Today in one sentence: Trump threatened military strikes on Iran if it rebuilds its nuclear or ballistic missile programs; Russia said it would “revise” its negotiating position on ending the war in Ukraine after Putin told Trump that Ukrainian drones targeted one of his homes; Trump claimed that the U.S. destroyed a “big facility” tied to alleged Venezuelan drug trafficking; U.S. forces carried out airstrikes against Islamic State targets in northwestern Nigeria on Christmas Day; the Justice Department said it uncovered more than one million additional documents tied to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation days after it missed a congressionally mandated Dec. 19 deadline to release the files; and the Justice Department said the man accused of planting pipe bombs outside the Democratic and Republican party headquarters before Jan. 6, 2021, told investigators he targeted the parties because they were “in charge” and wanted to act on beliefs the 2020 election was stolen.

1/ Trump threatened military strikes on Iran if it rebuilds its nuclear or ballistic missile programs. “Now I hear that Iran is trying to build up again,” Trump said following a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago, adding, “If they are, we’re going to have to knock them down. We’ll knock the hell out of them.” Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, responded that “any aggression will receive a strong, immediate response.” Trump also warned Hamas it would have “hell to pay” if it does not disarm, saying disarmament is required to move forward with the stalled second phase of the Gaza ceasefire. (NBC News / Politico / Associated Press / Wall Street Journal / Washington Post / CNBC / Bloomberg / Bloomberg)

2/ Russia said it would “revise” its negotiating position on ending the war in Ukraine after Putin told Trump that Ukrainian drones targeted one of his homes, an allegation Moscow hasn’t supported with public evidence. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said air defenses shot down 91 drones and that “the targets for retaliatory strikes and the timing of their implementation have been determined.” Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov added that Putin told Trump that “a number of previously reached agreements” would be reconsidered. Ukraine, meanwhile, denied any attack, with Volodymyr Zelenskiy calling the claim “a complete fabrication” and saying that Russia was creating a pretext for new strikes on Kyiv. Trump said Putin was “very angry,” adding, “It’s another thing to attack his house,” while acknowledging that U.S. intelligence had evidence of an attack. (Bloomberg / NBC News / CNN / CNBC / New York Times / Wall Street Journal / Washington Post / Axios / Associated Press / Politico)

3/ Trump claimed that the U.S. destroyed a “big facility” tied to alleged Venezuelan drug trafficking. Trump said there was “a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs,” adding that the site “is no longer around.” He refused to say whether the strike was carried out by the U.S. military or the CIA and didn’t identify the location, despite repeated questions. The White House, Pentagon, and CIA also declined to confirm the operation, and there have been no independent reports from Venezuela of a destroyed facility matching Trump’s description. (CNN / Associated Press / Washington Post / NBC News / ABC News / CBS News / New York Times / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / Axios)

4/ U.S. forces carried out airstrikes against Islamic State targets in northwestern Nigeria on Christmas Day, a move Trump framed as retaliation for killings of Christians. U.S. Africa Command said the strikes in Sokoto State were carried out at Trump’s direction and in coordination with Nigerian authorities, who confirmed “precision hits on terrorist targets” but didn’t release casualty figures. Trump claimed the militants were “primarily” targeting Christians and said “if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was.” Nigerian officials and independent analysts said extremist violence in the country has also heavily affected Muslims and warned against portraying the conflict as solely religious. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth nevertheless said there could be “more to come.” (Washington Post / Axios / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal)

5/ The Justice Department said it uncovered more than one million additional documents tied to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation days after it missed a congressionally mandated Dec. 19 deadline to release the files. The late discovery undercut earlier assurances from senior officials that the department had already completed an exhaustive review of Epstein-related records. The department said lawyers are reviewing the newly identified records to protect victims and ongoing investigations, warning the release could now take “a few more weeks.” (Associated Press / CNN / Axios / Washington Post / New York Times)

6/ The Justice Department said the man accused of planting pipe bombs outside the Democratic and Republican party headquarters before Jan. 6, 2021, told investigators he targeted the parties because they were “in charge” and wanted to act on beliefs the 2020 election was stolen. The statement was disclosed in a Justice Department memo seeking to keep Brian Cole Jr. jailed as he faces federal explosives charges following his arrest earlier this month. Prosecutors said Cole first denied involvement but later admitted to placing the devices, saying he was disillusioned with both parties, and “I really don’t like either party at this point.” The memo argues the bombs’ failure to detonate was due to chance, not intent, and that Cole’s actions endangered the public and law enforcement. (CNN / Politico / Associated Press)

⏭️ Notably Next: The 2026 midterms are in 309 days.

Four years ago today: Day 344: "We must adapt."
Five years ago today: Day 1440: "Death wish."
Eight years ago today: Day 344: Looks bad.