. He will not coach the team in the College Football Playoff.
"After a lot of prayer and time spent with family, I made the difficult decision to accept the head coaching position at LSU," Kiffin said in a statement.
"I was hoping to complete a historic six-season run with this year's team by leading Ole Miss through the playoffs, capitalizing on the team's incredible success and their commitment to finish strong, and investing everything into a playoff run with guardrails in place to protect the program in any areas of concern. My request to do so was denied by Keith Carter despite the team also asking him to allow me to keep coaching them so they could better maintain their high level of performance. Unfortunately, that means Friday's Egg Bowl was my last game coaching the Rebels.
"While I am looking forward to a new start with a unique opportunity at LSU, I will forever cherish the incredible six years I spent at Ole Miss and will be rooting hard for the team to complete their mission and bring a championship to Oxford."
Defensive coordinator Pete Golding is reportedly expected to be named the head coach at Ole Miss.
Kiffin has been the hottest coaching target in college football with multiple jobs open. He's been linked to the LSU and Florida jobs. The Tigers parted ways with Brian Kelly, and the Gators split from Billy Napier in the middle of the year. Both openings are at schools considered to be the gold standard when it comes to the sport.
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However, Kiffin has turned the Rebels into a college football national championship contender this year. Ole Miss’ 11 wins this season are the most in school history, and the Rebels have done so twice under Kiffin.
Kiffin took over an Ole Miss program that was 4-8 in Matt Luke’s final season. He’s notched at least 10 wins at Ole Miss in four of the six years he’s been at the helm.
Kiffin has already come under fire in the past for leaving places on a whim, specifically taking the USC job in 2010 after only one season with Tennessee.
With the Rebels likely securing a spot in the College Football Playoff, it’s hard to fathom that Kiffin will be leaving the school he helped rebuild into a powerhouse.
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JoJo Siwa breaks silence after being rushed to the hospital for painful burst ovarian cyst
JoJo Siwa says she is recovering after a painful medical scare.
The singer and dancer took to her TikTok to share a health update, after she posted an image of herself on a stretcher before her performance at the Mall of America Friday.
Siwa, 22, revealed she went to the hospital because "one of my ovaries had a cyst on it that burst and was bleeding in my stomach."
"So that's what was causing the excruciating pain — anytime that the blood in the stomach," the star said. "It's like brutal pain, and long story short, should revolve itself. It should stop on its own."
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She added that she has a recheck in a week to make sure there is no more bleeding.
Siwa also explained what led up to her hospital visit.
The star said the days leading up to her performance, her stomach was hurting, and she wasn't sure why.
"My stomach would really, really hurt, and I don't know why, but it just kind of passes," and she noted that she didn't think it was anything serious.
"So long story short, every time that I've been dancing for the last couple of days – or even just like walking or anything – my stomach would just really, really hurt," she recalled.
"And I don't know why, but it just kind of passed, and so I was like, 'Oh maybe it's that time of the month, maybe it's a cramp, I don't know,'" Siwa said.
When she tried to ease the pain with a bath, she said that after about four minutes, the pain intensified and she felt like she couldn't breathe.
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"That set it off 100 times worse," she said, and felt like she was going to pass out.
Afterwards, she went to lie on the couch, and she called her mom, who asked her if she needed to go to the hospital.
However, she felt like she couldn't move, so her mom called 911.
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When first responders arrived, her vitals were normal, but due to her severe pain, she was taken to the hospital for testing, including an ultrasound – which revealed the burst ovarian cyst.
She was at the hospital for about two hours and was released after the source of the pain was discovered, and pain medicine was administered.
Siwa was able to perform an hour later for her Mall of America appearance.
The star thanked fans for their well-wishes and also thanked the doctors and nurses at the hospital for their kindness and swiftness in her TikTok video.
Alina Habba blasts Biden immigration policies as ‘absolute failure’ after deadly National Guard ambush
Trump allies Alina Habba and Tom Homan blasted Biden-era immigration failures on Sunday, claiming they enabled the circumstances that led an Afghan national to allegedly shoot two West Virginia National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., last week.
"This is a crime that should not have happened. It was avoidable, and that is why this administration is so focused on getting illegals out and [telling] people that were brought in that want to commit crime against Americans, ‘Get out of our country. We don't want you here,'" Habba, acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey, said on "Sunday Morning Futures."
Habba assured that justice against 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who allegedly opened fire last Wednesday, killing 20-year-old National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, and critically wounding 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe, will be "swift and heavy."
She also praised U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro for upgrading charges from assault to first-degree murder.
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"She will have no mercy as she should not on something like this," she told guest host Jackie DeAngelis.
"This is an absolute failure of the prior administration, as we know, that has allowed open borders," Habba added.
A representative for former President Joe Biden did not immediately return Fox News Digital's request for comment.
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Lakanwal drove from Washington state to carry out an "ambush-style" attack with a .357-caliber Smith & Wesson revolver, according to the Associated Press.
Trump border czar Tom Homan criticized immigration loopholes from the previous administration on "Sunday Morning Futures," suggesting that those shortcomings were largely to blame for the attack.
"We had 10.5 million illegal aliens come to the border under Joe Biden, and that's not counting the hundreds of thousands that came to the CHNV program, the CBP One app. It's not counting the over 2 million known gotaways," he said.
"At least these Afghans… at least we have a photograph, we have some fingerprints. We never get the records to actually know who they are because many of these countries like Afghanistan don't have databases like we have, so it's hard to vet anybody.
"But the 2 million known gotaways, we don't even know who the hell they are, where they came from, why they're here," he continued.
"[We had the] biggest national security failure in the history of this nation under Joe Biden, and thank God President Trump's in the Oval Office because he's cleaning it up," Homan added.