Rubio and Witkoff clash on diplomacy and U.S. pursues a third vessel off Venezuela: Morning Rundown

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff’s clashing diplomacy on Russia’s war in Ukraine. The Coast Guard is in ‘active pursuit’ of a sanctioned vessel in international waters off the coast of Venezuela, two U.S. officials say. And, how a child bride escaped Afghanistan and became a bodybuilding champion.

Here’s what to know today.

Steve Witkoff and Marco Rubio’s clashing diplomacy on Russia-Ukraine

How the divide between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, plays out could determine how the war in Ukraine ends and how the U.S. is perceived by its allies and adversaries.

In one episode in November, Rubio was scheduled to attend peace talks with Ukrainian officials in Switzerland, but Witkoff had set off early in what some officials saw as a bid to beat him to the punch, according to two U.S. officials and a person familiar with the episode. Witkoff did not communicate his travel plans to Rubio and other State Department officials, the three sources said, in what they perceived as a move to allow Witkoff to negotiate with Ukraine in a way he saw fit.

This is Morning Rundown, a weekday newsletter to start your day. Sign up here to get it in your inbox.

Rubio ultimately made it to Geneva, ensuring that Witkoff would not be meeting the Ukrainian officials without him, according to the three sources.

It was not the first time U.S. officials had seen Witkoff’s actions as an attempt to make an end-run around Rubio. The episode, which has not been previously reported, was the latest example of a long-running rift between the two senior figures in the Trump administration with sharply different views about how to end the war in Ukraine and how much the U.S. should trust Russia’s promises.

Read more on Witkoff and Rubio’s working relationship here.

• A Russian general was killed after a bomb exploded under his car in Moscow, officials said. Russian investigators said they were looking into whether Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov was assassinated by Ukrainian intelligence services.

U.S. Coast Guard ‘in active pursuit’ of third vessel off Venezuela

The U.S. Coast Guard “is in active pursuit” of a sanctioned vessel in international waters off Venezuela, two U.S. officials with knowledge of the matter told NBC News.

The vessel, known as Bella 1, was placed on the U.S. sanctions list in June 2024, according to a person familiar with the list. The vessel was sanctioned under counterterrorism authority for its involvement in the network of Houthi financial facilitator Sa’id al-Jamal, according to the source.

If it is caught, it will be the third vessel the U.S. has intercepted in the Caribbean. On Saturday, the Defense Department interdicted a second tanker, which the White House said carried sanctioned oil.

Members of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America, a political and economic bloc that includes Venezuela, condemned the “theft and seizure” of the second vessel transporting Venezuelan oil by the U.S., saying doing so “unlawfully deprived its crew of their liberty.”

Read the full story here.

Co-sponsors of Epstein bill considering contempt charges against AG Pam Bondi

Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., said over the weekend that they plan to hold Justice Department officials accountable for their failure to release the entire trove of eligible Jeffrey Epstein files by Friday’s deadline and said they’re speaking with members of Congress about holding Attorney General Pam Bondi in contempt.

“Congress is talking about possible impeachment. They’re talking about inherent contempt for the attorney general or deputy attorney general,” Khanna told CNN on Friday.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who appeared on “Meet the Press” on Sunday, said that the complete files would be released but that attorneys in the Justice Department were still working to redact information and photos related to Epstein’s victims.

“We’re going through a very methodical process with hundreds of lawyers looking at every single document and making sure that victims’ names and any of the information from victims is protected and redacted, which is exactly what the Transparency Act expects,” Blanche said, referring to the bill co-sponsored by Khanna and Massie.

Read the full story.

The surprise team that could win the AFC after a stunning upset

With the Kansas City Chiefs already eliminated from playoff contention (and now down to their third-string quarterback), a new team will have to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl for the first time since 2022.

On Sunday, the Jacksonville Jaguars announced themselves as a contender to be that representative, upsetting the Broncos on the road 34-20, ending an 11-game winning streak by Denver.

The Jaguars’ win improved them to 11-3, and they are now only one game behind the Broncos in the loss column for the No. 1 seed — and home-field advantage — in the postseason. Jacksonville is one of six teams with a chance to win the conference, and it has done it by putting together a winning streak of its own.

Read the full story here.

More NFL news:

Read All About It

Staff Pick: How a child bride escaped Afghanistan and became a bodybuilding champion

Perhaps unsurprisingly for a body building champion, Roya Karimi is physically incredibly strong, muscular and well toned. But her mental fortitude is equally, if not more impressive.

Forced into an arranged marriage at just 14, a year later she was a mom and like many women in her home country of Afghanistan, facing a life of drudgery and domestic servitude.

But on a recent visit to the U.K., she told NBC News’ Daniele Hamamdjian that with the help of her own “hero” mom, she was able to escape with her son to Norway where building up her body became an integral part of building a new life.

Death threats and online detractors will not put her off, and today she stands a proud champion.

— Henry Austin, Senior Editor

NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified

Snow season is creeping in, so we gathered the best snow shovels to keep on hand before the first storm hits. If you’re waking up with neck pain, our editors also highlighted the pillows that offer real relief. And for an easy winter skin fix, we updated our list of the best drugstore moisturizers that keep dryness in check without blowing your budget.

Sign up to The Selection newsletter for hands-on product reviews, expert shopping tips and a look at the best deals and sales each week.

Thanks for reading today’s Morning Rundown. Today’s newsletter was curated for you by Amina Kilpatrick and Richie Duchon. If you’re a fan, please send a link to your family and friends. They can sign up here.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com