The deadliest clashes so far have erupted between Syrian government forces and Kurdish fighters in Aleppo. Efforts to merge the Kurdish-led and U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces with the national army have shown little progress. The SDF has tens of thousands of fighters and is the main force to be absorbed into Syria’s military. Syria’s state-run news agency on Tuesday reported casualties, including a soldier and civilians, in attacks blamed on the SDF. The SDF denied involvement and accused government factions of targeting Kurdish neighborhoods. Previous rounds of fighting have ended with truce agreements, but no official truce has been announced.

As Iran is gripped by new protests, many people there are focused on the U.S. raid in Venezuela and wonder whether the same could occur in Tehran. Iranian state media and officials have condemned the seizure in Caracas of Nicolás Maduro, a longtime ally. There's concern about the Islamic Republic's top officials. Attendees at one high-profile event were asked to pray for the theocracy's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But an analyst warns that “Iran is a much more complex political situation.” The paranoia feeds into wider worries among Iranians after attacks last year by Israel and the U.S.

President Donald Trump’s administration is withholding funding to help needy families with children in five states governed by Democrats. Officials cited fraud concerns as a reason for the action targeting California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will require extra documentation to access the funds. Officials in the states say the administration is motivated by politics. The administration has not given details of the fraud claims. The programs are lifelines to some low-income families, helping with day care, cash assistance and job training. Gov. Kathy Hochul says New York is prepared to go to court to preserve the funding.

The Alaska Airlines pilot who was praised as a hero for safely landing a plane after a door plug panel flew off shortly after takeoff in 2004 is suing Boeing because he believes the plane maker wrongly tried to blame him and the rest of the crew in past legal filings. Captain Brandon Fisher was commended by the heads of the National Transportation Safety Board, Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing executives for helping ensure none of the 177 people aboard died. Fisher’s lawyers say Boeing’s attempts to deflect liability in lawsuits despite NTSB investigation findings led to the pilot being sued by some passengers and caused him great distress. Boeing didn't comment on the new lawsuit.

Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela's interim president, has risen to prominence through strategic moves and political savvy. In 2017, as Venezuela's foreign minister, she directed Citgo to donate $500,000 to Donald Trump's inauguration, aiming to attract American investment. Despite initial setbacks, Rodríguez's efforts have made her a key figure in U.S. business and political circles. Her pragmatic leadership style has helped her amass power, including control over Venezuela's oil economy. However, her rise leaves Venezuela's democratic future uncertain, as elections remain unmentioned.

Former Michigan State and NBA player Paul Davis apologized for verbally abusing an official at the Breslin Center and being removed from his seat during the 12th-ranked Spartans’ 80-51 victory over Southern California. Davis addressed his actions with reporters and expressed remorse on Tuesday, less than 24 hours after an official pointed him out and asked him to be escorted away from his seat near the court. Davis says he apologized to official Jeffrey Anderson during a conversation on Tuesday, adding he is sorry for being a distraction for Michigan State’s players during their strong start this season.

The political fortunes of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz were looking bright in the summer of 2024, when Kamala Harris chose him as her running mate. He was seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party. But Walz, under fire for fraud in government programs, on Monday abandoned his quest for a third term as governor. Walz told reporters Tuesday he doesn’t know what his future holds. He said he expects to be tied up for the next year with trying to fight off the Trump administration’s targeting of Minnesota. He didn’t rule out a return to education someday, saying he was a “really good geography teacher.”

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban are now divorced and legally single. A Nashville judge has dissolved their 19-year marriage on Tuesday. Kidman filed for divorce in September, citing “marital difficulties and irreconcilable differences.” The couple has two teenage daughters, and Kidman will be the primary residential parent. They have agreed on a roughly equal division of their joint assets, with no need for child or spousal support. Kidman and Urban, both 58, met in Los Angeles in 2005 and married in Sydney the following year. The divorce was a surprise to the public, despite some public hints of marital difficulties.

The Detroit Lions have fired offensive coordinator John Morton. The move Tuesday was expected after the Lions missed the playoffs and coach Dan Campbell took over Morton’s play-calling duties midway through the season. Campbell is now looking for his third offensive coordinator in three seasons. Former OC Ben Johnson left the Lions a little more than a year ago to lead the Chicago Bears and helped them win the NFC North. The Lions failed to make the postseason after winning that division the previous two seasons and earning top seeding in the NFC last year.

President Donald Trump spread some confusion about childhood vaccinations in social media posts about changes to U.S. vaccine recommendations. His administration has cut the number of vaccines long routinely recommended for all children.  It now recommends everyone be protected against 11 diseases, down from 18 a year ago. Trump shared a misleading graphic comparing the change to a “European country” giving 11 “injections” and wrote that the U.S. “will no longer require 72 ‘jabs.’” Unless you counted yearly flu and COVID-19 shots, the number of injections over childhood was closer to 36 and the entire list was never required.

The Trump administration has launched its largest immigration enforcement operation, deploying up to 2,000 federal agents to the Minneapolis area. This move began over the weekend and targets alleged fraud involving Somali residents. Officials describe it as one of the largest single-city mobilizations by the Department of Homeland Security in recent years. Most personnel come from ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, focusing on immigration arrests and deportations. Homeland Security Investigations agents are also involved, investigating fraud and unlawful employment practices. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was seen participating in an arrest over the weekend.

Ukraine’s allies have agreed on a framework for international security guarantees designed to deter any future Russian attack, as part of efforts to end Moscow’s nearly four-year invasion. Meeting in Paris on Tuesday, leaders from Europe and Canada joined U.S. representatives and senior European Union and NATO officials to outline how Ukraine could be protected after any ceasefire, though many details remain unresolved. The talks were the largest such gathering yet and included two U.S. envoys in person, underscoring a shift from contingency planning toward outlining possible commitments.

President Donald Trump promised that “America First” would stand against more foreign entanglements. Yet he's intervened with force and without congressional approval in a new frontier, with the U.S. seizure of Venezuela’s authoritarian leader, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife. The raid means another reckoning for the “Make America Great Again” coalition. Already, it's been rocked by the Trump administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and strained by rising health insurance premiums and living costs. Associated Press journalists interviewed Trump supporters around the country. Many are fully behind what Trump did in Venezuela. But some worry the U.S. will be dragged into yet another foreign morass.

President Donald Trump wants Republicans to get a deal on health care insurance assistance by being flexible on a long-standing amendment that bars federal money from being spent on abortion services. Trump made his request during a speech to House Republicans on Tuesday in Washington. Trump says Republicans can “own health care” as an issue if they get a deal to replace expired subsidies for Affordable Care Act insurance customers. But Trump is essentially asking House Republicans to set aside decades of GOP policy insisting on the Hyde Amendment as part of any health care spending. Some Democrats want to end Hyde restrictions as part of any new agreements on health care subsidies, and anti-abortion rights advocates want Republicans to hold the line.

President Donald Trump is pushing back against Democratic criticism of this weekend’s military operation that led to the capture of Nicolás  Maduro. He noted in a Tuesday speech to a House Republican retreat that his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden had also called for the arrest of the Venezuelan leader on drug trafficking charges. Trump grumbled that Democrats were not giving him credit for a successful military operation, even though there is bipartisan agreement that Maduro was not the rightful president of Venezuela. Trump did not address mounting criticism that the Republican administration is embarking on a new era of U.S. expansionism without consultation with lawmakers or a clear vision for running the South American country.