The Bulletin

• Is Canada's PM resigning? Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is likely to announce his resignation in the coming days, reports say.
• Biden moves to ban offshore drilling: President Joe Biden is taking steps to prohibit new offshore oil and gas drilling in most U.S. coastal waters, a late-term move aimed at preempting potential efforts by the incoming Trump administration to broaden offshore drilling activities. Find out how this could impact the future of U.S. energy policy.

• Weather warnings: Winter storm warnings and weather advisories were in place for 23 states from the National Weather Service as of early Monday, as cold temperatures were expected across much of the central and eastern U.S. See if your area is affected and how to stay safe.

• Trump's NATO exit warning: If President-elect Donald Trump pulls the U.S. from NATO, Vladimir Putin could "destroy Europe," Volodymyr Zelensky has warned. Here's what he said.

• Musk's superfan account drama: The saga surrounding viral allegations that tech billionaire Elon Musk has masqueraded as his own superfan account has taken new and bizarre turns, culminating in X blocking an article about the story. Here's what we know.

• In the ongoing war in Ukraine, Joseph Stalin's 1939 invasion of Finland has been compared to Vladimir Putin's aggression in Ukraine amid questions over whether a deal that followed the Winter War could be a blueprint for a conflict eight and a half decades later.

The rundown: President-elect Donald Trump announced that members of Congress are working on "one powerful Bill" to advance his core MAGA policies. Get the details on what this bill could mean for the future of the MAGA agenda.

Why it matters: Trump wants to consolidate his policy goals, including tax cuts, tariffs, and border security, into one omnibus bill, to be speedily approved by the House, and Senate, which are both controlled by Republicans. Originally, House and Senate Republicans were intending to pass most of the agenda across two bills, but in recent days, Speaker Mike Johnson has aligned himself with Trump, saying that Republicans intend to pass "one big, beautiful" bill within the first 100 days of Trump's administration to show results early and maintain Republican momentum.

Read more in-depth coverage:
Mike Johnson Gives Trump New Deadline for Reconciliation Bill

TL/DR: In his announcement, Trump said Republicans needed to take quick, decisive action to unite and deliver his agenda to "bring our Country back" and "make it greater than ever before."

What happens now? The president-elect is scheduled to return to the White House on January 20. The House of Representatives must now finalize the reconciliation bill so it can be quickly advanced once Trump takes office. Republicans must navigate intra-party divisions and Democratic resistance to pass it with a razor-thin majority in the House.

Deeper reading Donald Trump Vows 'One Powerful Bill' to Pass Major MAGA Policies

The rundown: The FBI on Sunday provided its most comprehensive update yet on the events surrounding the Bourbon Street attack in New Orleans, Louisiana, that took the lives of 14 victims on New Year's Day, including a timeline of the suspect's movements on the day. Get the full timeline and new details here.

Why it matters: Details have dribbled out over the past week as authorities furiously dug into all available leads, including the various trips that the suspect, 42-year-old Texas resident and U.S. Army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar, took, including a visit to Egypt, before carrying out his attack. FBI Special Agent in Charge Lyonel Myrthil spoke to reporters on Sunday in New Orleans, laying out a number of new facts as he described Jabbar's movements on New Year's Day. The agency has revealed new information, such as the fact that they believe Jabbar tried to burn down the rental home he was staying in so he could hide evidence of his plot. 

Read more in-depth coverage:
FBI Returns to New Orleans Attacker's House After Leaving Evidence Behind

TL/DR: Law enforcement officials said the suspect drove a pickup truck into the unsuspecting crowd, then got out and opened fire before dying in a shootout with police.

What happens now? President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will visit New Orleans on Monday, during which time the president will receive further updates and meet with the families of victims. The FBI will continue to investigate all leads and make public what information they can, including video and picture evidence of Jabbar in an effort to widen the investigation and get as much information as possible.

Deeper reading New Orleans Attack Update: FBI Reveals New Timeline of Events

The rundown: Millions of Americans will now see their Social Security benefits increase after President Joe Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act into law on Sunday. Find out how this new law could boost your benefits.

Why it matters: The bill, which abolishes the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO), passed both chambers of Congress with bipartisan support. In September, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that eliminating the WEP would increase monthly payments for affected beneficiaries by an average of $360 by December 2025. Ending the GPO would raise monthly benefits by December 2025 by an average of $700 for 380,000 recipients with benefits based on living spouses, according to the CBO. For 390,000 surviving spouses receiving widow or widower benefits, the increase would average $1,190.

Read more in-depth coverage:
Social Security Fairness Act Explained: What Changes Does It Bring?

TL/DR: According to CNN, the Social Security Fairness Act will impact most permanent civilian federal employees hired before January 1, 1984, along with about 28 percent of state and local government employees covered by alternative staff retirement systems.

What happens now? Advocates argue that the Social Security Fairness Act addresses a longstanding disparity, though it will also place additional strain on the Social Security Trust Funds, which are confronting an impending insolvency crisis.

Deeper reading Biden Signs Social Security Fairness Act: When Do Higher Payments Start?

The rundown: Nearly a third of the estimated number of North Korean soldiers deployed with Russian forces to fight Ukrainian troops have been killed or injured, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Find out more about the impact of North Korean troops in the war.

Why it matters: U.S., Ukrainian and South Korean estimates have put the number of North Korean soldiers sent to Russia somewhere between 10,000 and 12,000, at a time when Russian troop losses have been high. Newsweek has yet to verify these figures. The North Korean forces have been fighting in Russia's Western Kursk region, where Moscow has been battling Kyiv since Ukrainian troops launched a surprise cross-border offensive into Kursk in August 2024. Kyiv still holds roughly half of the land it captured in the late summer, and Russia is eager to peel back their hold on internationally recognized Russian soil entirely.

Read more in-depth coverage:
North Korean Soldiers Among 'Up to Battalion of Infantry' Killed in Ukraine

TL/DR: The Ukrainian leader told U.S. podcaster Lex Fridman in an episode aired on Sunday that roughly 3,800 North Korean soldiers had been injured or killed in fighting in Kursk so far.

What happens now? As battles rage on in Kursk, casualty counts among troops from all countries involved are likely to climb, and it remains to be seen how much of a difference North Korean troops can make for Russia's effort to roll back Ukrainian control.

Deeper reading Nearly Third of North Korean Troops Killed or Wounded in Ukraine: Zelensky

The rundown: The $20 trillion "Transatlantic Tunnel" construction that could connect the U.S. and the U.K. by rail has been branded a "high-risk" project by one of the world's leading megaproject experts. Here's why experts are raising concerns about this ambitious venture.

Why it matters: The concept of a transatlantic tunnel has existed for several decades without significant progress, but recent breakthroughs in vacuum technology have made the idea much more viable, with tech CEO Elon Musk even suggesting that he would be capable of getting the construction started for a fraction of estimated costs. While a variety of different proposals for a transatlantic tunnel have been floated, the most common one is a tunnel between New York City and London, which is a distance of over 3,000 kilometers. A flight between London and New York currently takes around eight hours and it had previously been unclear if trains running underneath the ocean could compete with this, but breakthroughs in vacuum tube technology have indicated these speeds may soon be possible.

Read more in-depth coverage:
The $20-Trillion Tunnel That Could Link New York and London

TL/DR: On paper, the concept has a lot of appeal. New York and London are both large cultural and financial hubs, and linking them by rail opens up incredible opportunities for economic and recreational growth.

What happens now? There is still no official backing for a transatlantic tunnel. With an extremely high price tag and complicated construction processes, governments are reluctant to invest in such a risky and long-term project.

Deeper reading $20 Trillion Transatlantic Tunnel Would Be 'High Risk' Build