| Staff member held | Authorities have detained Haze Fan, who works for Bloomberg News in Beijing. Fan was last in contact around 11:30 a.m. local time on Monday. Shortly after, she was seen being escorted from her apartment building by plain clothes security officials. "Chinese citizen Ms. Fan has been detained by the Beijing National Security Bureau according to relevant Chinese law on suspicion of engaging in criminal activities that jeopardize national security," the Chinese authorities said. Raking it in | Trump and his party raised $207.5 million in less than three weeks after the Nov. 3 election, fueled by outrage-filled solicitations to donors as the president waged an unsuccessful challenge to the results. Money flooded into Trump's coffers at a much higher rate after he began to seek contributions to fight widespread voter fraud and election rigging, despite no evidence of either, according to federal filings. - Pennsylvania and three other states urged the U.S. Supreme Court to declare the presidential election over by quickly rejecting an unprecedented Texas lawsuit that seeks to reverse Biden's victory.
Stimulus a go | The 1.8 trillion-euro ($2.2 trillion) budget and pandemic recovery package EU leaders approved yesterday represents more than a big number: It paves the way for the bloc's transition to a low-carbon economy. Financially, it's a lifeline to those countries worst hit by Covid-19 and a deeply symbolic move that can help ease north-south divisions, while holding renegade eastern states to the rule of law. - Talks on a nearly trillion-dollar U.S. pandemic relief bill are hung up on partisan differences over shielding companies from virus-related lawsuits — and there's no sign of a deal anytime soon.
Out of time | A no-deal Brexit is now the likeliest outcome on Dec. 31, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned, after U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson's appeal for EU leaders to salvage faltering trade talks was frustrated. The 27 government heads were due to discuss the issue over dinner last night, but instead gave it less than 10 minutes this morning after the climate talks overran. Johnson warned Britons to prepare for a no-deal departure.  Johnson and von der Leyen before a dinner meeting in Brussels on Dec. 9. Photographer: Alexandros Michailidis/Straight Out Of The Camera Change of heart? | The U.S. plans to impose sanctions on Turkey over its purchase of S-400 air-defense missiles after years of drama that began with the NATO ally's 2017 decision to buy the system from Russia. Trump, who has long highlighted his personal rapport with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and resisted bipartisan calls for congressional penalties over the weapons deal, has signed off on a package of measures, Jennifer Jacobs and Onur Ant report. What to Watch -
Biden's defense secretary choice, Lloyd Austin, may have to stay out of decisions on the Pentagon's costliest weapons system, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, because of his ties to its engine-maker, Raytheon. -
London Mayor Sadiq Khan announced beefed-up policing of Covid rules and more community testing in the capital in an effort to avoid having the city placed under the U.K.'s toughest virus restrictions. -
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission moved against Chinese companies Huawei and China Telecom, continuing a series of rulings it says are aimed at protecting national security. - The Democratic Republic of Congo's National Assembly voted to remove its speaker, a victory for President Felix Tshisekedi in his power struggle with former leader Joseph Kabila.
Pop quiz, readers (no cheating!). Which Latin American President regained control of his nation's National Assembly after the opposition boycotted elections. Send your answers to balancepower@bloomberg.net. And finally ... Escalating attacks by Islamist militant groups in Africa linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State are straining the ability of governments to fight back as the pandemic drains resources, according to risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft. Its Terrorism Intensity Index published today said sub-Saharan Africa is home to seven of the 10 riskiest countries in the world.  Mourners attend the funeral of 43 farmworkers killed by Islamist militants near the Nigerian village of Koshobe on Nov. 28. Photographer: Audu Marte/AFP via Getty Images | 
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