Zelenskiy and Trump Meet in Florida as Ukraine Peace Talks Face Major Hurdles 
Trump Administration Probes Corporate DEI Programs, Raising Questions for Google Stock 
California Drops Lawsuit Over Federal Funding Cuts to High-Speed Rail Project 
Najib Razak Files Appeal Against Latest 1MDB Corruption Conviction and 15-Year Sentence 
South Korea Prosecutor Alleges Former First Lady Kim Keon Hee Abused Power for Bribes 
China Conducts Largest-Ever Live-Fire War Games Around Taiwan Amid Rising Cross-Strait Tensions 
Canada Announces $2.5 Billion Economic Aid Package to Support Ukraine’s Financial Stability 
Trump and Netanyahu Diverge on West Bank Policy Amid Rising Tensions 
FBI Surges Resources to Minnesota Amid Fraud Investigations Linked to Somali Community 
South Korean President Apologizes to Families of Jeju Air Crash Victims, Pledges Full Investigation 
Bolsonaro Undergoes Second Medical Procedure for Persistent Hiccups While Hospitalized in Brasilia 
Trump–Netanyahu Talks Aim to Revive Gaza Ceasefire and Address Iran, Hezbollah Tensions 
Kosovo PM Albin Kurti Moves to Form New Government After Election Win 
Peruvian Shamans’ New Year Ritual Predicts Illness for Trump, Fall of Maduro, and Global Political Shifts 
Lavrov Says Russia Holds Strategic Initiative in Ukraine as Settlement Talks Continue 
Kremlin Says Ukrainian Drone Attack Hardens Russia’s Stance on Peace Talks 
Jazz Ensemble Cancels Kennedy Center New Year’s Eve Shows After Trump Renaming Sparks Backlash 
Former US Vice President Mike Pence ultimately thwarted his former boss Donald Trump and his allies' plans to stay in power by refusing to reject the electoral votes of the states. According to a report by Politico, Pence was able to shut down the plans of his former boss by simply adding to the vice-presidential spiel in counting electoral votes in Congress.
Politico reports that Pence's aides revealed that the now-former vice president wanted to send a message to Trump and his allies, who have been pressuring him to follow with their plan to stage a coup and stay in power. While it was already known that Pence made changes to the vice-presidential spiel in the counting of electoral votes, the former vice president's aides revealed the story of why Pence chose to do it.
This was in line with the fake electors' scheme, with Trump and his allies choosing loyalists in five swing states to turn in signed certificates falsely claiming that they were the state's electors, "duly elected" members of the Electoral College.
Trump wanted Pence to introduce those slates of electors on January 6 in order to block Joe Biden's electoral victory. Pence never intended to bring in the false electors and knew that he was legally not allowed to do so, according to his top aide Marc Short.
"It was a transparent effort to get in front of any accusations that there was any other slate that could've been legally accepted," Short told the outlet. "We were trying to be transparent with the American people. We figured there'd be confusion in this."
According to Short, Pence actively had a hand in drafting the specific language he used on January 6. The then-vice president was also being targeted by the pro-Trump mob for his refusal to do Trump's bidding.
Pence has also publicly broken from his former boss when it came to the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia. Last week, Pence visited Ukrainian refugees at the border the country shares with Poland. Pence, who was with his wife Karen Pence, traveled to Poland with Samaritan's Purse, a Christian evangelical humanitarian organization.
