Domestic: 

Google’s co-founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, have stepped down from their respective positions as CEO and president of Google’s parent company, Alphabet. Page and Brin have said that the structural change is intended to “simplify our management structure.” Google CEO Sundar Pichai will take over as the head of the company.

Democratic Senator Kamala Harris dropped out of the presidential race on Tuesday. In an email to supporters, Harris acknowledged that her campaign “simply doesn’t have the financial resources we need to continue.” Although Harris was once a prominent candidate, her departure comes after months of low-polling numbers and several staff shake-ups.

International: 

NATO marked its 70th-anniversary with a meeting in London to display their unity. U.S. President Donald Trump argued with French President Emmanuel Macron over his comment that NATO faced a “brain death” caused by U.S. indifference to the transatlantic alliance. Trump also abruptly canceled a news conference with NATO leaders on Wednesday after calling Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “two-faced.” 

North Korea has threatened the United States with a “Christmas gift” unless Washington abides by their end of year deadline for concessions in exchange for a possible deal to curb nuclear weapons. North Korea hopes to lift the strict economic sanctions that are currently in place. These next few weeks will be critical in the U.S.– North Korean diplomacy.