The scrutiny over Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's leadership at the Pentagon has been a long time coming on Capitol Hill. Hegseth barely squeaked through his Senate confirmation process at the start of the year. And lawmakers have been uneasy about the lack of information flowing from the Pentagon to Congress. Now, lawmakers have announced an investigation into a military strike on a boat in the Caribbean that some have said raises questions of potential war crimes. Hegseth has chided those second-guessing his actions. And President Donald Trump is standing by Hegseth, whose Cabinet position is among the most important. But Democratic voices in Congress are calling for Hegseth's resignation.

Ukraine and its European allies have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of feigning interest in peace efforts after five hours of talks with U.S. envoys at the Kremlin produced no breakthrough. Ukraine's foreign minister urged Putin to “stop wasting the world’s time.” The remarks reflect the high tensions and gaping gulf that remain between Russia on one side and Ukraine and its European allies on the other over how to end the war. Moscow started the conflict when it invaded its neighbor nearly four years ago. A day earlier, Putin accused the Europeans of sabotaging the U.S.-led peace efforts and warned that, if provoked, Russia would be ready for war with Europe.

Compact SUVs have become an extremely popular choice for folks who need a vehicle that can do it all without compromising everyday usability. And in this hotly contested segment, the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V are among the best of the breed. The CR-V has been a top pick for many years, but Toyota has fully redesigned the RAV4 for 2026. Are these updates enough to overtake its longstanding rival? Edmunds’ experts put these two class leaders to the test to declare a winner.

Republican Matt Van Epps has won a special election in Tennessee for a seat in the U.S. House. Van Epps was backed by President Donald Trump. He defeated Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn to keep the 7th Congressional District in the GOP column. But the comparatively slim margin of victory fueled Democratic hopes for next year’s midterm elections. The special election followed Republican Rep. Mark Green’s resignation this summer. The race saw a surge in spending, with Van Epps receiving over $1 million from the Trump-backing super PAC MAGA Inc. The House Majority PAC supported Behn with $1 million.

Pope Leo XIV has shared his thoughts during the conclave that elected him, saying he resigned himself to the inevitable and put the rest in God’s hands. Speaking to the press aboard his plane on Tuesday, Leo said he took a deep breath and told God to lead the way. He was returning from his inaugural trip to Turkey and Lebanon. Leo discussed various topics, including international issues and his spirituality. He urged dialogue over military threats on Venezuela and expressed hopes for future travels in Africa and South America. Leo’s remarks revealed his comfort with the media and his sense of humor.

World shares are mixed after U.S. stocks held steadier as both bond yields and bitcoin stabilized. U.S. futures and oil prices advanced early Wednesday. Most Asian benchmarks got a lift from gains for technology companies, while Chinese markets declined. On Tuesday, the S&P 500 rose 0.2% and the Dow industrials added 0.4%. The Nasdaq composite climbed 0.6%. Boeing was one of the strongest forces lifting the market after it gave an encouraging forecast for how much cash it will earn next year. Treasury yields eased following their jumps the day before. Bitcoin rose back above $91,000 after tumbling below $85,000 on Monday.

Nov. 26-Dec. 2, 2025 AP mobile scroll: a selection of standout vertical images published by The Associated Press in the past week. This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.