Good morning! The weekend edition is 717 words, a 3-minute read.

What’s on tap: 

• Redditor cracks Brown shooting case

• Choco to dog make it home for Christmas

• World’s tallest skyscrapers

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Today’s Big Story

US Retaliates After Syria Ambush

• The US launched a large-scale military operation in Syria targeting ISIS after a Syrian security guard killed two Iowa National Guard members and a U.S. civilian interpreter during a lunch meeting last week. The guard had recently been reassigned over suspected ISIS ties.

• The strikes hit multiple ISIS sites across central Syria, using US fighter jets, attack aircraft, helicopters, and rocket artillery, with additional support from allied forces. US officials said the operation focused on weapons depots, infrastructure, and command locations, and warned that more strikes are likely.

• The operation comes as US-Syria ties have cautiously warmed since Bashar Assad's ouster, with Syrian forces now cooperating alongside US troops against ISIS. Syrian officials confirmed the strikes targeted known ISIS launch points near Palmyra, Deir ez-Zor, and Raqqa.

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Saturday’s Quick Hits

• The Justice Department released thousands of Epstein investigative files on Friday, including photos of the late sex offender with Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, and other celebrities, plus images marked as child sexual abuse material. Lawmakers blasted the release for heavily redacting entire sections, including 199 pages of grand jury testimony, calling it a failure to meet a transparency law Trump signed last month. (More)

• A Reddit user's tip cracked the Brown University shooting case after he spotted a suspiciously dressed man near campus driving a grey Nissan with Florida plates. His post and police interview led investigators to suspect Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, who was found dead in a New Hampshire storage unit. Rhode Island's attorney general said the tipster "blew the case wide open" and may receive a $50,000 reward. (More)

• A Wisconsin judge was convicted of obstructing federal agents after she allegedly helped an undocumented man escape immigration authorities at her courthouse. Prosecutors said Judge Hannah Dugan sent agents to another office while directing the man out a side exit in April. He was caught moments later and has since been deported. Dugan faces up to five years in prison. (More)

• The UN said Gaza's famine has ended after Israel eased aid restrictions following an October ceasefire, though the entire territory remains one step below famine with one in eight people still facing hunger. Aid groups say Israel continues blocking deliveries, with Oxfam reporting $2.5 million in food stuck at the border. Israel denies the aid obstruction accusations. (More)

• EU countries will borrow €90 billion to fund Ukraine's war effort, costing taxpayers €3 billion yearly in interest starting in 2028. Ukraine gets €45 billion next year to cover its massive budget gap but only repays the loan after Russia pays war reparations—which may never happen. Czechia, Hungary, and Slovakia opted out but won't block the deal, which replaced a failed plan to use frozen Russian assets. (More)

• Flu cases are surging nationwide, with 4.6 million illnesses and 1,900 deaths so far, mostly from a new H3N2 variant that's mismatched with this year's vaccine. Despite the mismatch, experts say the vaccine still prevents severe illness and death. Three children have died this season, and 90% of the kids who died last season were unvaccinated. (More)

Weekly Dose of Positive

• Six-year-old Bryn beat a previously untreatable leukemia using CAR T-cell therapy, which reprograms immune cells to attack cancer. She's celebrating Christmas healthy after missing last year in isolation. (More)

• Navy vet Tim got custody of daughter Majesty after a nonprofit gave him a tiny home—the permanent address family court required despite his two years of sobriety and steady recovery. (More)

• Choco the dog came home to California for Christmas, five years after vanishing. He was found chained to a fence in Detroit, identified by a microchip, then flown home by volunteers. (More)

• Chinese researchers' stem cell therapy rapidly improved Parkinson's symptoms in patients suffering for decades. Unlike current drugs that just manage symptoms, it may repair dying brain cells causing the disease. (More)

Extra Credit

The most annoying songs of 2025, according to data.

See the tallest skyscrapers in the world.

Watch two bears figure out how to make a “see-saw.”

CNBC’s Official College Sports Valuations 2025.