
Five things Putin could do to Ukraine that don't involve outright invasion
CNN
A week ago, the White House claimed Russia's invasion of Ukraine was "imminent." But there are other options available to Vladimir Putin.
In a few weeks, the ice may have begun to thaw -- or it could still be thick enough for Russian armor to roll across without getting swamped. It depends on the vagaries of Ukraine's winter -- and which weather site you are looking at.
On Friday, Beijing's Winter Olympics are due to begin, and Russian President Vladimir Putin may not choose to spoil his friend Xi Jinping's games by starting a conflict thousands of miles away and distracting the world's attention.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth risked compromising sensitive military information that could have endangered US troops through his use of Signal to discuss attack plans, a Pentagon watchdog said in an unclassified report released Thursday. It also details how Hegseth declined to cooperate with the probe.

Two top House lawmakers emerged divided along party lines after a private briefing with the military official who oversaw September’s attack on an alleged drug vessel that included a so-called double-tap strike that killed surviving crew members, with a top Democrat calling video of the incident that was shared as part of the briefing “one of the most troubling things” he has seen as a lawmaker.











