Ukraine hit a Russian weapons arsenal with US-made ATACMS missiles that it fired across the border for the first time, according to two US officials, in a major escalation on the 1,000th day of war.

The attack comes just two days after the Biden administration gave Kyiv the green light to use the longer-range American weapons against targets inside Russia.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Ukraine fired six ballistic missiles at a facility in Bryansk at 3:25 a.m. local time (7:25 p.m. ET) Tuesday and that ATACMS missiles had been used in the attack.

Russian air defenses said they shot down five of the missiles and another was damaged. Fragments from the damaged missile fell on the territory of a military facility, causing a fire that has since been extinguished. There were no casualties or damage.

On the same day of the attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin updated Russia’s nuclear doctrine where Moscow will consider aggression from any non-nuclear state – but with the participation of a nuclear country – a joint attack on Russia.

In what appeared to be a fresh round of saber rattling, the Kremlin said Tuesday the revised military doctrine would, in theory, lower the bar to the use of nuclear weapons.

US President Joe Biden had authorized Ukraine to use longer-range American missiles inside Russia on Sunday, ending a months-long prohibition aiming to help Ukraine defend itself while not drastically escalating the conflict.

The decision came at a crucial moment in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia is probing on the frontlines in Ukraine’s east while pummeling its cities with missile and drone strikes, aiming to disable Ukraine’s power grid and weaponize the freezing temperatures for a third consecutive winter.

Meanwhile, thousands of North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukrainian troops launched a daring counteroffensive in the summer.

In a press briefing Monday, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the involvement of North Korean troops in the war was “a major escalation by Russia, bringing in an Asian military to a conflict inside Europe.”

The decision to allow the use of the Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, inside Russia had been under consideration for months, with American officials divided on the wisdom of allowing the new capability. Some had concerns about escalating the war, while others worried about dwindling stockpiles of the weapons.

Other Western allies remain more cautious. At the G20 summit in Brazil on Tuesday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reiterated his stance of withholding Taurus missiles from Ukraine, adding that “supplying cruise missiles would be a mistake.”

Although Kyiv has repeatedly used Ukrainian-made drones to hit targets in Russia – deeper into the country than Bryansk – Moscow has long maintained that using far-reaching Western weapons would constitute a major escalation.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday that Moscow will view launches of US-made longer-range missiles as a “new phase of war” by the West.

American officials said they were unsurprised by the news of Putin updating Russia’s nuclear doctrine. “Russia had been signaling its intent to update its doctrine for several weeks,” a US official told CNN.

Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said at a briefing that the US doesn’t have any indications that Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon within Ukraine, adding, “It’s the same irresponsible rhetoric that we’ve seen before and that we’ve seen, frankly, for the past two years.”
In more than two-and-a-half years of war, Russia has often rattled the nuclear saber in response to perceived escalation by Ukraine and its allies.

After French President Emmanuel Macron said earlier this year that he would not rule out sending European troops to Ukraine, Putin ordered a tactical nuclear weapons drill in response to what he called “threats” by the West.

For months, Ukraine’s President Zelensky had argued that “long-range capabilities for our army” is a key part of his “Victory Plan” for winning the war.

Responding on Sunday evening to reports of Biden’s green-light, Zelensky said: “Strikes are not carried out with words. Such things are not announced. Missiles will speak for themselves.”

Elbahrain.net When President-elect Donald Trump tapped Matt Gaetz for attorney general, he elevated a MAGA firebrand with a penchant for stoking controversy and a history of getting out of trouble to lead a Justice Department that has investigated both men.

Gaetz, a career politician with limited experience practicing law, resigned from his seat in Congress just hours after Trump announced earlier this week his intention to nominate him as the top federal law enforcement officer in the United States.

The Florida Republican has a tense history with the Justice Department, clashing with officials during contentious oversight hearings where he accused the department of being “weaponized” against Trump and fellow conservatives and decrying the yearslong federal sex-crimes investigation of him that began during the Trump administration

But many Republicans and Gaetz allies have touted his aggressive style as an essential attribute for an attorney general. Sources close to Trump said he sees Gaetz as an effective messenger of his agenda and believes his appointees to other top positions at the Justice Department can handle day-to-day duties.

John Morgan, a Florida personal injury attorney and Democratic donor who is nevertheless close to Gaetz, warned doubters not to dismiss the Panhandle Republican as the right-wing caricature he often embodies. Morgan called Gaetz “uber smart” and “a pit bull.”

“Everyone who has underestimated him has done so at their own peril,” Morgan said. “I don’t think that everyone needs to be getting scared. Matt knows what it’s like to be unfairly targeted and I don’t think he’ll do that.”

Reaction inside the Beltway

Inside the Justice Department, some employees who had braced for the possibility of other names that had surfaced early in the transition were appalled when Trump made the Gaetz announcement. He would mark a sharp departure from Attorney General Merrick Garland, who was chosen by President Joe Biden for his low-key style and promise to try to restore decades-old norms to the department after a chaotic first Trump term.

One career official described hearing audible cries of “oh my God” echoing down the hallway inside DOJ’s headquarters.

Even among Trump transition officials who had spent weeks preparing potential nominees for Trump to review were taken aback, in part because it meant all the work they had done was cast aside for a choice that came from Trump’s gut, a person close to the transition said.

Some Justice officials believe the Gaetz pick raises the likelihood there will be more departures, either voluntarily or as part of efforts to push out employees who aren’t seen as loyal to the incoming Trump administration.

The president-elect filled some of those spots Thursday evening, appointing a series of his own personal lawyers to run key sections of the Justice Department. Trump said he intends to nominate Todd Blanche, who played a central role in his defense teams in the Manhattan hush money case and two federal criminal cases, to be the second in command at the Justice Department as the deputy attorney general.

Trump also announced his selection of Emil Bove, another member of his criminal defense team, to be principal associate attorney general.

Florida law and politics
Gaetz, a lifelong Floridian, grew up as the son of a powerful state senator and living in the house used to film the movie “The Truman Show.” He graduated from Florida State University, and then from William & Mary Law School.

He worked for AnchorsGordon, a firm with a handful of lawyers in the Florida Panhandle that he joined after graduating law school. His courtroom experience is limited. He has never appeared as an attorney in a federal court case, according to the national court records database. He is listed as the attorney in seven cases in state court.

Partners at AnchorsGordon didn’t return multiple inquiries this week about Gaetz’s history in private practice. Gaetz last reported earning a paycheck from the firm in 2016.

He has maintained an active law license with the Florida Bar — apart from letting it lapse for failure to pay fees for 20 days in 2021, according to a spokesperson for the organization. While he doesn’t need a license to be attorney general, he would be the first in decades to come into the role without experience as a government attorney or a judge.

In Florida, where Gaetz first made his mark as a brash state lawmaker in 2010, his rise has left many in the state’s tightly knit political circles bewildered. Gaetz — often tagged “Baby Gaetz” by political insiders in the state, for his boyish looks as well as his political lineage — has been recognized as much for his provocations as he has been for his hardline conservative stance.

“I am stunned,” one longtime Florida Republican operative told CNN after learning about the Gaetz appointment.

After Gaetz left the Tallahassee statehouse, a former Republican state lawmaker alleged on X that he created a “game” at the Florida state house where he and his male colleagues earned points for sleeping with interns, staff and married legislators. Gaetz denied the allegation.

The Florida Bar once said Gaetz was “unprofessional, reckless, insensitive, and demonstrated poor judgment” for menacing tweets he posted about Trump’s former fixer, Michael Cohen, though the lawyer association ultimately declined to punish the behavior. The episode drew public scorn from some prominent Florida Republicans, including Sen. Rick Scott, who called Gaetz’s behavior “disgusting” and “embarrassing.”

Gaetz goes to Washington
Elected to Congress the same year Trump won the White House, Gaetz first arrived in the US House of Representative in 2017, and quickly became better known for his trademark incendiary political moves than legislating.

The congressman became a regular in conservative media and pulled stunts that often made him an obstacle for Republican Party leadership and unpopular in the House Republican conference. But Trump called Gaetz one his “absolute warriors” for regularly coming to his defense on cable television.

In 2018, Gaetz was criticized after he invited a conservative troll with a history of Holocaust denial to the State of the Union. And during the House’s first impeachment inquiry into Trump, Gaetz led a band of Republicans to “storm” the House Intelligence secure committee spaces where the impeachment interviews were being held.

And in 2020, Gaetz wore a gas mask on the House floor to vote on a coronavirus funding package. Gaetz, who said at the time that the move was “quite serious,” ultimately voted in support of the bill.

His own personal history has, at times, become part of the debate. During a congressional hearing where Gaetz railed against Hunter Biden’s cocaine use, Democratic Rep. Hank Johnson alluded to Gaetz’s arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence in 2008. The DUI charges were later dismissed.

Gaetz has said that he doesn’t think the public was “hanging on a traffic incident I had a decade ago.”

Gaetz also led the effort to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and was even part of a physical dust-up on the House floor at the end of McCarthy’s tenure.

And while his antics turned off many of his own colleagues, Gaetz won over Trump and became a staunch ally.

He echoed Trump’s lies about the 2020 election being stolen and even defended him in the hours after the deadly January 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol. When House GOP Conference Chair Liz Cheney of Wyoming voted to impeach Trump in January, Gaetz didn’t just criticize her — he traveled to Wyoming to hold a rally denouncing her.

Since Trump left office in 2020, Gaetz has alleged the Justice Department is “weaponized” against conservatives. From his perch on the powerful House Judiciary Committee, he accused the FBI of going “far beyond” what the law allows in surveillance, called for the FBI to be abolished, and lambasted prosecutions of Trump and January 6 rioters.

Now, while some of his colleagues in Congress expressed skepticism of his pick as attorney general, they said they are prepared for a detailed confirmation process.

When asked about his nomination, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told CNN: “I don’t know yet. I’ll have to think about that one.”

Elbahrain.net YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul defeated former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson via unanimous decision in their highly anticipated professional bout on Friday night in Arlington, Texas.

Fighting in front of 72,300 fans at AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, Paul controlled most of the fight against Tyson, winning via unanimous decision, after all three judges ruled in his favor with scores of 80-72, 79-73 and 79-73.

With the victory, Paul improves to 11-1 in his professional career, including seven knockouts, and becomes the sixth fighter to defeat the Hall of Famer in his career.

“First and foremost Mike Tyson, it’s such an honor,” Paul told Tyson after the match. “He’s the G.O.A.T. I look up to him, I’m inspired by him, and we wouldn’t be here today without him. This man is an icon and it’s just an honor to be able to fight him.”

The 58-year-old started to show signs of fatigue for the first time in the match and became stationary. He never displayed the dips, slips or the explosions forward with haymakers that once earned him 44 knockouts.

Roy Jones Jr., whom Tyson last fought in an exhibition in November 2020, was on the broadcast panel and noted Tyson’s lack of movement. “I don’t like Mike’s legs. I don’t like Mike’s legs at all.”

Paul continued to take control of the fight from there, landing his combinations, and giving Tyson trouble with his jabs. Tyson showed bursts of energy throughout the later rounds but never proved to be a real threat.

The pair were originally scheduled to fight in July this year, but it was postponed when Tyson experienced an ulcer flare up on a flight.

Tyson was asked after the fight if he felt like he proved to the world that he could go the distance, despite his age.

“I didn’t prove nothing to anybody, only to myself. I’m not one of those guys that looks to please the world. I’m just happy with what I can do,” Tyson said.

In his professional career, Tyson was known for his brutal knockouts, winning in emphatic fashion against legends such as Michael Spinks and Larry Holmes. His last professional victory was in February 2003 when he defeated Clifford Etienne with a first-round knockout. His last fight was an exhibition bout against Jones Jr. in November 2020, which finished as a draw.

Friday’s bout was perhaps the most high-profile fight to date for Paul, who had an unconventional introduction to boxing, which he said started “as a whole YouTube extravaganza” of people challenging him and his brother Logan.

In January 2020, Paul entered the ring for his first professional fight, beating YouTuber Ali Eson Gib by technical knockout. Since his debut, he has gone on to defeat retired basketball player Nate Robinson and former MMA legends Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva and Nate Diaz.

In February last year, Paul suffered his first loss at the hands of Tommy Fury, the younger brother of former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.

Paul bounced back from the loss with a unanimous decision win over retired UFC fighter Diaz. In his past few fights, he defeated professional boxers Andre August and Ryan Borland, as well as bare-knuckle boxing champion Mike Perry.

BACA JUGA : Netflix viewers report widespread issues streaming fight

Friday night’s fight was Netflix’s first live-boxing event, that included seven action-packed bouts.

However, viewers on social media reported throughout the night that they were having trouble watching the event on the streaming platform. Some of the issues included buffering delays, lags, and trouble loading the fight.

According to DownDetector, around 90,000 viewers reported outages in the hour leading up to the fight.

Some social media viewers posted images of their frozen TV screens, and others of the spinning loading wheel, saying they had to reload the app in order to watch it.

Another reported problem was sound from the broadcast, most notably during an interview with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. As he was speaking with other analysts, Jones’ microphone didn’t seem to be working, making it hard for viewers to hear what he was saying.

Netflix declined to comment on the issues.

“This is the biggest event,” Paul said on the success of the bout. “Over 120 million people on Netflix. We crashed the site.”

The streaming platform will next show two NFL games on Christmas Day, after signing a three-season deal with the league. Also starting in 2025, WWE’s weekly “Raw” show will be featured on the platform.

In the co-main event, it was the second installment of Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano. The crowd and commentators erupted into disbelief and boos when Taylor was awarded a unanimous decision victory.

The two fighters put on a masterclass, Serrano being the aggressor, and Taylor lunging forward with power shots, often clashing heads with the challenger. In the eighth round, the champion was deducted a point after her fourth ruled headbutt.

Serrano seemed to be in control, and was blindsided by the decision. After the fight, Serrano called Taylor a “dirty fighter.” According to Compubox, Serrano outlanded the champion 324-217.