HOUSTON (AP) â Jalen Green scored 33 points and Fred VanVleet grabbed a key steal late to allow the Houston Rockets to hold on for a 119-115 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night.
Amen Thompson added 23 points and a career-high 16 rebounds in his return after a two-game suspension to help Houston eke out the victory after leading by as many as 22.
A basket by LeBron James got the Lakers within 117-115 with eight seconds to go. Alperen Sengun missed 1 of 2 free throws after that to give Los Angeles a chance to tie it.
But VanVleet stole the inbounds pass intended for James. VanVleet made 1 of 2 free throws to secure the victory.
Anthony Davis had 30 points and 13 rebounds for the Lakers. James added 21 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists.
Los Angeles used an 11-2 run, with six points from Davis, to get within two with 4 minutes to go. A dunk by Thompson started a 7-2 run that pushed Houstonâs lead to 115-108 with 2 Âœ minutes remaining.
The Rockets remained up by seven about a minute after that when a 3 by Davis cut the lead to 117-113 before the basket by James.
Takeaways
Lakers: Davis was dominant throughout this one but James struggled to get going early and had just five points at halftime.
Rockets: Thompsonâs performance Sunday was a good sign for Houston. The second-year player is starting in place of Jabari Smith Jr., who could be out up to two months after breaking a bone in his hand Friday.
Key moment
The steal by VanVleet that sealed the victory.
Key stat
The Rockets had 52 points in the paint to 40 by the Lakers.
Up next
The Lakers visit Dallas on Tuesday night and the Rockets visit Washington that night.
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) â Mike McCarthy says he âabsolutelyâ wants to return as the coach of the Dallas Cowboys.
Jerry Jones has dropped multiple hints that McCarthy would be back, but the team owner was far from definitive about McCarthy’s future after a 23-19 loss to Washington on Sunday closed out a 7-10 season.
âMikeâs one of the best coaches that I think there is. He was made to coach here. Heâs done absolutely nothing to diminish my opinion of him as a coach,â Jones said, later adding that âI don’t know that I am considering making a change.â
Jones said, however, that he hasn’t decided about a deal to extend the coach.
âThatâs what the next few days and weeks are about now,â he said.
McCarthy was on an expiring contract after five seasons, including going 12-5 and to the playoffs in each of the previous three years. The Cowboys were already out of playoff contention before the finale against the Commanders. They still haven’t been past the divisional round of the playoffs since the last of their Super Bowl seasons in the mid-1990s.
âI have a lot of confidence in myself as a head coach. But, you know, I think like anything, body of work and all of the statistics, I think itâs more about the program, the details of what needs to be done, how can we get better,â McCarthy said. âAll those things go into these decisions of whether you originally get the job or continuing to move forward. So Iâm definitely in position with Jerry to move forward. I mean, thereâs no question about that in my mind.â
McCarthy said he and Jones hadn’t yet talked about what happens next, and would be getting together âin the near future.â
The Cowboys finished with franchise quarterback Dak Prescott, top receiver CeeDee Lamb, perennial All-Pro guard Zack Martin, cornerback Trevon Diggs and rushing defender DeMarcus Lawrence all on injured reserve.
Micah Parson missed four games in the middle of the season, but still went over 10 sacks for the fourth time in his four seasons. He had two on the opening drive against the Commanders, part of his 2 1/2 to finish the season with 12. He has 52 1/2 in his career.
McCarthy is 83-50 in Dallas, and has a 174-112-2 record in 18 seasons overall as an NFL coach. The first 13 seasons were with Green Bay, where he won a Super Bowl â a game played at AT&T Stadium 14 years ago.
Asked if he wanted to be back, McCarthy said he absolutely did.
âI have a lot invested here, and the Cowboys have a lot invested in me,â he said. âAnytime you invest your time, energy, your belief, the connection you have and the relationships that are in place here, and the understanding of what the organization can do and is willing to do, those are all positive attributes that you take into account.â
McCarthy said he believes in building programs and developing young players, and knows at the end of the day it’s about winning.
âYou have to have those components in place to get this thing where it needs to be,â he said. âAnd I think we have, I think we have a very good foundation there.”
DETROIT (AP) â Jahmyr Gibbs was the game-breaking player the Detroit Lions needed to get their high-powered offense in gear â and give them a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs.
Gibbs scored three of his franchise-record tying four touchdowns in the second half, and the Lions beat the Minnesota Vikings 31-9 on Sunday night to win their second straight NFC North title.
âEverybody’s got to come through here, baby!â Detroit defensive end Za’Darius Smith said to the roaring crowd after the game.
The Lions (15-2) and Vikings (14-3) could meet again in two weeks.
Banged-up Detroit will have a much-needed week off, while Minnesota plays at the NFC West champion Los Angeles Rams next Monday night.
In the NFL’s final game before the playoffs, two teams played in the regular season with a combined 28 victories for the first time. A No. 1 seed was determined in a regular-season finale for the third time in three-plus decades.
Dallas wrapped up the 1993 regular season against the New York Giants with a 16-13 overtime win to give the Cowboys top seeding they used to their advantage as they advanced to and won the Super Bowl. The Giants, meanwhile, beat Minnesota in the wild-card round and were routed at San Francisco the following week.
Detroit desperately hopes history repeats itself. The Lions are seeking their first Super Bowl appearance and hoping to end an NFL championship drought that dates to 1957. They are a No. 1 seed for the first time in franchise history.
âItâs not the cherry on top,â quarterback Jared Goff said. âNot yet.â
Game No. 272 of the regular season was expected to be a shootout with Pro Bowl quarterbacks leading high-scoring offenses, but Goff and Sam Darnold were not at their best.
Gibbs picked up the slack for his team.
âHeâs as explosive as any player in the league,” Minnesota coach Kevin OâConnell said.
Gibbs had 23 carries for 139 yards with a career-high three rushing touchdowns and caught five passes for 31 yards and another score.
âHe was special, and we needed him to be,â Goff said.
Goff threw two interceptions after getting picked off only once in the previous seven games and Minnesota made field goals after the turnovers in the second and third quarters.
After Vikings rookie Will Reichard connected on his third kick to cut the deficit to 10-9 early in the third, Goff directed a 13-play, 70-yard drive that took 7:25 and was capped by a slick pass to Gibbs for a 10-yard touchdown on fourth-and-2.
Goff was 8 of 8 on that possession and finished 27 of 33 for 231 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.
Darnold completed fewer than half his passes in the first half, missing opportunities to pick up first downs and score touchdowns. The Vikings were 0 of 3 in the red zone through two quarters to let the Lions lead 10-6 at halftime and failed to score a touchdown when they were inside the 20 for a fourth time in the second half.
The Vikings went for it on fourth down from the Lions 3 in the second quarter and Darnold, under pressure, overthrew an open Justin Jefferson in the end zone.
Darnold threw another incomplete pass on fourth down from the Detroit 2 early in the third.
âKicking field goals isnât going to get it done against that team,â Darnold said. âI have to hit those throws.â
O’Connell opted to attempt a 51-yard field goal late in the third, trailing by eight, and Reichard missed wide right.
Darnold was 18 of 41, a season-low 44% completion rate, and connected with Jefferson just three times on nine targets for 54 yards.
âWe didnât do a lot of the things we did well this season,â OâConnell said. âSam has hit a lot of those plays all year and I have every bit of confidence that he will hit it the next time.â
Injuries
Vikings: OLB Patrick Jones (knee) was inactive.
Lions: LB Alex Anzalone (broken forearm) and punt returner/receiver Kalif Raymond (foot) returned from injuries to play for the first time since November. … CB Terrion Arnold (foot) and DL Pat OâConnor (Calf) were injured during the game and OG Kevin Zeitler came off the field, holding the back of his right leg late in the game.
Up next
Vikings: Visit the Rams as the NFL’s first 14-win wild card. They would earn a rematch with the Lions if they are the NFC’s lowest remaining seed after wild card weekend.
Lions: Host a divisional-round game after their first bye since Week 5.
(WASHINGTON) -- Congress is gathering for a joint session to certify the results of the 2024 election, the final step before President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20, after some major changes to security for the ceremony and the law that dictates how it's carried out.
Before 2021, the Congress' constitutionally mandated responsibilities to count electoral certifications from the states and certify the results on Jan. 6 often passed in less than an hour with little notice from the public.
But the events of four years ago make this a more closely watched affair.
Washington, D.C., is under heightened security -- not only for the certification of the vote, but also for the state funeral of former President Jimmy Carter at the end of this week and Trump's inauguration in two weeks.
There are no known threats to the certification of the electoral votes, authorities say, but police are preparing for the possibility.
And the Washington area is forecast to get its heaviest snowfall in a few years on Monday, which could impact government operations, but it isn't expected to prevent certification.
Here's what we expect to happen on Monday:
Security
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser's request to designate Washington a National Security Special Event for the counting and certification of the vote, which was approved in September. This allows for significant resources from the federal government, as well as state and local partners, to be utilized in a comprehensive security plan, with the U.S. Secret Service as the lead agency.
The Secret Service is deploying agents and specialists from field offices across the country to supplement staffing. D.C. Police will be fully activated beginning Sunday morning and are bringing in nearly 4,000 additional officers from across the country to assist with policing for the special events. Drones will be in use for both events and training preparations.
U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger told reporters, "The United States Capitol Police [are] better staffed, better trained, better equipped than ever before, to protect our Capitol and protect our Congress."
"The legislative process will proceed without disruption, and our government will have a peaceful transfer of power," he said.
Capitol Police has completed more than 100 recommendations its inspector general made after the Jan. 6 attack, including increasing staffing, training, and building a new intelligence operation.
The D.C. National Guard confirmed to ABC News that it has been activated and will assist with events this month. Some 500 members of the Guard are on standby for Jan. 6 and Carter's funeral. A request for 7,800 members of the military for Trump's inauguration is pending approval.
Fencing is installed around a perimeter that goes beyond the office buildings on both sides of the Capitol, and there's an inner perimeter that surrounds the immediate Capitol complex. The fencing was implemented for the first time after the 2021 insurrection and will be similar to what was installed for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to Congress last summer.
The fencing on Capitol Hill and near the White House is expected to remain through February, sources told ABC News.
No major groups have applied for permits or announced any protests for the election certification.
Snow day
D.C. is expected to get between 8 to 12 inches of snow through Monday but members are expected to get to the Capitol.
House Republican leaders urged members to stay in Washington over the weekend and Speaker Mike Johnson is plowing ahead with Monday's certification.
In an appearance on Fox News on Sunday, Johnson said he's hoping for full attendance.
"Whether we're in a blizzard or not, we are going to be in that chamber making sure this is done," Johnson said.
The role of the vice president
Vice President Kamala Harris will preside over the certification, putting her in the unenviable position of certifying the victory of her 2024 opponent. Congress enacted a law in 2022 to define the role of the vice president as purely ceremonial.
Harris said in a video message on Monday that she will perform the "sacred obligation" of certifying the results of the 2024 election today-- an election she lost.
"The peaceful transfer of power is one of the most fundamental principles of American democracy, as much as any other principle, it is what distinguishes our system of government from monarchy or tyranny," Harris said.
"Today, at the United States Capitol, I will perform my constitutional duty as Vice President of the United States to certify the results of the 2024 election. This duty is a sacred obligation, one I will uphold guided by love of country, loyalty to our Constitution and my unwavering faith in the American people," she added.
The Electoral Count Reform Act modified some of the provisions that Trump attempted to use to challenge the electoral count on Jan. 6, 2021.
The law also makes it harder harder for Congress to challenge a state's electoral votes. The law raised the threshold required to object to a state's electoral votes from one senator and one representative to one-fifth of each chamber and it takes one half of each chamber to sustain objections.
Though there were objections to states' electors that led to the dissolution of the joint session in 2021, none were sustained by a half-chamber vote in either the Senate or the House.
The law also cleaned up vague language about what date states must select their electors and created an expedited procedure for federal courts, or the Supreme Court when necessary, to hear cases with over state executives' duty to issue and transmit to Congress the certification of appointed electors.
Certifying the vote
Procession of the ballots: The sealed votes arrived at the Capitol addressed to the vice president in her role as president of the Senate. The votes are placed in ceremonial leather-bound boxes and processed from the Senate to the House by a group of Senate pages.
Procession of senators to the House: Senators follow the electoral boxes to the House to convene the joint session.
Members convene for joint session: Federal law stipulates that members must convene at 1 p.m. for the opening of the presidential election results. The House sergeant at arms announces the president of the Senate (Harris) and senators as in the State of the Union address, and then the president of the Senate takes the dais and becomes the presiding officer of the ceremony. The speaker of the House usually sits behind the vice president.
"Tellers" come to the dais: Two House members and two Senate members who have been selected by the speaker and Senate majority leader help shepherd the ceremony by reading out the votes alphabetically by state. This is typically the top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Rules and House Administration committees.
Harris reads the votes by each state in alphabetical order: Starting with Alabama, Harris will open the certificates and hand them down to one of the tellers. After the teller announces the result, Harris will ask if there are any objections. If there are objections as there were in 2021, this would be when they're heard.
If the threshold for an objection is reached: Harris would announce that the two chambers will deliberate separately on the pending objection and report its decision back to the joint session. The Senate would withdraw from the joint session and return to its chamber. Both chambers would get up to two hours to debate whether to uphold the objection. It requires the vote of half of each chamber to sustain an objection.
Never in their history has either chamber sustained an objection.
Completing the process: The vice president will announce the whole number of electoral votes (538) and what constitutes a simple majority (217) and announce how many electoral votes each candidate got, then do the same for vice president.The vice president will declare the joint session dissolved. Usually there is applause, and the certification is complete.
How long does all this take?: There have been instances in which certification has taken less than half an hour. In 2017, the certification of President Trump's first term, presided over by then-Vice President Joe Biden, took 41 minutes.
In 2021, Congress convened at 1 p.m. in a joint session and, because of both a prolonged recess due to the breach of the Capitol and multiple state objections, did not complete its work certifying the election until 3:39 a.m. on Jan. 7.
ABC News' Beatrice Peterson and Molly Nagle contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) -- Nearly 1,600 individuals have faced charges in the four years since a mob of President-elect Donald Trump's supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol, according to figures released by the U.S. Attorney's Office on Monday.
But one of the largest investigations in the Department of Justice's history now faces a future rife with uncertainty.
Of the roughly 1,583 defendants whom prosecutors have charged in connection with the Capitol riot, 608 have faced charges for assaulting, resisting or interfering with law enforcement trying to protect the complex that day, the office said.
Roughly 174 of those 608 were charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or otherwise causing serious injury to an officer.
And in a rare move, the U.S. Attorney's Office revealed it is currently evaluating whether to bring charges in roughly 200 cases that have been referred to them by the FBI, about 60 of which involve potential felony charges involving allegations of assault or impeding law enforcement.
While the U.S. Attorney's Office has provided monthly "by the numbers" updates in connection with the Capitol attack -- detailing arrests, guilty pleas and sentencings among other figures -- Monday's update is the first to include an estimate of the number of uncharged cases being evaluated by prosecutors.
It comes just days before Trump is set to take office for his second term and potentially follow through on his years-long public promises to pardon a vast number of Jan. 6 defendants, whom he has described as "political prisoners" unfairly targeted by the Biden administration.
The two months since Election Day have already proved to be a time of major instability for the Justice Department's Capitol riot cases -- as prosecutors have sought to manage an increasing number of newly emboldened defendants seeking delays in their cases with the potential promise of pardons or commutations on the horizon.
While Trump has promised to hand down a number of pardons and commutations during his first hours in office to some Jan. 6 defendants, neither he nor his transition have provided concrete guidance on how sweeping those pardons will ultimately be.
Trump's Justice Department is also expected to slow down or even shutter completely the ongoing investigation into the attack.
In figures released Monday, the U.S. Attorney's Office made clear to document how many cases are outstanding in advance of Trump's inauguration, noting that 170 defendants who have already pleaded guilty or been found guilty still await sentencing.
Roughly 300 cases remain where a charged defendant hasn't pleaded guilty or been found guilty, approximately 180 of whom have been charged with assaulting or impeding police.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul (R) and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken shake hands during a joint press conference following their meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul on January 6, 2025. (Photo by Lee Jin-man / POOL / AFP)
(SEOUL, TOKYO and LONDON) -- The South Korean military detected a projectile fired from North Korea that was suspected to be a medium-range ballistic missile, a test-launch that arrived as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited South Korea.
The missile was fired from the area surrounding Pyongyang, the capital, toward the East Sea at about noon on Monday, according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The joint chiefs said the South Korean military has heightened surveillance for additional launches and is maintaining a readiness posture for sharing ballistic-missile-related data with the U.S. and Japan.
Blinken condemned the test, which he called "yet another violation of multiple Security Council resolutions." He added that President Joe Biden's administration has "sought to engage the DPRK and multiple efforts to sit down to talk without any preconditions."
"We communicated that on many occasions. We've done it privately, we've done it publicly," Blinken said during a press conference in Seoul. "And the only response, effectively we've gotten has been more and more provocative actions, including missile launches."
The last time North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile was Nov. 5, just before the U.S. presidential election.
The U.S., South Korea and Japan have during Biden's term bolstered their real-time information sharing capabilities, a move that Blinken on Monday had "strengthened our common defense and common deterrence."
He said the launch on Monday amounted to "just a reminder" of the importance of that trilateral collaboration, which has also included military drills.
"All of that and more is a strong and effective response to the provocations from North Korea," Blinken said. "So I have confidence that, because it's so in the interest of all of us, it will continue and future administrations, whether it's here, whether it's in the United States, whether it's Japan, we'll continue to build on the work."
Tokyo reacted swiftly to the launch, saying it was reinforcing its regional alliances through coordinated action with the United States and South Korea. Officials condemned Pyongyang while emphasizing the importance of a unified approach.
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, speaking from Indonesia, issued a strong condemnation, describing the repeated launches as a grave threat to Japan's national security and regional peace.
"We strongly protest and denounce North Korea's actions, which endanger not only our country but also the international community," he said, reaffirming Japan's commitment to work closely with the U.S. and South Korea to bolster deterrence and conduct thorough surveillance.
Many office workers in Tokyo were returning to their jobs after the New Year's holidays when news of the launch broke. The projectile reached an altitude of about 62 miles and traveled about 684 miles before falling into the Sea of Japan, another name for the East Sea, and outside Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone, according to Japan's Ministry of Defense. The Japan Coast Guard confirmed that no damage to vessels in the affected area had been reported.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba expressed serious concern about North Korea's advancements in missile technology.
"The frequency of these launches and the evident improvement in technology demand that we redouble our efforts to strengthen deterrence," he said during a press conference. "Japan's peace and independence must be safeguarded by our own resolve."
ABC News' Will Gretsky contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) -- President Joe Biden is making a sweeping move to ban all future offshore oil and natural gas drilling on America's East and West coasts, the Eastern Gulf of Mexico and Alaska's North Bering Sea.
"My decision reflects what coastal communities, businesses, and beachgoers have known for a long time: that drilling off these coasts could cause irreversible damage to places we hold dear and is unnecessary to meet our nation's energy needs. It is not worth the risks," Biden said in a statement announcing the decision.
According to the White House fact sheet, this move blocks drilling in more than 625 million acres of U.S. oceans.
The fact sheet adds that Biden took those actions under "Section 12(a) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act" and adds that his actions "have no expiration date, and prohibit all future oil and natural gas leasing" in the designated areas.
"We do not need to choose between protecting the environment and growing our economy, or between keeping our ocean healthy, our coastlines resilient, and the food they produce secure and keeping energy prices low. Those are false choices," Biden added.
The fact sheet says that after this sweeping move, "Biden will have conserved more lands and waters than any other U.S. president in history."
The action comes as President-elect Donald Trump continually made his "drill, baby, drill" promise on the campaign trail, vowing to unlock America's drilling capabilities in an effort to lower energy costs for Americans.
But the law Biden used, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, was written so a presidential action under its authority is permanent, differing from other executive actions. If the Trump administration were to attempt to reverse Biden's actions, Congress would likely have to change the law.
Despite that, Trump on Monday harshly criticized Biden's ban on new offshore oil and gas development, saying he will immediately "unban" it when he takes office on Jan. 20.
"It's ridiculous. I'll unban it immediately. I will unban it. I have the right to unban it immediately," he said on the Hugh Hewitt Show.
"You know, they talk about a transition. They're always saying, 'Oh no, we want to have a smooth transition from party to party for you know of government.' Well, they're making it really difficult. They're throwing everything they can in the way," Trump said.
ABC News' Lalee Ibssa contributed to this report.
ABC News' MaryAlice Parks contributed to this report.
Security forces and emergency workers respond to the scene of a shooting attack that targeted a bus and other vehicles on January 6, 2025 in the Palestinian village of Al-Funduq, West Bank. Three people were reported killed and others injured, and security forces are still searching for the assailants. The site is located between the Israeli West Bank settlements of Karnei Shomron and Kdumim. (Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images)
(LONDON) -- Rebel forces in Syria are building a transitional government after toppling the regime of President Bashar Assad in a lightning-quick advance across the country.
The Israel Defense Forces continues its intense airstrike and ground campaigns in Gaza, particularly in the north of the strip around several Palestinian hospitals. A latest round of peace talks to end the 15-month-old war is set to resume in Qatar.
Meanwhile, the November ceasefire in Lebanon is holding despite ongoing Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah targets, which Israeli officials say are responses to ceasefire violations by the Iranian-backed militant group.
Tensions remain high between Israel and Iran after tit-for-tat long-range strikes in recent months and threats of further military action from both sides. The IDF and the Yemeni Houthis also continue to exchange attacks.
Blinken hopes for Gaza ceasefire in administration's final weeks
Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters Monday that the U.S. wants a ceasefire deal in Gaza and all remaining captives released within the next two weeks, before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20.
"We very much want to bring this over the finish line in the next two weeks," Blinken told reporters while in Seoul, South Korea.
Blinken reported "intensified engagement," including by Hamas, on reaching a deal, though added "we are yet to see agreement on final points."
"We need Hamas to make the final necessary decisions to complete the agreement and to fundamentally change the circumstance for the hostages, getting them out, for people in Gaza, bringing them relief, and for the region as a whole, creating an opportunity to actually move forward to something better, more secure for everyone involved," Blinken said.
"If we don't get it across the finish line in the next two weeks, I'm confident that it will get its completion at some point, hopefully sooner rather than later," Blinken added.
-ABC News' Joe Simonetti
3 Israelis killed in West Bank shooting
Three Israelis were killed in a shooting that targeted a bus and a vehicle in the occupied West Bank on Monday morning, security and emergency officials said.
The attack occurred in the village of Al-Funduq, on one of the main east-west roads crossing the Palestinian territory, much of which is under Israeli security control.
Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service confirmed the death of three victims -- two women in their 60s and a man in his 40s. MDA said it provided medical treatment to seven injured people, including the bus driver who is in serious condition.
The Israel Defense Forces said it launched a manhunt for the suspected Palestinian shooters.
"Anyone who follows the path of Hamas in Gaza and sponsors the murder and harm of Jews will pay heavy prices, " Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a post on his X account, reacting to the attack.
Sending his condolences to the families of the victims, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attackers "will not get away."
"We will find the abhorrent murderers and settle accounts with them and with all those who aided them," his statement said.
The Palestinian Health Ministry in Ramallah said in an extensive report Sunday that at least 838 Palestinians -- including 173 children -- have been killed by Israeli fire and over 6,700 have been injured in the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023.
-ABC News' Jordana Miller, Diaa Ostaz and Somayeh Malekian
WHO director calls for release of Kamal Adwan hospital director
Tedros Ghebreyesus, the director of the World Health Organization, said in a statement Saturday that WHO has received no updates about Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya, the director of North Gaza's Kamal Adwan hospital, since he was detained by Israeli forces on Dec. 27th.
"We continue to urge Israel to release him. We repeat: attacks on hospitals and health professionals must end. People in Gaza need access to health care. Ceasefire!" he said in a statement.
Israeli strikes kill 150 in Gaza, officials say, as peace talks resume
More than 150 people have been killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip over the past three days, according to Palestinian health authorities.
The series of airstrikes on dozens of Hamas targets came amid a renewed push to reach a ceasefire in the 15-month-old war and return Israeli hostages home before President-elect Donald Trump takes office later this month.
Delegations from both Israel and Hamas were dispatched to resume indirect negotiations in Doha on Friday. The talks will be brokered by Qatari and Egyptian mediators.
President Joe Biden's administration, which is helping to broker the talks, urged Hamas to agree to a deal. Hamas said it was committed to reaching an agreement deal, but it remains unclear how close the two sides are.
-ABC News Nasser Atta, Bruno Nota, Diaa Ostaz, Samy Zyara and Morgan Winsor
Yevhenii Vasyliev/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
(LONDON) -- Ukrainian forces on Sunday launched a new offensive inside Russia's western Kursk border region, going on the attack with substantial forces according to reports from Russian and Ukrainian military bloggers.
Russia's Defense Ministry reported a large-scale attack by Kyiv's forces involving armored columns that began on Sunday morning, with Ukrainian troops attacking in three directions inside Kursk.
Ukraine first seized a foothold inside the Kursk region with a surprise offensive in August. But Kyiv's forces have since been slowly pushed back by Russia, including recently with support from North Korean troops.
A Ukrainian military source confirmed to ABC News that a new offensive operation had begun.
The head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office, Andrii Yermark, also appeared to cryptically confirm the offensive, writing on Telegram: "Kursk Oblast, good news! Russia is getting what it deserves."
Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's counter-disinformation center, also wrote that Ukrainian troops have gone on the attack in multiple directions inside Kursk.
Videos posted to Russian military blogger channels appeared to show columns of Ukrainian armored vehicles on the move. The Ukrainian assault appears to be Kyiv's most substantial offensive operation in Kursk since August.
Multiple Russian military bloggers reported that Ukrainian troops, tanks, armored vehicles and demining equipment attacked the villages of Berdin and Bolshoye Soldatskoye, north of Sudzha -- the main administrative border town that Ukraine captured in August.
Bloggers also reported an attack further west on the border town of Tetkino.
Prominent Russian military bloggers -- some close to Russia's Defense Ministry -- said that the offensive was expected but that the situation is challenging for the Russian defenders.
The Defense Ministry said in a statement that two assaults were repelled. "The operation to destroy the Ukrainian Armed Forces formations continues," it wrote on Telegram.
Ukrainian troops appeared to make small advances on Sunday but did not achieve significant breakthroughs of the Russian lines, according to open-source monitors. Some Russian military bloggers said they believe Ukraine will attempt another push through Monday, with others suggesting Kyiv's main attack was yet to come.
The new Ukrainian assault comes just two weeks before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House, with the expectation that his new administration will push for a peace deal to end the nearly 3-year-old war.
ABC News' Natasha Popova contributed to this report.
(NEW ORLEANS) -- President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden are scheduled to travel on Monday to New Orleans, where theyâll attend a prayer service for families of victims and impacted community members following the New Yearâs Day attack in the city.
The Biden are expected to arrive in New Orleans in the afternoon, touching down a few hours before the prayer service, which is to be hosted by the Archdiocese of New Orleans, according to the White House.
The visit comes days after a suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, an Army veteran and Houston realtor, allegedly drove a rented truck into Bourbon Street in the early hours of New Year's Day. At least 14 people were killed and dozens were injured in the attack, which occurred over a three-block stretch of of the tourist destination in New Orleans' bustling French Quarter.
Jabbar, a Texas resident who FBI officials said proclaimed his support for the terror group ISIS in social media posts ahead of the attack, was killed in gunfire exchanged with New Orleans police.
The 14 victims who died included a young mother teaching her son to read, a former college football player "on top of the world" living in New York City and an 18-year-old aspiring nurse.
The prayer service the Bidens are set to attend on Monday is scheduled to begin at about 6 p.m. at the Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France, according to the White House and the Archdiocese.
"Archbishop [Gregory Michael] Aymond continues to offer his prayers and condolences to those affected by this tragedy," the Archdiocese said in its announcement. "He asks that all join in prayer for our community today and every day as we work to build a culture that respects the life and dignity of all people."
Mufasa: The Lion King has topped this weekendâs box office, bringing in $23.8 million, according to Box Office Mojo.
This is The Lion King prequel's first weekend in the #1 spot; the past two weekends it's been beaten by Sonic the Hedgehog 3. With the latest totals, Mufasa has now grossed $168.6 million since its Dec. 20 opening.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 slips to second this weekend with $21.2 million, followed by Nosferatu in third with $13.2 mil, Moana 2 in fourth with $12.39 million and Wicked in fifth with $10.2 mil.
Here are the top 10 films at the box office:
1. Mufasa: The Lion King - $23.83 million 2. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 - $21.2 million 3. Nosferatu - $13.2 million 4. Moana 2 - $12.39 million 5. Wicked - $10.2 6. A Complete Unknown - $8.06 million 7. Babygirl - $4.49 million 8. Gladiator II - $2.67 million 9. Homestead - $2.1 million 10. The Fire Inside - $1.23 million
The 82nd Golden Globe Awards aired live Sunday from the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California. Comedian Nikki Glaser hosted the awards show, which honored the best in film and television over the past year. Here are some of the show's highlights:
The Brutalist picked up three wins, including best motion picture (drama), best director for Brady Corbet and best performance by a male actor in a motion picture for Adrien Brody. In his speech, Brody said the film's story is similar to his mother's and his ancestors'. "I owe so much to my mother and my grandparents for their sacrifice, and although I do not know fully how to express all of the challenges that you have faced and experienced, and the many people who have struggled immigrating to this country, I hope that this work stands to lift you up a bit and to give you a voice," Brody said.
Demi Moore wins her first Golden Globe The Substance actress Demi Moore won her first Golden Globe for her leading role in the horror film. She gave a powerful speech while accepting the trophy for best performance by a female actor in a motion picture (musical or comedy). "I've been doing this a long time, like, over 45 years, and this is the first time I've ever won anything as an actor," Moore said. "Thirty years ago I had a producer tell me that I was a 'popcorn actress,' and at that time, I made that mean that this wasn't something I was allowed to have. That I could do movies that were successful and made a lot of money, but that I couldn't be acknowledged, and I bought in and I believed that."
The stars were out in Hollywood Sunday night for the Golden Globe Awards, and they certainly dressed to impress.
Among the nightâs best dressed actresses were Zendaya, who wowed in a burnt orange strapless satin gown; Elle Fanning, in a nude gown with leopard accents on the bodice; Demi Moore, in a structured champagne-colored strapless dress; and Ariana Grande, who looked like sheâd fit in on Bridgerton in her vintage Givenchy strapless gown.
And it wasnât just a bunch of gowns on the red carpet. Keri Russell wore a white suit/dress combo, while Kate Winslet and The BearâsAyo Edebiri wore suits.Melissa McCarthydonned a Barbie-pink jumpsuit with a huge matching cape.
And Emma Stone made quite a statement on the red carpet, not just for her structured red dress, but for debuting a new pixie haircut.
There were also a lot of men making fashion statements, including Jeremy Strong, who certainly stood out in a green velvet suit with matching bucket hat; Eddie Redmayne, who wore a black-and-white checkered suit; Andrew Scott in a baby blue suit; and Colman Domingo, in a black suit with a polka-dot shirt and a checkered scarf/tie.
Best performance by a male actor in a limited series, anthology series or a motion picture made for television Colin Farrell, The Penguin
Best performance by a female actor in a limited series, anthology series or a motion picture made for television Jodie Foster, True Detective: Night Country
Best performance by a male actor in a motion picture (musical or comedy) Sebastian Stan, A Different Man
Best performance by a female actor in a motion picture (musical or comedy) Demi Moore, The Substance
Best director Brady Corbet, The Brutalist
Best motion picture (animated) Flow
Best original score Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Challengers
ARP, Texas – Our news partners at KETK report that The City of Arp said they are currently without electrical power and that thereâs no timeline for when power will be restored. The Kilgore Police Department also said that parts of northwest Kilgore are without power. You can find updates on both reported outages here.
