Mini-Report — Dec. 1, 2025: Kushner to Moscow, Intense Airstrikes in Ukraine, Stockton Shooting and Policy Shifts

Overview: Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are reported to be heading to Moscow after talks with Ukrainian officials about a possible peace plan. Russia launched a nearly 10-hour air assault that killed at least two people in Kyiv. Zelensky’s firing of a close aide creates both space for reform and short-term political uncertainty. In the U.S., a Stockton birthday-party shooting killed four (including three children), Northwestern agreed to a $75 million settlement over antisemitism probes, and DHS announced an end to TPS for Haitians effective Feb. 3, 2026.

10:54 AM, 12/02/2025Conflict

Mini-Report — Dec. 1, 2025: Kushner to Moscow, Intense Airstrikes in Ukraine, Stockton Shooting and Policy Shifts

Today’s quick hits — concise updates on major international and domestic developments.

Difficult diplomacy: Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are reported to be traveling to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a U.S. official familiar with the plans. The trip follows lengthy talks in Florida with Ukrainian delegates about a possible peace plan; Marco Rubio was among the U.S. participants in those discussions.

In related news — Ukraine: Ukrainian authorities say Russia carried out a nearly 10-hour air assault across multiple regions on Saturday, killing at least two people in the capital and injuring dozens more.

Political uncertainty in Kyiv: President Volodymyr Zelensky’s dismissal of a longtime close aide opens a window for political change that had been delayed by the war. At the same time, the move raises short-term uncertainty in Kyiv as Ukraine faces pressure on the battlefield and at the negotiating table.

West Bank violence: Video footage shows Israeli security forces fatally shooting two Palestinian men in the occupied West Bank; the men appear to have been unarmed and surrendering in the footage. The incident is likely to intensify scrutiny and tensions in the region.

California mass shooting: A shooting during a children’s birthday party in Stockton, California, on Saturday night left four people dead — three children (ages 8, 9 and 14) and a 21-year-old — and at least 11 others wounded, law enforcement officials said. About 15 people were hit by gunfire near a shopping plaza as families were gathered to celebrate.

Northwestern settlement: Northwestern University agreed to pay $75 million to the federal government under a deal reached last week. The settlement restores previously withheld research funding and resolves several investigations related to allegations of antisemitism on campus.

DHS and Temporary Protected Status (TPS): The Department of Homeland Security announced the end of Temporary Protected Status for Haitian nationals, effective Feb. 3, 2026. The change could affect more than half a million Haitians currently living in the U.S. under TPS protections.

Wall Street note: Cantor Fitzgerald — the former firm of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick — is experiencing its best year on record, an unexpected turnaround for the firm.

Education and borrowing caps: A lesser-noticed provision in the GOP’s “One Big Beautiful” legislation passed over the summer places sharp limits on federal student loans for students pursuing professional degrees, including medical school, and imposes stricter borrowing caps for other health fields such as nursing and public health.

See you tomorrow.