A blizzard and ice storm slammed the Northern Plains yesterday.

Google revealed its most search terms of the year and an octopus species

help solve a long-standing climate mystery.

That's some of what we'll get to on the 7th from the Washington Post.

I'm Jeff Pierre.

It's Wednesday, December 27th.

Let's get you caught up with today's seven stories.

At number one today, Ukraine's top commander called for mobilizing more soldiers.

Yesterday General Valleary Zalujny called for mobilizing more soldiers.

Yesterday, General Valerri Zalujny held his first news conference since Russia invaded Ukraine

in February of 2022.

His appeal for more troops followed Ukraine's failed counter-offensive this year.

It was also a rare acknowledgement of the country's heavy casualties in the war.

U.S. officials estimate that more than 120,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or wounded

in nearly two years of fighting.

And with the war largely at a stalemate, Ukraine needs to find a way to refill its ranks for what's still expected

to be a long fight. At number two,

two, Israel said it will continue its intense fighting in Gaza, despite international pressure for a pause.

According to a Washington Post analysis, Israel's military has already waged one of the most destructive wars of this century,

and in recent days Israeli officials have suggested that its campaign against Hamas will persist or even intensify in its level of violence.

That's despite calls from the United Nations for urgent and extended humanitarian pauses to allow more aid into

Gaza.

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