JOE BIDEN in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky In February 2023(White House photo).

The use of American long-range missiles for deep strikes into Russia by Ukraine has been authorized by President Joe Biden/

According to the Associated Press, the Ukrainians will be allowed to use deploy the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMs) for attacks further into Russia in response to the introduction of North Korean forces into the battlefield.

As many as 10,000 soldiers from the Democratic Republic of Korea are now alongside a larger number of Russian forces in an effort to expel Ukrainian forces from the hundreds of miles of seized territory in the Kursk region.

It’s uncertain whether the U.S. policy in that conflict will continue once President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in on Jan. 20, 2025.

Defense secretary pick faces sex allegations

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s announced selection to be Secretary of Defense, reportedly made a financial settlement with a women who claimed he had sexually assaulted her in 2017.

The New York Times reported that Hegseth said the “interaction” was consensual.

Trump’s communications director said that “Mr. Hegseth has vigorously denied any and all accusations, and no charges were filed. We look forward to his confirmation” which is the job of the Senate.

The incident that prompted the settlement took place at a Hyatt hotel in Monterey, California where Hegseth was making a speech.
He has recently been a commentator on Fox News.

Sports: Rams and Chargers post wins

Matthew Stafford threw four touchdown passes and 295 yards as the Los Angeles Rams defeated the New England Patriots 28-22 in Foxboro and squared their record at 4-4, tied for second in the NFC West.

Puka Nacua caught seven passes for 123 yards and one score. Cooper Kupp had six catches for 106 yards and two scores, one of them a 69-yard touchdown.

The Rams have won four of their last five games.

At SoFi Stadium, the Los Angeles Chargers improved to 7-3 and remain in second place in the AFC West with a 34-27 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Chargers built a 27-6 halftime lead, but the Bengals rallied to tie the game at 27-all in the late going. Two missed field goals kept the Bengals from getting a lead, and the game was settled when J.K. Dobbins ran for 29 yards and a TD with 18 seconds to play.

Justin Herbert passed for 297 yards and two scores for the Bolts. Joe Burrow passed for 356 yards and three scores for the Bengals.

Weather: Time to warm up

The cool weather that’s chilled most of the week just passed in West Orange County will be giving way to warmer days. Monday is forecast to have a daytime high of 67 with an overnight low of 47. That will rise to 69(45) on Tuesday and then jump to 73 (47) on Wednesday and 73 (46) on Thursday. Skies will be partly cloudy each day except for Wednesday with sun.