Good evening. I'm Lisa Desjardian. Jeff Bennett and Omnavaz are away.

On the news hour tonight, new tactics by Russian President Vladimir Putin,

why European leaders say he invented an assassination plot and what it means for any Ukraine peace deal.

And we join a scientific expedition in the icy seas around Antarctica. Our Miles O'Brien takes us on board the journey to understand a massive, melting glacier.

And how a U.S.-backed road and rail project in an unstable region could unlock trade with Central Asia.

There are still a lot of hurdles to get over before the White House's vision of peace becomes a reality on the ground here in Armenia, on the border with Iran.

Welcome to the news hour.

Millions across the country will ring in the new year tonight with bubbly drinks, loved ones, and the warmest clothes they can find.

That's because Arctic temperatures and heavy snow are sweeping across large parts of the U.S.

Plows in upstate New York have been working to clear roadways for New Year's travelers as forecasters worn of squalls across the region.

In New York City, the estimated 1 million people who are expected to gather in Times Square tonight are facing the coldest ball drop in nearly a decade.

And a dose of Arctic air is keeping temperatures low from the Midwest to the Appalachians.

Meantime, on the West Coast, California is bracing for heavy

rains and the risk of flooding. Just days after a Christmas week storm soaked many parts of the state.

In many parts of the world, of course, it is already 2026.

Auckland, New Zealand was the first major city to ring in the new year with a fireworks display, a full 18 hours before it strikes midnight on the U.S. East Coast.

Australia followed a few hours later.

Celebrations in Sydney were mixed with mourning of the 15 lives lost in this month's Bondi Beach shooting.

Before the fireworks, the city held a candlelit moment of silence.

And a change in Hong Kong's celebration, the city held a light show, canceling its renowned fireworks display over the harbor after a massive building fire killed at least 161 people there

last month. President Trump says he's removing National Guard troops from Chicago, Los Angeles,

and Portland, at least for now.

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