AP News Summary at 8:39 p.m. EST | National And World News

A surge of arctic air is bringing strong winds, heavy snow and frigid temperatures to the Great Lakes and Northeast, a day after a bomb cyclone that hit the northern U.S. Tens of thousands of customers were without power early Tuesday, with Michigan hardest hit. The National Weather Service predicts snow squalls and gusty winds for the Eastern U.S. New York’s governor warned of whiteout conditions in parts of the state. In Michigan, snow piled up quickly on Monday, and high waves on Lake Superior sent cargo ships into harbors for shelter.

In escalating tensions with Venezuela, Trump says the US ‘hit’ a coastal drug loading facility

PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump has indicated that the U.S. has “hit” a dock facility along a shore as he wages a pressure campaign on Venezuela. But the U.S. offered few details. Trump initially seemed to confirm a strike in what appeared to be an impromptu radio interview Friday. When questioned Monday by reporters about “an explosion in Venezuela,” the president said the U.S. struck a facility where boats accused of carrying drugs “load up.” Trump declined to say if the military or CIA was involved or where it occurred. He didn’t confirm it happened in Venezuela. The White House and Venezuela’s government did not immediately respond to a request for more details or comment.

ICE doesn’t plan to detain Kilmar Abrego Garcia again as long as judge’s order banning it stands

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Immigration officials do not plan to detain Kilmar Abrego Garcia again as long as a judge’s order banning it stands. That’s according to a Tuesday court filing from the U.S. government. The Salvadoran citizen is fighting to remain in the U.S. after a mistaken deportation to his home country, where he was imprisoned. The court filing comes after U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis earlier this month questioned whether government officials could be trusted to follow orders barring them from taking Abrego Garcia into immigration custody or deporting him. Earlier Tuesday, a newly unsealed order in the criminal case against Abrego Garcia revealed that high-level Justice Department officials pushed for his indictment.

Kennedy Center renaming prompts a new round of cancellations

The Kennedy Center is ending the year with a new round of artists saying they are canceling scheduled performances after President Donald Trump’s name was added to the facility. The institution’s president is accusing the performers of making their decisions because of politics. The Cookers, a jazz supergroup, announced their withdrawal from “A Jazz New Year’s Eve” on their website. Doug Varone and Dancers, a dance group based in New York, said they would pull out of a performance slated for April, saying they “can no longer permit ourselves nor ask our audiences to step inside this once great institution.” Musician Chuck Redd canceled a Christmas Eve performance last week.

Republicans try to flip an Iowa Senate seat and reclaim a supermajority in year-end special election

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Some Iowans are ringing in 2026 with a special election on the final Tuesday of the year, casting ballots for state senator in a race that offers Republicans an opportunity to reclaim two-thirds control of the chamber. Democrat Renee Hardman faces Republican Lucas Loftin in the special election for the state Senate seat representing parts of Des Moines’ suburbs. The seat is vacant after the Oct. 6 death of former state Sen. Claire Celsi, a Democrat. Flipping the seat would empower Republicans with supermajority status once again, just months after a Democrat flipped a Republican seat in an August special election, giving Democrats 17 seats to Republicans’ 33. Celsi’s death left the Democratic caucus at 16.

Tatiana Schlossberg, a grandchild of the late President John F. Kennedy, has died at 35

Environmental journalist Tatiana Schlossberg, one of three grandchildren of the late President John F. Kennedy, has died after a battle with leukemia. Her family disclosed her death in a statement released Tuesday by the John. F. Kennedy Library Foundation. Schlossberg was 35. The daughter of Kennedy’s daughter, Caroline Kennedy, and Edwin Schlossberg, the journalist revealed she had terminal cancer in a November 2025 essay in The New Yorker. She was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in May 2024 at age 34 while in the hospital for the birth of her second child. In the essay titled “A Battle with my Blood,” Schlossberg recounted rounds of chemotherapy, stem cell transplants and clinical trials.

China flexes blockade capabilities near Taiwan on second day of military drills

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China’s People’s Liberation Army is conducting large-scale military drills around Taiwan as part of “Justice Mission 2025.” The exercises aim to deter external support for Taiwan, which China claims as its territory. Taiwanese officials report that some live rounds have landed closer to the island than before, increasing tensions in the Taiwan Strait. The drills have disrupted over 150 flights and created temporary “dangerous zones.” Taiwan’s Defense Ministry detected numerous Chinese aircraft and ships near the island. China has vowed to seize Taiwan, and tensions with the U.S. and Japan have also escalated over the issue.

Israel says it will halt operations of several humanitarian organizations in Gaza starting in 2026

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel says it will suspend several humanitarian organizations for failing to meet its new rules to vet international organizations working in Gaza. The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs said on Tuesday that the organizations that will be banned on Jan. 1 did not meet its new requirements for sharing staff, funding and operations information. It accused Doctors Without Borders, known as MSF by its French acronym, of failing to clarify the roles of some staff that Israel accused of cooperation with Hamas and other militant groups. MSF didn’t immediately comment but other international organizations have said that Israel’s rules are arbitrary and could endanger staff.

Judge temporarily halts Trump’s move to end protected status for South Sudanese immigrants

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the deportation of South Sudanese immigrants in the U.S. The decision Tuesday comes as the Massachusetts court reviews whether President Trump’s attempt to end their temporary protected status was illegal. The termination was set for January 2026, affecting about 300 South Sudanese nationals. Civil rights groups sued, claiming the move was unconstitutional and racially motivated. The Department of Homeland Security criticized the ruling, arguing that South Sudan is now safer. South Sudanese were granted protected status in 2011 due to ongoing conflict. The judge emphasized the potential harm of deportation.

Unleash the hounds! And terriers and lapdogs. The American Kennel Club adds 3 breeds

NEW YORK (AP) — They’re ready to embark on 2026. Three more dog breeds joined the American Kennel Club’s roster of recognized breeds on Tuesday. One of the newcomers is the Teddy Roosevelt terrier, named for the former U.S. president. Another is the Russian tsvetnaya bolonka (zviht-NEYE’-ah boh-LON’-kah). It’s a lapdog developed in Soviet-era Russia. The third is a centuries-old French hunting hound called the basset fauve de Bretagne (bah-SAY’ fohve deh breh-TAHN’-yeh). The AKC now recognizes 205 breeds. Recognition means eligibility for many U.S. dog shows and can increase a breed’s visibility to the pet-loving public.