Daily Briefing

A seagull flies over the Baltic Sea in Scharbeutz, Germany, on Friday. The Associated Press
Nation
New York
Hiring increase points to resilient economy
WASHINGTON — U.S. hiring picked up unexpectedly in December as employers added 256,000 jobs, a sign of the economy’s resilience in the face of high interest rates.
The Labor Department reported Friday that job growth was up last month from 212,000 in November. The unemployment rate dropped to 4.1% from 4.2% in November.
New York
15-year prison term sought for Menendez
NEW YORK — Prosecutors say former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez should be imprisoned for 15 years for a “grave abuse of his power,” after the New Jersey Democrat became the first person to be convicted of abusing a Senate committee leadership position and the first U.S. public official to be convicted of serving as a foreign agent.
In papers filed late Thursday in Manhattan federal court, prosecutors called for the lengthy prison term for the 71-year-old Menendez.
World
South Korea
Presidential security service chief resigns
SEOUL — South Korea’s acting leader has accepted the resignation of the chief of the presidential security service, Park Jong-joon, as he faced police questioning over how his forces blocked law enforcement efforts to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol last week.
The acting leader, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, also expressed regret over the clashes between law enforcement officials and the presidential security service.
Russia
Kremlin welcomes Trump, Putin meeting
A senior Moscow official says the Kremlin welcomes U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s readiness to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russia attaches no conditions to the possibility of face-to-face talks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday.