AP News Summary at 2:22 p.m. EST

By The Associated Press

UN halts aid shipments through Gaza’s main crossing after looting. It blames the crisis on Israel

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees says it is halting aid deliveries through the main cargo crossing into Gaza because of the threat of armed gangs who have looted recent convoys. The decision could worsen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as another cold, rainy winter sets in. Hundreds of thousands of people are living in squalid tent camps and rely on international food aid. The head of UNRWA, the main aid provider in Gaza, said Sunday that the route leading to the Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel is too dangerous on the Gaza side. There was no immediate comment from Israel.

Israeli strikes hit southern Lebanon, but tense ceasefire holds

TYRE, Lebanon (AP) — Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency says Israeli jets have launched an airstrike over a southern Lebanese border village, while troops shelled other border towns and villages still under Israeli control. The attacks Sunday come days after a US-brokered ceasefire agreement that ended the war between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect. There were no immediate reports of casualties. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the strike in the village of Yaroun, nor did the Hezbollah militant group. Israel continues to call on displaced Lebanese not to return to dozens of southern villages in this current stage of the ceasefire.

Trump says he’ll nominate Kash Patel as FBI director to remake the agency. Here’s what happens next

Donald Trump’s plan to nominate Kash Patel as FBI director sets the stage for a fresh round of turbulence at a law enforcement agency tasked with protecting the homeland and investigating federal crimes. The Trump ally has plans to shake up the FBI, and Patel is a study in contrasts from the current tight-lipped director, Christopher Wray, who preaches a “keep calm and tackle hard” mantra. Trump’s announcement late Saturday means Wray can either resign or wait to be fired once Trump takes office in January. Meanwhile, Patel is likely to face deep skepticism during his confirmation hearings even in a Republican-led Senate.

Recess appointments could put Trump at odds with conservatives on the Supreme Court

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans will control the White House and both houses of Congress come January. But President-elect Donald Trump’s intent to nominate loyalists to fill key Cabinet posts has set up a possible confrontation with the Senate, which has the constitutional responsibility for “advice and consent” on presidential nominees. Trump and his allies are talking about going around the Senate and using temporary recess appointments, which last no more than two years. Invoking that authority could result in a court fight that lands at the Supreme Court. Trump might also have to claim another never-before-used power to force the Senate into a recess if it won’t agree to one.

Heavy snow and numbing temperatures keep parts of the US in a deep freeze

LOWVILLE, N.Y. (AP) — Heavy snowfall and numbing temperatures are keeping parts of the U.S. in a deep freeze as the Thanksgiving holiday weekend comes to a close. Despite the Arctic-type weather, though, snowmobilers and skiers are reveling in their respective wintry terrains, and weather forecasters gave possible good news ahead of the NFL game in Buffalo. A blast of Arctic air late last week brought bitter temperatures of 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit below average to the Northern Plains, the National Weather Service said, prompting cold advisories for parts of North Dakota. Frigid air was expected to move over the eastern third of the U.S. by Monday, with temperatures about 10 degrees below average.

Shopping on Shein and Temu for holiday gifts? You’re not the only one.

Ultra low-cost online retailers Temu and Shein are giving Western retailers a run for their money this holiday shopping season. Software company Salesforce says it expects roughly one in five online purchases in the U.S., the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada to be made through four online marketplaces based or founded in Asia. The list includes Shein, Temu, TikTok Shop and Alibaba’s AliExpress. Analysts with Salesforce say the four could pull in roughly $160 billion in global holiday sales outside of China, most of which will go to Temu and Shein. Tariffs and U.S. government regulations may make the noticeably inexpensive products they sell more expensive next year.

Negotiators fail to reach an agreement on a plastic pollution treaty. Talks to resume next year

BUSAN, South Korea (AP) — Negotiators working on a treaty to address the global crisis of plastic pollution for a week in South Korea won’t reach an agreement and plan to resume the talks next year. They are at an impasse over whether the treaty should reduce the total plastic on Earth and put global, legally binding controls on toxic chemicals used to make plastics. The negotiations in Busan, South Korea, were supposed to be the fifth and final round to produce the first legally binding treaty on plastics pollution, including in the oceans, by the end of 2024. But with time running out early Monday, negotiators agreed to resume the talks next year. They don’t yet have firm plans.

Syria launches counterattacks in an attempt to halt insurgency, as Iran’s top diplomat meets Assad

BEIRUT (AP) — The Syrian military rushed reinforcements to the northwest and launched airstrikes Sunday in an attempt to push back insurgents who seized the country’s largest city of Aleppo. Iran pledged to help the government counter the surprise offensive. Iran has been a key political and military ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad in the country’s long-running civil war, but it was unclear how Tehran would support Damascus in this latest flareup that began Wednesday. Insurgents launched a two-pronged attack on Aleppo and the countryside around Idlib, before moving toward neighboring Hama province.

A landmark climate change case will open at the top UN court as island nations fear rising seas

THE HAGUE (AP) — The top United Nations court will take up the largest case in its history on Monday. It opens two weeks of hearings into what countries worldwide are legally required to do to combat climate change and help vulnerable nations fight its devastating impact. Island nations who fear they could simply disappear under rising sea waters have lobbied for years for such a court case. The U.N. General Assembly asked the International Court of Justice last year for an opinion on “the obligations of States in respect of climate change.”

AP Top 25: Ohio St, Miami, Clemson drop; Texas, Penn St, Notre Dame, Georgia in line behind Oregon

Ohio State, Miami and Clemson plunged in The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll following losses over the weekend. Eight of the top 10 teams moved up one spot and Oregon was No. 1 for the seventh straight week. The shakeup creates two top-five matchups in conference championship games Saturday: No. 1 Oregon against No. 3 Penn State in the Big Ten and No. 2 Texas against No. 5 Georgia in the SEC. No. 4 Notre Dame won’t play again until the College Football Playoff. Ohio State fell to No. 7, Miami to No. 14 and Clemson to No. 18.